Wheaton marks 50th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education decision

Wheaton marks the fiftieth anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision, Brown vs. Board of Education, with a series of events from April 26-29. The student-run program, includes films, a panel discussion and keynote speaker Frank Wu, the author of Yellow: Race in America beyond Black and White.

%%MONDAY, APRIL 26-WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28%%
''From Struggle to Progress: Poster and Video Gallery''
10 a.m.- 4 p.m.
Atrium, Balfour Hood Center
"If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning." Frederick Douglass

%%MONDAY, APRIL 26 and TUESDAY, APRIL 27%%
''Segregation: A Thing of the Past?''
In an attempt to educate and promote awareness, SOAR (Students Organized Against Racism) has decided to segregate Chase Dining Hall by eye color, light-colored eyes vs. dark-colored eyes. This program is inspired by Jane Elliott's ''Eye of the Storm'' when an elementary school teacher engaged in a similar eye color experiment with her students.
Chase Dining Hall

%%TUESDAY, APRIL 27 and WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28%%
Film screening of ''The Road to Brown.'' This commemorative release provides a legal history of African Americans from Plessy v. Ferguson to Brown v. Board of Education.
Two screenings: 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.
New Yellow Parlor, Balfour Hood Center

%%THURSDAY, APRIL 29%%
"Brown v. Board: Changing the Face of Education" Luncheon
Frank Wu, keynote speaker for the commemoration, will be facilitating a lunch conversation for attendees to share their personal and professional experiences of segregation and integration in schools and communities. How far have we come? Where must we go from here?
12 - 2 p.m.
Chase Small, Chase Dining Hall
(RSVP to morris_gerrie@wheatonma.edu
by Tuesday, April 27)

%%THURSDAY, APRIL 29%%
"Brown at 50: Past and Present" Symposium
An intergenerational panel of students, faculty and staff share their insights on the relationship between the Brown v. Board of Education landmark decision in 1954 to the current debate on affirmative action. 4:30 p.m.
Presidents Dining Rooms 1 and 2, Faculty Dining
(RSVP to morris_gerrie@wheatonma.edu
by Monday, April 26)

%%THURSDAY, APRIL 29%%
Keynote address
Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White
Professor Frank Wu, Howard University
7 p.m., Holman Room, Mary Lyon Hall
Reception and book signing immediately following the lecture.

Professor Frank Wu joined the faculty at Howard University School of Law in 1995 as the first Asian American law professor at the historically Black university. He also is an adjunct professor at Columbia University Law School. His writing has appeared in a number of publications, including the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, and The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Wu was named an "up and coming scholar" by Black Issues in Higher Education. His media appearances have included: "Oprah", "Now with Bill Moyers", "Lehrer News Hour", "The O'Reilly Factor", and National Public Radio.

For more information about the week's events, please contact Shontae Praileau in Student Life at sprailea@wheatoncollege.edu or Orly Clerge '05 at oclerge@wheatoncollege.edu.