Black History Month: Author in Detroit to share secrets of spy Mary Bowser in the Confederate White House
As the country marks the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, University of Detroit-Mercy offers a fascinating Black History Month program about Mary Bowser, a Union spy who posed as a slave in the Confederate White House during the Civil War.
Lois Leveen, author of “The Secrets Of Mary Bowser” (HarperCollins/William Morrow) will share this little-known history in a talk at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12, in the Commerce & Finance Building, Room 209.
“Thanks in large part to the film ‘Glory,’ the contributions black soldiers made during the Civil War have become better known,” says Leveen, who recently published new historical findings about Bowser in The New York Times. “Now we can learn about the incredible role this African-American woman played in the war — a role that took her to the very heart of the Confederacy.”
Leveen says Bowser’s story reveals how much historians — and the public — are still learning about Civil War history.
“Audiences around the country have been amazed to learn about her espionage, which shows how events that took place so long ago remain important today,” she said. “Telling the story of an individual like Bowser makes something as distant as the Civil War seem more real and immediate. We all have causes we care about, but what did it mean to make the kind of choices Bowser made, and to live with violence, displacement and danger as a result?”
Rosemary Weatherston, director of UDM’s Women’s and Gender Studies Department and an associate professor of English, secured a grant from the national nonprofit Poets & Writers to bring Leveen to campus.
“We’re delighted to host a program about Bowser, who as a young black woman took extraordinary risks to change the course of American history,” Weatherston said. “Her story isn’t just edifying, it’s inspirational, especially for UDM students and other young Detroit residents who are thinking about how they can make a difference when it comes to important present-day causes.”
Award-winning author Lois Leveen earned degrees in history and literature from Harvard University, the University of Southern California and UCLA. She taught at UCLA and Reed College. She is a regular contributor to “Disunion,” the New York Times’ coverage of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, and gives talks about American history and social justice throughout the country.
Her novel, “The Secrets Of Mary Bowser,” incorporates extensive historical research to give voice to this courageous but little-known spy. Continued...
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