March 10, 2014
Screening: 12 Years a Slave
6:30 PM
Stephen Robert '62 Campus Center, Petteruti Lounge (2nd floor)
75 Waterman Street
Free and Open to the Public

TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE is based on an incredible true story of one man's fight for survival and freedom. In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty (personified by a malevolent slave owner, portrayed by Michael Fassbender), as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist (Brad Pitt) will forever alter his life.

March 11, 2014
Panel Discussion: 12 Years a Slave
5:30 PM
Stephen Robert '62 Campus Center, Petteruti Lounge (2nd floor)
75 Waterman Street
Free and Open to the Public

Clifford Brown and Rachel Seligman, authors of the new biography, Solomon Northup: The Complete Story of the Author of Twelve Years a Slave will discuss their work researching the life of Solomon Northup and the recent film based on his life.

Clifford W. Brown, PhD, is the Robert Porter Patterson Professor of Government at Union College, Schenectady, NY. His published works include Struggles in the State: Sources and Patterns of World Revolution, Jaws of Victory: The Game-Plan Politics of 1972; A Campaign of Ideas; and Serious Money: Fundraising and Contributing in Presidential Nomination Campaigns. Brown holds a doctorate from Harvard University.

Rachel Seligman, MA, is Assistant Director for Curatorial Affairs at the Frances Young Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY. She was one of the principal organizers of a major exhibition on the life of Solomon Northup at Union College's Nott Memorial Hall in 1999. She has organized numerous historical and interdisciplinary exhibitions. Seligman holds a master's degree in art history from George Washington University.