History Lecture Series
The History Lecture Series is an annual collaboration between Wilton Library and the Wilton Historical Society. Each year a theme is developed, and respected scholars are engaged to provide a lively, thought-provoking talk on their specialty subject. The lecture is followed by a question and answer period and reception. Generous sponsors make it all possible; each lecture is individually sponsored.
The 2023 History Lecture Series
A Rocky Road: The Struggle for Rights in America
In the 16th year of collaboration between Wilton Library and Wilton Historical Society, the scholarly lecture series will focus on the theme of “A Rocky Road: The Struggle for Rights in America.” Each lecture in the special four-part series will be held on Sunday afternoons from 4 to 5:30 p.m., with each session requiring a separate registration. Please note the location of each lecture.
There is no charge to attend; however, a $10 suggested donation may be made to the hosting institution directly from the individual registration pages. Registration is required for each individual lecture. Please see the registration links below for more program and speaker details.
The four lectures are as follows:
Sunday, January 29th, 4 to 5:30 p.m., at the Wilton Library.
BENDING THE ARC: The Promise of Reconstruction Derailed; Navigating a Century of Jim Crow Apartheid – Dr. Janus Adams, historian, author, and host of public radio’s “The Janus Adams Show”
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In the 16th year of collaboration between Wilton Library and Wilton Historical Society, the scholarly lecture series will focus on the theme of “A Rocky Road: The Struggle for Rights in America.” During this kick-off program, Dr. Janus Adams will discuss how she met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., their brief conversation, and the charge he gave this then-10-year-old girl. Many of you will undoubtedly recognize in her lecture title the reference to Dr. King’s famous quote: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Reconstruction, begun right after the Civil War ended, held much promise for the true liberation of Blacks in America. How was Reconstruction derailed and how did the resulting Jim Crow in the South and de jure as well as de facto segregation in the North operate? What are examples of Black success stories notwithstanding those devastating restrictions?
Dr. Janus Adams is an Emmy Award-winning journalist, historian, entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and author. She is also the producer and host of public radio’s “The Janus Adams Show” and podcast. Engaged by history since childhood, at age 8 she was one of four children selected to break New York’s de facto segregation in the wake of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. At age 10, she was introduced to Dr. King. A pioneer of issue-oriented African-American and women’s programming, she has hosted and produced numerous talk shows for public broadcasting and cable news. She is a frequent on-air guest and a significant contributor to print and online media outlets with over 500 articles, essays and columns to her credit. A former Wilton resident, she began her 16-year run as a syndicated columnist with The Wilton Bulletin. She is the founder of children’s book publisher BackPax. A classically trained pianist, she graduated from New York’s High School of Performing Arts, received the nation’s first graduate degree in Black Studies, and was awarded her Doctor of Humane Letters from Shaw University and SUNY New Paltz.
Reception following the talk. No charge but a $10 suggested donation is always welcomed. Click here to donate. This lecture sponsored by Kathleen and Bill Brennan. The moderator is Steve Hudspeth.
Registration required. Please register for each lecture individually. To register for this session please click the Sign Up button or call 203-762-6334. This lecture will be hosted at Wilton Library, 137 Old Ridgefield Road, Wilton, CT. www.wiltonlibrary.org
Sunday, February 5th, 4 to 5:30 p.m., at the Wilton Library.
Kids and Kitchens: The Role of Children and Domestic Workers in the Civil Rights Movement – Dr. Camesha Scruggs, Central Connecticut State University.
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In the 16th year of collaboration between Wilton Library and Wilton Historical Society, the scholarly lecture series will focus on the theme of “A Rocky Road: The Struggle for Rights in America.” During this program, Dr. Camesha Scruggs, Professor of History at Central Connecticut State University, will discuss the role of children and domestic workers as change agents in the Civil Rights Movement which in popular memory focuses on individuals such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks. However, children are an integral part of the movement. From participants in school desegregation efforts to domestic workers’ contributions to local boycotts, we see their roles are vital to advancing the cause of civil rights.
Dr. Camesha Scruggs is a recent PhD recipient in history from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. A native Texan, she received a BA and MA in history from Texas Southern University. Her research fields are 20th century US, African American Public History and Gender and Empire. She serves on the executive boards of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History and the National Collaborative for Women’s History Sites. She performs volunteer work for various community preservation initiatives, bringing stories to broader audiences. Her current project examines the lived experiences of Texas African-American women domestic servants in the early 20th century and how interventions from social, civic, government, and higher education institutions impact the occupation.
Reception following the talk. No charge but a $10 suggested donation is always welcomed. Click here to donate. This lecture sponsored in memory of Bob Kelso. The moderator is Max Gabrielson.
