Join us for a Book Talk and Book Signing from author Ric Sheffield, professor emeritus of legal studies and sociology at Kenyon College!

In False Promises, the fight for Black voting rights in Ohio comes alive through narratives of men of color who defied the state’s nineteenth-century restrictions on suffrage. Though ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment ostensibly extended the franchise, state election laws still forced men of color into a perilous struggle for full citizenship. Ric S. Sheffield depicts their courage and determination, revealing their humanity through stories of sacrifice, resistance, and hope.

Ric Sheffield is a professor emeritus of legal studies and sociology at Kenyon College. In addition to publishing articles, reviews, and book chapters on African American social and legal history, he is the author of We Got By: A Black Family’s Journey in the Heartland.