TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The University of Alabama Women’s Resource Center and the department of women’s studies will present their Brown Bag Series on Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 12:30 p.m. in 308 Manly Hall.

Dr. DoVeanna S. Fulton will be giving a presentation on “Speaking to Write/Right: African-American Women’s Voices for Freedom,” which focuses on the oral slave narratives: Louisa Picquet, The Octoroon (1861), The Story of Mattie J. Jackson (1866) and Sylvia Dubois (1883).

Fulton will discuss three slave narratives orally transmitted by women who physically escaped their slavery. Fulton further explores the discursive bondage of illiteracy to argue the cultural and literary significance that these narratives offer American and African-American studies.

Fulton is the director of African-American studies and an associate professor in the American studies department at UA. Before joining the faculty at the UA, Fulton was a faculty member at several institutions across the United States and abroad. She has published a book, “Speaking Power: Black Feminist Orality in Women’s Narratives of Slavery,” and several articles in distinguished journals, including Legacy: A Journal of American Women Writers and the Journal of American Folklore.

In the UA Brown Bag Series, the WRC and the department of women’s studies sponsor a speaker, movie or other activity on topics of primary interest to UA faculty, staff and students. The monthly events are free and open to the public. All members of the campus community are invited and encouraged to attend and bring their lunch.

For more information, please contact the WRC at 205/348-5040 or the department of women’s studies at 205/348-5782.

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.