Civil Rights

Vanderbilt Divinity School and the College of Arts and Science will honor one of the university's most revered alumni with the launch of the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements. Read More

Vanderbilt University will join with many community partners to pay tribute to the life and Nashville legacy of Rep. John Lewis on July 16 and 17 with the formal dedication of Rep. John Lewis Way and a public celebration at Ryman Auditorium. Read More

Three recent titles from Vanderbilt University Press examine the history and celebrate the culture that distinguish Nashville as a unique Southern city. Read More

Heard Libraries staff contributed to and improved the quality of Wikipedia information on Nashville-area social justice organizations and activists when they took part in a voluntary edit-a-thon on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Read More

Vanderbilt leaders are reflecting on the life and legacy of veteran civil rights activist Kwame Lillard, who died Dec. 20 in Nashville. As recently as January 2020, Lillard shared his firsthand experiences in the civil rights movement with Vanderbilt students as part of the university’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Series. Read More

The late Civil Rights icon John Lewis is featured in two recent publications available from Vanderbilt University Press commemorating the Freedom Riders and the Civil Rights Movement. Read More

Throughout 2020, Vanderbilt University will mark the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees women’s constitutional right to vote. Vanderbilt will recognize the anniversary through a new website, educational programming, lectures, community events, historical exhibits, art displays and more. Read More

Anita Hill's talk on campus, “No Longer Silent: Underrepresented Narratives in Sexual Violence,” was the keynote address during a conference organized by Vanderbilt Student Government. Read More

Reflecting on Commencement week, Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos shares his thoughts in this week’s column about how each person can make a positive difference in the world. Read More

A lecture related to little-known African American sports history on Feb. 7 will lead off a series of events celebrating African American History Month at the Central Library. Read More

Community leaders, family and friends of the late Penny Campbell, a Vanderbilt graduate and LGBT activist, came together to celebrate a Nashville historical marker being placed in her honor Dec. 8. Read More

Perry Wallace, BE’70, the Vanderbilt University student-athlete who integrated Southeastern Conference varsity basketball, died Dec. 1. He was 69. Read More

On the latest episode of "The Zeppos Report," Vanderbilt writer-in-residence Andrew Maraniss tells Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos about his personal journey to Vanderbilt and how it led him to write Perry Wallace's biography. Read More

The Rev. James Lawson (Vanderbilt University) Vanderbilt Divinity School and the College of Arts and Science will honor one of the university’s most revered alumni with the launch of the James Lawson Institute for the Research and Study of Nonviolent Movements at Vanderbilt University. The institute, drawing… Read More

Architectural treasures, Broadway plays on film, and a first-time preview of a Nashville Ballet performance are among the rich subjects offered this fall by Vanderbilt's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Read More

Vanderbilt recently celebrated Equality Weekend, a two-day event that honored 21 of Nashville’s civil rights leaders and marked the 50th anniversary of Vanderbilt breaking the SEC’s color barrier with men’s basketball players Perry Wallace and Godfrey Dillard. The 21 leaders were honored at the Commodores’ men’s basketball game on Feb. 18 and the women’s game on Feb. 19—both Vanderbilt victories. Read More

Vanderbilt athletics is set to honor 21 of Nashville's leading civil rights figures at its men's and women's basketball games this weekend, when the players will wear special Nike uniforms. Read More

Standing on the dais from which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once spoke, Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos charged college students gathered Saturday at Fisk University to live out the civil rights leader's legacy. Read More

The theme for this year’s commemoration is “Justice and Democracy? Revolutionizing our American Myths.” Read More

New first-of-its-kind research from two Vanderbilt Law School economists contradicts conventional wisdom and finds a female applicant strongly raises her chances of getting hired if she gives personal information clarifying her resume gaps. Read More