Debra Schultz, authorof Going South: Jewish Women in the Civil Rights Movement, will speak ay 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14, at the West Virginia University Mountainlair Gold Ballroom as part of Diversity Week activities.


Going South: Jewish Women in the Civil Rights Movement is a profile of 15 Jewish women who participated in the Civil Rights Movement and dedicated themselves to fighting for civil rights, justice and humanity. The book chronicles the largely unknown history of Jewish women who were active in the Southern civil rights movement.


Schultz, a feminist historian, is Director of Programs for The Open Society Institute Network Women’s Program, which works to include women in the development of more democratic societies.


Faith Holsaert, one of the women featured in Going South , will also speak. Holsaert, who lived and worked in southern Mississippi from 1962-1963, will discuss her experiences during that time.


Publishers Weekly wrote:”Schultz opens a new window not only into the civil rights movement but also into the sociology of mid-century Jewish-American culture. Such insightful cultural readings and criticism make this a fine contribution to both the literature of the civil rights movement and the field of Jewish studies.”


According to the Journal of American History , Going South “contributes interesting new dimensions to the literature on Jews and blacks in the United States.”


The event is co-sponsored by the Center for Black Culture and Research, Center for Womens Studies, College of Law, the Department of History and Department of Political Science in the EberlyCollege and the Presidents Office for Social Justice.


The event is free and open to the public; a book signing will follow the program. For more information, call 304-293-2339.