DeKALB – Clint Smith, award-winning writer and poet, is coming to NIU to discuss the history of slavery in America.

The lecture will be centered around his book titled “How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America” and is free to attend. The event will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Altgeld Hall auditorium. 

Smith is attending as part of the history department’s annual W. Bruce Lincoln Lecture Series, named after former NIU history professor Bruce Lincoln.

Lincoln was a specialist in Russian history and taught at NIU between 1967 and 1999, authored 12 books and received various awards. The Lincoln Lecture series began in 2004 to honor his memory. 

Anne Hanley, professor of history and organizer of the event, explained the selection process for choosing a Lincoln Lecture speaker. 

“We (a committee made of members of the history department) solicit nominations from other members of our department for potential speakers,” Hanley said. “We really want to get someone who can speak to some of the larger issues in our society and that will have appeal to a broad audience, not just to an academic community.”

This year is the 20th year of the event, and past speakers include John Dower (2011), Mark Steinberg (2018) and most recently, Greg Grandin (2023). 

“We really try to bring notable speakers to campus to give our students, our undergraduates, exposure to some of the big minds, some of the great minds that are writing and thinking and commenting on our society today and our historical past,” Hanley said. 

After the talk, there will be a book signing where students, staff and DeKalb community members can have their books signed by Smith.