Kentucky Author Forum

This conversation features United States Congressman Jim Clyburn, interviewed by former U.S. Congressman John Yarmuth. They discuss Clyburn’s book “The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation” before a live audience at the Kentucky Author Forum. This conversation was recorded on November 24th, 2025, at the Kentucky Center in Louisville. James E. Clyburn is the Congressman representing South Carolina’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2024, he was bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States. Clyburn’s book, “The First Eight” explores the powerful, untold story of the pioneering Black politicians from South Carolina who were elected to Congress in the aftermath of the Civil War, and a revealing explanation of why it took nearly a century before the ninth, James Clyburn, was elected. John Yarmuth is a retired United States Congressman who served eight terms as the representative of