Southern University, community to commemorate 50th anniversary of deaths of Denver Smith and Leonard Brown
Beginning Monday, Nov. 14, several events will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the deaths of Southern University students Denver Smith and Leonard Brown.
Southern University, along with other community entities, will host events in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the deaths of students Denver Smith and Leonard Brown beginning Monday, Nov. 14.
Smith and Brown were fatally shot amid a peaceful protest on Southern’s campus on Nov. 16, 1972. Southern’s student union bears their names.
Activities will include participation from the families and classmates of Smith and Brown, Southern University alumni and students, and community members. All events are free and open to the public.
Monday, November 14
Smith-Brown Archival Exhibit
9 a.m.-10 p.m. (Open through Friday, November 18) Southern University Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union, Mocha Room
The Impact of the Loss of Denver Smith: A Community Conversation, Presented by the West Baton Rouge Parish Museum, Noon at the West Baton Rouge Parish Museum, 845 N Jefferson Ave., Port Allen, LA
“Reckoning with Racial Violence,” a PBS Frontline Documentary and Panel, 6 p.m. Southern University in the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union, Royal Cotillion Ballroom
Wednesday, November 16
9 a.m. Pilgrimage from the Southern University Museum of Art to the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union
10 a.m.-Noon Symposium in the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union, Royal Cotillion Ballroom
10 a.m. “Blood on the Bluff” documentary and presentation by Donney Rose, SU alumnus, writer, and Kennedy Center Fellow
10:45 a.m.-Noon Panel
Moderated by Brandi B. Harris, SU alumna and WBRZ-2 anchor
Denver Terrance, SU alumnus and nephew of Denver Smith
Nelson Smith, brother of Denver Smith
Shunda Wallace, daughter of Leonard Brown
Dr. Valaray Irvin, SU alumna and SU Counseling Center director
Edward Pratt, SU alumnus, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries press secretary, and award-winning columnist
2-3 p.m. Student Roundtable: Where Do We Go from Here? at the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union, Royal Cotillion Ballroom
Facilitators:
Denver Terrance, SU alumnus and nephew of Denver Smith
Donney Rose, SU alumnus and activist
Myra Richardson, SU student and activist
Walter "Geno" McLaughlin, SU alumnus and activist
5 p.m. A Cold Case Investigation: Episode 50 On this 50th Anniversary of the Deaths of SU Students Denver Smith & Leonard Brown, We Gather to Explore Social Context at the Old State Capitol, Downtown Baton Rouge. Presented by the Louisiana State Conference of the NAACP, Southern University Law Center Professor Angela Bell and law students.
Events at Southern are presented by the Baton Rouge campus, Southern University Law Center, Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Southern University Alumni Federation, and the Denver Smith Foundation.