Second Evenings with History Event of the Semester Set For Nov. 1

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will hold the next meeting in the Evenings with History series on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at the Historic Arkansas Museum at 200 E. 3rd Street in Little Rock.

Dr. Barclay Key, associate professor of history and department chair, will present, “As We See It: Integration at Central High School in the 1970s” from 7-8:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served at 7 p.m., followed by the lecture at 7:30 p.m.

The 1957 desegregation crisis at Little Rock Central received a lot of attention, but the actual process of desegregation unfolded slowly over several decades. While conducting research, Dr. Key discovered that Little Rock Central High School students made two films about desegregation in 1972 and 1979. The second film aired in an episode of “As We See It,” a series produced by high school students in conjunction with Chicago PBS, and the episode received a Peabody Award.

After a brief introduction, Dr. Key will screen the 29-minute film, which documents the perspectives of black and white students on integration at Central High School and provides glimpses into the successes and failures of school integration in the 1970s. There will be a Q&A discussion following the screening.

The Evenings with History series, sponsored by the University History Institute, features presentations by UA Little Rock faculty and guest speakers sharing their research and teaching interests. Admission to the series is by subscription, but visitors are welcome to attend individual talks for free. UA Little Rock students may attend free of charge.

For more information, people may contact historyinstitute@ualr.edu, 501-916-3236, or visit https://ualr.edu/history/history-institute/.