Dr. Lonnie Williams
MAGNOLIA — Dr. Lonnie Williams, associate vice chancellor for student affairs at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, will discuss his book, “Remembrances in Black: Personal Perspectives of the African American Experience at the University of Arkansas 1940s-2000s,” during a lecture at Southern Arkansas University at 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 28.
The lecture is sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Services and will take place in Salon C of the Donald W. Reynolds Campus and Community Center Grand Hall.
With the admittance in 1948 of Silas Hunt to the University of Arkansas Law School, the university became the first southern public institution of higher education to official desegregate without being required to do so by court order. Other students would follow in Hunt’s footsteps, and they along with the university would have to continue to grapple with the situation. “Remembrances in Black” is an oral history that gathers the personal stories of African Americans who worked as faculty, staff, and students who studies at the University of Arkansas.
These stories illustrate the anguish, struggle and triumph of individuals who had their lives indelibly marked by their experiences at the school. The book illustrates how African Americans navigated both the evolving campus environment and that of the city of Fayetteville in their attempt to fulfill personal aspirations.
The lecture is free and is open to the public. A book signing will take place after the lecture.
For more information, contact the office of Multicultural Services at (870) 235-4046.
