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"Unfinished Business" to mark Brown v Board 50th
anniversary with Brown Sisters – March 30 in Frankfort KY
The daughters of Brown v Board of Education plaintiff Rev. Oliver Brown will be
the featured speakers at a symposium marking the 50th anniversary of this
historic Supreme Court decision. Linda Brown Thompson and Cheryl Brown
Henderson will share their story on March 30 at the Kentucky History Center in
Frankfort. Also speaking will be Dr. John Jackson, NAACP national director of
education, who will address the educational challenge of the achievement gap.
The symposium, "Unfinished Business: School Desegregation in Kentucky" is
sponsored by the Kentucky Historical Society and the Kentucky Oral History
Commission.
"The purpose of the symposium is to examine the history and legacy of
desegregation efforts in Kentucky and place that experience in a national
context," says Kent Whitworth, director of the Kentucky Historical Society. "We
are very pleased to have the Brown sisters and Dr. Jackson joining us to address
the impact of Brown v Board of Education."
The symposium will be held from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at the Kentucky History
Center in downtown Frankfort. Registration is $20 for students and Kentucky
Historical Society members, $25 for the public, and includes lunch and
refreshments. Advance registration is required as seating is limited. To
register, or for more information, contact Kim Lady Smith at the Kentucky
Historical Society at 502-564-1792, ext. 4473 or visit history.ky.gov.
The Brown sisters are co-owners of Brown and Brown Associates, an educational
consulting firm. Cheryl is co-founder and executive director of the Brown
Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research. As spokespersons
for Brown v Board of Education, the sisters were featured in a documentary on
Supreme Court cases, have appeared on numerous news broadcasts and have lectured
on more than fifty college campuses.
Dr. Jackson, at age 31, is the youngest national education director in the
NAACP's 94-year history. He holds five higher education degrees including a
Doctorate of Education from Harvard University. Jackson's responsibilities at
the NAACP include directing and implementing a national advocacy agenda focused
on closing the achievement gap.
Other speakers include Gerald Smith, University of Kentucky; Blaine Hudson and
Tracy K'Meyer, University of Louisville; John Hardin, Western Kentucky
University; Jim St. Clair; Indiana University Southeast; and Beverly Watts,
Kentucky Commission on Human Rights. Panelists who will share their personal
stories include: James Howard, one of nine black students whose integration of
Sturgis High in 1956 met with violent resistance; Louis Stout, the first
African-American in the nation to head a state high school athletics
association; Doris Wilkinson, who was in the freshman class of African-American
students at University of Kentucky in 1954; Benitha Ellis, who headed the Union
of Black Protective Parents formed in 1975 in response to busing for integration
in Louisville/Jefferson County; and Suzy Post, the only white plaintiff in the
lawsuit that resulted in the 1975 Jefferson County busing plan.
"Unfinished Business" is sponsored by the Historical Society and Oral History
Commission in partnership with the Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky
Education Cabinet, Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, Kentucky Historical
Society Foundation, and Kentucky State University Center for Excellence for the
Study of Kentucky African Americans. The Brown sisters appear through DPK and
Associates.
Lisa Murphy
Kentucky Historical Society
Oral History and Educational Outreach Division
100 West Broadway
Frankfort, KY 40601
Phone 502-564-1792 ext 4486
http://history.ky.gov
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