Yearlong Events Commemorate Brown vs. Board of Education Anniversary

Lincoln, Neb., March 2, 2004 -- The University of Nebraska-Lincoln's College of Education and Human Sciences is organizing a yearlong commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's historic Brown vs. Board of Education decision.

"The case was the catalyst that unleashed the civil rights movement," said David Callejo Perez, an assistant professor in the college and a co-chair of the commemoration.

In the landmark 1954 case, the court ruled that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal." The decision effectively denied a legal basis for racially segregated classrooms.

"Our goal is to showcase the College of Education and Human Sciences and examine the possibilities that evolved out of the civil rights movement," Callejo Perez said.

Following is a list of events scheduled to date for "50 Years of Struggle: A Yearlong Commemoration of Brown vs. Board of Education." All events are free and open to the public.

March 8 to April 2, Home Economics Building (35th Street on East Campus), second floor -- Display of children's books about civil rights courtesy of Lincoln Public Schools. Display of artifacts courtesy of Ashanti West African Imports. Display of African American quilts from the Cargo collection of UNL's International Quilt Study Center. Additional quilts from the collection can be seen on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings in the center's storage room, also on the second floor.

March 30, 5:30 p.m., Nebraska Union Auditorium, 1400 R St. -- "Remembering Freedom Summer" lecture by Charles M. Payne, professor of African-American studies at Duke University. Payne is also founding director and executive director of the Urban Education Project in Orange, N.J., a nonprofit community center broadening educational experiences for urban youth. Sponsored in conjunction with UNL History Department.

April 19 to April 23, Teachers College Hall rotunda (14th and Vine streets) -- Exhibition of textile art created by undergraduate students in a course taught by Professor Wendy Weiss and inspired by images of the civil rights movement. Several classes in the College of Education and Human Sciences will conduct community service projects.

September (dates TBA) -- Lecture and panel discussion on "Gender and the Movement," sponsored in conjunction with Women's Studies Program and College of Law.

October (dates TBA) -- Lecture and panel discussion on "Disabilities and the Movement" sponsored in conjunction with UNL Barkley Memorial Center. Panel discussion with members of Omaha's English as a second language community to talk about "Language and the Movement."

November (date TBA) -- Town hall meeting moderated by UNL Professor Leon Caldwell with young activists discussing "The Future of the Civil Rights Movement."

December -- The College of Education and Human Sciences will publish an online collection of stories by members of the Lincoln community addressing what the civil rights movement has meant to them. Stories are being solicited from people who lived through the 1960s and students today.

CONTACTS: David Callejo Perez, Asst. Professor, Teaching, Learning & Teacher Ed., (402) 472-3852; and
William Lopez, Lecturer, Teaching, Learning & Teacher Education, (402) 472-2158