The Cruelty of Nice Folks Book Party + Juneteenth Celebration
Join us on Juneteenth to celebrate not just our freedom and the holiday, but the book release of The Cruelty of Nice Folks by Justin Ellis.
Come party with us as we mix & mingle to music from a live DJ, toast to the launch of The Cruelty of Nice Folks: Why Minneapolis Is the Story of America, listen to a few words from the accomplished author, Justin Ellis, then refill our wine glasses and get more than our two-step on! 🕺🏿💃🏾
Come for the festivities. Stay for the fun.
Tickets are on sale now:
🍷 $20 entry includes a complimentary glass of wine
✍🏽 $30 an autographed hardcover copy of The Cruelty of Nice Folks
🍷✍🏽📕 $45 both the autographed hardcover & a glass of wine
Justin Ellis is a journalist and co-owner of Defector, a worker-owned media company. His work has appeared at ESPN, the Atlantic, The New York Times, Boston Globe and GQ. His TV credits include the Netflix docuseries How to Fix a Drug Scandal and Wyatt Cenac’s Problem Areas on HBO. He lives in New York City.
The Cruelty of Nice Folks stands to be a record of a moment in time as well as a definitive portrait of America, documenting:
The Myth of Post-Racial America: Reveals how the promises of the George Floyd reckoning faded, exposing a nation still shaped by deep inequality
The Hidden Cost of “Nice” Liberalism: Shows how progressive spaces can avoid real change, allowing injustice to persist beneath a veneer of goodwill
Minneapolis as America in Microcosm: Uses one “model” city to uncover the deeper roots of segregation, policing failures, and systemic racism
A Personal Story with National Stakes: Blends memoir and reporting to explore what it means to be Black in a place that sees itself as fair and just.