In reply to Jeff Southmayd, who asks:

"Why is the forum so filled with programs on the history of racism
(white oppression of Blacks, Indians, etc.) in Virginia and racial
divisiveness when those issues are no longer relevant to Virginia and
American society and just throw wood on a fire that has long ago gone
dormant.? Perhaps one session might be of interest, but those issues
dominate the meeting.? A few more programs on the positive aspects of
Virginia history would make the forum more interesting and less like a
Jesse Jackson/NEA appreciation meeting, in my humble opinion."

The Program Committee reviewed all of the proposals for sessions and for
individual papers and elected to include almost all of the proposals
that it received. That the Forum meets this year in Prince Edward
County, where the Virginia suit that was combined with others to become
Brown v. Board of Education began, and in the fiftieth anniversary of
the invalidation of the state's Massive Resistance laws, no doubt
combined to stimulate more people than in past years to submit proposals
relating to Civil Rights issues. In that sense, the roster of program
participants is largely self-selected. In fact, that has been the case
with the previous Forums, too.

Brent Tarter
The Library of Virginia
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Please visit the Library of Virginia's Web site at
http://www.lva.virginia.gov

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