In addition to several club sponsored events including open dialogues on race and relations, Chestnut Hill College’s History Club, the Black Student Union, and Phi Alpha Theta will commemorate Black History month by welcoming Lawrence Little, Ph.D., from Villanova University on Thursday, February 18, at 7 p.m. in the East Parlor.

This is not Little's first time on campus. In fact, for many years he taught African-American history as a member of the SCPS faculty. Currently, Little is an associate professor of African-American History at Villanova University, where he has taught since 1993. His teaching areas include African American History, American History, Racism and Race Relations, Civil Rights, U.S. Foreign Policy and World History. Little has published several journals and his book, Disciples of Liberty: The African Methodist Church in the Age of Imperialism, 1884-1916, examines African-American reaction to global events and issues at the turn of the century.

"An accomplished scholar and dynamic teacher, Dr. Little was an early activist in the Civil Rights movement and we are very pleased to have him back on campus to talk to the students and college community," says Lorraine Coons, Ph.D., chair of the history and political science department.

Little will be giving a lecture titled “Enforcing Apartheid: Racial Terror and Lynching in America.” He will analyze the causes, justifications, and consequences of the racial violence and mass incarceration that informed Jim Crow systems of oppression from the 1840s to 1940s and African-American attempts to resist.

"Black history month celebrates an important part of the American population, which, facing suffering and adversity from the very beginning, has made significant contributions to culture, society, politics, and all areas of life," Coons says.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Lorraine Coons, Ph.D., history and political science department chair, at 215.248.7184 or at lcoons@chc.edu.