TCU’s Race & Reconciliation Initiative (RRI), TCU Magazine and the TCU Alumni Association will virtually host “TCU Presents: In Their Own Words” at 6 p.m. Feb. 28. RRI chair Amiso George, Ph.D., will moderate a panel that includes past chair Frederick Gooding Jr., Ph.D., oral history project director Sylviane Greensword, Ph.D., and alumni L. Michelle Smith, MS ’95, Mark Wassenich ’64 and Leon Reed, Jr ’03.
RRI Chair, Dr. Amiso George looking over TCU’s RRI history at The Story of Us, TCU’s Immersive Experience.
“History is always evolving. While TCU knows its own story, as a community, we have much more to learn. Through the 2023 installment of TCU Presents, we bring you alumni and faculty who will help us look back and look forward, celebrating who we were, who we are, and who we are becoming through their discussion of the TCU Race and Reconciliation Initiative Oral History Project,” RRI Chair, Dr. George said about her hopes for the panel.
Change starts with acknowledging our history, reflecting on our present and creating a brighter future. Over an hour, the panel will discuss the evolving history of TCU as we commemorate TCU’s sesquicentennial to better understand the entirety of the TCU story. Panelists will discuss their experiences at TCU while reflecting on RRI, this year’s oral history project, and their hopes for TCU’s future. Learn more about RRI and the Oral History Project below.
Join us for the virtual panel at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 28.
About the TCU Race & Reconciliation Initiative
Oral History Project Chair and Former RRI Chair, Dr. Frederick Gooding Jr., at Reconciliation Day in 2021.
The Race & Reconciliation Initiative began in 2020. It’s an academically based, historically focused initiative designed to investigate and document TCU’s relationship with slavery, racism and the Confederacy. This academic endeavor draws upon the talents of faculty, staff, students and alumni to research and raise awareness of racism and inequality, helping us work toward a campus culture where everyone is respected and valued. RRI is based on a five-year plan, “Operation Triangulation: A Five-Year Plan,” that maps the RRI research in the upcoming years.
The current focus for the 2022-23 academic year is the “Transition Into Integration” (1941 – 1971). Building on previous research, RRI is conducting a comprehensive examination of the experiences of Native American and Indigenous, Latinx, African American, and other ethnic identities at TCU. TCU integrated in the 1960s, then spent decades working toward an inclusive campus culture. In a sweeping oral history project, the RRI invited alumni to share their campus experiences involving their integration to campus.