LANCASTER, PA – LancasterHistory, in partnership with Franklin & Marshall College, will welcome Dr. Melvin L. Rogers of Brown University on Tuesday, March 24, at the Barshinger Center for Musical Arts at Franklin & Marshal College, to discuss the importance of democratic faith in the United States. Important figures such as Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith, alongside David Walker, Frederick Douglass, Anna Julia Cooper, and Martin Luther King Jr., reveal that faith in democracy is not a matter of optimism but of moral courage—the conviction that equality must be enacted in both public institutions and everyday life.

"LancasterHistory is thrilled to be partnering with Franklin & Marshall College to bring such an esteemed scholar to speak to our community," said Mabel Rosenheck, Director of Education and Exhibitions at LancasterHistory. "At a time when Americans are reflecting on the meaning of democracy, Dr. Rogers invites us to engage deeply with the ideas of freedom, equality, and civic responsibility that continue to shape our nation.”

Dr. Melvin L. Rogers is the Edna and Richard Salomon Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Co-Director of the Democracy Project at Brown University. A leading scholar of American and African American political thought, his work examines the moral and spiritual foundations of democracy. He is the author of the award-winning The Darkened Light of Faith: Race, Democracy, and Freedom in African American Political Thought (Princeton University Press, 2023), The Undiscovered Dewey: Religion, Morality, and the Ethos of Democracy (University of Chicago Press, 2009), and co-editor of African American Political Thought: A Collected History (University of Chicago Press, 2021).

Information & Registration

The lecture, “Democratic Faith: From Abolitionism to Civil Rights,” will take place on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at 7:30pm at the Ann & Richard Barshinger Center for Musical Arts at Franklin & Marshall College, located along College Avenue near the intersection with W. Frederick Street in Lancaster. [Click here for a campus map.] Parking is available on-street or in nearby Franklin & Marshall lots., or in nearby Franklin & Marshall lots. [Click here for a map of campus parking.]

This lecture is free and open to the public, but registration is required to guarantee a seat. At this time, in-person attendance is the only option available. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling 717.392.4633.

About LancasterHistory
LancasterHistory is a community-based, not-for-profit organization established to educate the public on the history of Lancaster County and its place in the history of Pennsylvania and the United States, to advance the missions of regional historical organizations, and to promote the acquisition, preservation, and interpretation of resources representing the history of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania within the broader context of state and national history, including the homes of 15th US President James Buchanan and Congressman Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith.

About Franklin & Marshall College 
Franklin & Marshall College is a residential college dedicated to excellence in undergraduate liberal education. It aims to inspire in young people of high promise and diverse backgrounds a genuine and enduring love for learning, to teach them to read, write, and think critically, to instill in them the capacity for both independent and collaborative action, and to educate them to explore and understand the natural, social, and cultural worlds in which they live. In so doing, the College seeks to foster in its students qualities of intellect, creativity, and character, that they may live fulfilling lives and contribute meaningfully to their occupations, their communities, and their world.