America's second revolution came 50 years ago when the U.S.Supreme Court ruled "separate but equal" unconstitutional,according to officials from the Benjamin L. Hooks Institute forSocial Change.
A symposium Friday and Saturday marking the 50-year anniversaryof Brown v. Board of Education will bring together historians,sociologists and law professors from The University of Memphis andaround the country.
The diverse group of disciplines brings into focus the broadimpact Brown v. Board has had on American society, said Doug Imig,director of the Hooks Institute.
"We are at a critical and historical junction in our country,"said Imig, who selected the symposium's 18 panelists.
Imig said some notable research done at The U of M deals withthe Brown v. Board decision.
By looking at the growing Hispanic population in rural and urbanareas, Barbara Ellen Smith, director of the Center for Research onWomen, found that a new dynamic is shaping the South. A thirdminority group has entered the picture, Smith said.
The influx of Hispanic immigrants to East Tennessee, which Smithsaid has happened only within the last 10 years, has been met withsome reaction from white supremacist groups.
Other panelists from The U of M include Kevin Smith, professorat the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. Smith has looked into theextent that Brown v. Board has been used in issues other thaneducation.
"Brown has had a profound impact in our society," said Smith,adding that the ruling has shaped how and what kind of legalevidence can be used in a court of law.
Paul Wright, assistant professor at the College of Education whoreceived a Hooks Institute grant last year, has also studied Brownv. Board.
Wright's research focused specifically on how the decision hasimpacted Memphis.
Two of the foremost sociologists of the social movement, AldonMorris of Northwestern University and Sidney Tarrow of CornellUniversity, will close the two-day discussion by posing questionsand noting what was missing from the discussion.
The symposium, "America's Second Revolution: The Path to andfrom Brown v. Board of Education," is in step with a trend thisyear by colleges and universities to showcase the anniversary ofthe landmark decision.
The symposium will be hosted Friday and Saturday at the FogelmanExecutive Center, Room 323, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Theevent is free and open to the public.
