Author Julie Carr's great-grandfather, Omer Madison Kem, was a United States congressman who served Nebraska from 1891-1897.
He was also a eugenicist, operating under the belief that people he deemed to be "undesirable" should be eliminated by preventing them from having children. That included people with disabilities, poor people and even people of color, among others.
In her new book, "Mud, Blood and Ghosts," Carr uses her family history to trace the connections between populism, eugenics and spiritualism. She joined KCUR's Up to Date to discuss why populism in the U.S. has a strong disposition toward racism.
- Julie Carr, author of "Mud, Blood and Ghosts: Populism, Eugenics and Spiritualism in the American West"
