Ex-professor suing UALR finds post at Illinois museum

Brian Mitchell, a historian who resigned from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock after alleging discrimination based on his race and age, has been named director of research at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

“Dr. Mitchell will be a great addition to our team,” said Christina Shutt, the Springfield,

Ill., museum’s executive director, in a statement last week. Shutt joined the museum last year after leaving a similar job as executive director of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock.

Last year, Mitchell filed a discrimination lawsuit against UALR that remains pending in U.S. District Court in Little Rock.

Mitchell, who in his lawsuit described himself as as the “only Black / African-American professor” in the university’s history department, gave up his tenured professor position this past May, posting his resignation letter on an email listserv used by UALR faculty members.

The letter included allegations of what Mitchell called “the widely held belief that the university’s social climate is one of pervasive and entrenched systemic racism and discrimination.” The university declined to comment in May when asked about Mitchell’s letter.

In Illinois, Mitchell will serve as director of research and interpretation for a museum that presents interactive exhibits as well as shows and artifacts that chronicle the life of the former U. S. president widely hailed for his leadership in abolishing slavery and during the Civil War.

Shutt praised Mitchell for his expertise on Reconstruction after the Civil War and also his skills as a teacher and communicator.

“His knowledge of Reconstruction gives us new perspectives on Abraham Lincoln’s legacy. His classroom experience gives us insights into reaching younger audiences. His expertise in digital projects and public history will help us explore new ways of sharing information,” Shutt said in a statement.

A spokesman for the museum said Mitchell began his new role on June 16.

Mitchell