Charles C. Burleigh: Human Rights Hero
A Zoom Presentation by Jennifer Rycenga
Thursday, February 19, 2026 at 6:30 pm
Register for the Zoom link.
​Sliding scale admission: $5-15.
Portrait of Charles C. Burleigh, Sr. (1810-1878) by Charles C. Burleigh, Jr. (1848-1882).  Collection of Forbes Library.
Charles C. Burleigh (1810-1878) was a nationally recognized abolitionist and activist in his time but has been largely forgotten in ours. Burleigh lived in Florence where he co-founded the Free Congregational Society of Florence. 

In this zoom presentation, historian and Burleigh scholar Jennifer Rycenga will bring Burleigh’s struggles and accomplishments to light. In addition to being a towering figure in the abolition movement, Burleigh was one of the most eloquent critics of the death penalty. He combined a clear moral vision of human equality with tireless writing, editing, and activism. 

Jennifer Rycenga is Professor Emerita in the Humanities Department at San José State University and the author of Schooling the Nation: The Success of the Canterbury Female Academy (University of Illinois Press, 2025) about 19th-century educator and activist Prudence Crandall.  
About the Speaker
Jennifer Rycenga is Professor Emerita in the Humanities Department at San José State University and the author of Schooling the Nation: The Success of the Canterbury Female Academy (University of Illinois Press, 2025) about 19th-century educator and activist Prudence Crandall. Her scholarly work has focused on the abolitionist movement, exploring areas previously hidden or marginalized, such as Black women’s activities and voices, the anti-racist work of white abolitionists, and networks of families and friends involved in the struggles against slavery and injustice.
 
Rycenga currently leads two digital humanities projects, one about the Burleigh family of Plainfield, Connecticut, and the other, a philosophic analysis of the work of Black speaker Maria Stewart (1803-1879).