>> ERIC: FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES, EARNING AN UNDERGRAD DEGREE HERE AT ST.

CLOUD STATE HAS INCLUDED TAKING THREE DIVERSITY COURSES.

MANY OF THOSE STUDENTS HAVE TAKEN ETHNIC STUDIES COURSES LED BY PROFESSOR CHRISTOPHER LEHMAN, AN ACCOMPLISHED HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR.

ONE OF HIS RECENT BOOKS, "IT TOOK COURAGE" DETAILS ELIZA WINSTON'S JOURNEY, AN ENSLAVED WOMAN WHO SOUGHT HER FREEDOM AFTER BEING BROUGHT TO MINNESOTA.

PROFESSOR CHRISTOPHER LEHMAN JOINS US.

MINNESOTA'S RELATIONSHIP TO SLAVERY IS LITTLE COMPLICATED.

IS THAT FAIR?

>> WELL, THAT'S CERTAINLY AN UNDERSTATEMENT.

[ Laughter ] SO, SLAVE HOLDERS ACTUALLY OWNED THE TRADING POSTS WHERE MINNESOTANS SOLD THEIR FURS AND THEN WHEN THE MINNESOTANS BECAME PUBLIC OFFICIALS, LIKE HENRY RICE IN CONGRESS, THEY INVITED SOUTHERN COLLEAGUES TO COME TO MINNESOTA AND INVEST IN BUSINESSES AND INVEST IN INSTITUTIONS.

SLAVE HOLDER INVESTED IN THE U OF M AND St.

CLOUD STATE'S FIRST CAMPUS BUILDING WAS AN ABANDONED HOTEL WHERE SLAVE HOLDERS WOULD BRING THEIR SLAVES.

>> Cathy: AND WE WOULD ALSO, RIGHT, WELCOME WEALTHY SLAVE OWNERS TO VACATION HERE IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA.

SO, IT WAS OKAY TO TAKE THEIR MONEY?

>> YES, IT WAS.

BECAUSE WHEN MINNESOTA WAS A TERRITORY, THAT'S WHEN THE TOURISM BEGAN, ESPECIALLY WHEN STEAMBOAT TRAVEL BECAME ADVANCED IN THE 1850s.

AND THEN THE DRED SCOTT DECISION IN 1857 MADE SLAVERY LEGAL IN ALL TERRITORIES, AND MINNESOTA WAS STILL A TERRITORY FOR ANOTHER 14 MONTHS.

AND THEN MINNESOTA BECAME A FREE STATE, BUT MINNESOTANS HAD GOTTEN SO WEALTHY FROM WELCOMING PEOPLE INTO THEIR HOTELS AND THEIR RESTAURANTS THAT HEY DIDN'T WANT TO LOSE THAT CLIENTELE SO THEY JUST DID NOT ENFORCE THE LAW.

AND IN 1860, IT HAD GOTTEN SO BAD THAT THERE WERE ACTUALLY TWO ILLS THAT WERE INTRODUCED TO THE LEGISLATURE TO MAKE MINNESOTA A SLAVE STATE.

BUT JUST DURING THE TOURISM MONTHS AND JUST FOR THE TOURISTS.

SO IT'S IN THAT CLIMATE IN 1860 WHEN ELIZA COMES ON HER ENSLAVER'S VACATION.

>> Cathy: AND I'M SO GLAD THAT YOU TOLD ELIZA'S STORY.

FASCINATING.

HOW DID YOU START TO UNEARTH WHAT WAS A -- KIND OF A COMPLICATED STORY IN A SENSE.

>> WELL, ELIZA WINSTON'S STORY HAD BEEN FAMILIAR TO MINNESOTA HISTORIANS, BUT USUALLY THE STORY WAS TOLD FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE LOCAL ALLIES THAT SHE HAD GENERATED IN MINNEAPOLIS.

SO WHAT I WANTED TO DO WAS TO FIND AS MUCH INFORMATION AS I COULD TO TELL ELIZA'S TORY AND MAKE HER THE CENTRAL FIGURE IN IT.

AND ONE THING THAT SURPRISINGLY HELPED WAS THAT I FOUND OUT THAT PRESIDENT ANDREW JACKSON WAS ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO ENSLAVED HER.

AND HE KEPT HER IN HIS FAMILY WITH HIS IN-LAWS FOR 25 YEARS.

SO WHAT I FOUND OUT THAT A SITTING PRESIDENT HAD BEEN ONE OF THE ENSLAVERS, THEN I COULD USE HIS PRESIDENTIAL PAPERS AND THAT REALLY HELPED LOT.

>> Eric: THE ABOLITIONEST MOVEMENT PLAYED SOME PART IN HER STORY, CORRECT?

>> THAT'S RIGHT.

>> Eric: TELL US ABOUT THAT.

>> SO WHEN ELIZA WINSTON WAS SENT ON AN ERRAND IN MINNEAPOLIS, SHE MET A FREE AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN NAMED EMILY GRAY.

AND ELIZA TOLD EMILY HER STORY.

AND EMILY SAID, WELL, I KNOW PEOPLE IN MINNEAPOLIS WHO ARE ANTI-SLAVERY.

WE CAN HELP YOU.

AND THEY DEVELOPED A PLAN TO HAVE HER GO TO A CHURCH THE FOLLOWING SUNDAY AND SOMEONE WOULD TAKE HER TO CANADA.

BUT HER ENSLAVERS FOUND OUT THAT PLAN.

SO THEY TOOK HER AWAY FROM THE HOTEL IN MINNEAPOLIS AND THEN TO A LAKE HOUSE BY LAKE HARRIET.

BUT HER ALLIES STILL FOUND HER AND THEY GOT THE SHERIFF OF HENNEPIN COUNTY TO GET HER AT THE CABIN AND THEN TAKE HER TO THE COURTHOUSE AND THEN SHE PLEADED FOR HER FREEDOM AND SHE WON.

>> Cathy: THE PAST IS OFTEN PROLOGUE.

AND I'M WONDERING, HER STORY, AND YOUR RESEARCH, WHAT DOES OUR HISTORY SAY ABOUT CURRENT RACE RELATIONS HERE IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA?

>> WELL, THERE'S NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN, REALLY.

AND I'VE BEEN ENCOURAGED THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE IN MINNEAPOLIS HAVE FOUND PARALLELS BETWEEN WHAT'S HAPPENED IN RECENT MONTHS AND WHAT HAPPENS TO ELIZA WINSTON.

AND JUST LIKE ELIZA HAD PEOPLE WHO LOOKED OUT FOR HER, WHEN THERE ARE MINNESOTANS WHO WERE TRYING TO CAPTURE HER AND BRING HER BACK TO HER ENSLAVERS, PEOPLE IN MINNEAPOLIS ARE BEEN LOOKING OUT FOR EACH OTHER AS WELL AND MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE'S RENTS ARE PAID AND THAT THEY GET THEIR FOOD.

AND, SO, THIS TRADITION OF MINNESOTANS LOOKING OUT FOR EACH OTHER, THAT GOES BACK AT LEAST 160 YEARS.

SO THEY'RE STANDING ON SOME PRETTY GOOD SHOULDERS.

>> Eric: THE BOOK IS CALLED "IT TOOK COURAGE," AVAILABLE AT ALL HE TRADITIONAL BOOK PLACES I ASSUME?

>> YES.

>> Eric: THANKS,