Livingston County Democrats will salute Black History Month with a special presentation on race relations in Livingston County at a meeting later this month. Local author Leo Hanifin will discuss his book, A Brief History of Race Relations in Livingston County. The book covers the relationships of the first European settlers with Native Americans up to today’s race relations.
Hanifin will speak at the party’s meeting on Zoom at 7 p.m. on Feb. 22. Hanifin, a dean emeritus from University of Detroit Mercy, used the archives of libraries in Livingston County that include materials dating back to the early 1800s, along with newspaper articles dating back to the mid-1800s and interviews regarding recent years. In his presentation, Hanifin will summarize some of the most interesting and surprising bits of this history touch on the larger developments in America and southeast Michigan that influenced our county. He will close with some personal reflections on the past and future of race relations in our community.
The book is his latest effort to understand and oppose racism. His other activities in local churches and communities include:
Developing and offering A Lenten Journey with the Prophets for Racial Equity at a local Catholic Church.
Editing or authoring 17 articles on social justice and racism in three Catholic parishes.
Hosting Conversations by the Lake for three years, in which people of faith discuss issues of race and racism.
Anyone interested in hearing the presentation may sign up for the Zoom link here. The party’s regular business meeting will follow.