St. Cloud State University professors Dr. Robert Galler and Dr. Christopher Lehman are part of an upcoming lecture series that aims to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States by providing different local historical perspectives.
“Exploring History and Culture in Central Minnesota: America’s 250 from Founding Forward” is a three-part series hosted jointly by the Morrison County Historical Society, Benton County Historical Society and Stearns History Museum.
Lehman, a professor of ethnic studies at SCSU, will be leading the lecture “African American Genealogy” at the Benton County Historical Society at 11 a.m. on March 21.
Lehman published his seventh book “It Took Courage: Eliza Winston’s Quest for Freedom” in 2024, which was a 2025 Minnesota Book Award finalist. The book follows the story of Eliza Winston, an enslaved woman from Mississippi who had her freedom granted by a Minnesota judge in 1860.
Lehman has discussed his research across the state. He co-curated an exhibit at the Hennepin History Museum this fall, and he spoke at Justice Page Middle School in Minneapolis and the Blue Earth County Historical Society’s book club in Mankato last month. He also recently spoke at the historic Lincoln School in West Plains, Missouri, on the often‑overlooked connections between slavery in Minnesota and its ties to Missouri.
Galler, a history professor with a Ph.D. in American History, will present “Native American History in Minnesota” at the Stearns History Museum on March 28 at 11 a.m.
Galler published his first book in 2024 that highlights Native contributions to the transition of a Catholic Indian boarding school into a contemporary tribally-administered school on the Crow Creek reservation. He has given multiple presentations on campus and throughout Central Minnesota on the book, and was recently invited to give the 2026 Joseph Harper Cash Memorial Lecture at the University of South Dakota.
Both lectures are free to attend. Additional event details are available on the Morrison County Historical Society website.
