William G. Anderson Lecture Series

Slavery to Freedom: An American Odyssey

 

PLEASE NOTE:  The Tuesday, March 12, William G. Anderson Lecture Series Slavery to Freedom: An American Odyssey event with Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II has been cancelled.

We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.

Marita Gilbert, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Diversity and Campus Inclusion
MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine


MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine presents the 24th Annual Dr. William G. Anderson Lecture Series. The series gives the community opportunities to interact with multicultural leaders from education, business, industry, entertainment and government. For 24 years, this series has featured living icons of the American Civil Rights Movement.

 

 

Featured Speakers

Tanisha Ford

February 1, 2024, 5 p.m.
Wharton Center for Performing Arts
Pasant Theatre

Tanisha Ford is the author of four books relating to civil rights and Black culture, and will speak on the intersection of politics, economics and culture. She has received several awards and honors for her work. For example, she was named one of the Root’s 100 Most Influential African Americans. Her research has been supported by many institutions, including Ford Foundation, New America and Emerson Collective, to name a few.

M.C. Lyte

February 8, 2024, 5 p.m.
Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center
Big Ten AB

M.C. Lyte is an American rapper, DJ, actress and entrepreneur. She is the first female of hiphop’s emcees to release a solo album and tease a new podcast. She also opened doors for many to join what is now being celebrated as “50 Years of Hip Hop.” She recently received the “I Am Hip Hop” Lifetime Achievement Award from BET and was also honored at the VH1 Hip Hop Honors. She is also the most recognizable pioneer across generations.

Dr. Rani G. Whitfield

February 23, 2024, 5 p.m.
Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center
Auditorium

Dr. Rani G. Whitfield is a highly accomplished board-certified family physician specializing in sports medicine. Identifying community wellness as a freedom movement, Dr. Whitfield’s talk will focus on Black men’s health. He is widely recognized for his advocacy work, serving as a national spokesperson for the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. He has earned numerous awards, including the ASA Southeastern Affiliates Service Award, the American Stroke Association Legacy Award and the NAACP Freedom Award.

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber

PLEASE NOTE:  This event has been cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber is president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, bishop of The Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church, Goldsboro, N.C. for past 29 years and professor in the practice of public theology and public policy and founding director of the Center for Public Theology and Public policy at Yale Divinity School. He has authored four books regarding morality and social justice.

Join the event: Love Got me Over: Singing to Freedom Live Concert Recording

February 21, 2024, 6 p.m.
Fairchild Theatre

Don't miss this night of live band performances, storytelling and Black history in collaboration with the MSU College of Music and the MSU Gospel Choir, led by Phoenix Miranda, Caleb Robinson and Rashun Watson.

Sponsorship

If you would like to help sponsor this great series, you may choose from one of these levels of sponsorship:

Corporate sponsor - $5,000
Platinum sponsor - $2,500
Gold sponsor - $1,500
Silver sponsor - $1,000
Patron sponsor - $500

Contact

Please contact Barbara Breedlove for more information. Call (517) 432-4979 or email breedlov@msu.edu.


History of the Dr. William G. Anderson Lecture Series

William G. Anderson, D.O., was a founder of the Albany Movement, a seminal struggle for civil rights in Georgia in the 1960s, and the first African American to have been elected national president of the American Osteopathic Associatiowilliam-anderson.jpgn.

Friend and faculty member of the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine throughout its history, he has been essential in developing and sustaining the “Slavery to Freedom” lecture series. To honor his singular achievements as a physician, an activist and cornerstone of this program, we are proud to name it in his honor: the Dr. William G. Anderson Lecture Series: Slavery to Freedom.

Now in its 24th year, this program gives members of the mid-Michigan community opportunities to interact with multicultural leaders from education, business, industry, entertainment and government.