Fred Zilian, Ph.D., became interested in Rhode Island Slave History in 2017 upon reading the book, If Jane Should Want to Be Sold: Stories of Enslavement, Indenture and Freedom in Little Compton, Rhode Island by Marjory Gomez O’Toole. He became curious as to why there was no comparable book about Newport. His curiosity about slave history in general became magnified when he discovered that his grandmother’s ancestry was rooted in the slave coast of Africa. Fred will share this story and more about slavery in the area in this fascinating lecture.
After a 21-year career as an infantry officer in the Army, Fred was an educator at Portsmouth Abbey School for 23 years, where he taught history, ethics, and German. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at Salve Regina University, Newport, RI, where he teaches history and politics. He is also a commentator for The Hill and The History News Network, and a columnist for the Newport Daily News. He blogs with historical, political, social and cultural commentary at www.zilianblog.com. He lives in Portsmouth with his wife.
Fred holds a Ph.D. in international relations/strategic studies from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of the book: From Confrontation to Cooperation: The Takeover of the National People’s (East German) Army by the Bundeswehr.
This program is free and open to the public but seating is limited. Please reserve your seat below or call the Library at 683-9457 to sign up.
Room Reservation:
Thursday, April 16
Program Time:
6:30pm - 7:30pm
Event Category:
Event Location:
Name of Organization:
Portsmouth Library
Contact Name:
Carolyn Magnus
Contact Phone Number:
683-9457 x113
Contact Email:
porlibadult@gmail.com