Also this week, the 2015 Lincoln Legacy Lecture Series digs a little further back in the historic struggle for civil rights with a presentation on Thursday, Oct. 15, on the subject of “Lincoln and Voting Rights.” The presentation coincides with the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Voting Rights Act and will consist of a lecture by Dr. Michael Vorenberg, associate professor of history at Brown University, entitled “Voting Rights and the Meaning of Freedom: The View from the Civil War Era.” According to a synopsis provided by UIS, the lecture includes discussion of how the 16 th president came to know and admire articulate black leaders like Frederick Douglass.

Later in the program, Dr. Ronald Keith Gaddie, department chair of political science at the University of Oklahoma, will speak on “Citizenship and Voting Rights in the Modern Era,” including discussion of current attempts at voter suppression such as voter identification laws, voter caging practices and efforts to engage in intimidation and coercion of voters.

The 13 th Annual Lincoln Legacy Lectures series, “Lincoln and Voting Rights” takes place at Brookens Auditorium, UIS, 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15.