Pultizer Prize Winner Douglas Blackmon Comes to Drew
MADISON, NJ--On October 28, 2009, Drew University will host Pulitzer Prize-winning author Douglas Blackmon, who will speak about his book, "Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II."
Throughout "Slavery by Another Name," Blackmon weaves the painstaking re-created story of the life of one young man, Green Cottenham, who represents the thousands who suffered as leased-convicts. Educators and activists across the country have hailed the book as a story that every American should know and as one that should be required reading for every high school and college student.
The re-enslavement of Black Americans, which is part of the title of the book, refers to a neo-slavery system that was constructed through an intentional collaboration of local courts, police and businesses who exploited legal loopholes to arrest and convict Black Americans on spurious charges. When they couldn't afford the fine, the court system "leased" them for the price of their fines and court costs to businesses that then often held them as forced labor for years. As it poured millions of dollars into southern government treasuries, the new slavery also became a key instrument in the terrorization of African Americans seeking full participation in the U.S. political system.
A journalist by profession, Douglas Blackmon is the Atlanta bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal, a position he has held since 1995. Blackmon’s stories and the works of his team have been widely acclaimed, and include coverage on the subprime meltdown, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Florida hurricanes in 2004 and a 2001 examination of slave labor in the 20th century. His article on U.S. Steel was included in the 2003 edition of Best Business Stories. The Journal’s coverage of Hurricane Katrina received a special National Headliner award in 2006.
The lecture will begin at 7:30 pm in the Concert Hall at the Dorothy Young Center for the Arts, and will be followed by a book signing. Admission is free. To register, please e-mail your name and number of seats requested to smacdonn@drew.edu by October 23. Attendees without reservations are not guaranteed seating. Books will be available for purchase before and after the lecture.
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Posted: October 12, 2009
