Nashville Vice Mayor Howard Gentry Jr. will share stories with middle and high school students across the nation about growing up in a segregated Nashville when he is a presenter for the Vanderbilt Virtual School on Feb. 15. “Breaking the Color Barrier” will be a step back in time to a very different life for African-Americans in the 1950s and even ‘60s, according to Patsy Partin, director of the Virtual School.
“Through Howard Gentry‘s remembrances, students will learn about a time when historically black schools were described as ‘equal‘ with those of white children, but they were not,” Partin said. “As an African-American child, the current vice mayor was not allowed to enter many of the places are now Nashville landmarks: Elliston Place Soda Shop, the first Krystal restaurant downtown and even Centennial Park.” The two videoconferences with Gentry will take place from 8:30 to 11 a.m. at the Community, Neighborhood and Government Relations Office at 2007 Terrace Place.
Vanderbilt‘s Virtual School utilizes the latest video conferencing technology to connect K-college classroom with outside resources that enhance the curriculum and promote higher-level thinking. It was founded in 1991 with support from the Nashville business community. For more information on the Vanderbilt Virtual School, click on www.vanderbilt.edu/virtualschool.
Media Contact:Ann Marie Deer Owens, 615-322-NEWS
annmarie.owens@vanderbilt.edu