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Where do we go from here? Racism and Rights Activism in Hattiesburg and Southern Miss
In the wake of the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, USM Centers for Black Studies and for the Study of the Gulf South co-sponsored an online panel discussion on Wednesday, June 10 to address the history of violence against black citizens in Hattiesburg and at the University.
The program, titled “Where do we go from here? Racism and Rights Activism in Hattiesburg and Southern Miss" discussed how community members, students, faculty, staff, and administrators fought back against this oppression in the past and the best way to protest, show support, and make longstanding change now and in the future, among others.
Program panelists included:
- Dr. William Sturkey: an assistant professor of history at the University of North Carolina and author of the award-winning book, Hattiesburg: An American City in Black and White. Dr. Sturkey conducted research on his book in 2013 while in Hattiesburg as a visiting faculty member in the USM History program.
- Dr. Anthony Harris: a Hattiesburg civil rights activist, Southern Miss alumnus, retired professor, and author.
- Hattiesburg City Councilwoman Deborah Delgado: a five-term councilwoman for Ward 2, past president and current board member of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials (NBC-LEO), and founder and chairperson of the Historic Mobile Street Renaissance Festival.
- Jourdan Green of Hattiesburg: a USM student leader who is a senior in its Honors College and a Luckyday Scholar.