ETSU’s Multicultural Center hosted the Civil Rights and Social Justice Education Summit on Saturday for Black History Month.
The summit was held at 1 p.m. in The Cave of the D.P. Culp Student Center. Speakers gathered Saturday on Zoom to speak to students and attendees about their experience.
Kevin Brooks, director of the ETSU Multicultural Center, and Theodore Ransaw from Michigan State University moderated the discussion. Students listened and were invited to join the conversation and ask questions at the end.
The event featured speakers who discussed their experiences with civil rights. They shared about the importance of group activism and the impact that like-minded people can have, telling their stories and imparting wisdom on students.
Speaker Gary Orfield spoke about how the impact and truth of the civil rights movement should be taught more in schools and universities. He spoke that the movement should show today’s youth the ways in which they can empower and start change.
“We need to teach young people how young people can insight a monumental change,” Orfield said.
Speakers discussed how important it was to support each other in standing up for what is right. They talked about how without each other they would not have been able to make it through the movement or help others towards a causing a change.
Speaker Robert Green discussed the impact of Martin Luther King Jr. and what it was like for him to live through the Civil Rights Movement. He said fighting for what was right was not an easy task, but with the support of people around him, he was able to help others and contribute to the movement and change.
“This struggle wasn’t just a black struggle, it was a struggle we were all involved in and trying to do the right thing together,” Green said.
