RICHMOND, VIRGINIA – The Library of Virginia will present a free noon talk on Wednesday, June 17, by historian Warren E. Milteer Jr., Ph.D., to discuss his two recent books, “Out of This Strife Will Come Freedom: Free People of Color and the Fight for Equal Rights in the Civil War Era” and “Freedom in the Age of Slavery: A History of Free People of Color in Virginia.” The books reframe how we understand freedom, race and citizenship in Virginia and the broader United States. Milteer will be joined by the Library of Virginia’s local records program manager, Vince Brooks, and project manager of Virginia Untold: The African American Narrative, Lydia Neuroth. Registration is required at https://lva-virginia.libcal.com/event/16033735.

In “Freedom in the Age of Slavery,” Milteer illuminates the discriminatory policies and resulting hardships that free Virginians of color faced while also documenting the opportunities they created for themselves and the success they enjoyed against overwhelming odds. “Out of This Strife Will Come Freedom” brings the stories of free people of color to the forefront, revealing that freedom was not simply the absence of enslavement but a powerful foundation of identity, rights and belonging. These works challenge the notion that freedom began solely with the abolition of slavery. Instead, they present freedom as an evolving and contested process, shaped by the lived experiences and activism of free Black communities long before and after emancipation.

Milteer is an associate professor of history at George Washington University. A book signing will follow the talk.

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The Library of Virginia is the leading source of information on Virginia’s history, government and people. The Library’s collections, containing more than 134 million items, document and illustrate the lives of both famous Virginians and ordinary citizens. Our online resources draw nearly 2 million website visits per year, and our on-site records, exhibitions and events bring in thousands of visitors annually. The Library is located in downtown Richmond near Capitol Square at 800 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23219. Learn more at www.lva.virginia.gov.