Huntington Times

Former West Virginia State Senator Marie E. Redd is set to deliver the Carter G. Woodson Lecture at Marshall University on February 19. The event will take place at 4 p.m. in the Shawkey Room of the university's Memorial Student Center.

Marie E. Redd, a Huntington native, is a descendant of the Burlington 37, a group of formerly enslaved individuals who established the first free-black community west of the Alleghany Mountains in Burlington, Ohio, in 1849. Her lecture will focus on this significant historical group.

Redd's educational background includes attending Barnett Elementary School, Oley Junior High School, and Huntington High School before earning her undergraduate and master's degrees from Marshall University. She has previously served as an instructor of criminal justice at Marshall and was inducted into its inaugural Black Alumni Hall of Fame class.

In her political career, Redd made history by becoming the first African American elected to the West Virginia State Senate in 1998 and was also the first female state senator from Cabell and Wayne counties. Her efforts led to funding for a senior citizens’ center named in her honor: the Marie Redd Senior Life Enrichment Center.

The event is organized by both the John Deaver Drinko Academy and Dr. Carter G. Woodson Lyceum at Marshall University.

Dr. Montserrat Miller, executive director of the Drinko Academy and history professor, expressed pride in having Redd as this year's lecturer: “We are honored to have Marie Redd serve as the 2025 Carter G. Woodson Lecturer,” she said. “Redd is a model citizen who has made a range of significant contributions to our community."

Burnis Morris, director of Dr. Carter G. Woodson Lyceum at Marshall and journalism professor, added his enthusiasm: “I tried for years to get Marie as a speaker," he stated. "But now it’s going to happen, and I can’t wait for this event.”

This lecture is part of Marshall University's Black History Month events scheduled for February.

For more details about the event, visit https://www.marshall.edu/woodsonlyceum/.