9/13/2004
Contact:
K.E. Schwab -- 724-738-2199; e-mail:
karl.schwab@sru.edu
SRU TO
OPEN SEMESTER-LONG SERIES ON BROWN V. BOARD OF
EDUCATION
WITH
KEYNOTE ADDRESS FROM FOX NEWS CHANNEL’S JUAN
WILLIAMS
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Juan Williams, author of the
non-fiction bestseller “Eyes on the Prize: America’s
Civil Rights Years, 1954-1965” and Fox News Channel and
National Public Radio political commentator, opens Slippery Rock
University’s multi-part lecture and discussion series focused
on reflections on the 50th anniversary of “Brown
v. Board of Education: 50 Years of Progress and Struggle.”
The semester-long series opens Sept. 21.
Brown
v. Board of Education is the unanimous 1954 U.S. Supreme Court
landmark decision that began bringing an end to “separate but
equal” education systems for whites and blacks across the
U.S. The case was brought by Oliver Brown who objected to having
his 8-year-old daughter, Linda, attend a black school two miles
from the family home, while a white school was located just five
blocks away. Brown originally sued the Topeka, Kan., school board
before the case worked its way to the U.S. Supreme
Court.
The
“Brown v. Board of Education: 50 Years of Progress and
Struggle” series is designed to focus on societal changes
that have resulted from the ruling as well as expose students to
the importance of diversity and equality in education, says Dr.
Renay Scales, assistant vice president of human resources and
diversity. “We will use this opportunity to engage the campus
and extended community in dialogue about race relations and the
implication for the future of education at
SRU.”
Williams,
host of “America’s Black Forum,” seen on the Fox
News Channel and frequently heard on NPR, will present the kickoff,
keynote address at 6 p.m. Sept. 21 in Swope Music Hall. Williams,
who also serves as a regular panelist on Fox News Sunday, began his
journalism career at The Washington Post where he has served as
police reporter, editorial writer, columnist and White House
correspondent. His stories have appeared in Fortune, Atlantic
Monthly, Ebony, Gentlemen’s Quarter and The New
Republic.
He
won an Emmy for TV documentary writing and has been seen on
television’s Nightline, Washington Week in Review, Arsenio,
Oprah and CNN’s Crossfire and Inside
Washington.
SRU
President Robert Smith will continue the series at 3 p.m. Sept. 29
in the Russell Wright Alumni House with “Brown vs. Board of
Education: 50 Years Velocity at all Deliberate Speed: How will SRU
Accelerate the Next 50?” with Charmaine P. Clowney, director
of diversity and equal opportunity at the Pennsylvania State System
of Higher Education, giving a response to Dr. Smith’s
remarks. The session is being sponsored by the
President’s Commission on Racial and Ethnic
Diversity.
On
Sept. 30, Pedro A. Cortez, secretary of the commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, will deliver a 12:45 p.m. address in the University
Union detailing his life experiences related to educational issues
and his experiences in helping implement diversity and equality
across the state. Cortes, confirmed by the state Senate in 2003
after nomination by Gov. Edward Rendell, administers the department
of state and is charged with protecting the public’s health,
safety and welfare. He previously served as executive director of
the Pennsylvania Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino
Affairs and has served on the Pennsylvania State Civil Service
Commission and in the Pennsylvania department of public
welfare.
“Separate
but Equal: A Student’s Perspective,” sponsored by
SRU’s Black Action Society, is set for 7 p.m. Oct. 7 in the
University Union. The event will allow students to share their
views on the Brown v. Board of Education ruling and its effects on
society.
On
Oct. 8, the Honorable Nelson Diaz, the first Latino to serve as
general counsel to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development and the first non-majority administrative law judge in
Pennsylvania, will lecture on breaking barriers and his own
leadership success. The address will be presented at 6:30 p.m. in
the University Union.
SRU’s
Frederick Douglas Institute will sponsor “The Great Debate:
DuBois and Carver” in which students will discuss the
different educational philosophies of W.E.B. Dubois, a scholar
devoted to attacking injustice and defending freedom, and George
Washington Carver, who devoted his life to research projects
connected primarily with southern agriculture. The dialogue is
expected to generate current-day implications based on the two
theories. The program will be presented in the Eisenberg Classroom
Building Auditorium.
“Brown
v. Board: The History, Law and Impact” will be staged in the
University Union at 6 p.m. Nov. 16 and Nov. 18 as a panel
discussion led by Dr. Richard Martin, professor and chair of
SRU’s political science department, and on Nov. 22, a
“Town Hall Meeting on Race Relations” will be held at 7
p.m. in Ebenezer Church, 1119 S. Jefferson St., New
Castle.
The
series ends with a three-day series of films set for 6:30 p.m. Nov.
30-Dec. 2 in the Eisenberg Classroom Building Auditorium sponsored
by the Harry M. Warmer Film Institute.
In
a related note, SRU’s Dr. Richard Altenbaugh, professor of
secondary education and editor of the national Teacher Education
Quarterly, reminds the campus a special issue was published earlier
this year commemorating the Brown v. Board of Education decision.
The special issue includes more than 50 papers on the
subject.
PN, PgN,
WPN, PR, PT