A photo of young school-aged Africation-Americans from the 1950s

Brown v. Board at 70: Looking Back and Striving Forward

A conference sponsored by the University of Kansas and the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park, Topeka, KS.

Featuring Emily Taylor & Marilyn Stokstad Women's Leadership

Lecture Keynote Address by Sherrilyn Ifill

Three events

April 18-19

Overview of Events

April 18th – 5:30 PM

Opening Dinner, Jayhawk Welcome Center

April 19th – 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM

Conference, Burge Union
(will be available to livestream)

April 19th – 4:00 - 5:00 PM

Community Discussion, Brown v. Board of Education Museum

Conference registration is now full

Walk-ups at the Burge Union will only be admitted if there are ‘no-shows’ beginning at 9:15 a.m. the day of the conference. If you wish to view the livestream on April 19, please register using the livestream registration form below.

the registration for events deadline

April 5
Registration deadline (In-person attendance)

April 18th - Agenda

5:30 PM - Opening Dinner

Dinner held at Jayhawk Welcome Center

Opening address: Charise Cheney, Ph.D., University of Oregon.


April 19th - Agenda

Conference held at Burge Union (will be available to livestream online)

Tour and discussion at Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park in Topeka

April 19th

8:30-9:00 AM – Continental Breakfast

9:00–10:00 AM – Educational Panel

Dionne Danns, Ph.D., University of Illinois, Chicago

Jon Hale, Ph.D., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Christopher Span, Ph.D., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Facilitator – Nicholas Mitchell, Ph.D., University of Kansas

10:00-10:15 AM – Table Discussions With Attendees

10:15-10:30 AM – Break

Agenda continued

10:30-11:30 AM – Legal Panel

Erika Wilson, Wade Edwards Distinguished Scholar, Law School, University of North Carolina

Matthew Shaw, Associate Professor of Law, Vanderbilt University

Ted Shaw, Julius Chambers Distinguished Professor of Law, University of North Carolina

Facilitator – Jamila Jefferson-Jones, University of Kansas

11:30 – 11:45 AM – Table Discussions With Attendees

12:00 PM - Lunch

12:30-1:30 PM – Emily Taylor and Marilyn Stokstad Women's Leadership Lecture Keynote Address

Sherrilyn Ifill, Vernon E. Jordan Jr., Esq. Endowed Chair in Civil Rights at Howard University; Former President of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund

Agenda - Continued

1:30-2:30 PM – History Panel

Brett Gadsen, Ph.D., Northwestern University

Jill Titus, Ph.D., Gettysburg College

Waldo Martin, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley

Facilitator - Kim Warren, Ph.D., University of Kansas

2:30-2:45 PM – Table Discussions With Attendees

3:00 PM – Buses Leave for Topeka

Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park

4:00-5:00 PM – Community Discussion at Brown v. Board Museum

led by Charise Cheney, Ph.D., University of Oregon

Exploring the legacy of Brown v. Board, 70 years later