2016 2016: Acclaimed author Dr. Thomas Ranuga kicks off the UMass Dartmouth Black History 4 Seasons Council inaugural event

The UMass Dartmouth Black History 4 Seasons Council (BH4SC) welcomes author and UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Professor Emeritus Dr. Thomas K. Ranuga to campus this Thursday for a lecture titled "The Struggle for Meaningful Change in Education from Elementary Schools to the University Level: The Evolution of the Fight by Blacks for Inclusion, Justice and Equality."

Born in 1938, in South Africa, Dr. Ranuga pursued undergraduate studies at the University of Fort Hare in 1965-66. In 1970, he enrolled for a Pharmacy degree at the all-black segregated University of the North.

He departed for England to resume his further education abroad, and in 1977 obtained a B.Sc. Honors degree from the Polytechnic of North London. In 1982, he earned his PhD degree in Sociology from Brandeis University. Subsequently, he was hired by UMass Dartmouth, from which he retired in 2008 after serving 26 years as a professor of sociology with an emphasis in Third World Development and Race Relations.

Dr. Ranuga has also published various articles and books. His latest book, entitled Surviving Apartheid. “The appeal of Surviving the Apartheid Nightmare and Overcoming Its Legacy is ultimately to young people worldwide who seem to be oblivious of the great price paid for their freedom,” says Ranuga.

The event takes place on Thursday, February 4, 2016 from 2:00 – 5:00 pm in the Stoico/FIRSTFED Charitable Foundation Library Grand Reading Room. A book signing for Dr. Ranuga’s book Surviving Apartheid follows the event. Free and open to the public.