These lectures allow history research to transcend academic barriers promoting conversations between historians, students and the public. These lectures allow historians to broadly disseminate their research and enables the public to take part in emerging and innovative historical research.
The Annual Graham Lecture in War and Society was inaugurated in 2000 in honour of Professor Dominick S. Graham. After serving with distinction in the British Army in the Second World War, Graham came to UNB in the 1960's during which time he completed his PhD and became an Assistant Professor with the History Department.
His focus soon shifted to war and society issues. In 1971 Graham established the Military and Strategic Studies Program and in 1980 was one of the founding members of UNB’s Centre for Conflict Studies (both precursors to The Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society).
This lecture series enables academics to present their research to a broader public audience. Through this series, the Gregg Centre has welcomed renowned scholars like retired major general Lewis MacKenzie (“The Canadian Forces from the 1950’s to Afghanistan”, 2009), Gwynne Dyer (“Don’t Panic, But You Can Worry a Little”, 2015), and Jason Bell ( “How Canadian Intelligence Agency Secures Post War Peace: From Winthrop Bell and the Marshall Plan to the ‘The Day After’ Today”, 2024).
This talk examines the failed efforts of African American civil rights leaders Hosea and Juanita Williams of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to “save” the estimated 15,000 Black Amerasians- the children of African American servicemen and Vietnamese women born because of the American intervention in the Vietnam War- from Vietnam in 1972.
It considers the Williams’ perception of Black Amerasians as Black American children and their futile efforts to appeal to ideas of race, family, and belonging to convince African American families to adopt.
It situates the Williams’ efforts and their assertions of racial responsibility for the children within the tumult of the post-civil rights era, increasing frustration with the Vietnam War that continued to ravage Black families, and a contentious debate within the Black community over interracial and international adoption.
For more information, contact us at greggcentre@unb.ca.
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