Westmoreland Reads presents discussion with bestselling author Clint Smith

New York Times bestselling author Clint Smith will discuss his award-winning book during a Westmoreland Reads live virtual event Wednesday at 7 p.m.

“How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America” has been common reading material for Westmoreland Reads, a program that encourages community members to pick up the same book.

Community members can register at https://bit.ly/west-reads-smith to get a link to the event. Students on campus at the University of Pittsburgh’s Greensburg and Johnstown locations will be tuning in.

Smith’s book takes the reader on a tour of monuments and landmarks, such as Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello Plantation in Virginia, that tell a story spanning generations about how slavery has shaped the United States and its citizens.

Two additional events that are part of the Historians on History series, sponsored by Westmoreland Reads and the Academic Village, will be held at 11:30 a.m. at the Pitt Greensburg’s Frank A. Cassell Hall:

• A March 22 discussion about Black reformers and the migration to Pittsburgh, led by Adam Cilli, assistant professor of history at the Greensburg campus.

• A March 29 discussion about disability and the history of slavery, led by Jenifer Barclay, associate professor of history at the University of Buffalo.