Guest Speaker: Ric S. Sheffield

Ric Sheffield is 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 & 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.

There Are Lessons of Slavery yet to Be Learned: Why the 13th Amendment Remains Relevant in the 21st Century US and Beyond

In the little more than a decade that has passed since Congress passed the law to officially commemorate the signing of the US Constitution, the 13th Amendment rarely has been the focus of Constitution Day speeches and celebrations. Constitutional scholars and lecturers tend to emphasize the provisions that traditionally are thought to provide a guidepost and set of principals by which Americans can and should conduct their civil lives in a nation that seeks to demonstrate its commitment to the rule of law. Yet, it is all too easy to forget how the lessons of slavery and the promise of emancipation remain important in the contemporary lives of many Americans one hundred and fifty years later.

This program is free thanks to the generous support of the Washington County Public Library.