‘Free State of Jones’ author to present lecture at SAU

Dr. Victoria Bynum, author of “The Free State of Jones: The Politics of Race, Class and Memory,” will deliver Southern Arkansas University’s annual Robert B. Walz Lecture in Arkansas and Regional History on Sept. 19.

The lecture will be held at 7 p.m. in the Reynolds Center Grand Hall.

Bynum is a professor emeritus at Texas State University in San Marcos, a National Endowment for the Humanities fellow and author of several works analyzing class, race and gender relations in the Civil War Era South. Bynum’s other books include “Unruly Women” and “The Long Shadow of the Civil War.” She earned her Ph.D from the University of California, San Diego, and began teaching at Texas State University in 1986.

“The Free State of Jones” was made into a movie released in 2016, which depicted Newton Knight’s armed rebellion against Confederate authorities in southeast Mississippi. The movie starred Matthew McConaughey and Mahershala Ali.

The Walz Lectureship was established in 1995 with a bequest from the estate of Mrs. Curtistine A. Walz in honor of her husband’s long service to the university. Robert Walz taught history at SAU from 1958 to 1987 and promoted the study of Arkansas history through his scholarship, preservation of historic photographs, and leadership in state organizations. The lecture is sponsored by SAU’s College of Liberal and Performing Arts.

The lecture is free and open to the public. A reception for Bynum will be held in the Reynolds Center after the lecture.