The contributions of African American surgeons and nurses during the Civil War will be the theme of a community education event from 1-3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 14, at the Margherio Family Conference Center in the Mazurek Medical Education Commons, 340 E. Canfield St. in Detroit.
Sponsors of the event include Wayne State University Libraries, the WSU Department of History, the College of Nursing and the School of Medicine.
Jeff O'Den, historical documentary filmmaker, will explore the topic "Lest We Forget: Black Civil War Soldiers and Sailors." In keeping with the American Civil War Sesquicentennial commemoration, O'Den will present a series of excerpts from his Forgotten Glory documentary.
O'Den's background in television and film production contributes to his unique style, part documentary and part Hollywood drama, or "docudrama." He believes the Civil War is the single most important event in American history because it continues to define us all.
Wayne State University faculty will make up a panel exploring a range of subjects focusing on the Civil War:
- De'Andrea Wiggins, interim director, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Wayne State University School of Medicine (moderator).
- Professor Marc Kruman, Department of History chair, (The Civil War).
- Assistant Professor Kidada Williams, Department of History (African Americans and the Civil War).
- Associate Professor Marsha Richmond, Department of History (Medicine in Detroit in the 1860s).
- Associate Professor Deborah Walker, College of Nursing (The Civil War and Nursing).
The traveling exhibit "Binding Wounds Pushing Boundaries: African Americans in Civil War Medicine" is running through April 28, 2012 in the atrium of Wayne State's Shiffman Medical Library, next door to the conference center. Featured as part of the National Library of Medicine's traveling exhibit, it describes how the service of African Americans as medical providers challenged accepted notions of race and gender.
Limited seating is available for the April 14 event. RSVP by April 7 to 313-577-6666 or shiffmanoutreach@wayne.edu; provide contact information and number of attendees. The Binding Wounds website www.lib.wayne.edu/bw may also be viewed for additional resources, including information about K-12 School Tours to the exhibit.
For more information about the event, contact Linda Draper at 313-577-8943 or ldraper@wayne.edu.
Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution offering more than 400 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 32,000 students.