The authors of the book Black Mercuries: African American Athletes, Race, and the Olympic Games will tell the story of African American athletes at the Olympic Games. Scholars David Wiggins, Kevin Witherspoon, and Mark Dyreson will discuss the roles of Olympics such as Jesse Owens, Rafer Johnson, Wilma Rudolph, Michael Johnson, and Simone Biles, but also many Olympians who have largely been ignored by historical memory.
A reception and book signing follows this event.
Location:
Abney Cultural Center Auditorium, Lander University, 320 Stanley Ave, Greenwood, SC 29649
Speakers:
David K. Wiggins is professor emeritus of sport studies at George Mason University. The author of many books, book chapters, and scholarly articles, his publications center primarily on the interconnection among race, sport, and American culture. Included among his books are Glory Bound: Black Athletes in a White America and More than a Game: A History of the African American Experience in Sport. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology, currently Editor-in-Chief of Kinesiology Review, and past president of the North American Society for Sport History.
Kevin B. Witherspoon is the Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Endowed Chair in the Department of History and Philosophy at Lander University in Greenwood, SC. He is the author of many articles, chapters, and books, most of which focus on the intersection of race, culture, and sport in the Cold War era. His books include Before the Eyes of the World: Mexico and the 1968 Olympics and Defending the American Way of Life: Sport, Culture and the Cold War, co-edited with Toby Rider, both of which won the North American Society for Sport History annual book award.
Mark Dyreson is professor of kinesiology, affiliate professor of history, and co-director of the Center for the Study of Sports in Society at Pennsylvania State University. He has published numerous articles, chapters, and books on the history of sport, including Making the American Team: Sport, Culture, and the Olympic Experience and Crafting Patriotism for Global Dominance: America at the Olympics. He is a past president of the North American Society for Sport History, a fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology, and has served as a managing editor and senior special projects editor for the International Journal of the History of Sport.
Learn more about the book Black Mercuries here.
