Award-winning author Eva Rutland will be visiting Sacramento State to discuss her 2007 book “When We Were Colored: A Mother’s Story.”

As a granddaughter of a former slave, Rutland chronicled her experiences growing up and raising a family in Georgia during the 1950s and ‘60s in her book published in 2007.

“I want Sac State students and everyone else to know that people are people, we are all alike and to please be kind to each other,” Rutland said in a press release on Monday.

Margarita Berta-Avila, event organizer and professor in the Bilingual/ Multicultural Education Department, said she is most excited about the fact that Rutland’s life account will be presented across three generations.

“Mrs. Rutland’s daughter and granddaughter will join her on stage to share the story through different lenses and experiences lived,” Berta-Avila said.

Rutland will lead a discussion about her life in the University Union Redwood Room on Feb. 16 at 12 p.m.

Sean Keister can be reached at [email protected].