Civil Rights Conference Begins at UT Martin
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AT UT Martin this week, the university is hosting its 12th Annual Civil Rights Conference. The title of this year’s conference poses the question, 50 years after the Civil Rights movement, is the United States still separate, and unequal. This afternoon, Mary Tidwell, who is a member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma spoke as part of Native American Civil Rights Day. The six days of lectures tackle subjects ranging from voting rights to race in public schools. “What I always say to my students is you can’t possibly understand this nation’s history unless you understand the place that black people have played, the role black people have played in that history, that’s why i think it’s important,” said David Barber, associate professor of History at UT Martin. “Somehow, I think that, for all of us, it’s important if we want to be strong, self-aware human beings that we be aware of that history because it’s shaped us, whether we like it or not.” The conference continues through Friday. There is no charge for most of the lectures. All events will be held in the Boling University Center.
