Civil Rights Symposium - Truman Library Institute

Civil Rights Symposium

TRUMAN CIVIL RIGHTS SYMPOSIUM

A NATIONAL 75th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION

July 26-28, 2023 ★ Washington, D.C

On July 26, 1948, with the stroke of a pen, President Harry S. Truman changed the course of American history. By signing Executive Order 9981, “Establishing the President’s Committee on Equality of Treatment and Opportunity in the Armed Services,” he officially declared that “there shall be equality of treatment and opportunity for all persons in the armed services without regard to race, color, religion or national origin.” His action reflected the growing realization by more and more Americans that our nation could no longer reconcile segregation with the values we had fought a war to uphold.

Seventy-five years on, during a three-day public symposium in Washington, D.C., the Truman Library Institute led the national commemoration of this landmark civil rights anniversary. The significance of this occasion is reflected by the stellar list of participating organizations and individuals, as well as the audience and impact:

Truman Civil Rights Symposium | By the Numbers

2 years of planning (75 years in the making)
6 events in 4 venues over 3 days in our nation’s capital
49 presenters, moderators, panelists and speakers
522 in-person attendees
19,700+ social media mentions of Truman’s Executive Order 9981
234,892+ total Symposium video views
100,000,000—potential audience for national news coverage of the 75th anniversary and national commemoration

Numbers cannot convey the spirit of the Symposium—the histories provided by expert academic panels; the deeply personal stories of military leaders, veterans and service members; the unexpected moments of reckoning, remembrance and honor; and the unforgettable opportunity to share an evening with America’s 46th president, Joe Biden.

All of these moments, all of these stories—great American stories—were recorded and are available online (see below). As President Biden reminded us in his keynote remarks, history matters. Harry Truman’s legacy—his integrity and all he stood for—matters. And your support matters, as we advance this legacy of principled and courageous leadership.

SYMPOSIUM HIGHLIGHTS

WATCH NOW

TRANSCRIPT

OPENING EVENT: TO SECURE THESE RIGHTS
Venue: Library of Congress

Rep. James E. Clyburn
Judge Richard Gergel, U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina
Dr. Carla Hayden, 14th Librarian of Congress

This special event features a recorded message from former President Barack Obama.

WATCH NOW

TRANSCRIPT

THE BLACK AMERICAN EXPERIENCE IN THE U.S. ARMED FORCES
Venue: George Washington University
Panel discussion moderated by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Eugene Robinson

Dr. Woody Holton, Professor of History at the University of South Carolina
Dr. Lorien Foote, Professor of History at Texas A&M University
Dr. Adriane Lentz-Smith, Associate Professor of History at Duke University
Dr. Thomas Guglielmo, Department Chair and Associate Professor of American Studies at George Washington University

WATCH NOW

TRANSCRIPT

THE RIGHT TO FIGHT: THE IMPLEMENTATION AND IMPACT OF EXECUTIVE ORDER 9981
Venue: George Washington University
Panel discussion moderated by Michele Norris

Dr. Sabrina Thomas, Associate Professor of History at Texas Tech University
Dr. David P. Cline, Professor of History and Founding Director of the San Diego State University Center for Public and Oral History
Dr. Kyle Longley, Professor of History and Director of the Masters in War and Society Program at Chapman University
Dr. Robert F. Jefferson, Associate Professor of History at the University of New Mexico

WATCH NOW

TRANSCRIPT

VETERAN VOICES: DESEGREGATION’S IMPACT ON THE INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE
Venue: George Washington University
Panel discussion moderated by attorney and author Rawn James

Amb. John L. Estrada, former United States Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago and 15th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps
Adm. (Ret.) Michelle Howard, the highest ranking African American in U.S. Navy history and first woman to achieve four-star rank in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces
Brig. Gen. Terrence A. Adams, Director, Cyberspace Operations and Warfighter Communications, U.S. Air Force
Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Donald Scott, the first graduate of HBCU Lincoln University to earn a star in the U.S. Army

WATCH NOW

TRANSCRIPT

KEYNOTE EVENT
Venue: National Archives

Pre-Program Participants include David Von Drehle, Washington Post Columnist; Theodore (Ted) Colbert III, Boeing; Truman Library Director Kurt Graham; Archivist Colleen Shogan; Adm. (Ret) Michelle Howard, U.S. Navy; and Adm. Linda L. Fagan, 27th Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard

Keynote Event:
Welcome by The Hon. Emanuel Cleaver II
Introduction of President Biden by The Hon. James Clyburn
Symposium Address by President Joe Biden
Closing Remarks by Alex Burden, Executive Director, Truman Library Institute

WATCH NOW

TRANSCRIPT

CLOSING EVENT: THE FUTURE OF INCLUSION: EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IN TODAY’S MILITARY…AND TOMORROW’S
Venue: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Panel discussion moderated by Cmdr. Theodore “Ted” R. Johnson

Secretary Anthony Woods, Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs
Kori Schake, Senior Fellow and Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute
Capt. (Ret.) Cynthia Macri, M.D., FACS, FACOG
Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jason Dempsey, Executive Director, Center for Veteran Transition & Integration at Columbia University

Closing remarks by General CQ Brown, Jr., Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force