Acclaimed Brooklyn journalist and author Shomari Wills, a Lynton Book Writing Fellow of Columbia University, is bringing the stories of African-American slaves-turned-millionaires to the Clemmons Family Farm in Charlotte, VT. Wills will read selections from his book Black Fortunes: The Story of the First Six African Americans Who Survived Slavery and Became Millionaires. The author will engage in a discussion session with the audience, followed by a book signing on Saturday, July 20 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the historic Barn House located at 2213-2158 Greenbush Rd. Charlotte, VT. The Black Fortunes event kicks off the Clemmons Family Farm’s 2019 Humanities Speakers’ Series, “To Sing of Common Things: Making a Way Out of No Way.” The series, extending to October, will feature five other notable African-American authors and storytellers, and is offered to encourage meaningful community conversations about African-American history and how it relates to present times. The events will be moderated by Dr. Wanda Heading-Grant. She is the Vice President for Human Resources, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs at the University of Vermont. To ensure the high quality of the interactions with the speaker, seating at the Clemmons Family Farm is limited to a maximum of 40 people and pre-registration is required through Eventbrite. A second book signing event with Wills will be held on Sunday, July 21 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m in Downtown Burlington at Pizzeria Verità restaurant located at 156 St Paul St, Burlington, VT. Pre-registration to this event is not required. Admission to both events is free and donations to the Clemmons Family Farm are encouraged. The Flying Pig bookstore will be on hand for participants to purchase autographed copies of the books at both events.