Hannon Library presents “Grave Matters” author on archaeology and reparations

(Ashland, Ore.) – Hannon Library presents author Tony Platt on Tuesday, November 1st at 4 PM in the Meese Meeting Room on the SOU Ashland campus. Platt will be joined by OSF actors Robynn Rodriquez and Derrick Lee Weeden in readings from his new book “Grave Matters.” The bitter legacies of archaeology and the politics of reparations are examined in the book, which focuses on the Big Lagoon, an historic Yurok site on the northern California coast, while illuminating larger issues. This free presentation explores the origins and consequences of the looting of native graves and the story of the Northwest Indian Cemetery Protection Association.
Tony Platt is the author of ten books and 150 articles dealing with issues of race, inequality, and social justice in American history. This deeply researched history is written in an accessible style that combines cultural critique with first-person narrative. Howard Zinn has praised his work as a “fascinating excursion into history, full of provocative insights about the culture of remembering.” Platt is professor emeritus after teaching at the University of Chicago, UC Berkeley, and CSU Sacramento. Platt also consulted on David Edgar’s 2-play epic “Continental Divide” commissioned by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The author will sign copies of “Grave Matters” after this free presentation. For more information contact Hannon Library at (541) 552-6835 or Anna Beauchamp beauchamp@sou.edu or (541) 552-6823