Committee for the 60 Anniversary Observance of the Tallahassee Bus Boycott Announces Kick-Off Schedule for May 26th – Open to the Public
Greetings!
We are pleased to invite you to join us at the 60 Anniversary Observance of the Tallahassee Bus Boycott, on May 26, beginning at 7:45 a.m., in the FAMU Grand Ballroom! All events are free and open to the public.
It was May 26, 1956, when two female Florida A&M University students (Wilhelmina Jakes and Carrie Patterson) were arrested for refusing to give up their seats on a public bus, and thus began the Tallahassee bus boycott. To commemorate the 60th anniversary of this historical event, distinguished guests and residents will come together for panel discussions and a daylong schedule of events. The planned schedule of events is included below.
Grand Ballroom, Florida A&M University 1925 South Martin Luther King Blvd.
Theme: Honoring the Past and Embracing the Future
7:45 am Registration/Exhibits (Continental Breakfast)/Location: Grand Ballroom
8:30 am Opening Welcoming Session
•Welcome: Ms. Shauna Y. Smith, Daughter of Dr. Charles U. Smith
•Invocation: Rev. Dr. Richard Mashburn (Associate Minister,
Bethel Missionary Baptist Church)
•Purpose: Rev. Dr. Julius H. McAllister, Jr. (Bethel AME Church)
•Musical selection: Dr. Francis Stallworth “Precious Lord”
•Greetings: Mayor Andrew Gillum, City & County Commissioners (Bill Proctor), and Dr. David Jackson, Florida A&M University
•Musical selection: Dr. Francis Stallworth
9:15 am Dr. Charles U. Smith Panel Discussion I
10:25 am Movement Participants: Their Stories
Moderator: Dr. Darius Young
Panelists: Mr. Eddie Barrington
Dr. Frederick S. Humphries
Rev. Henry Steele
10:30 am Dr. Charles U. Smith Panel Discussion II
11:40am Where History Meets the Future
Moderator: Dr. Shauna Smith
Panelists: Dr. David Jackson
Mr. Juan Escalante
Dr. Darius Young
Dot Inman Johnson
11:45am Symbolic walk from Grand Ballroom to FAMU Way/Under the Over at Lake Anita.
12:00 pm Convene at Under the Over at Lake Anita
3:30 pm Lunch on your own and Entertainment
Speakers, refreshments, unveiling of Star Metro bus in tribute to 1956 bus boycott
6:00 pm Ecumenical Service/Celebration: Bethel A.M.E. Church (501 W. Orange Avenue)
May 26, is a day for us (Tallahasseans and Floridians), regardless of our religions, classes, ages and stations in life, to come together to [1] reaffirm our American ideals of freedom, justice and opportunity for all, [2] put aside our differences and join in a spirit of togetherness, and [3] commemorate the extraordinary and timeless values (i.e., courage, truth, justice, sacrifice, dignity, compassion, and humility) of ordinary women and men who not only made history, but their everlasting spirits continue to provide us with the opportunity to experience history and to write history.
On behalf of the 60th Anniversary Observance of the Tallahassee Bus Boycott and the Inaugural Dr. Charles U. Smith Panel Discussions Planning Committee, I invite you to join us on this day and at future events to commemorate and celebrate this historical occasion!
Visit our web site (www.neec-inc.org) and click on TAL Bus Boycott for the May 26 agenda and for post-May 26 events and programs.
