As a 9-year-old in St. Stephen, S.C, Issac Bailey watched Moochie, his older brother and hero, being taken away in handcuffs. Arrested and convicted for murder, Moochie was imprisoned for 32 years while Issac grew up, became a professional journalist, married, and became a father, all the while struggling with the effects of the foundational event that sabotaged his family. Considering the full, complex range of reverberations of the matter took on a professional and personal urgency for Bailey as the years progressed, and his 2018 critically acclaimed book, "My Brother Moochie: Regaining Dignity in the Face of Crime, Poverty, and Racism in the American South" is the result.

Bailey will present a lecture that is free and open to the public titled "The Black Sheep of the Black Sheep" at Coastal Carolina University on Thursday, Oct. 17, at 6 p.m. in the Johnson Auditorium. His discussion will explore the interrelationship of race and the criminal justice system with a focus on "My Brother Moochie," which depicts the devastating effects of the prison system on the incarcerated, their loved ones, and society as a whole.

"I want people to better grapple with the complexity of humanity, especially the people we have deemed ugly and unworthy, either because of characteristics over which they have no control, or because of wrongs they've committed but want the right to redeem themselves and make amends," said Bailey. "I want people to know that you don't have to be a monster to do something monstrous, and that a person is more than their worst act."

A 2014 Harvard Neiman Fellow and James K. Batten Professor of Journalism at Davidson College, Bailey's prolific career began in Myrtle Beach, where he worked as a journalist and columnist at the Sun News for 18 years; he has contributed to Politico.com, CNN.com, Time magazine, Esquire.com and the Washington Post. Bailey is a 2011 recipient of a Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism for stories about a child protection case, a 2018 recipient of a Sigma Chi Delta Award from the Society for Professional Journalists for his online commentary on journalism ethics, and a recent appointee to the editorial board of the Charlotte Observer.

Bailey traces the stutter he developed as an adolescent to the trauma of his brother's incarceration and related family circumstances. In addition, Bailey's work with a psychiatrist as an adult led to a diagnosis of PTSD. His evolving self-discovery and study of social and familial dynamics surrounding the justice system led to the creation of "My Brother Moochie."

Bailey's lecture is sponsored by CCU's Charles Joyner Institute for Gullah and African Diaspora Studies. Director Eric Crawford said "My Brother Moochie" reflects an everyday scenario that's rarely publicized.

"It's a story that's all too common among African-American families and those who are in poverty," said Crawford. "So many people have family members who they know are in jail somewhere, and they never see them, and they come out, and they come back into our lives and, often, they're still our heroes. I think it will connect with a lot of Americans, including those who overcome challenges of many kinds."

Bailey knew Joyner and distinctly recalls the historian's lessons. "Charles taught me that the truth should be told, even when it's difficult, even when it's uncomfortable, even when it's messy" said Bailey. "It's truth that is most likely to heal our collective souls. I saw that in his work, and I hope my book does the same."

Themes of accountability, hope, mercy, and dignity thread through the book, as well as the physical, emotional, and psychological scars that Bailey, who still resides in Myrtle Beach, carries to this day. As he grapples with the web of circumstances, influences, and choices that both connect and separate Issac, the fifth child in the family, with Moochie, the oldest boy, the author draws a firm conclusion, one of many in the book, which he presented in an interview with Tori Telfer in Longreads:

"Though our fates have diverged, I'm not all that different from my brothers who ended up in prison. Seemingly small decisions, which were in our control, and factors that were not in our control, made the difference."

Additional information:

The Johnson Auditorium is in Room 116 of the Wall Building on the main Conway campus (No. 20 on map).