Join LILRC as we welcome author Mark Torres to discuss his book, Long Island and the Legacy of Eugenics (History Press, 2025).

"In the early twentieth 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, Native American reservations and more, all in an effort to legitimize a false science. The origins of the eugenics movement can be found within the Eugenics Record Office, an otherwise nondescript two-and-a-half-story administrative building at Cold Spring Harbor, New York, under the direction of Charles Benedict Davenport from 1910-1939. 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 explores the local characters, influences, landmarks and ghastly consequences that emanated from this small Long Island facility for decades and spread throughout the world."

Mark Torres is an attorney for the Teamsters union and an adjunct professor of Labor Studies at Hofstra University. Mark is also a historian and an award winning author and of several books including "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" (History Press, 2025). Mark has a law degree from Fordham University and a bachelor’s degree in history from New York University. 

  Code of Conduct

For questions, please email Eliscia Cirrone, ecirrone@lilrc.org.

Contact Hours: 1

Program Recording:  Yes 

Non-member Ticket Price (log into your account for Member pricing): $10.00

FOR OUR PARTICIPANTS -

1. If you do not receive a confirmation email after registering, please contact Eliscia Cirrone, ecirrone@lilrc.org to check your registration.

2.  If you have any questions regarding this program or registration and program access, please contact Eliscia Cirrone, ecirrone@lilrc.org

3. Please be advised, all invoices for events, programs, or conferences must be paid no later than 60 days from the event date to avoid account suspension.