Dr. Michael Perri, associate professor of history at Texas A&M University-Texarkana, will present “Desegregating American Education: An Examination of Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and Sam J. Ervin and Others’ Southern Manifesto (1956)” at a Program for Learning and Community Engagement SuperLecture on Thursday, April 20, from 9:30-10:45 a.m. in University Center 217 on the A&M-Texarkana campus, 7101 University Ave., Texarkana, Texas.
The event is free and open to the public.
In this lecture that examines the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education, Dr. Perri will present some background on the case and explain the Supreme Court’s rationale for its ruling that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”
Dr. Perri also will examine reactions to the decision, including the Southern Manifesto. The Southern Manifesto, also known as The Declaration of Constitutional Principles, was a document signed by 19 senators and 82 representatives arguing against the desegregation of schools. Citing precedent, the Southern Manifesto” accused the Supreme Court of “clear abuse of judicial power.”
Dr. Perri has a Master of Arts in Latin American and Iberian Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a Ph.D. in Latin American history from Emory University. He is also a contributing editor to the Handbook of Latin American Studies (HLAS).
PLACE is a faculty-led program designed to create a community of learners comprising A&M-Texarkana students, faculty, staff and the community at large.
“Faculty members annually choose a common theme around which to organize a lecture series and other activities that provide focal points for learning and discussion,” said Dr. Perri, who also serves as chair of the PLACE Committee. This year’s theme is “Race and Ethnicity.”
PLACE’s goal is to expose its community of learners to a diversity of ideas from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds.
For more information, contact Dr. Michael Perri at Michael.Perri@tamut.edu or Dr. Craig Nakashian at Craig.Nakashian@tamut.edu.
