Peter Black, director of the Office of the Senior Historian at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, will be the featured speaker for DePaul University’s Memory and Conscience series, sponsored by the International Human Rights Law Institute. Black’s lecture is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Oct. 28 at the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd., Room 8005.

In his presentation, Black will discuss the legal proceedings against Nazi offenders in the United States since Nuremberg.

Black was a historian for the criminal division of the Office of Special Investigations (OSI ), a division of the U. S. Department of Justice, from 1978 until 1986. OSI is charged with investigating and litigating cases of persecution based on race, religion national origin and political opinion under the auspices of Nazi Germany. Black was then appointed chief historian of the Holocaust Memorial Museum.

As chief historian at the OSI, Black supervised and evaluated a research staff of five historians and one researcher, coordinated various research projects and established priorities for required travel, preparation of evidence for litigation and pursuit of new investigations.

Black has authored numerous papers in both German and English and is a book reviewer for the journal "Central European History." He also is the author of a biography on Nazi Security Police Chief Ernst Kaltenbrunner. He has held various teaching positions at such places as Catholic and Columbia universities.

The International Human Rights Law Institute at DePaul began its Memory and Conscience Distinguished Lecturer series in 1996 to provide a forum for the university and greater Chicago area to participate in discussions offered by noted experts and survivors of historical events with distinct human rights overtones. The series is ongoing.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Reservations are required to attend this event and can be made by calling Kay Dombrawski at 312/362-5728. Media interested in covering the event should contact Valerie Phillips in Media Relations at 312/362-5039.