The Spring Symposium celebrates the 50th anniversary of the landmark supreme court decision “Brown vs. The Board of Education” which effectively ended segregation in public schools in the United States.

For three Thursdays in February, Lycoming College will take a closer close at this event.  All events are free and open to the public.

February 5, 7:30 p.m., Heim G-11 Barclay Lecture Hall.
Video: The Road to Brown
A 27-minute documentary that provides a concise history of segregation and the brilliant legal assault that culminated in the 1954 Supreme Court Decision and launched the Civil Rights Movement. Followed by a panel discussion.

February 12, 7:30 p.m., Clarke Chapel.
“Return to Little Rock” with Minnijean Brown Trickey, one of the nine students who integrated Little Rock High School in 1957, entered the Civil Rights Movement through the front door of Central High School under the gaze of 1,200 armed soldiers and a worldwide audience. She gives a personal account of the integration process as a powerful example of what one person can do to make a difference.

February 19, 7:30 p.m., Clarke Chapel.
“The Road to Civil Rights” with Benjamin Hooks, former head of the NAACP (1977-1992), and one of the most recognized faces of black America and the Civil Rights Movement speaks, in Clarke Chapel-the same place in which Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke to a Lycoming College audience in 1959. Under his leadership, the NAACP added several hundred thousand new members to its ranks and addressed a broad spectrum of issues, including national health insurance, welfare and the criminal justice system. Hooks sees much work left to be done.

February 18, 7:30 p.m., Heim G-11 Barclay Lecture Hall.
Clarence Dart, one of the original Tuskegee Airmen of WWII and a grandfather of a current student, will speak about his personal experiences in an all-black unit of the U.S. States military.

Jan 29- Feb. 23 Photographer Betty Press, our February Visiting Artist, will have an exhibition on “Reflections of Africa” in the gallery. Opening show Thursday, January 29. 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. and runs through Feb 23.

These final two events are also part of Black History Month.