Douglas A. Blackmon: ?Slavery by Another Name"

Our understanding of major historical events is ever changing with the influx of new information and insights. On Wednesday, May 11Pulitzer-Prize winning author Douglas A. Blackmon will present, ?Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of African Americans between the Civil War and WWII? at Central Washington University. ?Slavery by Another Name? recounts the experiences of African American citizens in the south following the abolishment of slavery and the process of their re-enslavement through loopholes and exploitation of the justice system. ?Even good people,? said Blackmon. ?Who believe in beautiful principles, who love their families, who work hard, who do good for their neighbors, who go to a great university like yours, are still capable of becoming savagely cruel?especially when they listen to the simple logic of demagogues.? Blackmon will be the featured keynote at the annual First Amendment Festival. In addition to being a Pulitzer-Prize winning author, Blackmon is also a noted journalist, documentarian, film maker and host and executive producer of the PBS Series, ?American Forum.? This talk is part of the CWU Social Justice and Human Rights Series. This year?s theme, Mass Incarceration and Racial Justice: Black and Brown Lives Do Matter, seeks to educate Central?s community and spark discussions about race and equality.