Brown Foundation/Martin Wisneski

The Jazz Disciples entertain the crowd in the auditorium of Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site.

LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SPEAK!

Date: May 2, 2008

On April 19th, the orientation gallery at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site was transformed into the “Down Beat Jazz Club” for a night of music and spoken word.

The event, “Lift Every Voice and Speak!,” featured music by the Jazz Disciples and original poetry by spoken word artists Glenn North, Shavonne “Queen” Standifer, Kynana “Yep” Ramsey, Taylor Brown and Robert Brown.

The Jazz Disciples are an outstanding group out of Kansas City consisting of saxophonist Gerald Dunn, drummer Michael Warren, pianist Everett Freeman, and bassist Tyrone Clark. Glenn North, as master of ceremonies, did a great job keeping the program moving. The instrumental and verbal performances were entertaining and inspiring.

Over 150 people enjoyed the classic jazz and the stirring poetry. To open the show, legendary Topekan Jack Alexander recalled for the crowd the historic “Down Beat,” a weekend hangout and dance place for Topeka’s African American youths in the mid-1900’s. The historic “Down Beat” was located in the Monroe Elementary School auditorium, the very same place that is now the orientation gallery at the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. 

Jazz, the great American musical art form, and the power of the spoken word were brought together in a historic setting to celebrate a shared culture and to elevate the arts.

National Park Service

Superintendent Dennis Vasquez welcomes 60 new United States citizens, with the Honorable Julie A. Robinson, U.S. District Court Judge, and Pedro L. Irigongeray, attorney-at-law, on stage.

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site Welcomes 60 New U.S. Citizens from 35 Countries

Date: April 27, 2007

The United States District Court, District of Kansas, held naturalization proceedings in the auditorium of Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site on Friday, April 27, 2007. During the ceremony, 60 people from 35 different countries became new United States citizens. The Honorable Julie A. Robinson, U.S. District Court Judge, presided over the proceedings. 

After they recited the Oath of Allegiance, attorney-at-law and naturalization chairman, Pedro L. Irigonegaray, welcomed the new citizens with the story of Mrs. Lucinda Todd, one of the 13 plaintiffs from Kansas in the Brown v. Board of Education case. Mementos of the event were provided by: the National Society of Colonial Dames of America in the State of Kansas; the Topeka Bar Association; and the Topeka, Prairie Flint Hills and John Haupt chapters of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Mike Burley/The Topeka Capital-Journal

Ronen Sen, on the right, Indian ambassador to the United States, receives a special guided tour by Dennis Vasquez, site superintendent

Indian Ambassador Visits Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site

Date: February 9, 2007

On Thursday, February 8, 2007, Ronen Sen, Indian ambassador to the United States, visited the site and viewed the "Unseen. Unforgotten." exhibit, photos from The Birmingham News during the Civil Rights Movement.

To read more about Sen's visit, please visit the Topeka Capital-Journal's website by clicking here.

National Park Service

Carlos Martinez and three students play the drums while displaced New Orleans jazz musicians play their instruments in the background.

LATIN JAZZ WORKSHOP

Date: September 29, 2006

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site and the Brown Foundation invited four Topeka elementary schools to the site on September 29, 2006. The students participated in a special one day event which helped to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

Grammy Award-winning jazz musician Carlos Martinez and jazz musicians displaced from New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina came to Topeka for a special workshop for the students. The workshop included a discussion on the history of the Latin style of jazz, and opportunities for students to decorate their own percussion instruments, which they used to accompany Martinez and the band in concert.

Mike Burley/The Capital-Journal

Elias Garcia talks about the Mendez v. Westminster case, which desegregated California schools for Hispanic students, at the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site.

MENDEZ V. WESTMINSTER

Date: September 18, 2006

On Sunday, September 10, 2006, the documentary Para Todos Los Ninos: For All the Children was shown at the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. The documentary detailed the 1946 California case, Mendez v. Westminster, which ended segregation for Mexican American students. 

Elias Garcia, from the Kansas Hispanic and Latino American Affairs Commission, moderated a panel discussion of the case for the approximately 75 people attending the event. Also on the panel were: Sylvia Mendez, daughter of the case namesake; Sandra Robbie, producer of the documentary; and Ruben Flores, American studies professor at the University of Kansas. 

Click here for the full article from the Topeka Capital-Journal.

NPS

Park Guide Amy Genke presents protest music to local library patrons.

FROM COTTON FIELDS TO LUNCH COUNTERS: PROTEST MUSIC THROUGH HISTORY

Date: July 21, 2006

Using music and visual presentations, Park Guide Amy Genke presented a program to local library patrons about the use of protest music through history. She started the program with music used as a "Field Call" and "Complaint Call" commonly heard in the cotton fields of the south. "Follow the Drinking Gourd," a tune telling slaves how to find the Underground Railroad, was played. The audience was able to interpret the hidden meaning in the words, such as the 'drinking gourd' referring to the Big Dipper constellation in the sky. Genke finished the program with protest music used during the Civil Rights Movement, including "I'm On My Way" and "Blowin' In the Wind."