Should Lincoln get all of the credit he receives for freedom and equality?
Â
Renowned African American history expert Dr. Charles Branham to speak February 15 at Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum
Â
Â
Springfield, IL – Does Abraham Lincoln deserve all of the credit he receives for freedom and equality in the United States? This and other themes will be explored during a presentation by renowned African American history expert Dr. Charles Branham on Tuesday, February 15 at 7 p.m. at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield.
Â
Branham’s talk is titled “Race, Freedom and Equality: From Lincoln to the Present Day,†and will explore how much credit Lincoln should receive for freedom and equality; whether Lincoln was forced by military necessity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation; Lincoln’s views on race; and how African Americans at the time viewed Lincoln as a necessity to push forward their own agendas.
Â
This African American History Month program in the Museum’s Union Theater is free and open to the public, but reservations must be made by calling (217) 558-8934. Branham’s program is co-sponsored by the University of Illinois at Springfield and Benedictine University at Springfield.
Â
 Branham won an Emmy Award as the writer, co-producer and host of “The Black Experience,†the first nationally televised series on African American history. Branham was an expert witness in the 1983 PACI case which forced the City of Chicago to give greater representation to African Americans, and in 1990 his testimony before the Chicago City Council laid the foundation for the city’s minority business affirmative action program.
Â
Branham has been a professor of history at various colleges in Chicago, including Chicago State University and Roosevelt University, and the University of Illinois at Chicago where he was awarded the Silver Circle Excellence in Teaching Award. Branham served as director of education at the DuSable Museum of African American History and is now Senior Historian there. He is the author of many publications on African American history and politics, including The Transformation of Black Political Leadership in Chicago, 1865 – 1943.
Â
       Branham is a member of the Organization of American Historians and has served on the boards of directors for the Chicago Metro History Fair, DuSable Museum of African American History, the Illinois Humanities Council, and the Executive Committee for the Chicago Archives of the Blues Tradition. From 1989 – 1990, he was the Chairman of the United Way of Chicago’s Committee on Race, Ethnic and Religious Discrimination. In addition, Branham has served as a consultant to the Chicago Board of Education for their curriculum development for a Black History study unit.
Â
       Branham graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Rockford College in 1967 and earned his PhD in history in 1980 from The University of Chicago, where he was a Ford Foundation Fellow.
Â
       For more information on programs and exhibits at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, visit www.presidentlincoln.org.
