Thursday, February 13 2025, 6 - 7:30pm UGA Special Collections Libraries, 300 South Hull Street On Thursday, Feb. 13, Michael Thurmond will discuss his book James Oglethorpe, Father of Georgia: A Founder’s Journey from Slave Trader to Abolitionist, published by the UGA Press. The book explores Oglethorpe’s relationships with Ayuba Suleiman Diallo and Olaudah Equiano, two of 18th-century England's most influential Black men, and how they influenced his philosophy on the issue of enslavement. Thurmond, a distinguished lecturer at UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, is the author of two other historical accounts Freedom: Georgia’s Antislavery Heritage, 1733–1865 and A Story Untold: Black Men and Women in Athens History. He previously served in the Georgia legislature, as director of Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Services, as Georgia labor commissioner and as superintendent of DeKalb schools, and ended his term as the county’s chief executive officer last year. The event, which is scheduled for 6 to 7:30 p.m., will include an introduction from James Brooks, Carl and Sally Gable Distinguished Professor of History, as well as light refreshments. This event is co-sponsored by the UGA Press, the Special Collections Libraries, and the UGA History Department. Event flyer for book talk by Michael Thurmond Feb 13 - "James Oglethorpe, Father of Georgia" (499.71 KB)
