Episode 8

full
Published on:

12th Apr 2022

The Long Road to Justice | Gilbert King (Devil in the Grove)

On the final episode of Season 1 of "Read, White, & Blue," Speaker Sprowls sits down with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gilbert King to discuss his book, "Devil in the Grove," a tragic historical account of Jim Crow-era Florida and the false accusation and sentencing of the Groveland Four: Charles Greenlee, Walter Irvin, Samuel Shepherd, and Ernest Thomas. King recounts his research into the prejudice in rural Florida in the 1940s and 50s and the horrible miscarriage of justice that followed the false accusations against these four young Black men. Speaker Sprowls and King discuss how "Devil in the Grove" brought awareness to this tragedy and the instrumental role it played in the Florida Legislature's decision to pursue the long overdue pardon and exoneration of the Groveland Four beginning in 2017.

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for Read, White & Blue

About the Podcast

Read, White & Blue
Chris Sprowls, Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
From policy briefs and white papers as Speaker of the Florida House, to court cases and brutal police records as a former prosecutor, reading has always been a central part of Chris Sprowls’ mission to defend American values. This interest has expanded beyond his work and into a personal passion for reading books. Getting to know the authors behind the ideas on the page is one of his favorite pastimes. On Read, White, & Blue, hear fascinating interviews with some of the Speakers’ favorite authors and gain insight into the literary works that have shaped his world view, and sometimes, public policy, too.