History departments hosts slavery speaker

Ohio University’s history department will continue its annual Costa Lecture series Thursday with a speech on the history of slavery.

Ira Berlin, distinguished university professor at the University of Maryland, will outline the history of slavery in the United States.

Berlin will present his lecture, entitled "American Slavery in History and Memory," at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in 194 Irvine Hall.

"(Berlin) is one of the most important historians on slavery," said Ann Fidler, OU assistant professor of history.

The Costa Lecture series began in 1980 is presented annually.

The purpose of the series is to bring major historians to campus and give them a forum to speak, Fidler said. But the speech will not focus solely on history.

Berlin also will relate slavery to modern race relations topics, such as reparations for slavery, affirmative action and the controversy surrounding Confederate flag flying.

Past Costa lecturers have included OU alumni John Kenneth Galbreath and 1995 Pulitzer Prize winner Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Berlin is one of the foremost historians on slavery in the world, Fidler said. He is the founder of the Freedom and Southern Society Project and contributed to Ken Burns’ Civil War documentary.

Berlin received his doctoral degree from the University of Wisconsin.

"He’s noticed how slavery has had a prominent presence in modern life," Fidler said.

–Nick Juliano