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Civil rights paper competition named after former UTM graduate, activist


The University of Tennessee at Martin announces the first Jo Helen Beard Paper Competition in Civil Rights History. The competition is open to all UT Martin students and is held in conjunction with the university’s third annual Civil Rights Conference, held Feb. 24 through March 1.

UT Martin students wishing to submit a 10-12 page paper on the topic of civil rights history should contact Dr. David Coffey, assistant professor of history, at extension 7342. The deadline for paper submission is Feb. 15.

The winning entry will be read on campus at 3:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 28 in the Norman Campbell Auditorium, in the Andy Holt Humanities Building. The winning writer will also be recognized during a March 1 ceremony in Somerville, Tenn., following the third annual Civil Rights Conference.

Beard, a 1987 UT Martin graduate, was a Jackson community activist who headed Families in Action in Madison and Gibson counties. She died of a heart attack in August 2002.

Note: As part of Black history month, the following event will take place Thursday, Feb. 6 - At noon, WLJT-TV Channel 11, West Tennessee's Public Broadcasting Station, will broadcast a one-hour Colonial Williamsburg Electronic Field Trip titled "Chained to the Land."