The 1968 Florida Teachers’ Strike
- Branscomb Auditorium
On the morning of February 19, 1968, roughly 35,000 teachers and administrators in Florida walked...
Jody Baxter Noll, Ph.D.
Lecture Series
Upcoming Lectures
The Lawton M. Chiles Florida Lecture Series is a forum that brings speakers to the Florida Southern College campus to explore Florida life and culture from a wide range of disciplines, including history, public affairs, law, sociology, criminology, anthropology, literature, and art. The overall objective of the series is to bring the community, faculty, and students together to interact with and learn from leading scholars in their fields.
Just Freedom: Inside Florida’s Decades-Long Voting Rights Battle
- Branscomb Auditorium
When Florida voters approved Amendment 4 in 2018, the decision was celebrated as one of the largest...
Daniel Rivero
Shake, Rattle N’ Roll: Florida’s Iconic Rhythm and Blues Artists and Their Music
- Branscomb Auditorium
The Reverend Billy Wirtz has a mission: he wants to see Florida blues artists get the recognition...
Rev. Billy C. Wirtz
Tampa Bay: The Story of an Estuary and Its People
- Branscomb Auditorium
Tampa Bay is more than a body of water; it is a living estuary whose history is deeply tied to the...
Evan P. Bennett, Ph.D.
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Past Lecture Series
- 2025-2026
- 2024-2025
- 2023-2024
- 2022-2023
- 2020-2021
- 2019-2020
- 2018-2019
- 2017-2018
- 2016-2017
- 2015-2016
- 2014-2015
- 2013-2014
- 2012-2013
- 2011-2012
- 2010-2011
- 2009-2010
- 2008-2009
- 2007-2008
- 2006-2007
- 2005-2006
Past Speakers
Joe Akerman
Professor of History North Florida Junior College, Emeritus.
"Jacob Summerlin: King of the Crackers"
A native of Orlando, Joe Akerman holds degrees from Rollins College and the University of Florida. He also earned a post-graduate certificate in Southern and Negro History from Johns Hopkins University. Akerman has had a distinguished and varied career as a writer, public speaker, and teacher. A Fulbright Scholar in British Columbia (1967-1968), Akerman is a leading authority on the history of cattle ranching in the United States. He is the author of The Florida Cowman: A History of the Cattle Industry in Florida (Kissimmee, 1997), currently in its ninth printing, and American Brahman: A History of the American Brahman (Houston, 1982), and most recently, Jacob Summerlin: King of the Crackers (Melbourne, 2004), which won the Florida Historical Society’s Charlton Tebeau Book Prize in 2005. His articles have appeared in many journals and newspapers, including the Florida Historical Quarterly, Orlando Sentinel, Tallahassee Democrat, Jacksonville Times-Union, and Vancouver Sun.
T. D. Allman
Journalist, Writer
“Finding Florida: The True History of the Sunshine State”
Rarely, if ever, has a book on Florida history generated as much discussion and controversy as T. D. Allman’s Finding Florida. From Ponce De Leon to Trayvon Martin, Allman’s take on his native state has aroused debates, stirred up controversy, and inspired spirited arguments throughout Florida and the nation. The book has drawn extensive comment in national media and reviews in major publications such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the London Daily Mail. Allman himself brings a lifetime of experience reporting and writing to the task. Mainly known as a foreign correspondent, Allman’s writing has been featured in publications such as Harpers, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, New Republic, Esquire, Rolling Stone, The Economist, and National Geographic. Allman is also the author of four other books including Miami: City of the Future. Allman’s style is provocative, daring, and challenging. All of those present at this event will be challenged to join the conversation.