- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Kirk Edits Landmark New Book on Civil Rights Movement

John Hill — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 22:57:15 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor has edited a new book on the civil rights movement that uses primary sources to highlight its important themes, issues, and figures. Dr. John Kirk, George W. Donaghey Distinguished Professor of History at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, edited “.” The book, which was released in 2020 by Wiley, one of the world’s leading academic publishers, is part of the Uncovering the Past series on American history. Focusing on documents, this volume offers a concise yet comprehensive analysis of the civil rights movement by covering both well-known and relatively unfamiliar texts.�� “There hasn’t been a new book that incorporates the most recent historiographical updates in a wide-ranging primary document collection in more than a generation,” Kirk said. The book contains 120 edited primary documents over 329 pages, each containing Kirk’s expert headnote introduction for context. It also includes an introductory essay by Kirk that provides an authoritative overview of recent developments in the field.

Dr. John Kirk edited “The Civil Rights Movement: A Documentary Reader.”

“Historians encourage students to learn through primary documents,” Kirk said. “In an age of misinformation and disinformation, it’s important that we critically examine primary sources. Instead of just talking about an event, we can show students first-hand what key actors and organizations in the movement said in their own words. In this way, students can experience a more direct and immediate connection with the past.” The book provides a fascinating look at the civil rights movement from the 1940s into the modern era. “The focus of the book is mainly on the 1960s, which was a key decade for the civil rights movement,” Kirk said. “However, I start with a chapter on the origins of the movement and end with a chapter that examines the extensive legacies of the movement, including the current Black Lives Matters movement.” Kirk’s next book is a biography of Winthrop Rockefeller, who in 1966 was elected the first Republican governor of Arkansas in 94 years. The book will be published by the University of Arkansas Press this fall. “Rockefeller was governor during an important transitional period in Arkansas history,” Kirk said. “The book shows that he had a long history of working in race relations, even before coming to the state.”

History lecture to explore how to approach and understand the civil rights movement

John Hill — Tue, 28 Jan 2020 14:22:20 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor will give a Feb. 4 lecture that explores how historians approach and understand the civil rights movement. Dr. John Kirk, George W. Donaghey Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, will give the talk, “What is the Civil Rights Movement?” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4, at the Historic Arkansas Museum, Ottenheimer Auditorium, 200 E. Third St. in Little Rock. “Initially focusing on the 1950s and 1960s and on the leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights studies have expanded chronologically and thematically since the 1960s to paint a very different picture of a black struggle for freedom and equality,” Kirk said. “This talk will outline and examine the nature and context of those changes and assess how historians view the civil rights movement today.” Kirk’s research focuses primarily on the history of the civil rights movement. He has published nine books, including the award-winning “Redefining the Color Line: Black Activism in Little Rock, Arkansas, 1940-1970.” His forthcoming book, “The Civil Rights Movement: A Documentary Reader,” will be published later this year. Parking is available at the Historic Arkansas Museum parking lot at Third and Cumberland streets. Refreshments will be served at 7 p.m., followed by the talk at 7:30 p.m. The talk is part of the University History Institute’s Evenings with History lecture series.

John Kirk commemorates integration of Central High School with Little Rock Nine

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 29 Sep 2017 14:05:53 +0000

In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the integration of Central High School, John Kirk, director of the Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, signed copies of his books on African American civil rights history in Arkansas along with members of the Little Rock Nine. On Sept. 2, 1957, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus called out the National Guard to prevent nine African American students, known as the Little Rock Nine, from integrating Central High School. Kirk was invited to participate in the book signing and discussion on the integration of Central High School with five members of the Little Rock Nine on Sept. 23 as part of the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site’s participation in Arkansas Peace Week. Reliving history with members of the Little Rock Nine was both “humbling and enlightening,” Kirk said. “What is remarkable about the Nine is not just what they did back then in 1957 as teenagers in desegregating Central High, but what outstanding models of civil rights heroes they have continued to be ever since,” Kirk said. “Still today, sixty years later, they rise to their responsibilities with incredible good humor and grace, while continuing to be steadfast and uncompromising in their ideals and in their pursuit of justice and equality.” Kirk autographed copies of his books, “Redefining the Color Line: Black Activism in Little Rock, Arkansas, 1940-1970” and “Beyond Little Rock: The Origins and Legacies of the Central High School Crisis.” Members of the Little Rock Nine shared their stories with members of the public and encouraged students to continue to be strong and strive for equality. “The most memorable and clear collective message from the Nine is that the struggle for educational equality continues today, and that they are still very much part of that ongoing struggle,” Kirk said. In the upper right photo, Dr. John Kirk (middle) speaks with members of the Little Rock Nine, Dr. Terrence Roberts (left) and Melba Pattillo Beals (right), during a book signing at Central High School.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock center creates virtual exhibit commemorating 60th anniversary of desegregation of Central High School

