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Senior Slant
High Praise for New
Website About Civil Rights in America
By Tucker Sutherland, editor
April 1, 2004 - Senior citizens have a
greater concept of the civil rights struggle in this country, because we
lived through so many of the critical periods. Like me, you probably
went to segregated schools, and as a child tried your best and failed to
really understand it all. Now there is an excellent Website sponsored by
AARP and Leadership Conference on Civil
Rights (LCCR) that captures this piece of history effectively and makes
good use of the presentation possibilities of the Internet.
The Website is
VoicesofCivilRights.org and you should not go there until you have a
few spare minutes, because it is captivating. The sponsors say, It is
the online home to the most extensive archive of compelling firsthand
accounts of America's struggle for civil rights.
"With the power and reach of the
web, America's civil rights struggle can be shared with people around
the globe," said Rick Bowers, director of digital media for AARP
Publications and originator of the Voices of Civil Rights project. "We
encourage anyone who has a personal recollection to submit his or her
story through this user-friendly web site."
We have done our share of
criticizing AARP but this project is a winner and I compliment Mr.
Bowers and his staff for the work
The site features a searchable
archive and easy-to-use electronic story submission form, as well as
interactive and multimedia content, feature articles, essays, interviews
with past and present civil rights leaders, and special reports on
contemporary civil rights issues. Related materials are also available
on LCCR's website at
www.civilrights.org.
LCCR Executive Director Wade
Henderson, whose organization represents more than 180 civil rights
groups, called
www.voicesofcivilrights.org a "tremendous tool for reaching out to
the diverse group of Americans with civil rights stories to tell,
including African Americans, whites, women, Hispanics, Asians, people
with disabilities and others."
Henderson added, "It is the
personal experiences that are at the heart of the Voices of Civil Rights
project. On behalf of all who are deeply committed to this project, our
gratitude goes out to those who have already shared their stories and to
others who we hope will take a moment to do so when they learn about the
website. What better way to engage the public and provide a better
understanding of what the civil rights movement in America is all about
than to witness history through the eyes of someone who has lived it."
The Voices project, a yearlong
endeavor, is the inspiration for a forthcoming book entitled "My Soul
Looks Back in Wonder" by Juan Williams (Sterling, May 2004), a special
civil rights section in the May-June issue of AARP the Magazine, radio
and television programs, traveling exhibits, educational programs,
dramatic readings and grassroots events around the country.
Voices of Civil Rights will be
part of a Library of Congress exhibit in Washington, D.C. this May
commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education
Supreme Court ruling that declared racial segregation in schools
unconstitutional. In addition a "Freedom Writers" bus will be traveling
the country this year collecting civil rights stories along some of the
same routes as the 1964 Freedom Riders.
Personal experiences will be
added to the online collection throughout 2004. The final archive,
comprising thousands of stories, will be permanently housed at the
Library of Congress.
"There is something profound in
the simple act of taking the time to share a deeply personal experience
or a private moment that occurred long ago," said Project Editor Leah Y.
Latimer. "That's why these stories from ordinary citizens are truly a
gift to the nation."
Previously unpublished personal
stories and memories, of 500-words or less, can be submitted online at
www.voicesofcivilrights.org or to AARP Voices of Civil Rights Project
601 E St. NW Washington, D.C., 20049
The Leadership Conference on Civil
Rights (LCCR) is a coalition of more than 180 organizations committed to
social justice and equality. Founded in 1950, it is the nation's oldest,
largest and most diverse civil and human rights coalition. LCCR member
organizations represent persons of color, women, children, labor unions,
individuals with disabilities, older Americans, major religious groups,
gays and lesbians and civil liberties and human rights groups. Its
mission: to promote the enactment and enforcement of effective civil
rights legislation and policy.
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