In honor of Black History Month, the Historical Association of South Haven will welcome Dr. Fred Johnson III for a presentation entitled, “UNDAUNTED BY THE STORMS – African Americans Along the Lakeshore” on Tuesday, February 11 at 7:00P.
During the antebellum period, Southwest Michigan provided a throughway for escaping blacks to get beyond slavery’s endless nightmare of misery and brutality. The region’s role during the Civil War and Reconstruction witnessed political and socioeconomic progress and challenges that confronted black and white Michiganders in the dawning 20th Century. Global struggles like World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, and a Civil Rights Movement amid the Cold War impacted Southwest Michigan in a manner demonstrating the simultaneous reality of America’s struggle to extend first-class citizenship to all its people while steadily marching toward justice. In all phases of this journey, Black Americans and their allies have been undaunted.
Dr. Johnson is an award-winning speaker and professor of History at Hope College. His specific area of expertise is 19th century United States history with a focus on the Civil War. He was appointed to the distinguished Guy Vander Jagt ’53 Endowed Professorship in 2023 and has written numerous books, scholarly articles and has produced a documentary on the Ku Klux Klan in Michigan.
The presentation will take place at Hartman School – 355 Hubbard St. in South Haven and is free and open to the public.
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