The University of West Georgia’s College of Education will host esteemed education writer and activist Jonathan Kozol on Wednesday, October 14, as the featured guest speaker for 2015’s annual Dag Folger Critical Topics in Education Speaker Series. The event will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Townsend Center for the Performing Arts and will be streamed live on the COE website at www.westga.edu/coe.
Kozol has dedicated his life to the challenges of providing equal opportunities within public schools to every child, regardless of racial origin or economic level. A Harvard graduate and Rhodes Scholar, Kozol remains active in advocating for integrated public education. He continues to condemn the “inequalities” of education and the apparently worsening segregation of black and Hispanic children from white children in the segregated public school of almost every major city in our nation.
“This is a great opportunity for our students and faculty, as well as the community, to hear firsthand one of the most widely read and highly honored writers in America,” said College of Education Dean Dr. Dianne Hoff.
Kozol’s first book, Death at an Early Age (1968), won a National Book Award. Others followed, including Free Schools (1972); The Night is Dark and I am Far From Home (1972); Prisoners of Silence (1980); Rachel and Her Children (1988); Savage Inequalities (1991); Amazing Grace (1995); The Shame of the Nation (2005); Letters to a Young Teacher (2007); and Fire in the Ashes (2012). To educators, these books are universally considered transformational and have been assigned readings in development courses.
Admission is free, but seating is limited. Tickets will be available at the Townsend Center Box Office on October 7.
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