Student Activism Conference at the University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina will host a national conference titled "Student Activism, Southern Style: Organizing and Protest in the 1960s and 1970s" on March 19 – 21, 2010 in Columbia, SC. The conference will investigate student activism in the South in the 1960s and 1970s, which has often been overlooked. SC Humanities supported this project through a Mini Grant in February 2010.

The conference will recognize the 40th anniversary of the "Russell House takeover" in May 1960, when students from the University of South Carolina briefly took over the Russell House in protest of the Vietnam War's expansion into Cambodial. More generally, the conference will examine political activism, change, place, and the role of the Southern University. The keynote speaker will be noted activist from the 1960s, Tom Hayden.

Registration for the conference is required. For more information, contact the Department of History at the University of South Carolina or visit the website at: http://www.cas.sc.edu/hist/sass/index.html. For a full schedule of lectures, plenary discussions, panel discussions and other components of the conference, see the website at: http://www.cas.sc.edu/hist/sass/index.html#program.

The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. SC Humanities programs and initiatives are balanced, reflecting sensitivity to the diversity of ideas, encourage open dialogue, demonstrate integrity, and are ethical in operations.