Abolitionist John Brown to be Remembered with Presentation by Historian Dr. Jonathan Earle and Unveiling of New Portrait of Brown

Date: November 17, 2009
Contact: Justin Sochacki, Park Ranger
Phone: (785) 354-4273

Topeka – Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site will commemorate the 150th anniversary of John Brown’s death at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 2. Dr. Jonathan Earle, a professor of history at the University of Kansas, will present a program titled “Perhaps You Will Remember John Brown.” Following the presentation, a newly commissioned painting of the controversial abolitionist will be unveiled. The event will take place at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site and is free and open to the public. Please RSVP by November 30 at 785-354-4273.

On October 16, 1859, John Brown led a handful of men on a raid of the U.S. armory and federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). Brown aimed to acquire weapons to arm a slave uprising. On October 18, U.S. Marines stormed the brick fire station where Brown was holed up and captured the radical abolitionist. After being convicted of “conspiring with slaves to commit treason and murder,” John Brown was hanged on December 2, 1859. His highly publicized trial and execution focused national attention on slavery, which aggravated an already tense sectional rivalry between free states and slave states.

The 150th anniversary of Brown’s death is a fitting time for reflection. According to Earle, "Fifty years ago, opponents of racial integration made sure the National Park Service held no public commemorations of John Brown, in Harpers Ferry or anywhere else. It's finally time where we can look back on what he did and how it changed our country, forever." In addition to teaching and writing at the University of Kansas, Earle also directs the programming for the Dole Institute of Politics. He has written many articles and books on antislavery and democratic movements, including Jacksonian Antislavery and the Politics of Free Soil and John Brown’s Raid on Harper's Ferry. Both will be on sale at the event and Dr. Earle will sign copies during a reception after the program. The Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research will sponsor the reception.

The new painting of John Brown was commissioned by Charles Schollenberger of Prairie Village, Kansas, and created by Sterling Hundley, an award-winning artist based in Virginia. Hundley’s works have appeared in many art and illustration magazines. He is a professor in the Department of Communication Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University. The painting will be on display at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site from December 3 to January 2. “John Brown’s controversial activities in the 1850s and the Brown v. Board of Education ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1954 were separated by a century of history,” said Acting Superintendent Dave Schafer, “but they are both linked to the country’s long struggle over providing freedom and equality for all Americans. John Brown was both admired and despised. But there is no doubt that he was a key player in the American story.”

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site tells the story of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended legal segregation in public schools. The site is located at 1515 SE Monroe Street in Topeka, Kansas, and is open free of charge from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with the exceptions of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s days. For more information call 785-354-4273 or go to www.nps.gov/brvb.

Traveling Exhibit Honors Native American Heritage

Release date: November 5, 2009
Contact: Justin Sochacki, National Park Service, (785) 354-4273
             Cheryl Brown Henderson, Brown Foundation, (785) 235-3939

TOPEKA – In honor of National American Indian Heritage Month, the Brown Foundation and the National Park Service are offering visitors a unique look at the proud history of America’s native people. The American Indian Realism photographic exhibit is on display now through the end of the year at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

Drawn from the photographic archives of the University of Oklahoma, the exhibition features modern prints from vintage glass-plate negatives. The photographs reflect the dignity maintained by Native Americans in spite of upheaval caused by the relocation of tribes. Photographers focused on people who wore traditional dress and lived in traditional homes, as a means of documenting a lifestyle that had been irrevocably altered. The exhibit includes 30 powerful photographs and brochures.

The American Indian Realism photographic exhibit is part of the co-sponsored 2009-2010 program series titled Unfolding Untold Stories. For more information about this exhibit, call the National Park Service at 785-354-4273.

For a list of all events and exhibits in the Unfolding Untold Stories Program Series, please visit www.brownvboard.org or www.nps.gov/brvb, and click on the Special Events link.

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site is at 1515 SE Monroe Street in Topeka. The site is open daily from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Admission and parking are free.

Volunteers and Scouts Head for Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, as Part of Nation’s Largest Annual Outdoor Volunteer Event

Release date: September 18, 2009
Contact: Joan Wilson
Phone number: (785) 354-4273

Topeka, KS– On Saturday, September 26, over 300 Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and other volunteers are expected at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site (NHS) in Topeka, Kansas, to join in National Public Lands Day, the largest annual outdoor volunteer activity in the country.

