March 4, 2009

Although the year 2011 marks the official 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, the Michigan Historical Commission is getting a jump on quality programming to share the compelling stories of Michigan's involvement in this historic clash among countrymen.

On Thursday, March 12, at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit, the commission joins the museum and the University of Michigan-Dearborn in presenting "John Brown, Frederick Douglass, Detroit, and the Path to Freedom." The daylong (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) symposium will feature presentations, readings and discussions to examine Brown and Douglass and their fight against slavery, as well as a look at how John Brown was viewed by both blacks and whites from the 19th century to the present day.

This event, held on the 150th anniversary of the meeting between Brown and Douglass in Detroit, is funded by the Office of the Chancellor, the Office of the Provost and the King/Chavez/Parks Visiting Professor Program at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. It is a Civil War Sesquicentennial Event of the Michigan Historical Commission.

"This is an outstanding event for scholars, teachers, and anyone interested in Michigan's role in the struggle to end slavery and give our nation a new birth of freedom," said Jack Dempsey, vice president of the Michigan Historical Commission. "We believe it is the first official event of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War."

Seating is limited and advance registration is encouraged. Call (313) 494-5800 or visit www.maah-detroit.org. The registration fee is $20 and covers continental breakfast and lunch; symposium materials; dramatic readings from the William Harris play "He Who Endures;" moderated discussions; and a luncheon presentation by guest speaker Sundiata Cha-Jua, associate professor in the Department of African American Studies and the Department of History at the University of Illinois at Urban-Champaign.

The day's other presenters include: Diane Barnes, associate professor of history at Youngstown State University and associate editor of the Frederick Douglass Papers; Melba Joyce Boyd, distinguished professor and chair of Africana Studies at Wayne State University; Paul Finkelman, President William McKinley Distinguished Professor of Law at Albany Law School; Diane Miller, a doctoral student in African American history at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln and national program manager for the National Park Service's National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program; John W. Quist, professor of history at Shippensburg University; Ahmad Rahman, an activist, scholar and professor of history in the Department of Social Sciences at the University of Michigan-Dearborn; Veta S. Tucker, associate professor of English at Grand Valley State University and chair of the Michigan Freedom Trail Commission; and the Rev. Dr. Kevin M. Turman, pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Detroit.

The day's schedule of events includes:

8:30 to 9 a.m. - Registration/refreshments/continental breakfast
9 to 9:15 a.m. - Welcoming remarks
9:15 to 10:30 a.m. - Session 1: "The Road to Ending Slavery"
10:30 to 10:45 a.m. - Announcement of award winners for high school essay competition
10:45 to 11:15 a.m. - Dramatic reading from William Harris's play, "He Who Endures;" John Brown in Black and White: A Presentation
11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. - Lunch
12:15 to 1 p.m. - Luncheon speaker: special presentation by Professor Sundiata Cha-Jua
1 to 2:30 p.m. - Session 2: "Travelling the Road"
2:30 to 3 p.m. - Second dramatic reading
3 to 3:15 p.m. Afternoon break and refreshments
3:15 to 5 p.m. Moderated discussion
5 p.m. Symposium closing and wrap-up

Governor Jennifer Granholm's Executive Order 2007-52 directed that members of the Michigan Historical Commission would constitute a Civil War Sesquicentennial advisory body within the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL). Part of their charge is to advise the department and the governor on matters relating to fostering authenticity and inclusion in Michigan's observance of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, and to encourage, plan and develop activities, events, programs, observances and services to appropriately commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War.

The Michigan Historical Commission has been the public arm of state history programs since 1913. It advises the director of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries and approves Michigan Historical Markers. The governor appoints commission members to four-year terms. For more information on Michigan's history programs, visit www.michiganhistory.org.

Established in 1959 with a gift from the Ford Motor Company, the University of Michigan-Dearborn has developed into a comprehensive university with 8,700 students pursuing undergraduate, master's, doctoral and professional degrees in the liberal arts and sciences, engineering, management, education and public administration. One-third of the campus (70+ acres) is maintained as one of the largest natural areas in metropolitan Detroit, serving as a research and teaching facility for students and schoolteachers on campus and throughout the region. With a faculty devoted to teaching, and students committed to achievement, UM-Dearborn has been shaped by its history of interaction with business, government and industry in southeastern Michigan, and is committed to responding to the needs of the region in the future. Learn more at www.umd.umich.edu.

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, located at 315 East Warren Ave., in the heart of Midtown, is open Wednesday and Thursday, 9:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday, 1 - 5 p.m.; and closed Monday and Tuesday. Admission is $8 for adults (ages 13-61), $5 for seniors (ages 62+) and $5 for children (ages 3-12). Museum members and children under 3 are admitted free. Call (313) 494-5800 for general information or visit on the Web at www.maah-detroit.org.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL).