Hear the full show:
President Donald Christian opened the event with this video.
Web extras:
This year, Janus delivered the annual Distinguished Speaker Lecture at the State University of New York at New Paltz' -- her undergraduate alma mater. Provocative and timely, she titled her speech "KNOW WHEN TO LEAVE THE PLANTATION."
From the press release:
"As a student, Adams sought solace from the pressures of a still-segregated society in walks from campus to the town's historic Huguenot Street. With the North, at the time, still in denial about its ties to slavery, little did she know she was following in the footsteps of the legendary abolitionist Sojourner Truth.
"In one telling incident, she was made aware of the vestiges of slavery and the suppression of women’s rights driving American society. To her rescue came her grand-uncle’s mantra: “Know when to leave the plantation.”
"Adams returns to campus, inspired by passions nurtured here and informed by her latest project, STEAL AWAY: Escape to Freedom on the Underground Railroad. In this talk, she mines the wisdom of the UGRR; extracting its power to rescue the freedom-seekers of today."
Tags: SUNY New Paltz, Donald P. Christian, Distinguished Speaker Series, History, Healing, The Sixties, Vietnam War, Dr. King, Muhammad Ali, Sojourner Truth, school desegregation, Underground Railroad, women's rights, #BlackLivesMatter, #MeToo
KNOW WHEN TO LEAVE THE PLANTATION
Watch the full speech on YouTube