(June 24, 2009, New Orleans, La.) - The University of New Orleans Diversity Cabinet will host a commemoration of the 45th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rigths Act of 1964 on Thursday, July 2 at 10 a.m. in the Douglas "Dougie" Hitt Room (407) of the Earl K. Long Library.

 

Nikki Brown, assistant professor of history, will make a presentation, field questions and lead a discussion among those in attendance on the significance as well as their personal experiences as a result of the Civil Rights Act.

 

In addition, the UNO Earl K. Long Library will feature a display of books related to Civil Rights through July on the second floor.

 

Brown is the author of "Private Politics and Public Voices: African American Women's Activism from World War I through the New Deal" which was awarded the 2007 Letitia Woods Brown Memorial Book Prize for the best book on African American women's history. Her second book, "Encyclopedia of Jim Crow," a three-volume reference work co-edited with Barry Stentiford of Grambling State University, was published by Greenwood Press in 2008. She is currently researching the past, present and future role of historically black colleges and universities in African American education.

The University of New Orleans (UNO), the urban research University of the State of Louisiana, provides essential support for the educational, economic, cultural and social well-being of the culturally rich and diverse New Orleans metropolitan area. It opened its doors in 1958 as part of the Louisiana State University System "to bring public-supported higher education to Louisiana's largest urban community." Today, UNO offers 43 undergraduate degree programs, 37 masters, and 11 doctoral programs. The 340-acre main campus sits on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain, offering easy access to all parts of the metro area. For more information, visit www.uno.edu.