Margaret Bush Wilson and the Promise of America: A Pragmatic Civil Rights Vision

Presented on

March 7, 2018

Priscilla Dowden-White explores the life and legacy of St. Louis attorney and NAACP leader Margaret Bush Wilson. In her lifelong struggle to advance freedom and equality for African Americans, women, and all those who were excluded from the mainstream of society, Wilson blazed a courageous trail marked by landmark legal decisions and major civil rights advances that opened doors to equal opportunity for all. Dowden-White examines the philosophical viewpoints and experiences that shaped Wilson’s definition of justice and fairness for all.

About the Presenter

Priscilla Dowden-White

Priscilla Dowden-White is associate professor of history at University of Missouri–St. Louis and the author of Groping toward Democracy: African American Social Welfare Reform in St. Louis, 1910–1949.

About the Lecture Series

African American Experience in Missouri Lecture Series

Explore Missouri's past and prepare for the future through the African American Experience in Missouri lecture series. A collaboration of the State Historical Society of Missouri's Center for Missouri Studies and the University of Missouri's Division of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity, it is designed to offer the community opportunities to reach a new understanding of present-day Missouri by learning about the history of African Americans within the state.

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Events

Featured

Nov 02

My Missouri Lecture and Annual Meeting

The State Historical Society of Missouri is making plans for the Annual Meeting, November 2, at the Center for Missouri Studies in Columbia. The event includes the annual business meeting and awards presentations, a lunch, and the debut of the My Missouri Lecture Series. Speaking is former US Senator Claire McCaskill, who served as the top-ranking Democrat on the Homeland Security Committee and a senior member of the Armed Services Committee. Before she was elected to the Senate in 2006, McCaskill was Missouri's state auditor and served as Jackson County Prosecutor. Seating is limited. Register by October 21 to attend.

Nov 19

African American Experience in Missouri Lecture: Chuck Haddix

Join Chuck Haddix for a look at "Early Bird: Charlie Parker’s Life and Music in Kansas City" on November 19.

More Events

Oct 20

Show Me Missouri Speakers Bureau Lecture: Kristen Layne Anderson

Chariton County Historical Society hosts Kristen Layne Anderson for her lecture At the Point of Dutchmen’s Bayonets: German Immigrants and the Outbreak of the Civil War in Missouri

Oct 24

Newspapers: Pages of Your History

Newspapers have been called the rough draft of history. Their pages have preserved essential records of politics, local issues, events, and people for hundreds of years. By the mid-19th century, the number of titles published rose dramatically and newspapers were transformed by an increasing emphasis on society, industry, scientific advances, investigative journalism, and human-interest stories.

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