Missouri State University’s African and African American Studies program welcomed Dr. Maurice Gipson as guest speaker for its annual lecture series Feb. 7.
Gipson, who earned his M.A. in history at MSU, presented “Black Dirt, Black People and Black Power: The Radical Road to Freedom in Arkansas.”
His topic explored the work of Arkansas activists who embraced Black Power as an organizing philosophy during the 1960s and 1970s.
Gipson currently serves as Vice Chancellor, Division of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity at the University of Missouri-Columbia, as well as an affiliate faculty member of the history department. He earned his doctorate in history at the University of Mississippi.
Since its inauguration in 2015, the African and African American lecture series has been held annually, welcoming scholars from Mississippi State University, Rhodes College, University of Illinois, University of Kansas, St. Louis University, University of Minnesota and University of Oklahoma.
The African and African American Studies program is housed within the Department of History.