August History Happy Hour: Civil War and Civil Rights: African Americans and Civil Rights During the Past 150 Years

Speaker:  Brent Newton, JD

$15.00 in advance online, $20.00 at the door non-members, $15.00 museum members

Beer, wine, and appetizers included

On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all slaves held in Confederate states “…shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” But how free were the slaves, really?  What challenges and battles still existed for African Americans to overcome?  What barriers and divisions still exist today?

Join us for an engaging discussion around these themes led by Brent Newton, JD, as we explore how the struggle for freedom continues to the present day.

Brent Newton is an attorney and professor who lives in Montgomery County, Maryland. Born and raised in Alabama, he obtained his B.A. in history from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his law degree from Columbia University.  After both practicing and teaching law in Texas for nearly two decades, he became deputy director of the United States Sentencing Commission.  He also serves as an adjunct professor of law and political science at several D.C.-area universities, including Georgetown. He has extensive experience as a litigation attorney, including arguing a case before the Supreme Court of the United States in 2008. He has published two books and several journal articles and book chapters.

In honor of Maryland 150th Emancipation anniversary, the Museum is creating an original oral history production.