In celebration of Black History Month, this series will focus on education, race and justice from the African-American perspective within the context of a Christian worldview. Great Christian thinkers, educators and activists Booker T. Washington, Carter G. Woodson, W.E.B. Du Bois, Fred Shuttlesworth and Martin Luther King, Jr. will be featured. Their works will serve as the primary sources for discussion throughout the course. Jacqueline S. Taylor, Ed.D., assistant dean of students at Union, will serve as course convener and discussion leader. Professionals from educational, church, and community leadership will serve as guest lecturers. Featured Town & Gown Lectures (6-8 p.m.); Class Discussion for Enrolled Students Only (8:15-10 p.m.)

Town and Gown lectures (6-8 p.m.) are free and open to the public

These sessions will meet on Thursday evenings:
Jan. 30, Feb. 6, 13, 20 and 27; Providence Hall Room 160.

NOTE: In case of inclement weather or cancellation due to unforeseen circumstances, an announcement of the updated schedule will be placed on the Union home page to notify the public.

January 30

Introduction to the Class/Syllabus (6 p.m.)

Dr. Jacqueline S. Taylor, Assistant Dean of Students and Director of the Vocatio Center for Life Calling and Career

"Legal Context: Education, Race and Justice" (6:45 p.m.)

Dr. Roland Porter, Former Law/Business Professor; Union Board of Trustees

Roland M. Porter is pastor of Agape Christian Fellowship Church in Jackson, Tenn. He recently retired as an associate professor of business at Union and currently serves on the University's board of trustees. Porter also served as an assistant to the president for community relations and as director of Union's Center for Racial Reconciliation. He holds a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to his retirement from Union, his wife Patricia served as transfer coordinator in enrollment services. The Porters live in Medon, Tenn.

February 6

"A Social Context: Carter G. Woodson's Legacy" (6 p.m.)

Dr. Rhonda Hudson, Professor of Social Work and Acting Program Director, BSW, Union University

Rhonda Hudson serves as a Professor of Social Work and Acting BSW Director in the School of Social Work at Union University. Dr. Hudson is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and teaches in the Practice and Human Behavior in the Social Environment sequences of Union's BSW and MSW programs. She is also a certified Quality Matters Peer Reviewer for online courses at Union University and other universities. Dr. Hudson is an active member of Northside Assembly of God in Jackson.

"Historical & Philosophical Context: The Legacies of W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington" (7:45 p.m.)

Dr. Jacqueline S. Taylor, Assistant Dean of Students and Director of the Vocatio Center for Life Calling and Career

Jacqueline Taylor serves as the Assistant Dean of Students and Director of the Vocatio Center for Life Calling and Career at Union University. She holds a doctorate in Educational Leadership with a specialization in Higher Education Administration. Dr. Taylor is the founder of the annual Union University Black History Month Program and Celebration, which has culminated into this unique five-week Town & Gown series. She serves as Sunday School Teacher for New Life in Christ Ministries in Lexington, TN, and she and her husband Earnest have two daughters, Cecily and Adrienne.

February 13

"Theological Context: The Theology of Reconciliation"
(CANCELLED)

Dr. Jarvis Williams, Associate Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Jarvis J. Williams is associate professor of New Testament Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. He is the author of three books, including One New Man: The Cross and Racial Reconciliation in Pauline Theology (Nashville: Broadman and Holman Academic Press, 2010). In addition to his books and numerous articles, Williams has written Sunday School material for the Gospel Project, and he is a contributor to The Front Porch (conversations about biblical faithfulness in African-American churches and beyond). He is a member of Clifton Baptist Church in Louisville.

February 20

"Ethical Context Concerning Education, Race and Justice" (6 p.m.)

"Legacy of the City of Birmingham and its Role in Education, Race, & Justice" (7 p.m.)

Dr. Sephira Shuttlesworth (wife of late Civil Rights Leader, Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth)

Sephira Bailey Shuttlesworth, a former teacher and elementary school principal of 23 years, was born in Jackson, Tenn., where in 1965 she and two of her siblings integrated Pope Elementary School. In 1986, she met Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, who played a strategic role in the civil rights movement alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 2006, the two were married at the church Shuttlesworth founded in Cincinnati. Mrs. Shuttlesworth shares insider information about the role, strategies and motives used by her late husband in the Birmingham civil rights movement. She completed her undergraduate education at Union University in less than three years. Mrs. Shuttlesworth now serves as the leader of Mid-Michigan Leadership Academy in Lansing, MI.

February 27

"Culminating Discussion on Education, Race and Justice: The Impact of the Church" (6 p.m.)

"The Legacy of the City of Memphis and its Role in Education, Race and Justice" (7 p.m.), Enrolled Students Only

Dr. Frank Anderson, Director, Associate of Divinity Program, Olford Center, and Professor of Urban Theology, Memphis, Tenn.

Frank Anderson, Jr. serves as Associate Professor of Missions and Ministry and Director of the Associate of Divinity (A.Div.) program for Union University at the Stephen Olford Center in Memphis. He has served as Executive Director of the Memphis Center for Urban Theological Studies (MCUTS) and as President and Chief Executive Officer for the Center for Urban Theological Studies (CUTS) in Philadelphia (2006-07). Anderson also serves as pastor of True Light Baptist Church in Memphis, where he has been pastor for 21 years, and he is also married to Vernetta McCully. Dr. Anderson's father preceded him as pastor of that church, serving in that role for 18 years.