Town meeting focuses on perspectives of 1954 desegregation ruling

The Ohio State University is hosting a town meeting on “Diversity in Education” as a part of its four-day program to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education.

The event is from 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday (5/26) in the Moritz College of Law, 55 W. 12th Ave. It will focus on historical and prospective positions on the ruling that desegregated public schools as well as “what it was like” living in Columbus during that period.

Key speakers include: Jacqueline Jones Royster, interim dean of the College of Humanities; Kurt Schmoke, former Baltimore mayor and dean of the College of Law at Howard University; and Cynthia Tyson, associate professor of teaching and learning in the College of Education.

In addition, local community leaders will discuss their experiences during the desegregation of Columbus public schools. They are: Joseph Davis, former superintendent of Columbus Public Schools; Ben Espy, former Ohio state senator and attorney who represented the Civil Rights Commission for the Columbus v. Board of Education case; David A. Hamlar, former president Columbus Board of Education; and Edward Willis, former principal for Columbus Public Schools.

For more information about the event or the four-day program, see http://www.education.osu.edu/newsEvents/index.cfm?fuseaction=showEvent&EventID=88

WHAT: Ohio State is hosting a town hall discussion on “Diversity in Education” that will focus on the historical and prospective positions of Brown v. Board of Education ruling as well as “what it was like” living during that time period.

WHEN: 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday (5/26).

WHERE: Moritz College of Law, 55 W. 12th Ave.

WHY: The event is a part of Ohio State’s commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling.