Garst Museum Hosts Free Lecture on “The Community Within: Discovering African-American History in Rural Ohio”

Ric S. Sheffield

Garst Museum’s 2017 Speaker Series will kick off at 2:00 pm on Sunday, February 26. Ric S. Sheffield will speak on the diverse African-American history in rural Ohio. Many rural areas in Ohio have long established black communities, such as Darke County’s Longtown community, that are often invisible to the larger white communities in which they reside. Mr. Sheffield’s program relates the adventure of reclaiming the lost history of African-Americans in Ohio and explains the benefits of including minority populations within celebrations of heritage.

Ric Sheffield is a Professor of Legal Studies and Sociology at Kenyon College. In addition to having served as Associate Provost of the College, he is the Director of Kenyon’s Law and Society Program and the John Adams Summer Scholars Program in Socio-legal Studies. His research has focused upon the relationship between law and issues of gender, race, and ethnicity. He has lectured widely on issues of race and law as well as African Americans in rural Ohio.

All lectures are free and open to the public. However, regular admission will apply to tour the exhibit and museum which includes the outstanding National Annie Oakley Center, Crossroads of Destiny, and Longtown exhibits. Funding for this program was made possible by the Ohio Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities and from the Stephens Foundation.