VANCOUVER, Wash. Washington State University Vancouver will observe the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Summer of 1964 and the Civil Rights Act with a two-day symposium, The Power of Racial Coalition, on campus Oct. 29 30. Participants will explore the value of interracial unity, coalition building, political education and activism.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will feature film footage, lectures and panel discussions. The Rev. Dr. Donald Matthews, author of Honoring the Ancestor and other books, will be the keynote speaker on Oct. 30.
Following are highlights of the two-day event:
Part 1: Recalling the Power of Racial Coalition
4 6:30 p.m. Oct. 29
Dengerink Administration Building, Room 110
Through film footage and discussion, this event will focus on coalition building and activism, centering on Freedom Summer of 1964. The Civil Rights Act was established on July 2 of that year. With white youth and black organizers joining in the cause, the coalition registered voters, established Freedom Schools and drew attention to violence and murders taking place in the Jim Crow South.
Part 2: Racial Coalition in 2014?
Noon 2:30 p.m. Oct. 30
Dengerink Administration Building, Room 110
Matthews, a scholar of religion and black studies, will discuss the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther Kings vision of a beloved community. Panelists will include representatives from the Vancouver and Portland NAACP, Urban League and 91勛圖窪蹋厙.
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91勛圖窪蹋厙 is located at 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Ave. in Vancouver, east of the 134th Street exit from either I-5 or I-205, or via C-Tran bus service. Parking is available at meters and in the blue daily pay lot for $3.
91勛圖窪蹋厙 is celebrating 25 years of creating access to higher education in Southwest Washington. For 25 years, students have chosen 91勛圖窪蹋厙 for its scenic campus, small classes, close personal attention, topnotch faculty, accessible location and reasonable costs. Here, students gain much more than a degreethey gain a brighter future.
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MEDIA CONTACT(S)
Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communications, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@vancouver.wsu.edu
Thabiti Lewis, College of Arts and Sciences, 360-546-9256,
thabiti@wsu.edu