We are very excited to announce panelists for the March 1 event along with a week of activities to commemorate the February 29, 1968 release of the report of The National Commission on Civil Disorders, known as the Kerner Report.
Join us the week of February 26 through March 2 to discuss the report’s findings and their continuing relevance for today’s urban issues. The keynote presentation on March 1 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. will feature the last remaining member of the Kerner Commission, former U.S. Senator Dr. Fred Harris.
A panel discussion will follow Dr. Harris’ keynote. Noted historian and Chicago civil rights activist Timuel Black will be joined by former mayor of Berkeley and human rights activist Eugene “Gus” Newport and former vice president of the W K Kellogg Foundation, Dr. Gail Christopher. Also included on the panel will be local activists and community builders: José Lopez of the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, Willie J.R. Fleming of the Chicago Anti-Eviction Campaign, and Anthony Lowery of the Safer Foundation.
We also hope that you will be able to join us for one or more smaller events in the Great Cities conference room discussing the socio-economic context for the urban unrests and impetus for the development of the Kerner Commission and Report. On Monday, February 26, African American Studies Professors Jane Rhodes, Cedric Johnson, and Amanda Lewis, (who is also Director of the Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy) will start the week off with a reflection on the report and issues of race and inequality in the 1960s.
Two documentary viewings on Tuesday, February 27 of Revolution ‘67 (set in Newark) and Wednesday, February 28 of Soul of Justice: Thelton Henderson’s American Journey, will add to the discussions of what led to the urban unrests of the 1960s and the work of important figures such as Judge Thelton Henderson to address racial inequality through the legal system.
Finally, on the morning of Friday, March 2, after the discussion of the main event on March 1, join panelist Eugene “Gus” Newport for a conversation around his decades of work to address racial and class disparities, both as an elected official and as a human rights activist throughout the U.S., Africa, and Latin America.
For more information on these events, please check the individual event pages on our calendar. For the March 1 main event with keynote speaker Dr. Fred Harris, an RSVP is appreciated, and can be registered for free here.
