University of Florida Homepage
Loading Events

« All Events

  • This event has passed.

60th Anniversary of the Desegregation of the University of Florida

September 27, 2018 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Free

27 September 2018 – 6:00 pm
“60th Anniversary of the Desegregation of the University of Florida”
UF African American Studies

Reitz Union Second Floor Auditorium (686 Museum Road)

In 1958, George Starke became the first African American student to enroll at the University of Florida.  He studied at UF for three trimesters.  The year 2018 will mark the 60th anniversary of his admission.  UF has made a tremendous amount of progress since 1958 in terms of the increase in  minority faculty, staff, and students; the opening of the Institute for Black Culture and La Casita: The Institute for Hispanic/Latino Cultures; the creation of the African American Studies Program and the Multicultural and Diversity Affairs office; and other positive things.  However, problems remain such as numerous racial incidents, allegations of police misconduct, the failure to retain minority faculty and staff, and the declining enrollments of black students.

Panel participants will educate UF students about the experiences of former students, the progress that has been made in race relations on campus and in the larger Gainesville community, and the challenges that remain for individuals seeking to diversify our campus.  The panelists will also provide advice to students about coping mechanisms for minority students at a predominantly white university.

Mrs. Evelyn Moore Mickle became the first black female graduate of the nursing school in 1967. Her husband, Stephan Mickle, became the first black student to earn an undergraduate degree from UF in 1965 and the second black student to earn a law degree from UF in 1970.  She will discuss the isolation that black students felt during the height of the modern civil rights movement.

Ms. Funmi Olorunnipa was enrolled as an undergraduate student in the years immediately following the One Florida decision.  She graduated Summa Cum Laude from UF with a degree in political science.  She later earned a JD from the University of California, Berkeley and a MA from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.  After working as an attorney in Los Angeles, she worked in Ethics Counsel for the White House during the Obama administration and now is an attorney in private practice in Washington, D.C.

Ms. Joseline Padron-Rasines was the first Latino Student Body President in 2015.  A native of Venezuela and the child of immigrants, she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Studies with a minor in Latin American Studies from the University of Florida. Additionally, she received her Master in Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.  She is now a Project Specialist for Education First.  She will discuss her experiences as the daughter of immigrants who became a first-generation college students as well as her experiences as a minority female in student government.

Dr. Mark Villegas is an Assistant Professor of American Studies at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  After graduating Summa Cum Laude as a CLAS Valedictorian from UF with a perfect 4.0 grade point average and a Political Science Major, he received his Ph.D. in Culture and Theory at the University of California, Irvine and M.A. in Asian American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.  He is also the author of Empire of Funk: Hip Hop and Representation in Filipina/o America which was published in 2014.  As an undergraduate student, Mark was instrumental in the efforts for an Asian American Studies certificate.​

The event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the African American Studies Program and co-sponsored through the Center for the Humanities and Public Sphere’s Rothman Endowment.

For those seeking additional information about the event please contact Sharon Austin at polssdw@ufl.edu.

Details

Date:
September 27, 2018
Time:
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Cost:
Free

Organizers

UF African American Studies Program
Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere

Venue

Reitz Union Second Floor Auditorium
686 Museum Road
Gainesville, FL 32604 United States
+ Google Map