Keynote speakers will recount their role in the historic case that led to the Supreme Court’s decision allowing equal access to education for minorities 
Mark your calendars for a monumental event honoring the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Held on Thursday, Jan. 13, at 6 p.m., this year’s program will feature the Brown Sisters, of “Brown vs. the Board of Education” fame, as keynote speakers for the event. Cheryl Brown Henderson and Linda Brown Thompson will recount their role in the historic case that led to the Supreme Court’s decision allowing equal access to education for minorities in the United States.
Henderson and Thompson are two of the three children of the late Rev. Oliver L. Brown. They are dedicated to preserving the historic legacy of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision of 1954, Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kan. This milestone in American history declared state laws establishing separate public schools for African American and Caucasian students to be unconstitutional. The law also made it legal to allow minority children equal educational opportunities.
This IU Northwest event, sponsored by the Office of Diversity Programming, will take place in the Bruce W. Bergland Auditorium, located in the Savannah Center. A reception will immediately follow the Brown Sisters’ address.
Henderson has been a sixth grade teacher, university guest lecturer, school guidance counselor, and state educational administrator, and she is currently President and CEO of The Brown Foundation for Educational Equality, Excellence and Research. The Foundation has provided scholarships to more than 100 minority students, presented awards to local, state and national leaders, and established libraries for children in low-income communities. Henderson also has an extensive background in education, business and civic leadership, having served on and chaired various local, state and national boards.
Thompson has been a Head Start teacher and has taught private piano lessons. She is currently a program associate with the Brown Foundation. Linda serves as a member of the music department at a Methodist church in Topeka, where she has chaired several project committees.
The campus and the regional community are invited to this event. Seating for this event is limited; please arrive early.
The Bruce W. Bergland Auditorium is located in the Savannah Center on the southeast corner of the main campus parking lot at 33rd Avenue and Broadway in Gary.