Tennessee Board of Regents

Office of Academic Affairs

Tennessee Higher Education Commission

Tennessee Department of Education

50th Anniversary - Brown v Board of Education

TBR Hosts Faculty Symposium Celebrating the
50th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education

The Office of Academic Affairs hosted a faculty symposium on October 8, 2004 at the Frist Center for Visual Arts to commemorate the historic Brown v. Board of Education 50th anniversary, which paved the way toward racial equality in education in this country.  TBR chose to set aside the day to keep a promise, a promise to keep alive the history and legacy of this significant judicial turning point towards the progress of democratic ideals of our country. 

Following are highlights from this symposium.  By clicking on the symposium agenda item, you will be able to view the discussion or event. 

• Unveiling of the TBR Official Commemorative Poster

• Pictorial Overview of the Symposium

• Interview with Regent Maxine Smith (Windows media player video)
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Symposium Agenda and Presentations

• Welcome and Opening Remarks
  Dr. Paula Myrick Short, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

First Faculty Panel Discussions

Theme: The Case for Brown v. Board of Education
Moderator: Dr. Leo McGee, Tennessee Technological University

• Presenter: Dr. Dwonna Naomi Goldstone, Austin Peay State University
  Title: “I Do Not Believe in Segregation”: Sweatt v. Painter and the Groundwork for Brown v. Board of Education
• Presenter: Dr. C. Alvin Hughes, Austin Peay State University
  Title: Brown and the Pursuit of Happiness
• Presenter: Dr. Bobby L. Lovett, Tennessee State University
  Title: The Civil Rights Movement in Tennessee, 1935-Present
• Presenter: Dr. Will Brantley, Middle Tennessee State University
  Title: Lillian Smith and Now Is the Time

Second Faculty Panel Discussions

Theme: The Impact of Brown v. Board of Education
Moderator: Dr. Harriette Bias-Insignares, Tennessee State University

• Presenter: Dr. Kevin H. Smith, University of Memphis
  Title: Beyond Desegregation: The Jurisprudential Impact of Brown v. Board of Education
• Presenter: Dr. Carroll Van West, Middle Tennessee State University
  Title: Documenting the Legacy of Brown v. Board of Education in Tennessee and the South
• Presenter: Dr. Peter Li, Tennessee Technological University
  Title: Study of Minority Students Retention Rates at Tennessee Technological University
• Presenter: Dr. Wali Rashash Kharif, Tennessee Technological University
  Title: “Impact of the Brown Decision in the Kentucky-Tennessee Upper Cumberland”

Interview with Regent Maxine Smith

Mr. Dwight Lewis, Columnist, Tennessean, Interviewer
Regent Maxine Smith, Tennessee Board of Regents

• Windows media player video of Interview with Regent Smith
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Luncheon Speaker

Introduction of Speaker: Dr. Sidney McPhee, President, Middle Tennessee State University
Speaker: Mr. John Seigenthaler, Founder, First Amendment Center, Vanderbilt University

Third Faculty Panel Discussions

Theme: Case Studies and Lessons Learned
Moderator: Dr. Anantha Babbili, Middle Tennessee State University

• Presenter: Dr. Matthew Smith, Tennessee Technological University
  Title: The Free Hill Rosenwald School: Educating Students for Character (1930-1965)
• Presenter: Dr. Paul M. Wright, University of Memphis
  Title: Still Separate, Still Unequal: The Story of an Urban, African American High School in Memphis, Tennessee
• Presenter: Dr. Vivian Gunn Morris, University of Memphis
  Title: The Schools We Lost, the Schools We are Seeking: Lessons Learned from a Segregated African American School Community
• Presenter: Dr. Cynthia Bond Hopson, University of Memphis
  Title: The Children of Freedom: An Investment in the Future

Unveiling of the Tennessee Board of Regents 50th Anniversary Brown v. Board of Education Official Poster

Wendy Thompson, Tennessee Board of Regents
Carlyle Johnson, Chair, Art Department, Tennessee State University
Kaleena Tucker, Alumna, Tennessee State University
Gerecho Delaney, Senior, Tennessee State University

Official Poster