(COLUMBIA, Tenn. – Sept. 23, 2019) - - -On September 25 Columbia State Community College kicks off its thirty-third annual “Celebrating Our American Heritage” lecture series with “1619: Fateful Beginnings that Altered the Course of America” at 4 p.m. in the Ledbetter Auditorium.

Inspired by the New York Times“1619 Project,” Columbia State faculty members Dr. Anna Duch, Columbia State assistant professor of history and medieval historian; Luke Truxal,Columbia State adjunct professor of history; Shelley Manns, assistant director of learning support and associate professor of English; Dr. Stuart Lenig, professor of communications and drama; and Greg Mewbourn, Columbia State assistant professor of history, mark the 400^thanniversary of the arrival of twenty African slaves in the English colony of Virginia with a discussion of the introduction of slavery to America.  

“The introduction of African slaves to North America is arguably the most significant event in the history of the United States,” said Dr. Barry Gidcomb, Columbia State professor of history. “The short and long-term ramifications were immense. While the slaves and their descendants built this country, slavery and its residual effects have also provided a narrative for what it means to be truly free in the United States that continues to this day.”

Additional “Celebrating Our American Heritage”  lectures will start in October on Wednesdays from 4 – 5:15 p.m. featuring professors from the college’s humanities department. 

Inaugurated in 1987, “Celebrating Our American Heritage” is an annual series of presentations sponsored by the Columbia State Department of History designed to illuminate the past and enhance understanding of the present.