FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For information call: Clifford Laube at (845) 486-7745
The Franklin D. Roosevelt
Presidential Library and Museum
and the
Mid-Hudson Antislavery History Project
-- in commemoration of
African American History Month --
will present "An American Paradox:
Enslavement on the Hudson" with
Associate Director of Content
Development at Historic Hudson Valley
Michael A. Lord
Thursday, February 2, 2017 at 7:00 p.m.
Henry A. Wallace Center at the
FDR Presidential Library and Home
HYDE PARK, NY -- The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum and the Mid-Hudson Antislavery History Project -- in commemoration of African American History Month -- will present
"An American Paradox: Enslavement on the Hudson"
with Associate Director of Content Development at Historic Hudson Valley
Michael A. Lord
on Thursday, February 2, 2017. The program will begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center. This event is free and open to the public.
Although the history of enslavement in the Hudson River Valley is well documented and researched, its existence and significance to the development of New York's commercial and cultural development continues to be obscured, ignored, or misunderstood by many. In
"An American Paradox: Enslavement on the Hudson,"
Michael A. Lord, examines the issues, events, and individual choices surrounding enslavement in the Hudson Valley from the perspective of the enslaved. Using the historic site of Philipsburg Manor as a focal point, Lord's presentation traces the development of slavery throughout the Hudson River Valley, and why this most-American of stories continues to be relevant.
A magna cum laude graduate of Amherst College with degrees in History and Black Studies,
Michael A. Lord
was introduced to living history as a graduate student at the College of William and Mary. He began his work at Historic Hudson Valley in 1998 as the Associate Director for Reinterpretation, working to create and implement Philipsburg's story of northern colonial enslavement. Currently the Associate Director of Content Development, Lord trains staff at all five Historic Hudson Valley historic sites to tell the story of the Hudson Valley. He also writes, produces, and directs museum theatre presentations for Historic Hudson Valley and other institutions.
Please contact Cliff Laube at
[email protected] or (845) 486-7745 with questions about the event.
The Mid-Hudson Antislavery History Project (MHAHP) is a non-profit group created in 2006 to bring together researchers, educators, community leaders, and members of the public to: conduct and synthesize research on the history of antislavery in the Mid-Hudson Valley, with special emphasis on the Underground Railroad; interpret this history and share these interpretations with a wide array of residents and visitors in our area, with particular attention to students and youth; and place this local history in the broader contexts of racial slavery in the New World, the African-American experience, and antislavery legacies today, including the impact of this historic grassroots movement on subsequent struggles for racial and social justice. For information visit
www.mhantislaveryhistoryproject.org.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum
Designed by Franklin Roosevelt and dedicated on June 30, 1941, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is the nation's first presidential library and the only one used by a sitting president. Every president since FDR has followed his example and established a presidential library administered by the National Archives and Records Administration to preserve and make accessible to the American people the records of their presidencies. The Roosevelt Library's mission is to foster a deeper understanding of the lives and times of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt and their continuing impact on contemporary life. This work is carried out through the Library's archives and research room, museum collections and exhibitions, innovative educational programs, and engaging public programming. For more information about the Library or its programs call (800) 337-8474 or visit
www.fdrlibrary.org.
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