Pioneer of African-American history to speak about his autobiography

January 25, 2007

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — World-renowned historian and author John Hope Franklin will speak Feb. 9 at the University of Florida as part of the annual Gus Burns Memorial Lecture Series.

Franklin, former president of the American Historical Association, will talk about his 91-year journey through life, his work as a scholar and his new autobiography, “Mirror to America.”

The lecture is free and open to the public and will be held at 6:30 p.m. in Emerson Alumni Hall Room 215. There will be a pre-lecture reception in the lobby beginning at 5:15 p.m. and a book signing directly following the speech.

Franklin’s appearance is an opportunity to listen to one of the seminal figures of American and African-American history, said Jack Davis, lecture coordinator for the department of history.

“This is somebody who is not only a renowned academic historian,” Davis said. “He has had a profound impact on American society.”

Franklin is perhaps best known for his book “From Slavery to Freedom: A History of African Americans,” which has sold more than 3 million copies and is regarded as the definitive history of African-Americans.

“John Hope Franklin was one of the people who was responsible for integrating the African-American experience into the larger American history narrative,” Davis said.

Franklin graduated from Fisk University and holds a doctorate from Harvard University. He served on the NAACP legal defense team led by Thurgood Marshall that prepared the case that led to the end of segregation in public schools.

Franklin has worked in England, the Soviet Union, Australia and China, and in 1995 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States’ highest civilian honor. He holds honorary degrees from more than 100 colleges and universities.

The Burns Lecture Series was begun in 1999, Davis said.