Retired Jackson Schools Superintendent Speaks at William Carey University
Dr. Robert Fortenberry, superintendent of Jackson Public Schools from 1973-1990, delivered the latest installment of the William Carey University Lecture Series in the Student Conference Center on the Hattiesburg campus on Feb. 25.
During his lecture, which was entitled "Celebrating Progress, Seeking Solutions," Fortenberry discussed his views on the improvement of civil rights in the United States over the past few decades and the need for continued improvement.
"Much has already been done ... but the evaluation of the current [civil rights] scene shows how much still needs to be done," said Fortenberry. "We must continue to examine these issues."
Fortenberry, who now serves as an educational consultant throughout the United States and has worked in educational causes in every state except South Dakota, also discussed his views on public education and the effects of wealth inequality on students.
The lecture was a part of the university's commemoration of African-American History Month. On Feb. 4, Charlene Bevelyn Exposé, author of "On the Land of My Father: A Farm Upbringing in Segregated Mississippi," presented the lecture and discussed her upbringing on a cotton farm in the Improve community of south Mississippi in the early 1940s and 1950s.
For more information on upcoming events in the Lecture Series, contact Reese Powell, director of library and learning resources, at (601) 318-6170 or by email at rpowell@wmcarey.edu.