African-American pioneers in Sonoma County and the history of white supremacy in California are topics to be covered in two lectures in February as part of Black History Month at Sonoma State University.
Tomas Almaguer will be speaking on "The Historical Origins of White Supremacy in California," from 5:15 to 6:45 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 11 at the Cooperage. He is the current Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State University where he teaches selected courses in Raza Studies and the Ethnic Studies Masters Program. His research interests include race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and American culture.
Almaguer is the author of the book "Racial Fault Lines: The Historical Origins of White Supremacy in California," and has written numerous journal articles on race relations. A noted scholar on gender and sexuality, his book "Border Men: Constructions of Gender and Sexuality among Chicano Gay Men" will be published by UC Press this year. His next book will look at race and nationality among Latinos in the U.S.
Morris Turner, a Sonoma County author who seeks to reveal the authentic, yet often never-written story of African American pioneers, will speak from 5:15 to 6:45 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 25 in the Cooperage. His book is titled "America's Black Towns and Settlements."
He is a graduate of and former lecturer in the department of American Multicultural Studies at Sonoma State University. He is also a member of the National Park Service, Underground Railroad Project, and has conducted research projects in Wyoming, Arizona, and California. He is currently creating a national map depicting the more than 200 communities he has researched.
Both authors will be available for book signings after the event.
The Sonoma Student Union InterCultural Center in cooperation with the departments of Social Sciences, and American Multicultural Studies and the Associated Students are sponsors of the Black History Month presentations which are part of the Spring 2002 Heritage Month Lecture Series.
