Michigan State University Professor of History LaShawn Harris delivers a talk titled, "The Murder Trial of Laundress Virginia Christian: Race Labor, and Violence as Resistance in Progressive Era Virginia." Harris uses the experience of Christian to examine the lives of working class black women, explore inner-gender violence between women of different race and ethnicity, and explore the ways Progressive Era white women used physical and often lethal violence as a way of reinforcing white supremacy and controlling black women's bodies. Harris recounts the events that resulted in the death of Christian's employer Ida Belote, Christian's trial and conviction, and the attempts by a diverse group of African American and white Progressive Era political activists to save the teenage Christian from capital punishment. A question and answer session follows. Harris is introduced by MSU Professor John P. Beck. Part of the "Our Daily Work/Our Daily Lives" Brown Bag series sponsored by the MSU School of Human Resources and Labor Relations, the MSU Museum, and co-sponsored by the MSU African American and African Studies Center, MSU Center for Gender in Global Context, and the MSU Women's Resource Center, as part of the University's Project 60/50. Held at the MSU Museum.
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