Civil Rights Commemoration Student Research Conference at GSU

In our October 2014 blog post, “Civil Rights, Then and Now,” we began an exploration of the progress toward Civil Rights in our country since the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  (You will find the previous blog post in our archives to the right, if you missed it.)  This month, we bring you the conclusion as we share additional primary sources from this evocative period of American History, along with several powerful tools for you to utilize in your classroom from a recent panel presentation by TPS-GSU Students and Educators.

On November 6, 2014, Governor States University celebrated the 50 Year Commemoration of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with a day of reflection and inquiry.  The theme of the Student Research Conference was “How Far We Have We Come, How Far We Have Yet To Go!” 

The Teaching with Primary Sources Program of the Library of Congress at Governors State University is proud to have been a co-sponsor of this commemorative event.

TPS-GSU Workshop:  Through the Eyes of Those Who Were There

TPS-GSU Civil Rights Panel Presentation on Nov. 6, 2014 - Erica Peterson (upper left), Tamara Berian (lower left), Jason Battle (center), and Lynette Johnson (right)

TPS-GSU Civil Rights Panel Presentation on Nov. 6, 2014 – Erica Petersen (upper left), Tamara Berian (lower left), Jason Battle (center), and Lynette Johnson (right)

TPS-GSU conducted a workshop at the commemorative event titled, “Through the Eyes of Those Who Were There.”  This was presented in a panel format which included six presenters:  Two of our staff members, Dr. Lucianne Brown (Director) and Susan Lynch (Program Specialist) and four educators, all of whom are former participants and students of our Teaching with Primary Sources Graduate Course:  Jason Battle, Erica Petersen, Tamara Berian, and Lynette Johnson.  (Lynn is also our Project Manager)

 

VIDEO:  Equal Education for All? Now and Then

We invite you to pause for two minutes while you view the video below.  You will be moved as you hear the responses of Third Grade Students of Tamara Berian viewing the events that occurred when our government attempted to achieve equal education through military enforced de-segregation of our schools.  Listen as these Third Graders voice their opinions of the dramatic repercussions.

 

 

 LESSON PLANS:  Race Riots, Major League Baseball, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

We have three excellent lesson plans, which you can access by clicking on the links below.  These are hosted on Blendspace for your convenience, and we invite you to utilize these ready-to-go materials in your classroom:

  1. Tulsa, OK, Race Riots of 1921 – by Jason Battle
  2. The Blackest Home Run in History – by Lynette Johnson
  3. The Impact of Martin Luther King, Jr. - by Erica Petersen

 

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:  Materials from the Library of Congress

Here are additional resources which were also included in our workshop, and which are hosted in Blendspace for your convenience.  We believe you will find these materials (taken from the Library of Congress website) instrumental in your classroom as you explore the Civil Rights Act of 1964 from an inquiry-based perspective of “Then and Now.”

 “Eracism” Wrist Bands … Do You Have Your Wristband Yet?

To purchase your "Eracism" wristband, please contact our TPS-GSU Project Manager, Lynn Johnson:  708-235-7577

To purchase your “Eracism” wristband, please contact our TPS-GSU Project Manager, Lynn Johnson: 708-235-7577

The “Eracism” wrist bands to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as part of the Student Research Conference at GSU on Nov. 6th were a huge hit!

If you haven’t purchased yours yet, there are still a few left … but hurry, it’s a limited supply ;-)

To purchase your “Eracism” wristband today, please contact:

Lynn Johnson

TPS-GSU Project Manager

708-235-7577

 

Events from the Student Research Conference at GSU on Nov. 6th

In addition to the workshop presented by TPS-GSU, there were many more excellent events during the 50th Year Commemorative Student Research Conference at GSU. Professor Larry Levinson was Chair of this Conference, and Dr. David Golland was the Keynote Speaker.  As an attempt to maximize student engagement in the commemoration, a number of faculty incorporated the theme of “How Far We Have Come, How Far We Have Yet to Go!” into their courses and encouraged their students to attend and present at the conference.

Here is a brief summary of the excellent presentations:

  • Dr. David Hamilton Golland: Keynote AddressAffirmative Action ‘From The Ground Up’: The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and a New Definition of Equal Employment Opportunity (Facilitator, Larry Levinson). 
  • Poster and Video Installation: ‘O Say Can You See’ by Heather Meents and Shaniqua Jones, with Kiara Johnson, Tyler Pierce, Elishia Harris, and Montelle Lang
  • Scholarly Panel: Ethnicity, Identity, and Empowerment (Facilitator, Ben Amassi) consisting of The Road to Empowerment: Suggestions for Macro-Level Change by Candice Robbins, Exercise Your Ethnic Right by Tenille Wallace, The Reality of Us by Stephanie Manuel, and ‘Letter from a Birmingham Jail’: Why We Need It Today by Gregg Greer
  • Scholarly Panel: Immigration, Sexuality, and Disability Rights (Facilitator, Ben Amassi) consisting of The Disability Rights Movement: Past, Present, and Future by Jennifer Armstrong and Stephanie Brooks; Dual Identity Crisis by Maria Ramirez and Daniel Vergara; The Absence of Sexual Minorities in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by David Luecht
  • Workshop Presentation (Facilitator, David Hamilton Golland): Student Engagement as a Transformative Experience in Higher Education by Timothy Crawford, Callie Skwiat, Robert Clay, and Tori Collins
  • Performance Panel: How Far Have We Come? How Far Have We Yet To Go? (Facilitator, Don Culverson) Speak by Ashieka Daniels, Garreth Daniels, Tonya Animashawn, Lee Kelley, Brian Ali, Susan Ali, Eric King, Linda King, and Kiarra King; Entropy – Disorder in a Closed System by Christopher Brennan; Was This the Dream? by David Alexander; Change Makers by Lois Nemeth
  • Photographic Exhibition: Inauguration of President Obama by Jerry Slowik
  • Library of Congress Primary Source Poster Display by Prairie Place Students
  • Play: A Raisin in the Sun, Directed by Dr. Patrick Santoro, Presented by GSU Theatre & Performance Studies. There were several performances of the play, with over 1100 elementary students in attendance at one of the performances.
  • The Conversation and Engagement Goes On! Dr. Golland continues to sponsor the Yearlong, Campus-Wide Commemoration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and Freedom Summer. For complete details, go to http://www.davidgolland.com/1964/

 Upcoming Programs and Workshops by TPS-GSU

We welcome your questions to assist you with registration. Please call Dr. Lucianne Brown, Director (708-235-7575) or Lynn Johnson, Project Manager (708-235-7577)