Nigerian-born professor describes the African impact on the United States

“The African Impact on the United States” is the topic of the 2009 Ralph H. Metcalfe Sr. Lecture. Dr. Toyin Falola, a distinguished teaching professor at the University of Texas at Austin, will speak at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 10, in room 227 of Marquette’s Alumni Memorial Union, 1442 W. Wisconsin Ave. The lecture is free and open to the public.  

Falola is the Frances Higginbotham Nalle Centennial Professor in History and a fellow of the Historical Society of Nigeria and the Nigerian Academy of Letters. He has also written a number of books, including Key Events in African History: A Reference Guide; Nationalism and African Intellectuals; and A Mouth Sweeter than Salt.

A Mouth Sweeter than Salt is a collection of stories and reflections on Falola’s childhood in Ibadan, a Nigerian city-state. Using personal, historical and communal stories, he describes the political and cultural developments preceding and following Nigeria’s independence in 1960.

Falola has also edited various books, including Tradition and Change in Africa and African Writers and Readers. He is the co-editor of the Journal of African Economic History and is the series editor of Rochester Studies in African History and Diaspora and Culture and Customs of Africa.

Media wishing to speak to Falola should contact Andy Brodzeller at the Office of Marketing and Communication at (414) 288-0286.      

About the Metcalfe Lecture

Ralph H. Metcalfe Sr., “The World’s Fastest Man,” was a 1936 graduate of Marquette University. During Metcalfe’s track and field career he equaled or bettered 13 world records, won several NCAA sprinting events and earned medals in both the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. After graduation Metcalfe settled in Chicago where he began a long political career, eventually serving the first district of Illinois in the United States House of Representatives. As Congressman, he co-founded the Congressional Black Caucus and introduced the Congressional resolution that established Black History Month. The Metcalfe Lecture honors his life and provides the opportunity to host outstanding scholars and professionals of color to enrich the academic life of Marquette.