CINCINNATI, OH – The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center welcomes the media to hear award-winning author and Yale University alumni Jeff Hobbs October 15 at 7:00 p.m. in the Harriet Tubman Theater, where he will discuss his latest work, The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League. Hobbs’ lecture is the first lecture of the 2015 John and Francie Pepper Freedom Lecture Series—connecting the public with award-winning authors, historians and thought-leaders, discussing themes on history, race, culture and modern abolition. Tickets are $5.00 for the general public and available for purchase at the door or online at freedomcenter.org.
Media are invited to attend the program at no cost with proper ID. There will be a welcome reception in the Grand Hall prior to the lecture from 6 – 6:45 p.m. The lecture will begin promptly at 7:00 p.m.
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League revels the story of Hobbs’ college roommate for four years, Robert Peace. Robert’s life was rough from the beginning in the crime-ridden streets of Newark in the 1980s, with his father in jail and his mother earning less than $15,000 a year. Through an honest rendering of Robert’s relationships—with his struggling mother, with his incarcerated father, with his teachers and friends and fellow drug dealers—The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace encompasses the most enduring conflicts in America: race, class, drugs, community, imprisonment, education, family, friendship and love.
The John & Francie Pepper Freedom Lecture Series in presented by the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and sponsored by John and Francie Pepper.
What: The John and Francie Pepper Freedom Lecture Series featuring Jeff Hobbs
When: Thursday, October 15, 2015
6 – 6:45 p.m. Welcome Reception in Grand Hall
7:00 p.m. Lecture in Harriet Tubman Theater
Where: National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
50 East Freedom Way, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
Interview Opportunity: Interview award-winning author and Yale University alumni Jeff Hobbs