At issue: Emerson hosts Victory Stride event in honor of Brown vs. Board of Education anniversary

Our take: It’s important that Emerson acknowledges leaps in Civil Rights

On Feb. 26, Emerson held its first Victory Stride, which honored the 60th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision and the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. The event took place in the Semel Theater and was open to all Emerson students. The performances and speeches were nothing short of inspiring, garnering a series of emotional reactions from the crowd of over 200.

Events like Victory Stride, which discussed the history of minority empowerment and the fight for civil rights, are invaluable to a school that is still striving to bolster diversity and integrate black history into its curriculum. The powerful rhetoric of the Victory Stride speeches was especially influential for Emerson students who never truly experienced the struggles chronicled by President M. Lee Pelton, American studies professor Roger House, and journalism professor Carole Simpson. It bodes well for students that our faculty understands diversity and acceptance must be planted before it can blossom. Our school may not be in bloom yet, but it is comforting to know Emerson will continue watering.