The Legacy of Congressman Parren Mitchell:
First African-American to Obtain a Graduate Degree from the University of Maryland
On April 29, 2014, The Critical Race Initiative (CRI), under the auspices of the Department of Sociology at the University of Maryland, will hold a symposium honoring the legacy of the late Congressman Parren Mitchell. Mitchell was a recipient of the Purple Heart for his service in WWII, the first African-American elected to Congress from Maryland in 1970 (serving in Congress for eight terms) and a founder of the Congressional Black Caucus. Most noteworthy from the point of view of our institution, in 1952 Mitchell became the first African-American to obtain a graduate degree from the University of Maryland. This degree was obtained in the Department of Sociology, and Mitchell stated later in his life that his sociological training shaped his activism in politics and social change.
The symposium will employ critical race theory as a framework to examine the legacy of Parren Mitchell. Specifically the symposium will: 1) Chronicle past events at UMD and the state of Maryland that helped establish the landmark Brown v. Board Education decision; 2) Address current practices, strategies, and policies aimed to transform barriers to graduate education for racial/ethnic minorities and eliminate racialized experiences on campus; and 3) Discuss future possibilities for UMD to increase minority student representation and become a positive presence in local minority communities including Prince George's County and Baltimore.
This symposium will focus on the structural and interpersonal barriers that minorities face in higher education. Moderated by sociologist and Distinguished University Professor Patricia Hill Collins, panelists Odis Johnson (Interim Chair, African American Studies Department), Sharon Fries-Britt (Associate Professor in the College of Education), Julie J. Park (Assistant Professor in the College of Education), and Kumea Shorter-Gooden (Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Vice President) will discuss key gateways of the education pipeline (e.g., high school, college, graduate school and junior faculty life) as minorities transition from students to professionals. This symposium also will focus on how Mitchell's legacy speaks to the importance of continuing the pursuit of racial equality through institutional policies aimed to address systemic inequities in higher education.
Reception Immediately Following in the downstairs Art Gallery
Keynote Address given by State Delegate Keiffer Jackson Mitchell, Jr.
For more information about the legacy of Parren Mitchell, watch this video!
The symposium will employ critical race theory as a framework to examine the legacy of Parren Mitchell. Specifically the symposium will: 1) Chronicle past events at UMD and the state of Maryland that helped establish the landmark Brown v. Board Education decision; 2) Address current practices, strategies, and policies aimed to transform barriers to graduate education for racial/ethnic minorities and eliminate racialized experiences on campus; and 3) Discuss future possibilities for UMD to increase minority student representation and become a positive presence in local minority communities including Prince George's County and Baltimore.
This symposium will focus on the structural and interpersonal barriers that minorities face in higher education. Moderated by sociologist and Distinguished University Professor Patricia Hill Collins, panelists Odis Johnson (Interim Chair, African American Studies Department), Sharon Fries-Britt (Associate Professor in the College of Education), Julie J. Park (Assistant Professor in the College of Education), and Kumea Shorter-Gooden (Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Vice President) will discuss key gateways of the education pipeline (e.g., high school, college, graduate school and junior faculty life) as minorities transition from students to professionals. This symposium also will focus on how Mitchell's legacy speaks to the importance of continuing the pursuit of racial equality through institutional policies aimed to address systemic inequities in higher education.
Reception Immediately Following in the downstairs Art Gallery
Keynote Address given by State Delegate Keiffer Jackson Mitchell, Jr.
For more information about the legacy of Parren Mitchell, watch this video!
| CRISymposium.pdf |
