WASHINGTON (January 11, 2012) -The Howard University African Studies Department is hosting a Pan-African focused symposium, “Pan-Africanism, Emperor Haile Selassie and the African World: The Quest For Dignity, Freedom And Unity,” on Saturday, Jan.14, 2012, at 3 p.m. at the Blackburn Center Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

The symposium will include three sessions, featuring in-depth discussions on the origins, dimensions and effects of Pan-Africanism.  Dr. Theodore M. Vestal, professor emeritus of Political Science at Oklahoma State University, and author of “The Lion of Judah in the New World: Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia and the Shaping of Americans’ Attitudes toward Africa,” will be a featured guest speaker.