Author James Oakes Gives Frederick Douglass Lecture at RIT, May 8

Oakes, professor of history at the City University of New York Graduate Center, will present “Lincoln, Douglass and the Triumph of Antislavery” at 7 p.m., Tuesday, May 8, in Webb Auditorium in the James E. Booth Building.

Oakes is the author of several books on slavery and Southern history, including the recently published The Radical and The Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln and the Triumph of Antislavery (W.W. Norton & Co.).

The Frederick Douglass Lecture was inaugurated in 2003 by RIT’s Department of History to honor the life and accomplishments of Rochester resident and famed American reformer Frederick Douglass, who called the city home for more than 20 years.

“The Douglass lecture highlights the importance of African-American history locally and nationally while also celebrating the spirit of reform that was so important to Douglass,” says Richard Newman, associate professor of history at RIT and administrator of the Douglass Lecture. “We want to bring speakers to campus who, like Douglass, spotlight Rochester’s incredible impact on American reformers.”

The previous Frederick Douglass Lecture was given by John Stauffer, professor of history at Harvard University.

This year’s event—free and open to the public—is sponsored by RIT’s College of Liberal Arts, the department of history and the Commission for Promoting Pluralism. A book signing will follow the talk.

For more information contact Richard Newman at (716) 597-9860 or rsngsm@rit.edu.