Professor, spiritual leader and journalist to headline Slavery to Freedom series - HOLD

An author and academic, a sports journalist and a spiritual leader will speak at Michigan State University in February during the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine’s 18th annual William G. Anderson Lecture Series, Slavery to Freedom: An American Odyssey.

The free public lecture series kicks off Thursday, Feb. 1 at 5 p.m. at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center with Michael Eric Dyson.

Dyson is a Georgetown University sociology professor and contributor to the New York Times, The New Republic and ESPN. Dyson is also a best-selling author, an American Book Award recipient, two-time NAACP Image Award winner and one of Ebony magazine’s 150 most powerful African Americans.

On Feb. 8, MSU alumna and ESPN anchor Jemele Hill will speak at 5 p.m. at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts.

A sports columnist and commentator, Hill has made numerous television appearances, including “First Take,” "Around the Horn” and “Outside the Lines.” She gained national attention last year when ESPN suspended her following comments she made on social media. Hill is a Detroit native and former reporter for the Detroit Free Press and Orlando Sentinel.

The series will come to a close on Feb. 22. William J. Barber II will speak at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts Pasant Theater at 5 p.m.

Barber is the president and senior lecturer for Repairers of the Breach, a nonprofit organization that works to address issues of inequality. He’s also the co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. A visiting professor at New York City’s Union Theological Seminary, he’s the author of three books and has addressed numerous audiences, including the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

Each lecture will be followed by a reception, where audience members can meet and talk with the speakers. No reservations are required.

To learn more about the Slavery to Freedom lecture series, visit the event’s Facebook page or call the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Office of External Programs at 517-432-4979.