ONEONTA, N.Y. -- Dr. Jeffrey Fortin of the History Department of the SUNY College at Oneonta will present a lecture entitled "Abolishing the International Slave Trade: The Wilberforce Myth" as the first installment of a new faculty-lecture series entitled "Philosophy Outside the Margins" at the College's Center for Multicultural Experiences in Lee Hall at noon on Wednesday, February 13. Admission to all events in the series is complimentary, and members of the community are invited to attend.

The lecture series is being presented in honor of the late Professor Emeritus Ralph Watkins of the SUNY-Oneonta History and Africana and Latino Studies Departments, who passed away last year. A specialist in African-American and American history, Professor Watkins taught at the College for over 30 years and served as Chair of the Africana and Latino Studies Department for more than a decade.

Dr. Fortin's presentation will examine the Hollywood myths regarding the 1807 and 1808 abolition of the international slave trade by Great Britain and the United States. He will focus on the facts behind the anti-slave-trade movement, how the movement affected the Atlantic world, and how the film Amazing Grace continues a largely inaccurate vision of the end of slavery.

Dr. Fortin, who joined the SUNY-Oneonta faculty in 2007, holds a doctorate in American history from the University of New Hampshire, where he taught previously. His recent articles in the journals "Citizenship Studies" and "Atlantic Studies" reflect his research interests in transatlantic forced migrations and the nature of race and identity. He is currently working on a book manuscript entitled Removals: Making Diasporas in the Atlantic World, 1745-1820.

Upcoming events scheduled in the "Philosophy Outside the Margins" series include the following:

• Thursday, February 28, at 7 p.m., "Torture, Protest, and Moral Considerations," presented by Dr. Christopher Keegan
• Thursday, March 13, at 7 p.m., "The Morality of Dealing Drugs," presented by Dr. Christopher Keegan
• Thursday, April 10, at 7 p.m., "Slavery and the Making of Colonial New England," presented by Eric Kimball.

#####

Text Only Options

• Change the current font size: larger | default | smaller
• Current color mode is Black on White, other available modes: Yellow on Black | Black on Cream
• Show textual links as buttons
• Do not move navbars
• Do not alert me when leaving text-mode
• Open not handled documents directly
• Hide Text Only Options

Open the original version of this page.