International Conference on James W.C. Pennington

James W.C. Pennington (engraving on paper, 1848) | © National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution - The writer and opponent of slavery received an honorary doctorate from Heidelberg University in 1849 as the first African American In 1849 Heidelberg University awarded the first black US American an honorary doctorate. James W.C. Pennington - pastor, writer and opponent of slavery - is the theme of an international conference at Heidelberg University, hosted by the Heidelberg Center for American Studies (HCA) on 20 and 21 August 2021. Academics from Germany and the United States will spotlight the life and work of Pennington, in particular in the context of the transatlantic reform movements of the 19th century. Organised by HCA member Jan Stievermann and Professor Eddie Glaude Jr. from Princeton University (USA), the two-day conference will be a hybrid event, both online and on-campus. It is supported by the Manfred Lautenschläger Foundation. James W.C. Pennington (1807 to 1870) escaped slavery at 18, learned to read and write, and from 1834 was the first black American to enroll at Yale University.