Eureka College Program Addresses Systemic Racism

Eureka College today hosted a member of the “Central Park Five” as part of an in-depth discussion on unconscious bias and systemic racism.

Yusef Salaam appeared at the college as part of a panel and to deliver the keynote address at the event. Salaam was one of five teenagers convicted in 1989 of beating and raping a jogger in New York City’s Central Park. The young men spent years in prison before another confession and DNA evidence led to their convictions being vacated.

It was another 10-plus years before the lawsuit filed on behalf of the Central Park Five was settled. In 2002 the Five received a $40 million settlement from the city, with Salaam's share being $7.1 million. The City of New York admitted no wrongdoing. Even as a millionaire, Salaam shows on social media that he continues to encounter racism in his everyday life.

Since his release from prison, Salaam has dedicated himself to education on false confessions, police brutality and misconduct and the disparities of the criminal justice system in the United States.

Salaam appeared in The Central Park Five, a 2012 documentary directed by filmmaker Ken Burns, his daughter Sarah, and her husband, David McMahon. The documentary examines the case with a combination of footage and information available at the time of the crime and trials and interviews with the "Central Park Five" following their release. The film is available for viewing on Netflix.

The discussion panel also included former St. Louis Police Chief Daniel Isom, Peoria community service officer Daniel Duncan, and Eureka College professors Junius Rodriguez (history) and William Lally (criminal justice). Isom was appointed St. Louis' 33rd Chief of Police on October 6, 2008, and was St. Louis' third African-American police chief.

From Night Riders to Freedom Rider

Zellner at immediate right behind activist and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee colleague Julian Bond. (Richard Avedon Foundation)

An Alabama native and civil rights activist who rejected his family's links to the Klan and helped organize the freedom rides of 1961 will speak Feb. 10 at Eureka College, on the 1960s civil rights movement.

Bob Zellner is the author of The Wrong Side of Murder Creek: A White Southerner in the Freedom Movement. Spike Lee is producing an independent film, “Son of the South,” based on the book.

Zellner's talk will be at 7:30 at the college's Cerf Center. Tickets are $5. For reservations, go to www.eureka.edu/events or call 309-467-6420 or 309-467-6420.

Zellner's father and grandfather were active in the Ku Klux Klan, but the young Zellner's childhood took a unique turn when his father James traveled to Europe to help support the Jewish underground during the Nazi occupation. Isolated from English speakers for months, his father met a group of black gospel singers who were also supporting the Jewish underground.

As they worked together as equals throughout a Russian winter, James came to reject the racist beliefs he was raised with, and when he returned, he split from the KKK.

By high school, Bob began forming his own opinions on race and equality following the expulsion of Autherine Lucy (a black student) from the University of Alabama.

By college, Zellner had become the first white field secretary of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), a group involved in registering voters and working for change and equality.

As a result of his efforts with SNCC, Zellner was arrested 18 times and charged with offenses that included criminal anarchy and inciting the black population to acts of war and violence.

He later continued organizing anti-racism efforts with the Southern Conference Educational Fund.

Zellner has a doctorate in history from Tulane University. He wrote his dissertation on the Southern civil rights movement.

Famed Olympian/Civil Rights Advocate Speaks Feb. 17 at Eureka

Carlos at right, offering the gesture of solidarity that sparked Olympic controversy and global awareness of racial issues.

1968, Mexico City. Olympic bronze medalist John Carlos made headlines not only with his feet but also with his fist -- an upraised fist that told the world social change was coming in America.

During the awards ceremony following his loss to fellow American Tommie Smith in the 200-meter run, Carlos grabbed global attention when he bowed his head and raised a Black Power salute as a statement on racial inequality in the U.S. Eureka College welcomes Carlos as a guest speaker at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, in the college's Cerf Center. The program is free and open to the public -- reserve tickets at www.eureka.edu/events.

Carlos was joined in his gesture of protest by Smith, as well as by Peter Norman, the silver medalist and white athlete from Australia who participated by wearing an Olympic Project for Human Rights badge. Carlos and Smith wore black socks and no shoes on the podium to represent African-American poverty in the United States.

Then-International Olympic Committee President Avery Brundage deemed the statement unfit for the Olympic Games, and ordered Smith and Carlos suspended from the U.S. team and banned from the Olympic Village. As a founding member of the OPHR, Carlos originally advocated a boycott of the 1968 Olympics unless South Africa and Rhodesia withdrew from the games, Muhammad Ali's world heavyweight boxing title was restored, Brundage stepped down, and more African-American assistant coaches were hired.

The boycott failed, but Carlos saw his greatest year in track and field in 1969, leading San Jose State to its first NCAA championship. He continued on to a stint in U.S. and Canadian football and a career as a coach and staffer at Palm Springs High School in California.

In April 2008, Carlos was a torch-bearer for the Human Rights Torch, which ran parallel to the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay and focusing attention on China's human rights record. On July 16, 2008, John Carlos and Tommie Smith accepted the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage for their salute, at the 2008 ESPY Awards, and Carlos is an honoree of the National Track & Field Hall of Fame.