The Immortal Jim Crow tears the mask off what it’s like to grow up as an African American in Florida. Author Richard A. Ryles, Esq. makes the case that despite legislative Civil Rights accomplishments, the Jim Crow culture of racial discrimination and segregation enforced by laws, customs, and practices that first occurred during Reconstruction, never really went away. Storytelling is in his blood. As the great-grandson of the founder of Florida’s first African American-owned newspaper, he carries a deep editorial legacy. This connection to the written word was further cemented through a genealogical journey that revealed he is related to Howard French, the acclaimed author of Born in Blackness. Ryles concludes this book with recommendations for finally healing our historic divisions.

“…a raw depiction of American injustice and inequity that challenges readers to take a closer look at the real state of equality and progress throughout history.” —Publishers Weekly

“The author combines his fascinating and deeply personal history of the Black experience in Palm Beach with a broader commentary on how slavery and the legacy of Jim Crow continue to reverberate into the present.” —Kirkus

“Drawing from lived experience as well as historical records, Richard Ryles makes a compelling argument that Jim Crow didn’t die—it adapted. This no-holds-barred account confronts the systems, silences, and everyday absurdities that keep the Jim Crow legacy alive. By turns, brutal and personal, as both witness and survivor, Ryles’ sharp humor stings and his honesty refuses comfort.”    —Walter Pryor, attorney and author of This Leaves Me Okay

“I taught Richard in the first grade, before he stepped into a world that was not yet ready to welcome him. To read The Immortal Jim Crow now, after all these years, stirred pride and sorrow in equal measure. Richard’s journey lays bare the lasting imprint of segregation and the resilience required to rise above it. His voice is courageous, unflinching, and deeply human, offering readers a story that lingers long after the final page.” —Earnestine Jackson, lifelong educator

“In his new book, The Immortal Jim Crow, Attorney Richard Ryles offers a haunting, courageous, and compelling narrative that challenges us to confront the systems, policies, and practices that still influence our lives in the 21st century. By failing to confront our past fully and honestly, we have moved around it; however, we have not moved beyond it. This is essential reading for anyone who is committed to the truth, equal access to justice, and lasting social change.”  
—Rawle Andrews Jr., Esq., Past President, The Bar Association of D.C.; 2022 DC Courts’ Charles Hamilton Houston Legal Services Award; 2006 D.C. Bar Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year