Lincoln symposium held last week

RELEASED: February 16, 2009



DANVILLE, KY—The first in a series of four symposia focusing on Abraham Lincoln, Kentucky African Americans and the Constitution was held at Centre College's Norton Center for the Arts last week, the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth. Abraham Lincoln – America's Agent of Change explored the social and political impact of Lincoln's policies. This event was part of the College's Year of Lincoln celebration and the state's celebration of Lincoln's bicentennial.

Sessions during the kickoff symposium at Centre included:

—Convocation: Chautauqua presentation "Frederick Douglass and Mr. Lincoln" by Charles Everett Pace

—The world premiere of Abe Lincoln and Uncle Tom in the White House, a play by Carlyle Brown commissioned by the University of Louisville African American Theatre Program through a Kentucky African American Heritage Commission Lincoln Preservation Grant

—The Kentucky Historical Society's "Kentucky's Abraham Lincoln" HistoryMobile exhibit arrived Friday morning and was open Friday and Saturday, in addition to the KHS Lincoln panels, which were on display

—Tours of Perryville Battlefield State Historic Park

—Tours of the historic African American community of Sleettown

—Tours of the home of abolitionist James Gillespie Birney and Camp Nelson Civil War Heritage Park

—Panel discussions with noted African American scholars

The symposia series is presented through a grant from the Kentucky Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and sponsored by the Kentucky African American Heritage Commission, Kentucky Heritage Council / State Historic Preservation Office, Kentucky Historical Society, Georgetown College Underground Railroad Research Institute, Kentucky State Parks, Centre College, Lincoln Memorial University, the city of Maysville and the Friends of the Network to Freedom Association.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/For news archives, go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.