Registration required. Please register for each lecture individually. To register for this session please click the Sign Up button or call 203-762-6334. This lecture will take place at Wilton Library, 137 Old Ridgefield Road, Wilton, CT. www.wiltonlibrary.org
Sunday, March 12th, 4 to 5:30 p.m., at the Wilton Historical Society.
US Women Demand Equity: From Voting Rights to Work Conditions – Dr. Aimee Loiselle, Central Connecticut State University.
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In the 16th year of collaboration between Wilton Library and Wilton Historical Society, the scholarly lecture series will focus on the theme of “A Rocky Road: The Struggle for Rights in America.” During this program, Aimee Loiselle, Assistant Professor at Central Connecticut State University, will discuss how women from different backgrounds and regions have pursued equity by different means. Even the suffrage movement and passage of the 19th Amendment, granting women the federal right to vote in 1920, emerged from many tactics heavily shaped by race, class, and geography. Its passage fueled more efforts by women, both to use the vote and to highlight its inadequacy for addressing problems like unfair work conditions and poverty. Middle-class white women, Black women, and working-class women had points of collaboration and division throughout the 20th century as they demanded equity on different terms.
Dr. Aimee Loiselle is an award-winning historian and assistant professor at Central Connecticut State University. She studies modern US history with an interest in women workers and attention to intersections of gender, race, class, and citizenship. Her book, Beyond Norma Rae: How Puerto Rican and Southern White Women Fought for a Place in the American Working Class (University of North Carolina Press, 2023), follows women textile and apparel workers in their struggles over working conditions and their efforts to shape meanings for the working class in the late 20th century United States. Prior to her position at CCSU, Loiselle taught in a variety of institutions, including public high schools and transition to college programs for historically marginalized students. Her writing has appeared in literary journals, newspapers, magazines, and blogs as well as scholarly history journals.
Reception following the talk. No charge but a $10 suggested donation is always welcomed. Click here to donate. This lecture sponsored by Mary Gail and Jerry Gristina. The moderator is Max Gabrielson.
Registration required. Please register for each lecture individually. To register for this session please click the Sign Up button or call 203-762-6334. This lecture will be held at the Wilton Historical Society, 224 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT. www.wiltonlibrary.org
Sunday, March 26th, 4 to 5:30 p.m., at the Wilton Historical Society.
The Long Road Toward LGBTQ+ Rights and Equality in the United States – Dr. Kelly Marino, Sacred Heart University.
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In the 16th year of the collaboration between Wilton Library and the Wilton Historical Society, the scholarly lecture series will focus on the theme of “A Rocky Road: The Struggle for Rights in America.” During this program, Kelly Marino, Lecturer in History at Sacred Heart University, will discuss the history of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement in the United States beginning in the mid-20th century. In her presentation, she will consider the transition from the homophile campaign to the gay liberation movement. She will talk about interconnections with other social and political campaigns in the 1960s and 70s, the activism and ideology of the movement, the culture of the Sexual Revolution, and the influence of key events such as Stonewall. Her discussion will help to provide context for current events making headlines today.
Dr. Kelly Marino, PhD, is a Lecturer in the History Department of the College of Arts and Sciences at Sacred Heart University and Program Director of Women’s Studies. She received her Ph.D. in History from Binghamton University (SUNY) and MA in History from University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Dr. Marino is a Connecticut native. She is passionate about state and local history as well as women’s history and the history of sexuality. Her research focuses on social and political movements, 20th-century American history, and Gilded Age/Progressive Era America. She writes about reform, minority struggles and activism, and is especially interested in issues of age, education, gender, and sexuality. She is currently working on a book project about advances in women’s higher education and the women’s rights movement in 20th-century America.
Reception following the talk. No charge but a $10 suggested donation is always welcomed. Click here to donate. This lecture sponsored by Virginia and Tom Gunther. The moderator is Steve Hudspeth.
Registration required. Please register for each lecture individually. To register for this session please click the Sign Up button or call 203-762-6334. This lecture will be held at the Wilton Historical Society, 224 Danbury Road, Wilton, CT. www.wiltonlibrary.org
Past History Lecture Series:
How the History Lecture Series Began
In 2008 Louise Herot, then President of Wilton Library, Owen Williams and Dr. Greg Chann, Co-Presidents of the Wilton Historical Society – met up at the Kiwanis Roast Beef Dinner. There they hatched a plan to draw on the synergistic relationship and collaborative spirit that exists between the Society and the Library.
They characterized this project as one which:
Stimulates the minds of our fellow citizens,
Reminds us that history needs to be studied so that we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past,
Educates in a way that makes history come alive,
And one that brings new energy and facets to our organizations.
And thus began the History Lecture Series.