Marjorie Spruill’s recent book Divided We Stand charts the history and aftermath of “the most important event nobody knows about” (Gloria Steinem): the National Women’s Conference which took place in Houston in 1977. Did it pave the way for an irrevocable split between feminists and their conservative challengers, dividing the nation, as Democrats continue to support women’s rights and Republicans cast themselves as the party of family values to this day? A reappraisal of the pivotal and polarizing events that transpired in Houston and immediately after feels especially charged given the current political climate. Marjorie Spruill, teacher of women’s history, southern history, and recent American history at the University of South Carolina, and author of The South in the History of the Nation, will be in conversation with Belinda Gergel, who is the former Chair of the History and Political Science Department at Columbia College. The author of numerous works on SC history, she was co-editor of Matthew J. Perry: The Man, His Times, and His Legacy. She has served as President of the Historic Columbia Foundation and the SC Jewish Historical Society. She currently serves on the Board of Trusttees of Claflin University in SC and chairs the board of the Fort Sumter-Fort Moultrie Trust. Margaret Bradham Thornton is the award-winning Editor of the Notebooks of Tennessee Williams. She recently published her first novel, Charleston, with another novel, A Theory of Love, coming in 2018.

Tickets: $25
Student tickets: $15 with coupon code STUDENT (valid student ID required)