More Than a Color: The Marginalization of African American Beauty

Illinois Humanities Road Scholar Karen Anderson tells the stories of women of color in 1760 French America who legally freed themselves from slavery only to be bound by government laws. She will discuss women like Sarah Baartman, who had to choose between being a circus oddity or a slave, and Sarah Breedlove and Ann Malone, who changed the way women of African descent saw themselves - how these women redefined beauty. She will reflect on a recent development: our society sees women of color as beautiful.