Brown Bag Lecture by Paul Coker, Ph.D., University of Tennessee

'"Old Tennessee Is as Good a Country as We Want": Black Southerners in the Union Army, 1863-1866, lecture by Paul Coker, Ph.D.

Some 20,000 African Americans in Tennessee, equivalent to 40% of the states's eligible black population, served in the Union Army during the Civil War.  They fought with distinction, and their valor became a powerful symbol for future campaigns to win voting and civil rights.  A lecturer at the University of Tennessee, Dr. Coker will discuss the experiences and contributions of these soldiers to the war and later efforts.

The program is sponsored by 21^st Mortgage and is free and open to the public.  The lecture will begin at noon at the East Tennessee History Center, 601 S. Gay Street, Knoxville.  Guests are invited to bring a “Brown Bag” lunch and enjoy the lecture.  Soft drinks will be available.  For more information on the lecture, exhibitions, or museum hours, call 865-215-8824.