How the Camden 28 Put the Vietnam War on Trial: A Book Talk With Professor Michelle M. Nickerson

Join Michelle Nickerson, professor of American History at Loyola University, for a surprising look at the 28 Catholic radicals who raided a draft board in 1971—and got away with it.When the FBI arrested twenty-eight people in connection to a break-in at a Camden, New Jersey, draft board in 1971, the Bureau celebrated. The case should have been an easy victory for the department—the perpetrators had been caught red-handed attempting to destroy conscription documents for draftees into the Vietnam War. But the results of the trial surprised everyone, and in the process shook the foundations of American law, politics, and religion.In Spiritual Criminals, Michelle M. Nickerson shares a complex portrait of the Camden 28, a passionate group of grassroots religious progressives who resisted both their church and their government as they crusaded against the Vietnam War. This is a hybrid event. It will take place in the Chicago Authors Room on the 7th floor of Harold Washington Library Center, and over zoom.Please note that masks are recommended for in-person events at CPL. Accessibility: Need sign language interpretation or other accessibility assistance for this event? Please call (312) 747-8184 or email access@chipublib.org to request accommodations. Requests must be made at least 14 business days before the event. How to Attend: This event will be held in person and livestreamed on Zoom. Only one registration per household is needed. You'll receive an email with a link to the secure Zoom meeting about 24 hours before the meeting. Automatic transcription is included in all CPL events using Zoom. Attending CPL Online Events: Questions about attending online events? Check out our Events FAQs.Image: Screen capture taken from the public domain newsreel footage of Universal News, given into public domain by MCA in 1976 and hosted by Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/CEP531. The footage shows an anti-war protest in New York City in 1967, including a group of young men burning their draft cards. The protest was held in Sheep Meadow in Central Park; author Jerry Elmer calls it "the first large-scale burning of individual draft cards by resisters".