Dr. Green will be featured on a People's Forum panel on February 8th. Please come out if you are available.

Event: The “Southernization” of America: What Progressives Can Learn from the US South
Date/Time: February 8, 2019, 6pm
Location: The People's Forum, 320 West 37th Street, New York, NY 10018
Details: This panel of academics who both live and work in the South will help activists, organizers, and concerned citizens better understand the struggles and triumphs of the region. With Keri Leigh Merritt will open with a talk focused on economics. Hilary Green will then discuss education, Bob Hutton will concentrate on labor and unionization, and Booker Mattison will talk about the importance of the arts in the South. It is free and open to the public. Registration is requested.
More information: https://peoplesforum.org/event/the-southernization-of-america-what-progressives-can-learn-from-the-us-south/.

Livestreaming will be available for this event: https://www.youtube.com/thepeoplesforumNYC/live

ASALH’s 2019 Black History Month theme Black Migrations emphasizes the movement of people of African descent to new destinations and subsequently to new social realities. From the 1619 arrival of the “twenty and odd Negroes” to Point Comfort to the Great Migration to the present migrations of African descended people, it is fitting that I will be on the road for three events in New York, Michigan and North Carolina respectively.
 
Event: The “Southernization” of America: What Progressives Can Learn from the US SouthDate/Time: February 8, 2019, 6pm
Location: The People's Forum• 320 West 37th Street, New York, NY 10018
Details: This panel of academics who both live and work in the South will help activists, organizers, and concerned citizens better understand the struggles and triumphs of the region. With Keri Leigh Merritt will open with a talk focused on economics. Hilary Green will then discuss education, Bob Hutton will concentrate on labor and unionization, and Booker Mattison will talk about the importance of the arts in the South. It is free and open to the public. Registration is requested.
More information: https://peoplesforum.org/event/the-southernization-of-america-what-progressives-can-learn-from-the-us-south/.
 
Lecture: Hallowed Grounds: Race, Slavery, and Memory
Date/Time: February 12, 2019, 4pm to 5:30pm
Location: MSU Main Library, Green Room (4 West)
Details: Hallowed Grounds: Race, Memory, and the University of Alabama highlights visualizations, transcriptions, primary sources, and other materials for understanding the history of slavery at the University of Alabama and its legacy. It is designed to provide individuals who have completed one of the Hallowed Ground alternate campus tours with expanded opportunities for exploration. It is for current students, alumni and staff who want to deepen their understanding on this underappreciated campus history as well as educators who want to enrich their courses. More importantly, it is a resource for descendants grappling with this complicated history and all other interested life-long learners. It is a work in progress.
 
Co-sponored by Digital Humanities at MSU, Consortium for Critical Diversity 
in a Digital Age Research (CEDAR), MSU Department of English and MSU Africa and African-American Studies
 
Conference: Slavery, Violence, and the Archive
Dates:  February 22-23, 2019
Location: Davidson College
Details: This two-day conference will feature panel discussion and a keynote address by Dr. Marisa J. Fuentes. It is free and open to the public. It is sponsored by the Africana Studies Department and Davidson College Commission on Race and Slavery.

The student newspaper, The Crimson White, featured coverage of the After Slavery Pop Up Museum event curated by students in my Blount Seminar (Slavery, Emancipation, and the University of Alabama). Based on the over 200 attendees and the coverage, it was a resounding success.

“Students all over the country learn about American History. They learn about America’s groundbreaking historical moments such as the American Revolution, the Civil War and the Great Depression.

All the big moments get highlighted, but slavery, however, sometimes gets swept under the rug with less in-depth discussions about its reality and prevalence.

The BUI 300 course at the University is working to put an end to the silencing of the realities of slavery. The “Slavery, Emancipation, and The University of Alabama” seminar class showed students a little bit about the past by opening a museum exhibit, which examined Tuscaloosa during the Reconstruction era, 1865-1890 and what the African-American experience was like in the city during the time….”

For the full December 7, 2018 article, see https://cw.ua.edu/49311/news/slavery-pop-up-museum-examines-reconstruction-in-tuscaloosa/.

"Panel sought for University of Alabama’s racial history," Tuscaloosa News
By Ed Enoch / Staff Writer
Posted Oct 16, 2018 at 7:35 PM
  
The University of Alabama Faculty Senate is proposing the creation of a commission on race, slavery and civil rights to research and share the campus’ history from slavery to its growth to a more diverse and inclusive institution.

The faculty senate approved the proposal on Tuesday during its regular meeting. The recommendation will be sent from the senate to the university administration. The administration will review the recommendation once it receives it, according to a university spokesperson Tuesday.

The proposal broadly lays out the philosophy and rationale for forming commission, said faculty senate member Amy Dayton, an associate English professor who co-chairs the Community and Legislative Affairs Committee that introduced the measure.

The commission would investigate the history of race, slavery and civil rights on the campus, publicize its findings and make recommendations for a plan to curate the history for teaching and promoting a dialog.

The commission would build on previous work to document campus history including historical markers on campus at the Little Round House, the slavery apology marker, Hood-Malone plaza and the historical marker for Autherine Lucy, the first black student to attend UA.

The work could have potential positive impacts on issues such as recruitment and retention of students as well as possibly lead to grant funding, said assistant history professor Hilary Green during a discussion of the proposal when it was presented during the September meeting.

