Dr. Lindsay Anderson, assistant professor of Sociology, was recently appointed the director of the annual UTM Civil Rights Conference, which is held each February.
Dr. David Barber, associate professor of History and Philosophy, has been director of the UTM Civil Rights Conference. He has served the Civil Rights Conference since 2005.
Barber announced his decision to step down from the position at the 19th annual Civil Rights Conference in 2019.
Anderson has since replaced Barber as the director and has begun planning the 20th annual conference.
Anderson is a professional sociologist with education in civil rights issues. She expressed her desire to show that the Civil Rights Movement is still relevant today.
āI want to bring in speakers and performances and other aspects of this conference that will make it clear that the Civil Rights Conference is addressing issues that are still ongoing,ā Anderson said.
One topic that Anderson addressed is the existence of a common misconception that civil rights issues ended in the 1960s. She intends to use the conference to educate the public and eliminate these kinds of misconceptions.
While the Civil Rights Conference will continue the tradition of addressing issues concerning racism and rights, it will also focus on moving toward a society based on equality for all.
As for the new responsibilities placed upon Anderson by this appointment, she says that she is honored to have the position and the duties it entails.
āIām very privileged to be a part of it, and I canāt wait to engage the community and the students more in civil rights both past and present,ā Anderson said.
āI want to bring to light a lot of the things that many of us just look past or donāt even realize.ā
For more information about the annual Civil Rights Conference, visit http://www.utm.edu/departments/civilrights/, or contact Anderson at lander63@utm.edu.
