GALLOWAY, N.J. — On October 6, Kenneth “Freedom Smitty” Salaam came to Stockton University to discuss his experiences fighting for civil rights for this year’s civil rights symposium.

The event is named after civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, who famously spoke at the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, seeking to prevent seating of an all-white Mississippi delegation. Her contributions to the signing of the 1965 Voting Rights Act have led to her legacy being preserved, as the event room on the Atlantic City campus was named after her in 2018.

The event was held in the Performing Arts Center on the main campus, while Atlantic City residents could watch the event through a webinar in the Fannie Lou Hamer event room.

The event began with a performance from the Freedom Singers, who performed songs that were commonly sung during protests during the civil rights movement, including “This Little Light of Mine” and “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round.” After the performance, Dr. Donnatrice Allison—the chair of Africana Studies—gave opening remarks, noting that this year’s civil rights symposium fell on Hamer’s birthday. Dr. Allison introduced the theme of this year’s symposium, which was the United States of America’s 250th anniversary and its relation to Black history.

“People of great power and wealth think Black people don’t love America,” Dr. Allison said, “they love it back, when you love someone, you want them to be their best, you hold them to a higher standard.”

Alongside Dr. Allison, the symposium saw remarks from the Unified Black Students Society (U.B.S.S.) president Jaala Howard, Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities,Ian Marshall, and associate professor of education and Africana studies Dr. Darrell Cleveland.

The symposium also saw a special performance from Arnetta Johnson, who impressed the crowd with her trumpet playing.

Upon beginning his talk, Smitty opened with the story of James Meredith, who ran a 210-mile trip from Memphis, Tennessee to Jackson, Mississippi, in 1966 to protest against continuing racism in the South and encourage Black adults to register to vote, which would end in Meredith being shot by a white gunman on the second day. Smitty spoke about how civil rights leaders came together to march in honor of Meredith as he was recovering.

This event, alongside the 1965 March on Washington inspired Smitty when he was young. He was forbidden from joining the march by his parents for his own safety, but a few years later, Smitty would make the decision to quit high school, as in his own words, “I saw the issue of segregation and discrimination as more important than my own education.”

Smitty spent most of his talk speaking on how experiencing segregation and racism inspired his activism in the Philadelphia area, remarking on how dehumanizing his visits to the South in the late 20th century were.

Towards the end of the program, Smitty spoke on his more recent experiences, noting the irony in him traveling to college campuses to speak about civil rights despite his own quitting high school. He emphasized the youth during his talk, encouraging the audience that when he spoke to college students, that he saw the potential for them to push for social change.

Regarding continuing racial struggles in today’s society, Smitty candidly spoke to the audience, remarking that “it’s going to take each and every one of you to change that narrative.”

The event ended with a short question and answer section, which allowed for audience members to ask Smitty about his experiences and advice for students who wanted to be more active in advocating for social change. 

After all of the questions were answered, Dr. Allison thanked the audience for attending, leaving the students with a final word of advice, “If you don’t like what is happening at your university, raise your voice.”