2019 Martin Mangan Lecture

I was honored to give the 2019 Martin Mangan Lecture on Tuesday, December 3 at 6:30 pm at the Decatur Public Library. I spoke about my advocacy work, research, and how I use that to teach my students at Millikin about social justice issues. The talk was titled "Human Trafficking Advocacy Through Education and Social Justice" and organized by Bob Sampson my colleague at Millikin.

Reverend Martin B. Mangan (1929-2001), a native of Springfield, Illinois, was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest on May 1, 1957. He graduated from Springfield's Cathedral Boys High School in 1947 and attended in turn St. Louis University, the Diocesan Latin School near Springfield, and St. Mary of the Lake Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, where he earned a master's degree.

Starting in the 1960s, Fr. Mangan, known as "Mitz" to his friends, took a special interest in civil rights and social justice issues. Most of the papers in this collection deal with his activism, primarily in support of Decatur-area labor unions. Fr. Mangan was instrumental in organizing for labor rights during the lockout of workers from the A. E. Staley plant in Decatur, and protests against Staley's British parent company, Tate & Lyle. In the mid-1990s he also organized protests between labor and management at the Caterpillar and Bridgestone/Firestone plants in Decatur. Sadly, I found out that 2019 was the 2019 Martin Mangan Lecture was the final lecture in this series recognizing his work and it was an honor to be invited to speak.