"The examples of people putting their faith into action were quite inspiring. I think the whole seminar gave me a renewed sense of what committed people can accomplish, even on huge issues." Dennis Deery, Group X Participant "Thank you for the privilege of meeting all the heroic people who were leaders in the Civil Rights Movement. It was a once in a lifetime trip. I now have a better understanding of how the civil rights movement started and the leadership styles of those involved and a better understanding of King’s non-violence theory." Margaret Burlingham, Group X Participant Ms. Johnnie Carr, Mr. Herman Harris, & Mrs. Inell Johnson in front of the old Holt Street Baptist Church. Dr. Lawrence Carter, Sr, Morehouse College Group X Participants Far left: Dr. Shirlene Holmes, Georgia State University

Group X (2002 - 2004)

Exploring Race in the United States, Through the Lens of the African American Experience – Regional Seminar, September 13-19, 2003

Group X participants traveled to Georgia and Alabama for a weeklong regional seminar designed to help participants explore the paradoxical role “race” has played in American society since the founding of this country, and how that history influences contemporary multicultural theories and diversity work. The seminar examined the Black experience from the post-colonial period, through the civil rights era, to the present. The Black experience in the US was used as the comparative framework within which to examine “race”, racism and power. The analytical framework of the Black experience enabled participants to better understand the ways in which race and color prejudice continue to permeate the fabric of the country and influence social and public policy.

Vicki Washington, Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Programs, UW-Extension, chaired this seminar, which started out in Atlanta, Georgia and included visits to Tuskegee, Birmingham, and Montgomery, Alabama.

The week started out attending church service at Ebeneezer Baptist Church and continued with a lunch in fellowship hall, discussing and exploring the role of the church during the civil rights movement with Rev. Dr. Toussaint King Hill Jr. Participants then toured the King Center, King Family Birth Home, and the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History.

Two days were spent at Georgia State University with various guest speakers. Dr. Charles Jones, Department Chair of African American Studies addressed African American history. Later, a media panel made up of Dr. Shirlene Holmes and Dr. Marian Meyers, Department of Communications, and Mr. Michael Field, Southern Bureau Chief of National Public Radio, discussed the depictions of African Americans and other people of color in print and broadcast media and film and how these images influence perceptions of the general public.

Participants had a chance to tour two historically black colleges, Spelman and Morehouse. They were welcomed by Dr. Lawrence Carter Sr., Dean, Professor of Religion, and College Archivist and Curator. As participants sat in his office, surrounded by life-size photos of great leaders around the World, Dr. Carter shared some of the history of Morehouse and the great leaders it has graduated, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Next stop was the Tuskegee Human & Civil Rights Multicultural Center in Tuskegee, Alabama. Attorney Fred Gray talked with participants about his role in the Tuskegee Experiment as well as representing Rosa Parks in the 1960s. Before leaving Tuskegee, everyone had a chance to visit the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site and speak with Retired US Air Force Colonel, Herbert Carter, one of the Tuskegee airmen who flew in World War II.

In Montgomery, participants visited the Rosa Park Museum, met with staff from the Southern Poverty Law Center, and dined at the Holt Street Baptist Church with community resource people who were instrumental community leaders during the bus boycott. Finally, a full day was spent at the Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham meeting and hearing personal stories from community people who lived through the civil rights movement.

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