In commemoration of Black History Month, Louisiana Tech University’s history department will sponsor a talk, “Japanese Dreams for African Girls: Nadia and the Secret of Blue Water,” by Dr. Deborah Whaley, an associate professor of American and African American Studies at the University of Iowa. The talk will begin at noon Thursday, Feb. 6 in University Hall, Room 111. This talk is part of Whaley’s current book project, “Sequential Subjects,” which explores the graphic novel production and comic book fandom. In her book, she will also look at how African, African-American and multiethnic women are displayed in various mediums. Whaley is a leader of a new generation of scholars in the fields of African-American history, women’s history and American studies.  Her numerous publications include the book, “Disciplining Women: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Black Counterpublics and the Cultural Politics of Black Sororities.” Whaley will also speak on the topic “Black Women in Comics and Graphic Novels in the 1970s, 1980s and Beyond,” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6 at the Lincoln Parish Library. Whaley’s talks are sponsored by the history department, the Lincoln Parish Library, and the Lambda-Rho chapter of the Phi Alpha Theta history honor society with the support of the McGinty Trust. Both talks are free and open to the public. For additional information, contact Dr. David M. Anderson, an associate professor of history and coordinator of Black History Month events, at 318-257-2872 or by email at history@latech.edu.