Marion Orr has spent much of his academic career studying the intersections of race, politics, and education. Now, the inaugural Frederick Lippitt Professor of Public Policy at Brown University has turned his attention to a leader whose impact has been overlooked in history books: Congressman Charles C. Diggs Jr.

In his new biography, House of Diggs: The Rise and Fall of America’s Most Consequential Black Congressman , Orr reconstructs the life of Michigan’s first Black U.S. representative, a man who helped shape the civil rights era at home and abroad, only to see his career collapse in scandal.

PHOTO: THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS

“Unfortunately, Charlie Diggs has been sort of almost forgotten,” Orr said in an interview. “What I want people to come away with from this book

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