Hey, it's Empire's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. What happened before can happen again.

That's a point Congressman Jim Clyburn makes in today's interview. His new book,

The First Eight, is a look at the eight black congressman from South Carolina who came before him.

The book began as an exercise in history, a way of remembering the people who forged

a path for Clyburn. But in this interview with Empire's Michelle Martin, Clyburn talks about how

the direction of the book changed after the 2020 elections, from looking back in the past

to saying something about the present. That's coming up.

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After three decades in office, you might think you know everything

there is to know about one of the Democratic Party's most influential lawmakers, Congressman Jim

Clyburn of South Carolina. But one assumption many have about him is incorrect. He is not

the first black congressman from his native state. There were eight others before him. His new book,

The First Eight, tells the story of these eight men who overcame incredible odds, from slavery to

freedom to the bloody backlash of reconstruction and pave the way for him and others in American

...