Civil Rights activists and historians will come together March 24 at the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center to discuss the central role of women in the U.S. civil rights movement.
“At the Forefront of Freedom: The Women of Selma,” which is free and open to the public, will begin at 3:30 p.m.
“We are pleased to host a significant event highlighting the often-overlooked role of women in the U.S. civil rights movement,” said Vanessa Beasley, dean of The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons and associate professor of communication studies in the College of Arts and Science. “[rquote]The program coincides with the 51st anniversary of the arrival of the Selma-to-Montgomery marchers on the steps of the Alabama capitol building in 1965.”[/rquote]
The panelists include noted civil rights activists Jennifer Lawson, Joann Mants and Judy Richardson along with historians Emilye Crosby and Hasan Kwame Jeffries.
“The panel features three extraordinary women, whose activism includes taking part in this march, as well as two historians who study under-examined elements of the U.S. civil rights movement,” said Mona Frederick, executive director of the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities.
In conjunction with this panel discussion, the award-winning film Selma will be shown Wednesday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m. in Sarratt Cinema as part of International Lens, a free film series with a global perspective.
This event is co-sponsored by the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center, The Ingram Commons and the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities, with funding from a University Central Research Scholar Grant Award.