Black, White, Colored: The Hidden Story of an Insurrection, a Family, a Southern Town, and Identity in America

by Lauretta Malloy Noble, LeeAnet Noble

An absorbing investigation into a little-known historical tragedy—an insurrection at the turn of the twentieth century which upended post-Reconstruction gains made by Black residents in a small North Carolina town.

In the late nineteenth century, Laurinburg, North Carolina, was a beacon of racial calm—a place where Blacks and Whites could live and work together. Black families like the Malloys became landlords, businessmen, and doctors. But that progress was shattered on the eve of Election Day, 1898, when supremacist groups launched a bloody attack, forcing Laurinburg’s Black citizens to flee. This bloody race riot was the only recorded insurrection, stripping middle-class Blacks—who made strides during Reconstruction—of their seats on every electoral board.

Black, White, Colored is the first book to tell the story of the events in Laurinburg and its impact on the town’s Black occupants. Descendants, Lauretta Malloy Noble and LeeAnét Noble, carefully piece together that fateful event and its aftermath, providing compelling details of how their family became one of this Southern town’s richest and most powerful despite slavery, violent white supremacist groups, floods, war, and other roadblocks to success.

Black, White, Colored shines a spotlight on the Laurinburg Insurrection, and elevates it to its rightful place in American history, beside the 1921 race massacre in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and offers insights relevant to our society today.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Race, Audiobook

240 pages, Hardcover

Published November 18, 2025

Reviews

[Allena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look at a family and a town! Love learning pieces of history I didn’t know before.

[Angie Cosi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A look at another untold story in African American history. So much of this history is overlooked or simplified to slavery and then civil rights. This book highlights a community in North Carolina where African Americans thrived despite the political climate of the country. The history of the family is explored and often ignored aspect of African American history are discussed. It jumps around in time a bit but covers generations of one family. Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC.

[Valerie Knapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fascinating dive into the history of a family and the small, unassuming Southern town from whence they came provides insight on a landmark insurrection and little-known details of a vibrant and prosperous Black community.

Lauretta Malloy Noble and LeeAnét Noble offer an intriguing perspective which is scarcely, if ever, seen in a history text book. They intricately weave their charismatic family stories into the broader historical framework of Black culture, illuminating the reader along the way.

This is only one of many Black stories that have been kept frustratingly clandestine from the forefront of American history. The research and citation required to piece such story together is commendable.

I can only hope schools and other educational outfits share and endorse more personalized historical literature like this to fill in some of the considerable gaps in the accounts of BIPOC American history.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tackles a powerful and often overlooked piece of American history, and the author’s personal connection to the story gives it real emotional weight. I appreciated the way the narrative ties together family history, racial identity, and a community’s buried past. There are chapters that are genuinely gripping and eye-opening. That said at times the book shifted so much between personal memoir, historical analysis, and investigative reporting that I got lost in the shuffle. Overall, it’s a meaningful and valuable read.
Thank you Harper One for the ARC copy!

[Chigweshe Mudzamiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute must read for anyone interested in learning about how through generations, Africans in the diaspora have navigated issues, of identity, race, wealth and politics in America in general.

[Bethany Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I t loved the information, I just did not enjoy the authors writing style.

[Constance Chevalier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written and researched book which enriches the reader about a special place and community in the South. Everything is explained as the secrets unfold for this family for generations to come.