EAST LANSING, Mich. — As part of its 10th annual lecture series during Black History Month, Michigan State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine is welcoming a pair of pastors and a historian who have played a crucial role in advancing civil rights and race relations worldwide.
The nationally recognized leaders will visit MSU in February to take part in the Visiting Faculty Lecture Series, "Slavery to Freedom: An American Odyssey." The series features one speaker on Thursdays during the month: Feb. 4, Feb. 18 and Feb. 25. All programs are at 5 p.m. at MSU's Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center; receptions follow the presentation. This year's schedule follows.
Feb. 4 - The Rev. Dr. Charles G. Adams, pastor at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church in Detroit, in Big Ten Room A. The pastor at Hartford since 1969, Adams also serves as a professor at the Harvard Divinity School. He has spoken around the globe, including at the United Nations, the Baptist World Alliance in Seoul, Korea, at the World Council of Churches in Australia and at the funeral of Rosa Parks. He was invited by President Clinton to accompany him to witness the signing of the Peace Accord between Jordan and Israel.
Feb. 18 - Clayborne Carson, author, scholar and historian, in the Auditorium. Carson, who holds positions at Morehouse College Stanford University and at Emory University, is the author of 17 books on the U.S. civil rights movement. He has written articles, presentations, dramatic pieces and audiovisual productions in a wide array of academic and civil rights venues.
Feb. 25 - The Rev. Dr. Calvin O. Butts III, pastor at Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York, in Big Ten Room A. In addition to his pastoral role at Abyssinian, Butts also serves as president of SUNY College at Old Westbury, New York. Through the church, he founded and chairs the nonprofit Abyssinian Development Corp., responsible for more than $500 million in housing and commercial development in Harlem. Butts also has spearheaded numerous campaigns, including those against negative billboard advertising and violent and negative rap lyrics that target women.
All presentations are open and free to the public. For a list of sponsors and more information, go here. For more information call (517) 432-4979 or e-mail kilbourn@msu.edu.
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