Talks/Appearances

Contacts for talks, speaking Events, and workshops

Ohio-based Non-profit Civic/Community Organizations, Libraries and Museums, Higher Education Institutions, and Professional Association Sponsored Events - Talks and speaking engagements in the State of Ohio Please contact the Ohio Humanities Speaker’s Bureau

Corporate, Government, and Institutional Events - Talks and speaking engagements Please contact the All-American Entertainment Bureau for Speakers

Colleges and Universities looking to schedule a one and one half day or two day Rural Diversity Leadership Summit Workshop should contact the presenter/moderator at the email address appearing below.

Email : sheffier@kenyon.edu

SAMPLING OF audience reviews and COMMENTS

• “[The presentation] more than met my expectations...We planned this event to lead up to Juneteenth. Professor Sheffield gave us much food for thought in the areas of freedom and equality at a local and historical level. He gave us something to celebrate by giving us a peek into the lives of our neighbors and forebears here in rural Ohio.  Professor Sheffield is a very engaging speaker. His tone of voice, body language, and the brightness in his eyes convey a passion for his subject that is contagious. He has great timing and uses humor and warmth to draw the audience in and make everyone feel connected, even while discussing a topic that can be difficult for some people…You can tell when an audience is really engaged by the number of questions they ask, and this audience asked a lot of questions. You could tell that Professor Sheffield had really made them think because they wanted to talk more. People were raising questions and issues from their own lives, and Professor Sheffield handled the questions very thoughtfully and thoroughly. It was a pleasure to behold…Professor Sheffield is what the world needs now... His passion and optimistic nature are infectious and inspiring, as is the work he has done in Knox County and at Kenyon College, work that can be modeled in other communities. Our nation has a lot of work to do in the area of race and equality and sometimes it can feel overwhelming, but Professor Sheffield reminds us that it can also be rewarding. His underlying and overarching message is that we're all humans and he offers us a bridge, a lifeline, a beaten path, to this shared humanity. Professor Sheffield shines a light and turns on his audience's awareness, compassion, and empathy. He's what the world needs now.” Holli Rainwater, Program Coordinator, Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum

• “I always look forward to Ric’s presentations.  He is knowledgeable about his subject, our local area, and presents with an engaging demeanor and sense of humor.  I was looking forward to learning more about the history of our area, from Ric’s point of view...   Ric was an animated and humorous speaker who kept everyone’s attention for almost two hours. He engaged the audience with questions and responses and did not hesitate to discuss both the positives and negatives about his upbringing and community…He is also a wonderful speaker choice for any group interested in the differences between the rural and urban experiences of local people of color.” Professor Sharon K. Metcalfe, Mt. Vernon Nazarene University

• “Ric’s many years teaching and leading classroom discussions are in evidence when he presents; he is an engaging, thoughtful speaker. I was impressed by his deep empathy when a particular audience member said some pretty disrespectful things; he handled it with such grace and gently pushed back against her prejudices. It was a master class in redirecting a Q&A provocateur…I wish we had another hour with Ric. The audience seemed reluctant to let him go and was hungry to hear more about his book, his experience as an author, and his perspective on growing up Black in a predominantly white small town…I watched Ric Sheffield command a packed room of nearly a hundred people, engaging them fully and deeply in conversation about his book and many broader questions of race in the Midwest…he has such a positive, inquisitive nature - a true conversationalist, skilled in making the audience feel connected to his own curiosity - that evokes a very tender, powerful portrait of his family’s life in Knox County…Every seat in the room was full, and I think every heart left that room even fuller… Dr. Sheffield is such a powerful speaker. His delivery is somewhat understated– no theatrics, just a keen dynamism– allowing his wit, humor and tenderness to come through in person just as beautifully as in the text of his book. I recommend his presentation enthusiastically and without reservation: Ric has thoughtful, nuanced and fascinating insights that reveal a great deal about the writer and his family’s lived experiences in the rural Midwest. We Got By is both a personal story, and an emblematic story shared by many 20th century Black American families.” Jamie Lyn Smith, Writer/Editor/Educator

• “I had been told Professor Sheffield would present a lively and informative keynote address, and he certainly did!... The event was a two-day conference on “Black Life in the Ohio Valley,” and Professor Sheffield’s discussion of diversity in small midwestern towns was highly relevant, particularly his coverage of the “invisible” Black presence in small-town middle America… Professor Sheffield’s style of presentation was perfect for his audience, which was a combination of community members and university faculty and students. He spoke about important and serious matters in an easy, conversational manner—and often with humor. He has a very affable, engaging speaking persona but still lets the audience know that they should pay serious attention to the important issues he is discussing. He employs a number of personal anecdotes that help get his message across… Everyone who spoke with me about Professor Sheffield’s presentation commented on it positively. They spoke about the lively nature of its delivery and the quality of content. These included people who attended the presentation in person and those who viewed it via streaming or video recording. Perhaps most significantly, one of my PhD advisees said that Professor Sheffield’s presentation had caused her to rethink her approach to her doctoral dissertation!... I would highly recommend Ric Sheffield as a speaker for similar events…He is a lively speaker who can address difficult topics—e.g. racism—in a way that keeps diverse listeners engaged and open to new information and ways of thinking. His presentations are accessible to both academic and non-academic audience members.” Professor Katherine Jellison, Ohio University

Upcoming speaking engagements and events

(to be updated soon)

recent Past speaking engagements and Events

January 16, 2024 - “Bricks & Mortar Won’t Do: Building Bridges for Racial Justice.” Western Reserve Academy, Hudson, Ohio.

