Alabama State University News March 6, 2012 National Center to Celebrate 15-Year Anniversary ASU's National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture is celebrating a milestone anniversary with a host of special events throughout this year. The National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture at Alabama State University is marking its 15th anniversary with a celebration featuring various events through the end of the year. Dr. Janice R. Franklin, National Center director, said the Center will present 15 major programs and events from the month of March through December that will highlight the anniversary theme, "The March Toward Freedom." "We are celebrating by giving to our community what we are calling 'Fifteen for Fifteen,' which will highlight The National Center's 15 years of existence," Franklin said. "We feel that beginning our celebration in March is significant because we will celebrate ASU's role in voting rights. It also is the month that we honor the 47th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March." Since its inception, the Center has enjoyed a great deal of support from the community. Much of that support comes from and is organized by the Patrons of the National Center. The organization offers opportunities for interested community groups, businesses and individuals to connect to, celebrate, and contribute to the National Center and to the advancement of its mission. "The Patrons ... are advocates for our mission," Franklin said. "We are appreciative to them as our fundraising arm and our supporters. They have shared and assisted in the success that we have achieved. We will honor their work with us this year as well." Franklin said the 15-year anniversary means that the Center has become fully established and that its mission is valued throughout its local and international communities. "We truly believe that the Center is now a recognized and appreciated destination point in our community and this very significant milestone is worthy of celebration," Franklin said. The Center will begin its celebration with a forum titled "Alabama State University and the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March" on March 8, at 11 a.m. at the Center. The complete "Fifteen for Fifteen" schedule is listed below. All events are free and open to the public. Celebration Schedule March 8, 11 a.m., National Center Forum: "Alabama State University and the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March" Tuesday, March 13, 11 a.m., National Center Lecture and book signing by Ravi Howard, author of Like Trees Walking Sunday, March 18, 3 p.m., Banquet Room of the Dunn-Oliver Acadome 18th Annual Nat King Cole Society Scholarship Banquet, co-sponsored with the Nat King Cole Society Tuesday, March 20, 11 a.m., Lecture Hall of the Levi Watkins Learning Center "Red Tails" Film Discussion, led by Dr. Carlos Morrison Wednesday, April 4, National Center The Permanent Collection of the National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture: "A 15-Year Retrospective," exhibit opening Tuesday, April 24, John L. Buskey Auditorium, 8:30 a.m. - Noon The Robert and Jean Graetz Symposium on Human Rights and Reconciliation Thursday, April 26, 11 a.m., National Center The E. D. Nixon Institute for Research and Cultural Enrichment Thursday, May 10, 10 a.m., National Center "Booked on Heritage" Children's Program Wednesday, June 13, Noon, National Center Book Club Discussion of "Hands on the Freedom Plow: Personal Accounts by Women in SNCC" Sunday, July 15, 3 p.m., National Center A Tribute to ASU Art Legends Sunday, August 12, 3 p.m., National Center Patrons and Donors Program Saturday, August 25, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m., Capri Theatre 10th Anniversary Black Film Festival Sunday, October 21, 3 p.m., National Center Fall Art Exhibition and "The Journey to Freedom" Mural Dedication Program Tuesday, October 30, 11 a.m., National Center Fall Symposium: "The Voting Rights Movement: Democracy 2012" Monday, December 3, 7 p.m., Dunn-Oliver Acadome Ralph D. Abernathy Civil Rights Lecture Series: A Celebration of the 57th Anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott About the National Center In August of 1997, ASU president Dr. William H. Harris assembled selected staff, faculty and administrators to determine the feasibility of creating a center for civil rights research. Out of that meeting, Franklin was selected to serve as project director. The committee she headed quickly united behind a vision to build a center that would serve as a clearinghouse for information concerning the role of Montgomery in the modern Civil Rights Movement and to preserve and disseminate information reflective of socioeconomic conditions, political culture and history of African-Americans in Montgomery. Although the focus was on Montgomery, the steering committee envisioned a larger national scope that would allow distance access to on-site digitized resources via the Internet. The Center set out to amass under one umbrella the disparate historical library collections, people, activities, events and multimedia materials on civil rights and African-American culture. In 2000, the National Endowment for the Humanities awarded ASU one of seven $500,000 Challenge Grants. This money was to be used to build a two million dollar endowment. The University responded by officially designating the National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture. The Center was successfully endowed in 2004. The National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-American Culture at Alabama State University is located at 1345 Carter Hill Rd. For more information, contact The Center at 334.229.4824, 334.229.4106. SANDRA M. PHOENIX Executive Director HBCU Library Alliance sphoenix@hbculibraries.org<mailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org> www.hbculibraries.org<http://www.hbculibraries.org/> 800-999-8558, ext. 4820 404-520-0593 Skype:sandra.phoenix1 1438 West Peachtree Street NW Suite 200 Atlanta, GA 30309 Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (Lyrasis) Fax: 404.892.7879 www.lyrasis.org<http://www.lyrasis.org/> Honor the ancestors, honor the children. Register now http://www.hbculibraries.org/html/2012meeting-form.html for the October 21-23, 2012 HBCU Library Alliance 5th Membership Meeting and the Photographic Preservation Pre-Conference in New Orleans, LA. The Pre-Conference and Membership meeting are open to directors and other librarians.