Alabama State University News
January 17, 2014
President’s Roundtable Will Explore Historic Knight v. Alabama Lawsuit
A prestigious panel featuring some of the key people who participated in the historic Knight v. Alabama lawsuit will join Interim President William H. Harris for a roundtable discussion on Thursday, Jan. 23.
The roundtable will explore events surrounding the Knight v. Alabama lawsuit and the decision that laid the foundation for Alabama State University’s transformation.
The lawsuit was filed in 1981 by lead plaintiff John F. Knight Jr. and a group of faculty and students. After years of legal wrangling, Judge Harold Murphy ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and issued a consent decree in 1995 that brought an end to vestiges of segregation in the funding of higher education in Alabama.
"Because this case has historic significance beyond our institution and is a landmark case in jurisprudence, we felt it imperative to take the opportunity to provide a platform for the significant contributors to be heard," Harris said. "Their stories are an important part of the history of Alabama State University, and even further, the history of the struggle for racial equality in the state of Alabama."
The roundtable discussion will include plaintiffs, lawyers and other significant figures related to the historic lawsuit. The event marks the first time that the group involved in the case has assembled in nearly 20 years.
Participants will include:
- John F. Knight Jr. - lead plaintiff
- Dr. Alma Freeman - faculty plaintiff
- Soloman Seay, Fred Gray, James Blackshear, Donald Watkins and Kenneth Thomas - attorneys
- Gen. Julius Becton, oversight committee member
- Carlos Gonzales, court representative
The President’s Roundtable on Knight v. Alabama will be held at 2 p.m. in ASU’s Ralph D. Abernathy Auditorium.
SANDRA M. PHOENIX
Executive Director
HBCU Library Alliance
sphoenix@hbculibraries.orgmailto:sphoenix@hbculibraries.org
www.hbculibraries.orghttp://www.hbculibraries.org/
800-999-8558, ext. 4820
404-702-5854
Skype: sandra.phoenix1
1438 West Peachtree NW
Suite 200
Atlanta,GA 30309
Toll Free: 1.800.999.8558 (LYRASIS)
Fax: 404.892.7879
www.lyrasis.orghttp://www.lyrasis.org/
Honor the ancestors, honor the children.
Alabama State University News
January 17, 2014
President’s Roundtable Will Explore Historic Knight v. Alabama Lawsuit
A prestigious panel featuring some of the key people who participated in the historic Knight v. Alabama lawsuit will join Interim President William H. Harris for a roundtable discussion on Thursday, Jan. 23.
The roundtable will explore events surrounding the Knight v. Alabama lawsuit and the decision that laid the foundation for Alabama State University’s transformation.
The lawsuit was filed in 1981 by lead plaintiff John F. Knight Jr. and a group of faculty and students. After years of legal wrangling, Judge Harold Murphy ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and issued a consent decree in 1995 that brought an end to vestiges of segregation in the funding of higher education in Alabama.
"Because this case has historic significance beyond our institution and is a landmark case in jurisprudence, we felt it imperative to take the opportunity to provide a platform for the significant contributors to be heard," Harris said. "Their stories are an important part of the history of Alabama State University, and even further, the history of the struggle for racial equality in the state of Alabama."
The roundtable discussion will include plaintiffs, lawyers and other significant figures related to the historic lawsuit. The event marks the first time that the group involved in the case has assembled in nearly 20 years.
Participants will include:
* John F. Knight Jr. - lead plaintiff
* Dr. Alma Freeman - faculty plaintiff
* Soloman Seay, Fred Gray, James Blackshear, Donald Watkins and Kenneth Thomas - attorneys
* Gen. Julius Becton, oversight committee member
* Carlos Gonzales, court representative
The President’s Roundtable on Knight v. Alabama will be held at 2 p.m. in ASU’s Ralph D. Abernathy Auditorium.
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
404-702-5854
Skype: sandra.phoenix1
1438 West Peachtree 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.