NEW YORK LAW SCHOOL PROFESSOR TO GIVE ANNUAL JEFFERSON LECTURE AT WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY

Annette Gordon-Reed, a professor of law at New York Law School whose 1997 book, "Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy," sparked the debate over the relationship between Jefferson and his black slave, will present the 18th annual Abram Kartch/Thomas Jefferson Lecture at William Paterson University in Wayne on Wednesday, May 1.

More than 400 students from area high schools are expected to attend Gordon-Reed’s address, titled "Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings," which will begin at 9:45 a.m. in Shea Center on campus. A limited number of seats for the free program will be available to the public.

Gordon-Reed, who grew up as a black child in still-segregated East Texas, became interested in Jefferson in elementary school after reading a children’s biography about him. She continued her study of Jefferson at Dartmouth College, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in history. She later earned her juris doctorate at Harvard Law School.

Her first book, "Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy," received an acclaimed but stormy reception when published in 1997. The New York Times Book Review said, "She does convey, through reasoned deduction, the possibility that Jefferson and Hemings, despite all obstacles, shared a loving, trusting, enduring bond." A year later, DNA tests showed a near-certain confirmation of a genetic link between Jefferson and Hemings’ youngest child, Eston.

A professor of law at New York Law School since 1992, Gordon-Reed spent her early career as an associate at the law firm Cahill Gordon & Reindel, and later served as counsel to the New York City Board of Corrections. She is the author of "Vernon Can Read! A Memoir," co-authored with civil rights leader Vernon Jordan.

The Abram Kartch/Thomas Jefferson Lecture Series began in 1985 after Abram Kartch, a retired Paterson businessman and Jefferson scholar, provided William Paterson with an endowment to establish and continue the series. Designed to provoke discussion about the relationship of Jefferson’s words and thoughts to modern society, the series has presented lectures by many of the country’s leading Jefferson scholars, including Henry Steele Commager, James B. Shenton, Jan Lewis and Pauline Maier. Kartch, who in later years resided in Wayne, died in 1997 at age 93.

An essay contest for high school students will be conducted by the University in connection with the lecture. A $500 savings bond will be awarded to the students who write the two best essays on the theme developed in Gordon-Reed’s lecture.

Contest judges include Richard Kearney, William Paterson University librarian; Evelyn Gonzalez, William Paterson University assistant professor of history, and Suzanne Bowles, William Paterson assistant professor of history.

For additional information about the event, contact George Robb, William Paterson University associate professor of history, at 973-720-3058.

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4/10/02

For Further Information, contact:

Mary Beth Zeman, Director, Public Relations 973-720-2966