The lecture series on the African American experience in Missouri continued Wednesday night at MU.
Chuck Henson, MU’s interim Vice Chancellor for inclusion, diversity and equity announced the launch of the series in December.
Keona Irving, a professor in African American history at MU stressed the importance of having these types of events on campus.
"We hold the conviction that history is important to thinking about our world, our context, the context which we live in. Past context and the like," Irving said.
Martha Jones was brought in to speak at Jesse Hall. She spoke on Celia, a child slave who was purchased by a local man in Callaway County, Missouri.
“She was sexually assaulted by her owner and at 19 after she bore two children, she resisted and killed her owner. The case im going to talk about today is that moment when the state of Missouri prosecutes her, convicts her and executes her," Jones said.
Jones is spreading awareness about Celia’s story to have her exonerated by the Governor of Missouri.
