Judy Richardson and Betty Robinson, former members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), delivered the annual Sojourner Truth Lecture on March 1, 2012. Richardson and Robertson discussed their co-edited book, Hands On The Freedom Plow: Personal Accounts by women in SNCC. The book recounts the experiences of women involved in SNCC in the 1960s and was nominated for an NAACP Image Award and the Benjamin Hooks Award. Following the lecture, attendees were able to purchase a copy of the book and get it signed.
“The Sojourner Truth Lecture series is a very important collaborative effort between AAAS and WGST. This year our two presenters embodied the spirit and tradition of Sojourner Truth and reaffirmed why social justice work remains so important in the 21st century,” Wendi-Manuel-Scott, director of African and African American Studies.
A documentary screening of Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre of 1968 preceded the lecture on February 29th. “Showing that film and having an opportunity to talk with the producer and a person who was active in SNCC at that time was an amazing experience for the audience. Virtually everyone has heard about the Kent State murders of four white students on a college campus; almost no one had heard of the Orangeburg Massacre of 1968 when black students were shot at and murdered.” says Suzanne Scott, Director of Women and Gender Studies.
The Sojourner Truth Lecture Series was established to preserve the legacy of Sojourner Truth, the African American anti-slavery leader who championed the importance of political and social equality for all women. Past lecturers have included Ntozake Shange in 2009, Toby Jenkins in 2010, and Anita Hill in 2011. The series serves as a bridge between Black History Month and Women’s History Month.
March 17, 2012
