Annual Robert Smalls Series to feature lecture, film and concert

The 11th annual Robert Smalls Lecture Series at the University of South Carolina will feature a documentary about Robert Smalls Tuesday, March 25, and a talk on the civil-rights movement by Dr. Cleveland Sellers and a performance of Gullah folk music on Thursday, March 27.

The series will begin with a screening of the documentary film, “Congressman Robert Smalls: A Patriot’s Journey from Slavery to Capitol Hill,” at 7 p.m. March 25, in the School of Law auditorium. The film’s producer, Adrena Ifill, president of DoubleBack Productions, will make remarks.

Civil-rights pioneer and historian Dr. Cleveland Sellers will give a public talk at 7 p.m. March 27, in Belk Auditorium. Beaufort composer Osalami Lamoke will set the stage for the talk by performing original Gullah folk music.

Both events are free and open to the public.

Titled, “This Little Light of Mine,” Sellers’ talk will address the loss of innocence and the lives sacrificed during the height of the civil-rights movement.

“This was a time when Fannie Lou Hamer would burst into song, singing ‘This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine,’ said Sellers. “Ella Baker would speak in a hushed tone about the darkness and uncertainly while reminding us that we had a history and a strong sense of faith and spirituality. The once-dark clouds turned to bright sunshine, tears were dried, burdens were lifted…Through it all, we continue to let our light shine.”

A native of Denmark, Sellers was a central figure in the civil-rights movement in South Carolina, serving as the program director of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He is internationally known as a civil-rights historian and activist, often cited in connection to the Orangeburg Massacre, a 1968 civil-rights protest.

Sellers earned his bachelor’s degree from Shaw University, a master’s degree from Harvard University and a doctoral degree from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. He has taught at the university since 1993 and has served as the director of the African-American Studies Program for seven years. He will retire at the end of June to become research professor of African American studies/history and senior scholar-in-residence.

The University of South Carolina’s African-American Studies Program established the Robert Smalls Lecture Series in 1997 to share the latest research and scholarship on African-American studies with the community. It is named for Robert Smalls, a South Carolina slave, Civil War hero and congressman who had a significant impact on South Carolina with his contributions to political, education and economic reform.

The Robert Smalls Lecture is sponsored by the university’s College of Arts and Sciences and the African-American Studies Program. Other sponsors are the African-American Professors Program, the Association of African-American Students, the Institute for Families in Society, the Institute for Southern Studies, the Women’s Studies Program and the S.C. Legislative Black Caucus.

For more information about this year’s Robert Smalls Lecture, call 803-777-7248. For information about the African-American Studies Program, visit the Web site: www.cas.sc.edu/AFRA/.