Pulitzer-winning author and journalist to speak at UGA
Athens, Ga. – Douglas A. Blackmon, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II,” will visit the University of Georgia for a talk on April 2 at 4 p.m. in the Larry Walker Room of Dean Rusk Hall. His visit is co-sponsored by the UGA Jane and Harry Willson Center for Humanities and Arts and the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, with additional support from the department of history and the School of Law.
Blackmon spent more than two decades as a daily newspaper reporter and bureau chief, first with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, then, from 1995-2012, with The Wall Street Journal. He won his first Pulitzer Prize for The Wall Street Journal staff’s breaking news coverage of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
“Slavery by Another Name,” published in 2008, won the Pulitzer Prize in the general non-fiction book category. It documented the widespread incidence of African Americans being channeled into a system of involuntary labor long after the abolition of slavery, largely through the enforcement of laws that specifically targeted black citizens. From the post-Civil War era until well into the 20th century, thousands of African Americans were arrested for petty crimes, charged with exorbitant fines, and imprisoned if they could not pay. Then, governments leased them to private companies as bonded laborers.
The book was adapted into a 90-minute documentary film that premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival before being broadcast on PBS. Blackmon appeared in the film and served as co-executive producer.
Blackmon is also the host and executive producer of “American Forum,” a public affairs-focused interview program that airs on PBS stations. He serves as director of public programs for the Miller Center at the Univercity of Virginia, where he is a lecturer in the department of media studies.
Willson Center for Humanities and Arts
The Jane and Harry Willson Center for Humanities and Arts is a unit of the Office of the Vice President for Research at UGA. In the service of its mission to promote research and creativity in the humanities and arts, the Willson Center sponsors and participates in numerous public events on and off the UGA campus throughout the academic year. It supports faculty through research grants, lectures, symposia, publications, visiting scholars, visiting artists, collaborative instruction, public conferences, exhibitions, and performances. For more information, see http://willson.uga.edu/.
UGA Grady College
Established in 1915, the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication offers undergraduate majors in journalism, advertising, public relations, digital and broadcast journalism and mass media arts. The college offers two graduate degrees, and is home to the Peabody Awards, internationally recognized as one of the most prestigious prizes for excellence in electronic media. For more information, see www.grady.uga.edu or follow @UGAGrady on Twitter.
Writer/Contact: Dave Marr, 706-542-2640, davemarr@uga.edu