Book Talk by Christopher Webber, "American to the Backbone: The Life of James W.C. Pennington, the Fugitive Slave Who Became One of the First Black Abolitionists"

James W.C. Pennington was born into slavery, but became an international leader of the Abolitionist movement.  He became the pastor of Hartford’s Talcott Street Church in 1840 and was an articulate spokesman in defense of the Amistad Africans.  A new biography, American to the Backbone, brings to life the fascinating story of this forgotten pioneer who helped lay the foundation for the contemporary civil rights revolution and inspire generations of future leaders.