Randy Williams, associate vice president for campus engagement and an assistant professor of education, reflects on Elon University’s 2018–19 Common Reading, 'Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County,' in a program to engage the community on contemporary issues involving civil rights and race.
Elon Law Martin Luther King Jr. Keynote Speaker: Associate Vice President Randy Williams
Thursday, Jan. 24, 12:30 p.m.
Elon Law, Room 207
Williams’ talk will address resistance, resilience and resolve in Prince Edward County, Virginia, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision and the quest for civil rights both then and now.
The program is the latest in a series of events focused on Elon University’s 2018-2019 Common Reading selection, “Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County” by Kristen Green, who recounts how her home county closed its public schools for five years rather than intergrate following Brown v. Board.
“Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County” also serves as the Winter Term book selection for Elon Law’s Inclusive Community Book Club.
Elon University’s 2019 MLK Jr. Celebration Planning Committee partnered across campus to promote and provide opportunities for the Elon community to engage with contemporary issues involving civil rights and race. This year’s events carry the theme of “The Hammer on Civil Rights,” taken from a 1964 essay by King that called for all levels of government to revise laws and the legal system to ensure the protection of civil rights promised by the U.S. Constitution.