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Amy Nathan, author of the non-fiction children’s book about Sarah Keys Evans “Take a Seat ––Make a Stand: A Hero in the Family, will speak on Sunday, Aug. 11, at the Mother of Mercy Catholic Church in Washington. Nathan has conducted countless interviews with Keys up until her passing in November of 2023. She will speak about the history behind the Mother of Mercy Catholic Church and its school. Sarah Keys Evans’s father, David Keys, is credited with building the school and church, which, at his request were specifically for Blacks. 

Nathan will also discuss the infamous night in August of 1952 in which Sarah Evans Keys, who was en route from New Jersey to Washington to visit her parents, was arrested in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina after refusing to give up her seat in the middle of the bus to a white Marine. She was held overnight in the Roanoke Rapids jail. An ensuing lawsuit resulted in a decision by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) which ruled the ICC Act forbids segregation on interstate buses. “It is so important to know and remember our history,” said Nathan. “Sarah Keys Evans’s story is one of courage and strength. She knew the potential consequences of acting out like she did during the Jim Crow era, but she did not let it stop her. Knowing her story and others like hers can change how we look at the world and perhaps keep things like this from happening again.”

Nathan has a second children’s book with new information about Sarah Keys Evans which is scheduled for release in 2025 by the North Carolina Office of History and Culture. She also has a new book for adults about the life of Sarah Keys Evans, which is scheduled for release next year by Duke University Press. 

On the day before her appearance in Washington, Nathan will attend a Sarah Keys Day commemoration in Roanoke Rapids at the monument erected in her honor through a grant from the Hughs Smith Reynolds Foundation. “We are very excited about her coming to Washington,” said Leesa Jones, director of the Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum. “I really appreciate all that she has done to bring the story of Sarah Evans Keys to the forefront. It should make for a very enlightening evening for all.”

The event will be held from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm on Sunday, Aug. 11, at the Mother of Mercy Catholic Church located at 112 West 9th Street.