THOMASVILLE — The Thomasville History Center will be hosting a public lecture by Professor Le’Trice Donaldson titled “The Life and Times of Henry O. Flipper” on Wednesday, July 12, 2023 at the Thomasville Center for the Arts. This lecture will explore how Flipper decided to carve his own path in life going against the expectations of his comrades and community.

Born enslaved in Thomasville, Georgia on the eve of the Civil War, Flipper became the first African American graduate at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

This lecture has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): Democracy demands wisdom. K-12 educators from across the nation will be attending this lecture as part of a one-week funded NEH Landmarks in American History workshop The Quest for Freedom examining the Long Civil rights movement. As part of the workshop, teachers will engage in place-based learning and will visit such sites as the Thomasville History Center, Tall Timbers, the Jack Hadley Black History Museum, Pebble Hill Plantation and Museum and the First Missionary Baptist Church

Donaldson is an Assistant Professor of History at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and author of Duty Beyond the Battlefield: African Americans Soldiers Fight for Racial Uplift, Citizenship, and Manhood, 1870-1920 (Southern Illinois Press).

No reservations are necessary for this free event that will begin at 7:00 p.m., a reception and book signing will follow the lecture.

The Thomasville History Center was formed in 1952 and opened a museum within the Flowers-Roberts House in 1972. Since 1972, the Thomasville History Center’s collections have grown to include more than 500,000 artifacts and archival materials and eight historic structures. The History Center, in partnership with the state of Georgia, also operates the historic Lapham-Patterson House. Their board, staff, and growing membership invites the public to join them in their dedication to ensuring that the appreciation of Thomasville’s unique history remains an intrinsic and unbroken thread connecting the past and future through settings that advance the city’s story.

For more information, please call 229-226-7664 or visit www.thomasvillehistory.org. Follow the Society on social media to stay up to date on all the fun: Instagram & Facebook: @ThomasvilleHistory.