Southeastern's History and Political Science Department to celebrate Black History Month with lecture series
Monday, February 4, 2019
by: Tonya Lowentritt
HAMMOND – The Department of History and Political Science at Southeastern Louisiana
University will hold a free lecture series in February in honor of Black History Month.
All the lectures are free and open to the public.
Scheduled Feb. 12, at 11 a.m., the first lecture titled “Obstruction: African
American Golfers and Southern Resistance in the Twilight of Jim Crow” will be given
by Chad Duffaut in the Student Union Theatre.
“One of the most underappreciated narratives of the Civil Rights movement involves
the sport of golf and the fight for equal access to proper facilities,” said Department
Head of History and Political Science Bill Robison. “To African American golfers,
this fight represented an opportunity to take the next step in changing a broken system
and erasing the cruel and unjust life of Jim Crow.”
Next on the schedule is a lecture by Peter Gratton on Feb. 20 titled “African
Philosophy: Past and Future.” Scheduled at 11 a.m., the lecture will take place in
Pottle Music Auditorium.
“For too long Africans were thought not to have cultural beliefs or even simply
‘tribal religions,’” said Robison. “This talk demonstrates quickly just how false
(and racist) this view is. First, Dr. Gratton quickly reviews the major trends in
African philosophy, then discusses where the future of this set of philosophical traditions
appears to be heading.”
The final lecture in the series is scheduled Feb. 26, at 11 a.m., in the Student
Union Theatre. Samantha Cavell will deliver a lecture titled “Mary Seacole: Breaking
all Boundaries in the Victorian Age.”
“For more than a century the story of Mary Seacole, a Jamaican nurse and who
aided thousands of British soldiers on the front lines of the Crimean War, was lost
in the long shadows cast by her rival, Florence Nightingale,” Robinson explained.
“But Mary Seacole’s remarkable journey from traditional healer and specialist in tropical
medicine to beloved ‘mother’ of the troops at Sevastopol stands as tribute to her
steadfast belief in herself and her mission, and her iron will to overcome all obstacles,
especially those of gender, race, and cultural bigotry.”
For additional information about Southeastern’s Black History Month lecture series,
contact Robison at 985-549-2413 or wrobison@southeastern.edu.
