Emerson celebrates civil rights progress

Benjamin Jealous, former president and CEO of the NAACP, will visit Emerson on Monday, February 3.

Emerson College is celebrating 60 years of civil rights progress, commemorating the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of Brown v. the Board of Education, as well as the 1964 Civil Rights Act, with a month-long series of events that coincide with the national Black History Month.

The events kick off Monday, February 3, with a campus visit from former NAACP president Ben Jealous, who will hold a workshop on activism at 4:00 pm at the Bordy Theater at 216 Tremont Street. He will give a lecture at 7:00 pm in the Bright Family Screening Room at the Paramount Center at 559 Washington Street.

Also on February 3, faculty members in several academic departments will begin holding informal “teach-ins” throughout the month, in which they will dedicate a day of class to exploring the issue of civil rights and social justice within the context of their academic disciplines.

On Wednesday, February 26, at the Semel Theater in the Tufte Performance and Production Center, the College will hold a Victory Stride, a rally with students, faculty, and staff, as well as musicians, artists, and scholars, to commemorate the civil rights progress of the past 60 years. Some of the guests scheduled to appear include Boston comedian Jimmy Tingle, rapper Professor Lyrical, Suffolk Law Dean Camille Nelson, and Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu.

There are several other events expected to take place throughout the month. Visit the Victory Stride website for updates.