Richard T. Greener at the University of South Carolina
The 2022 Richard T. Greener Lecture
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The 2022 Richard T. Greener Lecture featured Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, bestselling authors of The Personal Librarian, their novel about the extraordinary life of Belle da Costa Greene who became J.P. Morgan's personal librarian. She was born Belle Marion Greener, daughter of Richard T. Greener and Genevieve Ida Fleet, but along with her mother and siblings she passed as white and hid her true identity.
The 2022 Richard T. Greener Lecture was moderated by Augusta Baker Endowed Chair Dr. Nicole Cooke at Richland Library on Thursday, September 8, 2022. |
This year's lecture was co-sponsored by the Center for Innovation & Inclusion in Higher Education, the Augusta Baker Endowment, and Richland Library. Contact Christian Anderson with inquiries. Copies of the novel can be ordered from Odd Bird Books.
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Victoria Christopher Murray and Marie Benedict with the Richard T. Greener statue
Invisible No More: The African American Experience at the University of South Carolina
Richard T. Greener features prominently in the new book, Invisible No More: The African American Experience at the University of South Carolina, edited by Robert Greene II and Tyler D. Parry, and published by the University of South Carolina Press. A photo of his statue graces the cover; Chapter 3 by Christian K. Anderson and Jason C. Darby, "Richard T. Greener at the Reconstruction-era University: Professor, Librarian, and Student," is about his time at UofSC; and the process of bringing his statue to campus is discussed in the final chapter about memorials on campus by Katharine Thompson Allen and Lydia Mattice Brandt.
The book is available directly from USC Press, online, or at bookstores. (Those at UofSC can access it electronically via the Library.)
During Fall semester 2021 my class on the History of Higher Education in America used the book as a guide as we developed a tour of the African American experience at UofSC. Each of the authors visited our class (some in person, some via zoom) to discuss their chapters.
The African American Studies Program hosted a book launch on January 17, 2022. Be on the lookout for other events to discuss the book.
The book is available directly from USC Press, online, or at bookstores. (Those at UofSC can access it electronically via the Library.)
During Fall semester 2021 my class on the History of Higher Education in America used the book as a guide as we developed a tour of the African American experience at UofSC. Each of the authors visited our class (some in person, some via zoom) to discuss their chapters.
The African American Studies Program hosted a book launch on January 17, 2022. Be on the lookout for other events to discuss the book.
Photo by Christian K. Anderson
Richard T. Greener Resources
- Official UofSC Greener page
- Who was Richard T. Greener? Facebook page
- Katherine Chaddock’s biography: Uncompromising Activist: Richard Greener, First Black Graduate of Harvard College (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2017)
- The forgotten impact of Harvard’s first Black graduate - My essay in the Washington Post's "Made by History" series (June 12, 2022)
- What should replace Confederate statues? - My essay in The Conversation (August 13, 2020)
- Southern Exposure's Glory: Tribute to Richard Greener, performed November 1, 2020
- UofSC post about monuments
- The White Problem, a play by Jon Tuttle, commissioned for UofSC's bicentennial, draws its title from an 1894 essay by Greener. Also available for purchase from Hub City.
- On February 11, 2022 I gave a talk for the Department of Philosophy on Richard T. Greener's 1894 essay, "The White Problem."
- "Assault At West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker" (1994 cable movie starring Samuel L. Jackson as Greener)
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Unveiling of the Richard T. Greener Statue & Inaugural Lecture
The Richard T. Greener statue was unveiled on February 21, 2018 in front of the Thomas Cooper Library on the University of South Carolina campus. U.S. Representative James E. Clyburn served as keynote speaker.
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Photo by Jason Ayer
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The Richard T. Greener Lecture
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2021 Greener Lecture
The 2021 Richard T. Greener Lecture was given by Eddie Comeaux, Professor of Higher Education and Executive Director of the Center for Athletes’ Rights and Equity at the University of California-Riverside: “Choosing Their Battlefields: Paul Robeson and Other Black College Football Players’ Activism for Racial Equity.” The event was part of the Museum of Education's fall exhibit on "The History of American College Football" by guest curators Christian K. Anderson (who moderated the talk) and Amber C. Fallucca. It was held on Wednesday, December 1, 2021.
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2020 Greener Lecture
The 2020 Richard T. Greener lecture with Harvard Law Professor Randall Kennedy was held on Monday, December 1, 2020: “Black Students and Struggles for Freedom on Southern Campuses.” This year marks the 150th anniversary since Greener's graduation from Harvard. Yvonne Osirim, president of the Harvard Black Alumni Association, provided opening remarks about Greener's time at Harvard. Aubrey Gibson, member of the board for the UofSC Black Alumni Council, engaged Prof. Kennedy in conversation after his lecture. You can view the lecture online on the Museum of Education's YouTube Channel. (Flyer) |