Keystone To Present Lecture

Keystone College will celebrate Black History Month with a lecture by community leader Sherman Wooden.

Wooden will discuss African-Americans in Northeastern Pennsylvania and their role in the Underground Railroad on Thursday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m. in Evans Hall in the Hibbard Campus Center. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Wooden is the president of the Center for Anti-Slavery Studies, Montrose, and the author of "The Place Called Home," published in 2009. He spearheaded research on the African-American presence in Northeastern Pennsylvania and, in particular, the role that the Underground Railroad played in the region.

Born in Washington D.C., Wooden grew up in Montrose, which had been a vital center of Underground Railroad activity. He received bachelors and masters degrees from Howard University, Washington, D.C., and attended the Catholic University of America for doctoral studies. Wooden also did further graduate work at the University of North Carolina, University of Maryland, New York University, and Harvard University.

Wooden is retired from his position in multicultural affairs the University of Scranton and is now a community leader and resource person for information about the role of the Underground Railroad and the African-American population in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Currently, Wooden serves on several boards, including the Lincoln University board of trustees, Friends of the Weinberg Library advisory board and the Friendship House board of directors. Previously, he served on the Pennsylvania Governor's Advisory Commission for African-American Affairs, the Pennsylvania State Board of Education and as president of the Council on Community Affairs and Old Mill Village Museum. He is also a member of the Greater Scranton MLK Commission.

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