January 15, 2024 - “Bricks & Mortar Won’t Do: Building Bridges for Rural Diversity on the Shoulders of Empathy and Compassion,” Wooster-Orrville NAACP MLK, Jr. Celebration Keynote Address , Wooster, Ohio.

January 15, 2024 - The College of Wooster and Wayne County Public Library, The College of Wooster Libraries, Wooster, Ohio.

Author Talk, We Got By: A Black Family’s Journey in the Heartland

September 23, 2023 - Historic Marker Installation Ceremony Honoring Wayman Chapel AME Church, 102 W. Ohio Avenue, Mt. Vernon, Ohio

July 16, 2023 — All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, Bellville, Ohio

Author Talk, We Got By: A Black Family’s Journey in the Heartland

July 15, 2023 - Columbus Book Festival; featured talk and book signing, We Got By: A Black Family’s Journey in the Heartland, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, Ohio

June 27, 2023 — The Century Association, New York, New York

Author Talk, We Got By: A Black Family’s Journey in the Heartland

June 14, 2023 - “A Juneteenth Celebration of the Community Within: A Glimpse into the Black Experience in Rural Ohio,” Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum, Annual Juneteenth Celebration, Coshocton, Ohio

April 26, 2023 — Columbus Metropolitan Library, Gahanna Branch, Gahanna, Ohio

Author Talk, We Got By: A Black Family’s Journey in the Heartland

April 22, 2023 - Ohioana Book Festival; panel discussion and book signing, We Got By: A Black Family’s Journey in the Heartland, Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, Ohio

April 21, 2023 — Kenyon College LBIS Book Group

Author Talk, We Got By: A Black Family’s Journey in the Heartland

February 28, 2023 - “So Many Bridges Yet to Cross: The Challenge of Building Bridges to a More Inclusive Black History,” Ken Whitlock Black History Month Address, Middlesex School, Concord Massachusetts

February 25, 2023 - “Diversity in the Heartland: Exploring the Growth and Impact of Rural Diversity upon Ohio’s Small-town Cultures and Character,” Garst Museum and Darke County Historical Society, Greenville, Ohio

February 5, 2023 - “Black and ‘Country’ Like Me: Reflections on the African American Experience in Rural America,” Brickyard Landing, Point Richmond, California

October 27, 2022 — “Diversity in the Heartland: Exploring the Growth and Impact of Rural Diversity upon Ohio’s Small-town Cultures and Character,” Ohio State Legal Services Association, regional staff training, Columbus, Ohio; virtual

October 15, 2022— Author Talk, We Got By: A Black Family’s Journey in the Heartland; hosted by Paragraphs Bookstore, Mt. Vernon Public Library, and Kenyon College Office of Community Partnerships, Mount Vernon, Ohio

September, 2022 — Author Talk, We Got By: A Black Family’s Journey in the Heartland; Kenyon College Chalmers Library, hosted by Kenyon College Library and Kenyon Bookstore; Gambier, Ohio

September 2022 — Keynote Address for Black Life in the Ohio Valley Conference, “Diversity in the Heartland: Exploring the Growth and Impact of Rural Diversity Upon Ohio’s Small Town Cultures and Characters;” Ohio University; Athens, Ohio

August 2022 — Featured speaker, “Diversity in the Heartland: Exploring the Growth and Impact of Rural Diversity upon Ohio’s Small-town Cultures and Character,” American Farm Bureau Federation, national Staff Institute, Columbus, Ohio

February 2022 — “The Community Within: The Black Experience in Rural Ohio,” Noble County Correctional Facility, Caldwell, Ohio; virtual

January 2022 — “A Job Well (not yet) Done: A Time to Remember Dr. King and the Movement's Incomplete Civil Rights Agenda,” Rocky River Municipal Library, Rocky River, Ohio; virtual

December 2021 — “Rural Communities Listening Session,” Program on Economic Inclusion; Federal Reserve Board - Cleveland Office, Cleveland, Ohio; virtual

October 2021 — “An Acknowledgement of Diverse Voices from Kenyon’s Foundings,” Kenyon College Founder’s Day Address, Gambier, Ohio

October 2021 — “Mt. Calvary Baptist Church - State of Ohio Historic Marker Dedication Ceremony,” Ohio History Connection; Mount Vernon, Ohio

May 2021 — “Diversity in the Heartland: Exploring the Growth and Impact of Rural Diversity upon Ohio’s Small-town Cultures and Character,” All Souls Universal Unitarian Church, Bellville, Ohio; virtual

February 2021 — “The Community Within: The Black Experience in Knox County, Ohio,” Hardin County Public Library, Hardin, Ohio; virtual

October 2020 — “An Historical Context to Voter Rights and Voter Suppression in Ohio,” Ohio Center for Law-related Education, Columbus, Ohio; virtual

October 2020 — “A History of Race and the Right to Vote in Reconstruction Ohio,” Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio; virtual

October 2020 — “A History of Race and the Right to Vote in Reconstruction Ohio,” National Afro- American History Museum and Cultural Center, Wilberforce, Ohio; virtual

May 2019 — “Race, Sex and the Right to Vote in Ohio,” Ohio League of Women Voters, statewide bi-annual meeting, Columbus, Ohio