Flagler Community Lecture to Explore War and Racial Equality

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL (01/26/2012)(readMedia)-- The Flagler College Community Lecture Series continues on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. with a presentation by Dr. Michael Butler, Assistant Professor of History.

The lecture series, a popular event at the College, focuses this year on speakers who will discuss a special topic on war as viewed through the lens of his or her particular discipline. Dr. Butler's talk is entitled "'We Return Fighting': War and the Struggle for Racial Equality in the United States." The presentation will focus on how war, throughout American history, has provided African Americans with opportunities to obtain equal citizenship rights.

"With every war, there have been opportunities for African Americans to make significant contributions and to demonstrate their equality," said Butler. "But, later, these same people were denied full opportunity in post-war society."

Butler will examine this issue as it relates to a number of conflicts, such as the American Revolution, the Spanish American War, World War II, and the Vietnam War.

Author of "Victory After the Fall: The Memories of Civil Rights Activist H. K. Matthews," Butler has been published in the Journal of Southern History, the Florida Historical Quarterly, Southern Cultures, Popular Music and Society, and the Journal of Mississippi History. He has also written more than 40 book reviews and encyclopedia entries for various academic journals.

Butler graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in History from Spring Hill College, a Jesuit college in Mobile, Alabama, where he was a President's Scholar. He received both his Master's and Doctorate in History from the University of Mississippi, where he specialized in 20th century Southern History with an emphasis on the Civil Rights movement.

The Flagler College Community Lecture Series offers educational and cultural opportunities to the St. Augustine community. Topics are provided by local experts and Flagler faculty. Tickets are $5 per person for a single lecture, or $15 for the semester. Active military personnel may attend at no charge. Lectures begin at 10 a.m. in the Flagler Room at Flagler College, 74 King St. Reservations are required as space is limited. The lecture will last approximately one hour and will be followed by a coffee and pastry reception. Call (904) 819-6282 or visit www.flagler.edu/our-community or www.facebook.com/FlaglerCLS for more information. 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 an independent, four-year, comprehensive baccalaureate college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 24 majors, 29 minors and two pre-professional programs, the largest majors being business, education and communication. Small by intent, Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,600 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; tuition is $22,500, including room and board. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for the historic beauty of its campus. The main building is Ponce de Leon Hall, built in 1887 as a luxury resort by Henry Flagler, who co-founded the Standard Oil Company with John D. Rockefeller. For more on Flagler College, visit www.flagler.edu.