Who Knew? Civil Rights Activists Who Led the Movement from Behind the Scenes
Join us for an enlightening series of webinars that shed light on the unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. These five activists worked tirelessly behind the scenes to advance the cause of racial equality and social justice. Through their dedication and perseverance, they made significant contributions that helped shape the course of history.
September 25th, 2024: Dr. Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons
Join us for an enlightening series of webinars that shed light on the unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. These five activists worked tirelessly behind the scenes to advance the cause of racial equality and social justice. Through their dedication and perseverance, they made significant contributions that helped shape the course of history.
September 25th, 2024: Dr. Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons
Join the Rev. Dr. Gordon Gibson as he talks with Dr. Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons about her involvement in Freedom Summer of 1964, building freedom schools and libraries in black communities in Mississippi, registering voters, and working on desegregation in Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama during the height of the Civil Rights Movement.
SPEAKERS
Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons (Robinson)
Dr. Gwendolyn Zoharah Simmons is retired assistant professor of religion at the University of Florida, where her primary academic focus is on Islamic law and its impact on contemporary Muslim women. Dr. Simmons has a long history in the area of civil rights, human rights, and peace work. For 23 years, she was on the staff of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), a Quaker peace, justice, human rights, and international development organization headquartered in Philadelphia. During her early adult years as a college student and, thereafter, Dr. Simmons was active with the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and spent seven years working full-time on voter registration and desegregation activities in Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama during the height of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.
MODERATOR
The Rev. Dr. Gordon Gibson
Gordon Gibson has been involved in organizing and leading pilgrimages to civil rights sites since 2004. During the first weeks after Gordon was ordained, he was in Selma, Alabama, taking part in early phases of the 1965 voting rights campaign there. He also brings his experience of living in Mississippi 1969-1984 when he was the Unitarian Universalist minister in the state. For seven of those years he was also an investigator for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In retirement, Judy and Gordon Gibson live in Knoxville, Tennessee. Gordon is the author of Southern Witness: Unitarians and Universalists in the Civil Rights Era, an engaging account of the roles that UU individuals and congregations played in the civil rights movement in the South in the 1950s and '60s. Gordon currently serves as a member of the Board and as the LLP historian.
RESOURCES
Don't miss this opportunity to learn about the unsung heroes who played crucial roles in the Civil Rights Movement.
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by Dan Berger
The story of Zoharah and Michael Simmons. Based on hundreds of hours of interviews, Stayed On Freedom is a moving and intimate portrait of two people trying to make a life while working to make a better world. |
Visit our bookstore to read about all these important figures:
Who Knew? 2024 Education Series Booklist - Bookshop.org
Who Knew? 2024 Education Series Booklist - Bookshop.org
Register now and join us in honoring their legacy.
All programs will be held on Zoom at 4:30 pm PT, 5:30 MT, 6:30 CT, and 7:30 ET. These webinars are free and open to the public, but registration is required. Donations are appreciated to support our ongoing educational efforts.
All programs will be held on Zoom at 4:30 pm PT, 5:30 MT, 6:30 CT, and 7:30 ET. These webinars are free and open to the public, but registration is required. Donations are appreciated to support our ongoing educational efforts.
Please note that program dates are subject to change. Registered participants will be notified of any changes. Recordings of the webinars will be available for on-demand viewing for those unable to attend live.