A historical presentation on heritage, identity and survival in 19th century Minnesota presented in partnership with the French-American Heritage Foundation

Join the French-American Heritage Foundation and Alliance Française Mpls/St Paul on Friday, October 11 from 6 to 9 pm for an educational heritage presentation by Dr. Mattie Harper DeCarlo on the remarkable life of George Bonga, one of the first African-American residents of Minnesota.

The presentation is in English.

Schedule

6 pm - Doors open, social hour with light refreshments

7 pm - Introductory words by Alliance Française Cultural Events Coordinator Sara Glesne

7:05 to 7:50 pm - Presentation by Dr. Mattie Harper

7:50 to 8:20 pm - Q&A with audience

8:20 - 9 pm - Social hour

George Bonga was one of Minnesota’s first residents of African and Native descent.

George Bonga was a French-speaking fur trader in 19th century Minnesota. The Bonga family was one of the few families of African ancestry in southwest Ojibwe country in the 18th and 19th centuries. Dr. Mattie Harper tells the Bonga family’s multigenerational story of living within structures of empire, slavery and colonialism, and the ways in which their identities laid at the heart of their survival.

Mattie Harper DeCarlo (Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe), received her Ph.D in Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. She completed her dissertation there, titled "French Africans in Indian Country.”

This event takes place at Alliance Française in the Joly Family Center for International Understanding at 227 Colfax Ave N, Minneapolis, 55405.

Tickets are $10 for members of the Alliance and the French-American Heritage Foundation and $20 for general public.

Or call Alliance Française at 612-332-0436 to reserve your seat.

Note that the AF member discount automatically applies online.
FAHF members please call our office to reserve at the discounted rate.