TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Frances S. Summersell Center for the Study of the South will present “An Evening of Art and Politics,” in celebration of African American Heritage Month, in the second floor conference room of Gorgas Library on The University of Alabama campus, Wednesday, Feb. 14 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

The art exhibit will feature work by Amos Kennedy Jr., a letterpress printer, book and paper maker from York, Ala.

Dr. Curtis Austin, associate professor and co-director of the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage at the University of Southern Mississippi, will give a public lecture entitled “Southern Discomfort: The Black Panther Party in the Heart of Dixie.”

Named for the wife of former history department chairman Charles Summersell, the Center for the Study of the South is dedicated to promoting the history of the South through public lectures, research projects, conferences and internships.

The lecture and exhibit are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Kari Frederickson, director of the Frances S. Summersell Center for the Study of the South, at 205/348-1862.

The UA history department is part of the College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest public liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the “USA Today” Academic All American Team.

The University of Alabama, a student-centered research university, is in the midst of a planned, steady enrollment growth with a goal of reaching 28,000 students by 2010. This growth, which is positively impacting the campus and the state's economy, is in keeping with UA's vision to be the university of choice for the best and brightest students. UA, the state's flagship university, is an academic community united in its commitment to enhancing the quality of life for all Alabamians.