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February Econ Club Discusses Civil Rights Movements

Publish Date: Tuesday, February 11, 2020

February Econ Club Discusses Civil Rights Movements

The International Business Center is a sponsor of the Lansing Chamber Economic Club speaker series.

The Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Mid-Michigan, recently hosted the February Lansing Economic Club at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center. The event featured Joanne Bland as the guest speaker. A highlight video of Bland's speech is available online.

Bland is the co-founder and former director of the National Voting Rights Museum in Selma, Ala. During her speech, Bland shared her experiences with the civil rights movement and advocating for voting rights. She also discussed her participation in all three 1965 Selma marches, which all took place when she was only 11 years old.

Bland took several questions from the audience after concluding her powerful speech and highlighted the importance of understanding people's differences and how children, just as much as adults, need to hear the story of our nation's history.

“For generations to come, our children need to know where we’ve been as a nation so we will never go back," said Bland. "Children need to hear the message, just as you needed to hear that message. You don’t need to try and sugarcoat it."

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bk_FplbxqQ