There is a reckoning happening at Universities within the state and across the nation.  Colleges and Universities are investigating their connections to slavery.  Rider University is no exception.  Benjamin Van Cleve was a Revolutionary War hero and noted member of New Jersey’s Legislature.  A building on Rider’s campus is named for him and the land belonged to him.  Van Cleve was also an enslaver.  Dr. Evelyn McDowell, Rider faculty member, a descendant of over 38 people enslaved in the United States and a Revolutionary War patriot of European descent, is co-chair of the Task Force studying the history of slavery at the University.  She will talk about her unique perspective and how reconciling with this history, on a much wider scale can be a major step forward for our nation. Zoom BCHS Lecture by reservation.