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 21 Sep 2017 17:59:53 +0000

The Center for Arkansas History and Culture at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock has created a to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the desegregation of Little Rock’s Central High School and the legacy surrounding the historic events.�� “This is a very rich collection of material that is visually appealing and easy to navigate,” said Dr. Deborah Baldwin, director of the Center for Arkansas History and Culture. “The interactive timeline presents events with photos of locations and participants, and the oral histories have been digitized so that one can see and listen to the speaker. The web exhibit designer has done a wonderful job of meshing this historic event with its still current issues.” On Sept. 2, 1957, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus called the National Guard to prevent nine African American students, known as the Little Rock Nine, from integrating Central High School. The students were eventually allowed to enter school on Sept. 25, after President Dwight Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas National Guard, removed them from Central High School, and replaced them with the 101st Airborne who escorted the students to school. Integration was later delayed by the closure of all public high schools in Little Rock during the 1958-59 school year, also known as the Lost Year. The virtual exhibit provides viewers a broad range of perspectives on the desegregation crisis through commentary by witnesses, scholars, and journalists. The website features a media gallery with digitized archival photos, editorial cartoons, documents, and television news coverage of the crisis as well as oral interviews with members of the Little Rock Nine. The exhibit also includes a look at the FBI’s investigation into the Central High School Crisis and disturbing rumors of Arkansans preparing for violence and a review of how other countries reported on the events at Central High School during the.�� For educators, the exhibit includes educational materials with lesson plans covering the Little Rock Nine, Civil Rights activist Daisy Bates, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Lost Year.��

Members of the 101st Airborne escort the Little Rock Nine in and out of Central High School to ensure the students’ safety during the 1957 integration of Central High School. Photo courtesy of the Center for Arkansas History and Culture.

John Kirk, director of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity, said the impact of the events of 1957 is still culturally significant today, six decades later. “The 1957 Little Rock school crisis remains an internationally renowned landmark in the ongoing struggle to secure equal access to education for all students,” Kirk said. Chad Garrett, director of technology and digital initiative, and Jared Craig, website coordinator, created the virtual exhibit. This exhibit grew from the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture’s participation in the Central High Integration 60th Anniversary Committee. The is one of many events honoring the 60th anniversary of the integration of Central High School. More information can be found at the. In the upper right photo, a sign in front of Little Rock Central High School declares the closing of the city’s four public high schools, thus beginning the Lost Year of 1958-1959. Photo courtesy of the Center for Arkansas History and Culture.��

Civil Rights leader Bernard LaFayette to speak at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock March 14

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 14:37:44 +0000

The Rev. Dr. Bernard LaFayette, co-founder of the , will speak about his life and experiences as a leader in the Civil Rights movement March 14, at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law.�� The free event will take place at 6 p.m. at the Friday Courtroom. A reception and book signing will follow. LaFayette is a minister, educator, lecturer, and authority on the strategy of nonviolent social change. He co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in 1960, was a leader of the Nashville Movement in 1960, a member of the Freedom Riders in 1961, and participated in the 1965 Selma Movement. He directed the Alabama Voter Registration Project in 1962 and was appointed national program administrator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and national coordinator of the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign. An ordained minister, LaFayette served on the faculties of Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta and Alabama State University in Montgomery, where he was dean of the Graduate School. He also was principal of Tuskegee Institute High School in Tuskegee, Alabama, and a teaching fellow at Harvard University. LaFayette is currently a distinguished-senior-scholar-in-residence at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The event is sponsored by the Anderson Institute on Race and Ethnicity, Bowen School of Law, Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, and National Park Service. For more information, call 501.569.8932.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock