Copy by 1910 PR, [email protected]

Contact: Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, [email protected]

CANYON, Texas — A history scholar’s discussion of conservative and liberal politics in the United States will mark the final event in this semester’s Distinguished Lecture Series.

Dr. Gregory J. Wood will present “Anti-Union Workers and Conservative Backlash Politics during the 1937 Sit-Down Strikes” at 6 p.m. April 14 in the Blackburn Room in the Cornette Library. A Zoom option is also available.

The event is sponsored by the WT Department of History and the Distinguished Lecture Series.

“Typically, U.S. historians explain the conservative backlash against modern liberalism as being more of a product of the 1960s and ‘70s,” said Dr. Tim Bowman, associate professor of history and head of the Department of History at WT. “Dr. Wood’s work shows that the modern conservative/liberal divide among the U.S. working class is, in fact, several decades older than many people realize.”

Wood has a research focus in labor activism, politics, and the emerging working-class conservative consensus of the 20th century.

“I think it’s important for students to know the history of politics in the U.S. so that they can have a better understanding of how our country has become as politically divided as it currently is today,” Bowman said. “The only way we, as a nation, can hope to get past our current political divisions is to try to understand their roots.”

A commitment to providing academic programs that prepare the next generation of global citizens is key to the university’s long-range plan WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign—which publicly launched Sept. 23—has raised about $108 million.

About the WT Department of Communication 

The WT Department of Communication houses two undergraduate programs: Communication Studies and Media Communication, with three areas of emphasis in each program as well as the option to seek teacher certification in speech or journalism. The master’s program offers two areas of emphasis: one in Communication and one in Media Management. Both can be completed online. For information, visit wtamu.edu/academics/college-fine-arts-humanities/department-communication/index.html.

About West Texas A&M University 

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs, 39 master’s degrees and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.