Flagler College lecture examines early black history in St. Augustine

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL (09/19/2014)(readMedia)-- The Flagler College Ideas & Images series continues on Thursday, Oct. 9 with the second part of its exploration of the early arts and sciences of St. Augustine. In this month's lecture, Dr. Jane L. Landers of Vanderbilt University will discuss "New Discoveries on St. Augustine's Early Black History and its Connections to Cuba."

The lecture will take place at 7 p.m. in the Flagler Room and is free and open to the public.

With grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the British Library Endangered Archives Programme and the Diocese of St. Augustine, Dr. Landers and an international team of researchers have preserved records in Cuba, Brazil, Colombia and Florida, the oldest dating from the 16th century. Many of these records revealed fascinating details about early African-American history and culture in St. Augustine, Landers said. Through the team's work, the records have been digitized and preserved in online archives. "Now St. Augustine's records of early black history are available to the world, free and online," she said.

The 2014-2015 Ideas & Images series is entitled "First America: Exploring the Arts and Sciences of St. Augustine." The next segment, which will occur on November 12, is entitled "Rebels and Runaways: African-Americans in St. Augustine during the Civil War," and will be presented by Dr. Larry Rivers, Professor of History, Valdosta State University.

For a full listing of all 2014-2015 Ideas & Images events, please visit www.flagler.edu/news-events/community-events/lectures/ideas-and-images.

The series is made possible through sponsors including: Flagler College, Joy McCann Foundation, Schultz Foundation, St. Johns County Tourist Development Council, Florida Humanities Council, St. Johns Cultural Council, St. Johns County Visitor and Convention Bureau, Casa Monica Hotel, Margaret Domini, Flagler College Bookstore and the Hilton St. Augustine Historic Bayfront Hotel.

If you are a person with a disability and need reasonable accommodations, please contact Lynn Francisco at 904-819-6460. Sign Language Interpreters are available upon request with a minimum of three days' notice.

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Flagler College is a private, four-year comprehensive college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 29 majors, 34 minors and two pre-professional programs - the largest being business administration, communication, psychology and education. Small by intent, Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,500 students, as well as a satellite campus at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla. U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review regularly feature Flagler as a college that offers quality education at a relatively low cost. A Flagler education is less than half the cost of similar private colleges, and competitive with many state universities. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for its historic beauty. The centerpiece of the campus is the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, a grand resort built in 1888 by Henry M. Flagler, an industrialist, railroad pioneer and co-founder of Standard Oil. The Ponce has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. For more on Flagler College, visit www.flagler.edu.