2/10/10

2/10 How the Movement Was Built: 50 Years Since the Civil Rights Sit-ins

How the Movement Was Built:
50 Years Since the Civil Rights Sit-ins


Guest Speaker Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
from Northwestern University in Chicago

WED, Feb 10th 7pm
UW Architecture Hall Room 147
Map here



This February marks the 50th anniversary of the student lunch-counter sit-ins protesting segregation in the south. The act of four college students in Greensboro, NC sparked a wave of student activism which transformed the political landscape, striking a serious blow against racism and inspiring a generation of activists. Where did these protests come from and how were they built? What lessons can activists today learn from this inspiring history? Come hear our guest speaker and join this important discussion!

KEEANGA-YAMAHTTA TAYLOR is a doctoral candidate in the department of African American Studies at Northwestern University. She is a long time LGBT rights activist, most recently active in Join the Impact Chicago and as a central organizer of the group’s mobilization to Washington DC for the National Equality March. Taylor is author to several articles on racism in the United States for publications like CounterPunch, The Black Commentator, the International Socialist Review and others. She is on the editorial board of the International Socialist Review and a member of the International Socialist Organization in Chicago.

Resources to lean more:
Download or stream talks given by Keeanga or having to do with the history of the Civil Rights Movement

Read Articles written by Keeanga:
Black Reconstruction in America 1860–1880
Millions More, A Tale of Two Cities: From DC to Toledo
The Bride Wore Black: The Shooting of Sean Bell and the Resurgence of American Racism
New Orleans since the storm: An American travesty
"Life ain't been no crystal stair" Blacks, Latinos and immigrant civil rights