Clemson lecture series centered on SC civil rights history to feature acclaimed writer, academic leader as keynote speaker

Leslie Fenwick, dean emerita and professor at Howard University and dean in residence of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE), will serve as keynote speaker at an upcoming lecture in Clemson centered on SC civil rights history.

The Fourth Annual Joseph and Mattie De Laine Lecture Series will be held October 17 at the Madren Conference Center in Clemson. Over the past three years, the lecture series has focused on the roles Joseph De Laine and his wife, Mattie, played to bring the first of five cases forward that would go on to end school segregation through the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education.

Fenwick's inclusion broadens the scope of the lecture series and explores the displacement of Black principals and teacher leadership in public schools after the Brown v. Board of Education court decision. According to Roy Jones, the executive director of Call Me MiSTERä who has organized and led the lecture series since its inception, the context that Fenwick can provide will allow attendees to learn more about the fallout from the landmark Supreme Court decision.

"Things did not change overnight after the decision, and there was still resistance to the idea of integration," Jones said. "Dr. Fenwick will explore the historical record, which, until now, has been lost to time. We are heartened to know that a scholar such as Dr. Fenwick continues to explore and share knowledge on this history-a history South Carolinians figure into greatly."

Fenwick, a former teacher and administrator in urban schools, is a nationally known education policy and leadership studies scholar who is regularly called upon to testify about expanding educational opportunities and college access by the U.S. Senate and other national organizations, including the National Conference of State Legislatures, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National Urban League, to name a few.

Her most recent book, "Jim Crow's Pink Slip: The Untold Story of Black Principal and Teacher Leadership" has been cited by the New York Times and Education Week and the Center for American Progress has referenced her research. Fenwick contributes to the best-selling book, "The Last Word: Controversy and Commentary in American Education." Her op-ed articles about education, the economy and urban development have appeared in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Education Week, The Huffington Post and Diverse Issues in Higher Education.

Jones is excited to include a scholar well versed in the national history surrounding the Brown v. Board of Education decision so attendees can gain further context related to history specific to South Carolina, a history the De Laine lecture series aims to preserve.

Previous De Laine lectures have included a Charleston-based journalist who shared his expertise on the legal beginnings of the end of school segregation, a short film depicting the violent fallout of the De Laine's efforts to advocate for civil rights, and discussion and presentation of the history and collected artifacts of the De Laines from Jones himself.

Due to construction at the Madren Center, parking for the event will be limited. Event organizers recommend that guests use the parking available on Lake Drive, where a Tiger Transit shuttle will assist them in getting to the Madren Center.