OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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CORVALLIS - Two weeks of events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision, Brown vs. Board of Education, begin May 17 at Oregon State University.
The 1954 ruling held that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal," and launched a wave of efforts to overcome the segregation that was keeping white and black children apart in the nation's public schools.
Portland educator Margaret Carter will open the campus commemoration with a talk at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 17, in the Memorial Union Lounge. All events are free and open to the public.
Speaking on "The Unrealized Dream of Brown," Carter will look at the continuing relevance of the ruling, discuss whether she believes the nation's schools have truly achieved desegregation, and speak on her view of the future. Carter is the immediate past president and chief executive officer of the Urban League of Portland and a former faculty member, and counselor at Portland Community College. She is also an Oregon State senator from District 22, North-Northeast Portland.
"No Easy Road: Unlearning Discrimination in Oregon," on loan from the American Jewish Committee, will be on display in the OSU Valley Library, May 17-28.
Other events include:
11:30 a.m.: "The Road to Brown," a two-hour video, talk on the Brown ruling. MU Joyce Powell Leadership Center
4 p.m.: "Browning Brown: The Mexican-American Contribution to the Desegregation of the United States," a 90-minute talk by Joseph Orosco, OSU assistant professor of philosophy. MU Room 213.
11:30 a.m.: "Local Color" a 90-minute documentary tracing the history of the local black community in the Portland metropolitan area. The film will be followed by a discussion. MU Joyce Powell Leadership Center.
7 p.m.: Shanta Driver, national spokesperson for the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action and Integration and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary, and national director of United for Equality and Affirmative Action Legal Defense Fund, will talk about the court decision and how life has changed. LaSells Stewart Center.
11:30 a.m.: A 90-minute panel discussion: "OSU Faculty of Color Share Their Experiences." Panel members include Joseph Orosco in philosophy; Janet Nishihara, of the Educational Opportunities Program; Kurt Peters, associate professor of ethnic studies; Robert Thompson, assistant professor of ethnic studies; Celeste Walls, assistant professor of speech communication. MU Joyce Powell Leadership Center.
11:30 a.m.: A 90-minute presentation of "Eyes on the Prize 1957-1962," a documentary on the American civil rights movement. MU Joyce Powell Leadership Center.
11:30 a.m.: A 90-minute discussion of Indian boarding schools, facilitated by Alison Davis-White Eyes, coordinator of OSU's Indian Education Office. MU Joyce Powell Leadership Center.
11:30 a.m.: A 90-minute talk, "Local Color," featuring Benton County residents sharing experiences from the desegregation era. MU Joyce Powell Leadership Center.
11:30 a.m.: A 90-minute panel talk, "Where Are We Now in School Desegregation," featuring OSU African-American students. MU Joyce Powell Leadership Center.
Multicultural Affairs, 541-737-4381
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