The Byron & Christine Johnson Lecture/Discussion Series
2010 Theme:Â Casting our Cultural Shadow
 A Mighty Long Way: My Journey to Justice at Little Rock Central High School
Saturday, January 30, 2010, 10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
In 1957 Carlotta Walls LaNier was the youngest of the nine students to first integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Now having written her personal account of that journey, she will be here to read from her newly published memoir. *Copies of her book will also be available for purchase.
Out of the Shadow: Let the Poets Speak
Saturday, February 20, 2010, 10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
Poetry has long been a vehicle for bearing culture, and often it is only the poet who can encapsulate our experience in precise and resonant language. Join us as African American and Latino/a poets and spoken word artists give voice to that cultural resonance. Participating poets include Ramon Del Castillo and Dominique Johnson.
“Education of a Harvard Guyâ€: A Play
Saturday, March 20, 2010, 10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
When John Perdew arrived in Americus, Georgia, in 1963, he found just over 30 Black people registered to vote in a county with a Black population of 15,000. A member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), his active participation in Voter Registration Drives landed him in the Sumter County Jail charged with insurrection and facing the death penalty. As a young White man who was a native of Denver, his case made headlines both nationally and locally. His experience has been turned into a one-man play, which Perdew has performed at schools around the country. Now living in Atlanta, he will return to Denver to perform for us, as well as at Metropolitan State College of Denver.
The Evolution of Racial Identity:Â Part II
Saturday, April 17, 2010, 10:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
The 2009 Johnson Lecture Series concluded with a panel discussion on racial identity that offered such thought-provoking commentary that we decided to continue the conversation. Facilitator Harold Fields, along with the original panelists, will return to further dialogue on aspects of Black identity, which include double-consciousness, biracial individuals and family units, and Afro-centered identity.
The Spirituals:Â Song & Testimony
Saturday, May 15, 2010, 10:00 A.M. – 2:00 P.M. ($10.00 cost for luncheon)
Members of the Spirituals Project will reflect on the legacy of Negro Spirituals through musical renditions and personal recollection. This culminating lecture is extended to include a luncheon in the Balcony Parlor.
*All sessions at Park Hill United Methodist Church, 5209 Montview Boulevard, Denver, CO 80207
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