Ouachita to host civil rights panel discussion March 17
March 10, 2014 - Taylor Tomlinson
Ouachita Baptist University’s Riley-Hickingbotham Library will host a panel discussion
on civil rights Monday, March 17, at 6 p.m. in Walker Conference Center Room A. The
event, which is part of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)’s Created
Equal Project, is free and open to the public.
The discussion will highlight the history of the civil rights movement in the U.S.
and more specifically, civil rights issues in Arkansas and Arkadelphia. Background
for most of the discussion will come from the documentary film “Freedom Riders,” which
recounts the harsh realities of the Freedom Rides of 1961.
“The panel will bring together a cross section of historians and active participants
of the civil rights struggle,” said Lacy Wolfe, assistant professor and circulation/reference
librarian. “Every student should take this opportunity to learn firsthand about the
impact of the civil rights movement from people who participated in it.”
The three panelists leading the discussion will include Dr. Martin Halpern, professor
of history at Henderson State University; Dr. Lewis Shepherd, vice president for student
and external affairs at HSU; and Kyle Jones, scholar coordinator for the Ronald E.
McNair Scholars Program at HSU.
According to the NEH website, Created Equal is an initiative to “encourage communities
across the country to revisit the history of civil rights in America and to reflect
on the ideals of freedom and equality.”
“From my perspective, the perspective of someone who grew up in another world to which
I would not want to return, this session is not to be missed by people of good will
who are also willing to be reminded of what good and ill will look like in the arena
of human society,” said Dr. Ray Granade, Ouachita director of library services and
professor of history.
Henderson State University’s librarian, David Sesser, received a grant for the Created Equal project, in partnership with OBU’s Riley-Hickingbotham Library and the Arkadelphia
Public Library. In addition to the panel at OBU, the public library will host an article
discussion over the short film “Slavery by Another Name” on Thursday, April 10, at
10 a.m. and a children’s program Saturday, April 12, at 10 a.m. HSU also previously
hosted a lecture as part of the project.
“These events are important as they help bring the ongoing struggle to campus so that
students and the local community can connect with them,” added Wolfe. “The civil rights
movement is relevant today as people across the country continue to strive for equality
for all in the United States.”
Learn more about the Created Equal Project at http://createdequal.neh.gov. For more information, contact Lacy Wolfe at [email protected] or (870) 245 5119.
By Taylor Tomlinson
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