Speakers at Black History Month lectures are usually historians or historical figures. On Thursday, MSU’s “Slavery to Freedom” lecture series turns instead to a modern-day journalist.
Jonathan Capehart writes for the Washington Post, hosts a podcast called "Cape Up," and is often seen as a contributor on MSNBC.
Capehart says that as someone who writes frequently on race and politics, he was intrigued by the notion of bringing a modern-day perspective to this lecture series.
"Given the presidency that we just left behind and the current one that we are in," Capehart explains, "and what we've been through over the last five years, if you go back all the way to the killing of Trayvon Martin in Florida, issues of race...are at the forefront in a way that I think is vital to the country's discourse on race."
Capehart's "Slavery to Freedom" lecture is at 5 p.m. Thursday in MSU's Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center.