News Harris-Stowe State University For Immediate Release Contact: Brenda Talbot (314) 340-5754 talbotb@hssu.edu<mailto:talbotb@hssu.edu> Harris-Stowe to Host 60th Anniversary Year of the Brown Decision Symposium The Brown Decision and its Implications for St. Louis ST. LOUIS, MO (October 14, 2014) - Harris-Stowe State University will host an educational symposium celebrating the 60th anniversary year of the Brown Decision titled, "The Brown Decision and its Implications for St. Louis," on Thursday, October 23, 2014, at 6 p.m. in the Emerson Performance Center Bank of America Theatre. This event is free and open to the public and doors will open at 5:30 p.m. The "Brown v. Board of Education," known as the Brown Decision is a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case which determined that separate public schools for blacks and whites were unconstitutional. Rendered on May 17, 1954, the decision had implications on the country that reached far beyond the education realm. Harris-Stowe State University has assembled scholars as well as individuals who experienced first-hand the immediate impact of the Brown Decision on their lives to discuss the implications on St. Louis. "Certainly, the Brown Decision impacted not only the educational shifts in St. Louis, but demographic and economic changes in the city that are still being felt 60 years later," stated Dr. Dwyane Smith, vice president of academic affairs and co-organizer of the symposium. "Harris-Stowe State University is the result of the Brown Decision with the merging of black Stowe Teachers College and white Harris Teachers College immediately after the decision." Speakers include Attorney Kimberly Norwood, professor of law and professor of African & African-American Studies at Washington University (WU); and Dr. Stefan Bradley, chair of African-American Studies and associate professor of history at Saint Louis University (SLU). Attorney Norwood's recent research interests have focused on black identity issues and on the public education challenges facing poor children, inner city children and black and Latino children. She recently published a law review article commemorating the historic lawsuit filed in St. Louis, Mo., more than forty years ago to desegregate the public schools. Her first book, "Color Matters: Skin Tone Bias & the Myth of a Post-Racial America," was published in 2013. Dr. Bradley's primary research area is recent U.S. history with an emphasis on the African-American experience. He is interested in the role youth have played in shaping post-WWII American society; more specifically, the efforts and abilities of black college students to change not only their scholastic environments but also the communities that surrounded their institutions of higher learning. Dr. Bradley's book, "Harlem vs. Columbia University: Black Student Power in the Late 1960s" deals with black students who risked their education and potentially their lives during the famous controversy that took place at Columbia University in 1968-1969. His areas of teaching include Civil Rights in America; 1865-1965 African-American Youth Movements in the 20th Century; and Race and Athletics in the 20th Century. Dr. Bradley has appeared nationally on CNBC and his writings have been featured in the Huffington Post. "We are looking forward to honoring and commemorating the anniversary of this important decision that is so significant not only to the history of Harris-Stowe, but the greater community," stated HSSU President Dr. Dwaun Warmack. "The Brown Decision and its Implications for St. Louis" is part of a series of intellectual think tank activities held on the campus of Harris-Stowe State University. HEC-TV St. Louis' leading producer of education and arts television programming will tape the symposium for later airing. For more information contact Dr. Dwyane Smith via email at SmithD@hssu.edu<mailto:SmithD@hssu.edu> Harris-Stowe State University, located in midtown St. Louis, is a fully accredited four-year institution that offers 14 degree programs in the areas of teacher education, business and arts & sciences. In 2013, HSSU ranked No. 1 in the state in degree production of African-Americans in mathematics (Missouri Department of Higher Education). The university, which has been in existence for more than 150 years, offers the most affordable bachelor's degree in the state of Missouri. ###