Huntington Historical Society – Lunch and Learn: Long Island’s Legacy of Eugenics
Huntington Historical Society – Lunch and Learn: Long Island’s Legacy of Eugenics
In the early 20th century, eugenics was at the forefront of scientific discourse in the quest to understand human genetics. On Long Island and throughout the nation, eugenicists were granted unfettered access to conduct experiments on prisoners, psychiatric patients, Coney Island circus performers, and at Native American reservations–all to legitimize a false science.
The origins of the eugenics movement can be found in the Eugenics Record Office, an otherwise nondescript administrative building at Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, NY, under the direction of Charles Benedict Davenport, from 1910 to 1939. The work conducted there directly led to the forced sterilization of thousands of American citizens, the passage of anti-immigration laws, and sparked a deadly global movement that directly inspired the murderous Nazi regime to commit heinous acts under the banner of eugenics. Author Mark Torres will discuss the local characters, influences, landmarks, and ghastly consequences that emanated from this small Long Island facility for decades and spread throughout the world.
Ticket includes gourmet two-course meal and dessert. Cash bar available.
Thursday, April 24, 2025
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Red Restaurant
417 New York Ave
Huntington, NY
(Private parking lot on site – 62 New Street – rear entrance to the restaurant from the parking lot.)
About the Author: Mark Torres is an attorney for the Teamsters union and award winning author of several books. His fictional novels include “A Stirring in the North Fork” and “Adeline”. His work in nonfiction includes “Long Island Migrant Labor Camps: Dust for Blood” (for which he was the recipient of the Joseph F. Meany Award by the Association of Public Historians of the New York State for excellence in a labor history publication) and the newly released “Long Island and the Legacy of Eugenics: Station of Intolerance” which will be released on January 21, 2025. Mark has a law degree from Fordham University and a bachelor’s degree in history from New York University. He is currently an adjunct professor of Labor Studies at Hofstra University.
