Fred A. Wilcox, associate professor in the Department of Writing, will read from and discuss his new book, Scorched Earth: Legacies of Chemical Warfare in Vietnam, on Thursday, February 9, 2012, at 7:30 p.m. in Klingenstein Lounge, Phillips Hall (Campus Center). Light refreshments will be served. The talk is free and open to everyone.
In 1983 Wilcox broke the Agent Orange story with the publication of Waiting for an Army to Die: The Tragedy of Agent Orange (a new edition of which was released simultaneously with Scorched Earth). Since then Professor Wilcox has been teaching and lecturing about the Vietnam War, advocating for veterans, and trying to secure compensation for victims of chemical warfare.
In the new book Professor Wilcox points out how our nation and other parts of the world are suffering from a cancer epidemic that is the direct result of multinational corporations dumping carcinogenic chemicals into our air, water, and food supplies.
Scorched Earth includes lovely and heartbreaking photos taken by Wilcox's son, Brendan, during their visit to Vietnam in summer 2009. They illustrate the resilience and courage of Vietnamese people living in the wake of years of ecocidal assault upon their land, their bodies, and their progeny. (Even these decades later, the third generation is being born with birth defects that are a direct result of the massive chemical assault overseen by three U.S. presidents.)
The reading and lecture will be short so that people can engage in dialogue with Professor Wilcox about the important issues he researches and chronicles.
The evening is sponsored by the Department of Writing and cosponsored by Sustainability at Ithaca, the Park Center for Independent Media, the Departments of Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Studies and Sciences, History, Honors, Philosophy and Religion, Politics, and Sociology.
Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Lynn Hyde in the Department of Writing, lhyde@ithaca.edu or (607) 274-3138. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20120201222917819