KU conference to celebrate landmark desegregation case's 50th anniversary

LAWRENCE -- Nationally recognized civil rights leaders, educators, lawyers and journalists, as well as descendants of the original Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case participants, will be at the University of Kansas next year to mark the 50th anniversary of the landmark school desegregation case.

Among the speakers will be Tony Brown of "Tony Brown's Journal," the longest-running program on PBS; Lani Guinier, professor in the Harvard Law School; and economist and author Julianne Malveaux.

The Brown v. Board of Education 50th Anniversary National Commission and the Brown Foundation will host "The Legacies and Unfinished Business of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka," a concluding event in a series of public programs about the case, March 14 through 17, 2004, at KU.

The Brown commission opened its national series with a panel discussion Sept. 18 at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at KU.

KU sponsors for the events include the Office of the Provost, University Libraries and Continuing Education. Deborah Dandridge, KU field archivist and national commission member, chairs the committee for this historic commemoration.

The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka U.S. Supreme Court decision is one of the most important judicial opinions in the country's democratic history. It revolutionized race relations and extended the protection of equal rights to all U.S. citizens. This commemorative event will provide historical information about the case, examine what has been accomplished in the intervening years and discuss the many remaining contemporary issues related to the court decision.

KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway will join Walter Broadnax, president of Clark Atlanta University, for the opening plenary session. Broadnax, who received a bachelor's degree from Washburn University in Topeka and a master's degree from KU, is a leading scholar-practitioner in the field of public policy and management.

National speakers, in addition to Guinier, Brown and Malveaux, will include:

 • Mary Dudziak, professor in the University of Southern California School of Law
 • John Jackson, director of education for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
 • Ted Shaw, associate director and counsel with the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund
 • Karen Bates, correspondent with National Public Radio
 • Gary Orfield, co-director of the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University
 • Kevin Fox Gotham, professor at Tulane University
 • William Guillermo Luna, Museum of Mexican Culture and History, Chicago

The renowned Rust College A Cappella Choir from Holly Springs, Miss., also will perform.

Activities on Sunday, and evening events on Monday and Tuesday, will be open to the public at no charge. However, due to limited space, all attendees must register in advance.

For more information or to register:

 • visit www.kuce.org/programs/bbec
 • call KU Continuing Education, (785) 864-KUCE (5823) or toll free (877) 404-KUCE (5823)
 • e-mail kuce@ku.edu
 • fax (785) 864-4871
 • mail to University of Kansas Continuing Education, Registrations, 1515 St. Andrews Drive, Lawrence, KS 66047-1625