“Empowering the Next Generation: Passing It On To Carry It On”
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The Veterans of the Mississippi Civil Rights Movement, Inc., in conjunction with Jackson State University, is hosting a three-day conference designed to inspire and empower youth through education and social activism. The seventh annual conference is set for March 21-25, 2012, on the campuses of Jackson State University and Tougaloo College in Jackson.
One of the largest annual gatherings of civil rights veterans in the country, the event unites activists, scholars, historians, students, community organizers, educators, filmmakers and producers with youth to discuss ways to continue positive change in society.
Special guests include: attorney Reuben Anderson, attorney Constance Slaughter Harvey, Tougaloo College President Beverly Hogan, historian Leslie Burl McLemore, former Greenville, Miss., Mayor Victor McTeer and Jackson community organizer Albert Sykes.
The pre-conference Medgar Evers/Ella Baker Lecture Series, starting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 21, at Tougaloo College’s Woodworth Chapel, features a panel discussion titled “The Continuation of Black Women’s Activism: Sharing the Torch with a New Generation of Women.” Panelists include Cynthia Dorsey Smith, Karin Kirksey Zander, Barbara Devine Russell, Angela Stewart, Frankye Adams Johnson and Daphne Chamberlain. The free event is open to the public.
Registration, $100 for adults, includes all events. College student registration is $25 and high school registration is $10. This includes all events except the Mississippi HBCU Presidential Banquet, which will be held Friday, March 23. Student tickets for the banquet are $10 with ID. One-day adult registration is $40 and tickets for the Mississippi HBCU Presidential Banquet are $30. Harvard University professor Charles Ogletree is the banquet keynote speaker.
Individual event tickets are available.
To get complete conference details, schedules, online registration, a souvenir book form or to volunteer, visit www.MSCivilRightsVeterans.com, or contact Cynthia Palmer, executive director, 601-918-7809; Hollis Watkins, chairman, (601) 278-2142; or Owen Brooks, oral historian, 601-896-3757 or via email, MississippiCivilRightsVeterans@gmail.org.
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Tommiea King
601-979-2950