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Samantha Pryor
Communications Director
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The 2023 annual program theme is Difficult Decisions. Join us all year for a deep dive into the challenges faced during the Eisenhower era.
Abilene, Kan. - The public is invited to attend the June Lunch & Learn scheduled for Thursday, June 22, at noon central time either in person or online. The program will be held in the library building indoor courtyard and will begin promptly at noon. Guests are encouraged to arrive by 11:45 a.m. A light box-lunch will be served on a first come, first served basis.
Guest speaker, Dr. Johanna Lewis will join us virtually to continue our discussion around the Little Rock School Integration Crisis. Our recent program "Difficult Decisions: The Little Rock 9" examined the situation from the perspective of the nine students involved. Lewis will help us explore the use of military force to manage the situation. In the Fall of 1957, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus ignored the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown v. The Topeka Board of Education and sent in the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the nine African American teenagers from attending Little Rock's Central High School. President Eisenhower was clear from the outset that the federal government would support the Constitution and the Supreme Court. Eisenhower responded by calling in the 101st Airborne to escort the students into the school on September 25, 1957.
Dr. Lewis is Associate Dean for Curriculum and Student Success in the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education, and professor of History at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She holds a Ph.D. from the College of William and Mary. Dr. Lewis has a book, Artisans in the North Carolina Backcountry, a documentary Time of Fear, and numerous articles, presentations, and exhibits to her credit.
These programs are all made possible courtesy of the Eisenhower Foundation with generous support from the Jeffcoat Memorial Foundation.
JOIN US IN PERSON!
- Library building indoor courtyard
- Arrive by 11:45 a.m.
- Box lunch provided on a first come, first served basis
- Park in the south parking lot nearest the library building
JOIN US ONLINE!
The 2023 Lunch & Learn series is made possible courtesy of the Eisenhower Foundation with generous support from the Jeffcoat Memorial Foundation.
About the Eisenhower Presidential Library
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum is one of 15 Presidential Libraries operated by the National Archives and Records Administration. Presidential Libraries promote understanding of the presidency and the American experience. They preserve and provide access to historical materials, support research, and create interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire. Public programs and exhibits at the Eisenhower Presidential Library are made possible in part through the generous support of the Eisenhower Foundation. To learn more, visit eisenhowerlibrary.gov.