A History of Slavery and Discrimination, 1970 – 2020: The Struggle Continues (Virtual Seminar)

This seminar series presented by Gibbel Kraybill & Hess attorneys J. Dwight Yoder and Sheila O’Rourke in collaboration with Reverend Edward M. Bailey and Danielle Brown of Bethel AME Church has been exploring the legal and historical context of slavery and racial discrimination in the United States.

Often referred to as America’s “original sin,” the kidnapping of Africans, who were then taken to the British colonies and original states where they were enslaved and treated as property, represents one of the most tragic and inhumane parts of our country’s history. Our founding document – the United States Constitution – preserved and protected slavery as an institution. Even after slavery was abolished by the adoption of the 13th Amendment during the Reconstruction Era following the Civil War, discrimination, organized violence and systemic oppression against African-Americans continued. This discrimination was legalized by the states, encouraged by the federal government and sanctioned by the courts. After four seminars over the past year exploring the history of slavery, the fifth seminar was canceled this past Spring due to Covid-19. On June 3, 2020, the series resumed with a virtual seminar that reviewed some of the key historical events and facts from the first four seminars as we re-engaged and continued to struggle with our country’s history and how that history affects and shapes us today.

We are pleased to announce the sixth seminar in this ongoing series. This seminar starts in 1970 with the end of the civil rights movement and takes a close look at the last 50 years (from 1970 until today). This seminar will explore how our country has made progress, most notably the election of our first African-American president, but will also look at how the history of slavery, legalized discrimination, violence and white supremacy ideology remains deeply engrained in our systems, institutions and some of our political leaders. It is a particularly timely seminar in light of the murder of George Floyd and the resulting protests that have placed a bright light on how we continue to struggle with our country’s history of slavery and discrimination.

This virtual seminar will be held on Wednesday, July 22, 2020 beginning at 6:00 p.m. Attorney Yoder will review significant legal and historical events during this time period, with Reverend Bailey and Ms. Brown providing input and reflections during the seminar. There will be an opportunity to ask questions at the end of the seminar.

Please join us for this virtual seminar. You can either join as a participant by registering in advance, or you can watch the live-stream feed from GKH’s Facebook page. A link to the live stream will be posted on our Facebook page prior to the start of the virtual seminar on July 22. All are welcome to join!

To be able to participate and ask questions in this seminar you must pre-register through Zoom. Please be advised that the seminar, including the question and answer session, will be recorded and posted on the internet for viewing by the general public. By preregistering you consent to your participation in the seminar being included as part of the recording that will be posted on the internet following the seminar.