BLACKSBURG, Va., Feb. 17, 2004 – Elaine D. Carter, executive director of the Christiansburg Institute, Inc. and Peter Wallenstein, associate professor of history in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, will review state and local effects of the historic 1954 United States Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education on Feb. 25 from 3 to 5 p.m., in Torgersen Hall, Room 1000. The landmark ruling that separate facilities are inherently unequal changed the face of education in the commonwealth.
Carter will discuss the Christiansburg Institute, which educated blacks in the region from 1866 until 1966, and how its history relates to Brown v. Board. The last remaining building is now a museum, archive, and community learning center. Wallenstein will talk about how the Supreme Court decision changed education in Virginia and when those changes took place.
This event, part of Virginia Tech's Black History Month celebration, is sponsored by University Libraries, the Department of Teaching and Learning, and the Office of Multicultural Affairs. A reception will follow the program.