Shirley Green will speak about her recent book, Revolutionary Blacks: Discovering the Frank Brothers, Freeborn Men of Color, Soldiers of Independence (Westholme Publishing; 2023). The narrative follows the lives of William and Benjamin Frank, two brothers who enlisted in Second Rhode Island Regiment during the American Revolutionary War in the spring of 1777. Their military experiences quickly diverged, and Dr. Green explores their stories to provide context and substance to the Black experience during the war years, as well as underscore the significant distinction between free Blacks in military service and those who had been enslaved, and how they responded in different ways to the harsh realities of racism.

Shirley Green received her Ph.D. in history from Bowling Green State University after a twenty-six year career in law enforcement. She is an adjunct professor of history at the University of Toledo and Bowling Green State University. She is currently the Director of the Toledo Police Museum in Toledo, Ohio.