The Africana Studies Program and the National Congress of Black Women hosted a symposium reflecting on the Civil Rights Movement as well as ways for black youths to progress in terms of education on Oct. 23 at Rosenthal Library 230. The forum was broken up into two parts. The first half dealt with the issue of affirmative action and voting rights for African-Americans. The second segment focused on providing a unique program for black students. The event began with Evelyn Julmisse, the acting director of the Africana Studies Program, welcoming the audience. She introduced Don Capaldi, a community activist and the liason for Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY), who spoke on the…
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Freedom Summer veteran and Queens College alumnus imparts lessons on activism
Fifty years ago, QC graduate, Mark Levy was in Mississippi participating in various civil rights projects. He and his wife Betty, also a QC graduate, taught at Freedom Schools, alternative schools mostly found in the South for black students, and worked on voter registration projects. They were among thousands of activists, many of them QC students, who went to Mississippi for Freedom Summer in 1964. Events that summer spearheaded major victories against discrimination and injustice, victories that were won through the communication and organizational efforts of local, ordinary people. Considering current events that challenge the successes of the 1960s, Levy emphasized the importance of ordinary people learning from the past…
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Historic march celebrates 50th anniversary
On Aug. 28, 1963, a bus full of young people from Queens College’s student association and Congress of Racial Equality drove to Washington, D.C. to be a part of a movement, to be a part of something greater. “The general tone, particularly among young people was ‘hey the world’s changing and we can actually play a roll, we can make a difference,’” Mark Levy, QC SA President from 1962-1963, said. Between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, around 200,000 people gathered to participate in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Levy, who is now special assistant to the president for the civil rights initiative and was a…
