Orlando Patterson, professor of sociology at Harvard University, will speak on the "Consequences of the Middle Passage in the U.S. and Caribbean" on Friday, March 23, at 7 p.m. in the GVSU Loosemore Auditorium, DeVos Center, 401 W. Fulton, Grand Rapids. This event is free and open to the public.
Patterson's early interest in Jamaican slavery matured into a sociological fascination with related areas including socio-economic underdevelopment, a comparative study of slavery, and its antithesis, freedom. He served as special adviser to Jamaica's Prime Minister Michael Manley for social policy and development from 1971-1980. Among his many publishing credits is "Freedom in the Making of Western Culture," which earned him a National Book Award in 1991.
His lecture is presented as part of Remembering the Crossings, a series of events throughout the year to promote awareness of 2007 as the bicentennial of the abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. For more information call Steeve Buckridge at (616) 331-8550, or visit www.gvsu.edu/abolition.
