“We’ve seen syphilis used again and again as a tool over the centuries to demonize and stigmatize socially marginalized communities,” Zuckerman says. “That’s the narrative that’s dominated.”

Ryan P. Semmes, historian and Mississippi State Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library research director examines the far-reaching implications of Reconstruction in his first book “Exporting Reconstruction: Ulysses S. Grant and a New Empire of Liberty.” The 2024 University of South Carolina Press publication is part of the organization’s “Reconstruction Reconsidered” series.

Internationally-acclaimed Nigerian poet, playwright and author Chigozie Obioma will visit Mississippi State University as the Writer-in-Residence next month, bringing his in-depth wisdom of African literature—shaped by his Igbo heritage and Nigerian upbringing––to explore themes of fate, family and the clash between tradition and modernity with the MSU community.