Community Calendar

Beth Whitaker, professor of political science and associate dean for research and interdisciplinary collaboration in the College of Humanities and Earth and Social Sciences at UNC Charlotte, will deliver the lecture as part of the 2026 Great Decisions Lecture Series. The 2026 series offered by Charlotte Global at UNC Charlotte and co-sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Charlotte, Charlotte Sister Cities and the Young Professionals of the World Affairs Council.

“The Dark Side of Women’s History: How Female Serial Killers Defy the Narrative”
Deborah Rowell, USC Lancaster Instructor of Criminal Justice, Ph.D. Candidate

Women account for one in six serial killers in the United States, yet their presence in history is often minimized or misunderstood. While Aileen Wuornos is frequently cited as the first female serial killer, she stands near the end of a lineage that stretches all the way back to Agrippina the Younger of ancient Rome — a lineage scholars argue women may be uniquely equipped to conceal. Because society struggles to imagine men to be capable of such evil, let alone women, female serial killers have operated in ways that defy expectations and evade detection for centuries.

Presented in person and virtually. To attend via Zoom, register via this link: https://bit.ly/3XYCWF9

Dale Smith, chair and professor of global studies at UNC Charlotte, will deliver the lecture as part of the 2026 Great Decisions Lecture Series. The 2026 series offered by Charlotte Global at UNC Charlotte and co-sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Charlotte, Charlotte Sister Cities and the Young Professionals of the World Affairs Council of Charlotte.

The Peter & Kathy Browning Distinguished Leaders in Action Lecture Series provides the McColl School of Business and Queens University’s campus community with an opportunity to interact with and be exposed to a variety of leaders with varying leadership styles and experiences. The lecture events are hosted in an intimate auditorium setting where the audience members may ask questions and hear personal and professional leadership experiences from our guests.

The final Personally Speaking series event of the year explores how down-on-their-luck messiahs and wandering poets in the sixteenth-century Afghan highlands challenge us to rethink what we know about Afghanistan, the history of Islam, and our relationship to the past and to language. Using research from the recently published Singing with the Mountains: The Language of God in the Afghan Highlands, William E. B. Sherman explores a remarkable Muslim movement known as the Roshaniyya—or the ‘illuminated ones’—who believed not only in following the word of God, but in making their own words divine and revelatory. │religiousstudies@charlotte.edu

5:15 p.m. with a reception at 4:15 p.m.

“Gateway to the Backcountry, the River Port of Camden, South Carolina”
Lon D. Outen, Author and Research Assistant, Camden Archives and Museum

This lecture covers commerce transported along the Wateree and Catawba Rivers, including astate, national, and international trade system. Outen will discuss Camden’s port operations, the boat-building business, and the movement of goods from Kershaw County, LancasterCounty (Waxhaw area), the Catawba River trade, and trade locations in North Carolina like the Moravian (Winston-Salem) community and Salisbury. Outen also will touch on the Wateree Canals from 1787 to the 1830s, ferries along the rivers, and activities related to the Underground Railroad.

Presented in person and virtually. To attend via Zoom, register via this link: https://bit.ly/3YCLfHf

“The Wartime Experiences of Rev. William Martin”
Robert Ryals, Public Historian and Reenactor

The American Revolution includes anecdotal accounts of civilians persecuted for voicing criticism of British military actions. Rev. William Martin was one voice of dissent who suffered the consequences and paid the price for his convictions. This informative and engaging program brings Martin’s experiences to life, demonstrating the value of anecdotal history, and how anecdotal accounts can be applied for understanding the war’s effect on civilians. This program was made possible through a grant awarded by the South Carolina Sestercentennial Commission (SC250) to the Lancaster County 250 Committee.

Presented in person and virtually. To attend via Zoom, register via this link: https://bit.ly/49hUqD1