OU Educators and Activists to Be Recognized During Week of Events

The University of Oklahoma will acknowledge its history of significant diversity and inclusion leaders with a week of events beginning Monday, kicking off with a significant contribution to the University by noted educator and activist George Henderson, Ph.D., and ending with a dedication ceremony for a new display commemorating OU Law alumna Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher.

On Monday, Henderson, a noted OU educator and activist, will donate his papers to OU Libraries’ Western History Collections. This acquisition represents the largest donation by an African American scholar and activist to the University’s archives and is a significant step to preserve the history and culture of African Americans in and around the state of Oklahoma and in the American West.

“Throughout my professional life, I have been an advocate of social justice, specifically in communities that have a great number of marginalized people,” said Henderson. “It is my hope that the fragments of my life that will be in the University’s Western History Collections will be of some use to scholars, students and the general public – the major sources of my community activism, research, writing and teaching.”

A Recognition of Donation ceremony will be held in the Western History Collections Reading Room, located in Monnet Hall, 630 Parrington Oval. Space is limited. For more information, contact Chelsea Julian, OU Libraries, at chelseajulian@ou.edu or (405) 325-2789.

Monday, Sept. 23, Cheryl Brown Henderson, daughter of the original plaintiff in the precedent-setting Brown v. Board of Education, will speak at the inaugural Presidential Speakers Series Dinner. Brown Henderson’s speech will kick off the Presidential Speakers Series, which brings distinguished experts to campus to speak on topics that align with the University’s initiatives.

Limited seating is available. Contact specialevents@ou.edu or (405) 325-1701 for more information. 

Tuesday, Sept. 24, the OU Office of Diversity and Inclusion will host its Community Conversations series with Stan Evans, assistant dean in the OU College of Law, discussing “History of Civil Rights: Then and Now” beginning at 4 p.m. in the Scholars Room, Oklahoma Memorial Union, 900 Asp Ave. For more information, contact diversity.inclusion@ou.edu or (405) 325-7314. 

Two days of events will commemorate Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher, who was the first African American student at the University of Oklahoma College of Law 70 years ago this year.  Wednesday, Sept. 25 OU College of Law will host a discussion with Interim Dean Katheleen Guzman and Fisher’s children, Bruce Fisher and Charlene Factory. The event begins at noon in the Dick Bell Courtroom, OU College of Law, 300 W. Timberdell Rd., Norman. For more information, call (405) 325-7479. 

Fisher’s legacy will be celebrated beginning at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26 at Monnet Hall, 630 Parrington Oval, with the unveiling of a display depicting her journey and admittance to the OU College of Law. A reception will follow in the Conoco Leadership Courtyard of Oklahoma Memorial Union. The reception will also feature a performance of the play “Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Reflections," performed by members of OU Law’s Black Law Students Association. The ceremony and reception are free and open to the public. For more information, contact specialevents@ou.edu or (405) 325-1701.