January 14, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Catherine J. Trujillo
805-756-2305
ctrujill@calpoly.edu
Cal Poly Kennedy Library Presents Civil Rights Movement Exhibit
Feb. 2 – March 1
In Honor of Black History Month
SAN LUIS OBISPO – In honor of Black History Month, the Cal Poly Kennedy Library is showcasing "Strive and Struggle: Documenting the Civil Rights Movement at Cal Poly, 1967-1975." The free and public exhibit is scheduled to run Feb. 2 through March 1 in the library’s first floor gallery.
The exhibit explores on-campus reactions, struggles and triumphs during the civil rights years, as well as the efforts to establish ethnic studies courses, recruit black faculty and combat racial prejudice on campus.
The exhibit also highlights national black leaders who visited Cal Poly's campus during this period. Visitors included political leaders, sports legends, comedians, musicians, educators, and civil rights activists. These men and women shared their experiences combating racism, encouraging cooperation, and discouraging apathy.
The final section documents the achievement of black leaders who have advanced the cause of African Americans by attaining unprecedented levels of political power and achieving important breakthroughs.
In collaboration with Kennedy Library and History Department graduate students, the exhibition is presented through the pages of the campus newspaper, The Mustang Daily.
The paper covered the campus visit of African American activist Myrlie Evers on Jan. 8, 1973. "We must continue to strive and struggle for equality no matter how tired or successful we are ourselves, to help all our brothers and sisters,” Evers was quoted as saying during that visit. “We must pick up and finish the work that others have died for trying to get our rights."
The exhibit will be open during normal library hours. For more information on “Strive and Struggle,” visit the Library’s Web site at www.lib.calpoly.edu/ or call 805-756-2305. For library hours, visit www.lib.calpoly.edu/about/hours.
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