Green, who has previously worked to document campus history related to slavery, said the creation of the commission would also position UA to continue in a leadership role among Southeastern Conference schools who are reflecting on their histories. The proposal is modeled on language from similar programs at other universities, she said.

“This is the next step to get us where we can say, ‘Hey Alabama is still leading,’ ” Green said in September.

The proposal outlines goals that include:
• Exploring the role of slavery and its legacy at UA
• Promoting research
• Creating infrastructure to support alternative campus tours
• Updating current tours with more complete information about the university’s history
• Exploring possibilities for additional markers and signs on campus
• Creating permanent displays on campus about slavery and civil rights history
• Making recommendations for additions to undergraduate curriculum and orientation programs
• Creating co-curricular activities for students
• Working with other groups doing similar work
• Securing public and private funding to support the commission’s work.

Dayton anticipates there will be ongoing discussions about the proposal, including the formation of the commission.

“There will still be opportunity on into the future because there will be a lot of things to talk about,” Dayton said.

Possible taskforce members suggested in the recommendation include faculty currently researching campus history, representatives from the senate, representatives from the university’s libraries and museums, UA Black Faculty and Staff Association representatives, the vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, and representatives from the Division of Student Life.

I had the pleasure of serving on this prize committee. I am excited for the both the award ceremony and panel discussion with the author of Proof.

Official press release:

The University of Alabama School of Law and the ABA Journal announced that C. E. Tobisman, author of Proof, will receive the 2018 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Tobisman is the eighth winner of the Prize. The award, authorized by Lee, is given to a book-length work of fiction that best illuminates the role of lawyers in society and their power to effect change.
“I am honored, humbled, and frankly, totally stunned,” Tobisman said. “The spirit of To Kill a Mockingbird is the spirit of one person’s ability to make the world a little more fair. That the selection committee saw that spirit in my book is something that I will treasure forever.”
Eight years ago, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the publication of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and to honor former law student and author Harper Lee, the University of Alabama School of Law and the ABA Journal partnered to create the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction.

Proof was chosen by a distinguished panel of writers and scholars. They are: Dr. Hilary Green, Assistant Professor of History in the Department of Gender and Race Studies at The University of Alabama; Jini Koh, Attorney and University of Alabama School of Law Graduate; Tony Mauro, U.S. Supreme Court correspondent for Law.com and The National Law Journal; and Dr. Sena Jeter Naslund, Author, Co-founder and former Program Director of the Spalding University MFA in Writing.
The Selection Committee praised the novel for advancing Lee’s legacy and her charge to award legal fiction that shows how lawyers can change society.

“Proof best captures the spirit of iconic characters, role of the legal profession in addressing social issues, and the concluding legal monologue of To Kill A Mockingbird and Go Set A Watchman,” Green said. “Caroline Auden is the perfect cross between lawyer Atticus Finch and the grown up Scout.”
Mauro added: “C. E. Tobisman’s Proof proves that a true page-turner can also have substance. The main character is Caroline Auden, a Los Angeles solo practitioner who takes on elder abuse and corporate skullduggery with quick-witted determination. In the tradition of Harper Lee, Tobisman shows that lawyers can effect societal change.”

Tobisman will be honored with a signed special edition of To Kill a Mockingbird. The 2018 prize will be awarded at the Library of Congress in conjunction with the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. After the award is presented, the Selection Committee will discuss Tobisman’s Proof in relation to Lee’s work.

“It’s exciting see to this award go to a practicing attorney who’s relatively new to the fiction scene,” said Molly McDonough, editor and publisher of the ABA Journal. “We also love seeing attention being drawn to the important field of elder law. We look forward to seeing what Cindy Tobisman will bring to the genre of legal fiction.”

About C. E. Tobisman
Tobisman has published two novels featuring hacker-turned-lawyer Caroline Auden. Her first book, “Doubt,” was published in 2016, and the sequel, “Proof,” was released in 2017, both by Thomas & Mercer. Tobisman has bachelor’s and J.D. degrees from the University of California at Berkeley. In addition to authoring legal thrillers, she’s an appellate attorney in Los Angeles.

 I had the pleasure of discussing Educational Reconstruction with Adam McNeil for the New Books Network – African American Studies podcast series. His questions generated a wonderful interview.

See the link for the roughly hour-long interview.
 
http://newbooksnetwork.com/hilary-green-educational-reconstruction-african-american-schools-in-the-urban-south-1865-1890-fordham-up-2016/

I was recently featured in an article for my undergraduate alma mater’s magazine on the courses and professors that influenced my trajectory. It was a honor to be recognized but also have artwork inspired by interviewed highlighted.

Full article is available here.

As part of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History's Annual Black History Month luncheon, I am participating in the featured author's book signing. For individuals in the DC area, feel free to stop by. For details on the event, see https://asalh100.org/luncheon-authors-book-signing/.

Yesterday, I had the pleasure to participate in a panel –Why Nott?: A Scholarly Discussion of Building names. In speaking about Josiah C. Nott and his legacy enshrined in an University of Alabama academic building, I was able to bring another dimension of his life and legacy for education of black Alabamians and other marginalized communities through my work presented in Educational Reconstruction.
 
I was extremely grateful for the large turnout, provocative questions raised, and general interest in the book. I hope that the conversations do not end.

The panel and even my comments even warranted mention in the student newspaper (http://www.cw.ua.edu/article/2016/09/panel-debates-nott-hall-name-change).