The theme for the event is Scouting for Change, Change Your World, Change Your Future.Inside the site, visitors can learn more about the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court decision declaring segregated schools to be inherently unequal, and will be able to attend an advance showing of The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, the new movie by filmmaker Ken Burns that will air the following night, September 27, at 7 p.m.  on the local PBS television station KTWU.

Additionally, students will create a mural demonstrating what change means to them today. Other outdoor activities will include:

• identifying native trees and plants and removing trash from a park across the street
• making bird houses from recycled items
• learning to avoid household “energy hogs”
• playing Brown v. Board of Education Bingo as part of a ranger talk
• participating in field games and obstacle courses
• drawing a sidewalk mural with Washburn University art students

This event will provide an opportunity for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of the USA to recruit new members. Girl Scouts of the USA visiting the event will earn a Scouting Day participation patch which is unique to the day's event, and they can also earn a Fairness and Equality patch for completing the parks Junior Ranger program. Lunch will also be provided. The event will take place from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. on the grounds of Brown v. Board of Education NHS. Cost is $5 in advance and $7 on the day of the event for each scouting participant. To register, call Armond Enclarde with the Jayhawk Area Council of Boy Scouts at (785) 354-8541.

“We decided to get involved in National Public Lands Day this year because we saw service requests going up,” said Joan Wilson, Park Ranger. “We wanted to give members of the community an outlet to get involved and discover this site at the same time.”

In the fall of 1991, the U.S. Department of Interior designated Monroe Elementary School as a National Historic Landmark to commemorate the U.S. Supreme Court decision that changed American history forever by ending racial segregation at the nation’s schools. This is the first year that a National Public Lands Day event has been held here, and it will be an annual event here in the future, said Wilson.

“With our first African American president in office, it is clear our nation has changed a great deal since the days of racial segregation,” said Robb Hampton, Program Director of National Public Lands Day. “There’s renewed enthusiasm for preserving natural and historical landmarks, especially among young people who have been signing up for National Public Lands Day in record numbers.”

National Public Lands Day was established in 1994 to carry on the legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), a program to revive communities and create opportunities for employment following the Great Depression. The event is a program of the National Environmental Education Foundation. For more information about National Public Lands Day and to locate a nearby project at which to participate, please visit www.publiclandsday.org.

Brown v. Board of Education NHS documents the story of the lawsuit that ended legal segregation in public schools. The site is located at 1515 SE Monroe Street in Topeka, Kansas, and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. A parking lot for visitors is located across the street from the site. Accessible parking is available behind the site.

Premiere of Sunflower Journeys Presents: The National Parks of Kansas

Release Date: September 15, 2009
Contact: Linda Rosenblum, I, Too, am America Project Coordinator
Phone: (785) 354-4273

The evening of September 10, 2009, saw the culminating event of the I, Too, am America student contest with the premiere of Sunflower Journeys Presents: The National Parks of Kansas at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. The 30-minute Sunflower Journeys episode, produced by KTWU, a partnering PBS station in Topeka, featured student contest winners visiting the five National Park Service sites in Kansas. The contest was an outgrowth of the Ken Burns film The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Both the contest and film were supported with grants from the National Park Foundation and Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund. 

All five national parks in Kansas sponsored the student contest: Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, Fort Larned National Historic Site, Fort Scott National Historic Site, Nicodemus National Historic Site, and Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. 

The contest was open to all seventh and eighth grade students in Kansas. From over 300 entries, five winners were selected from schools around the state representing student projects in documentary film making, poetry, personal narratives, and essays. Each winner received a special tour of one of the national parks in Kansas. KTWU accompanied each student on his or her park visit to document the experience. The resulting Sunflower Journeys Presents: The National Parks of Kansas will air September 17, 2009, at 7 p.m. and again on September 28, 2009, at 9:30 p.m. on KTWU, as well as Smoky Hills Public Television. The National Parks: America's Best Idea premieres September 27, 2009, at 7 p.m.

In partnership with KTWU and the Kansas State Department of Education, digital video cameras, which the winners used in telling their story on Sunflower Journeys, will be donated to each winner’s school for use in future school projects.

The title, I, Too, am America, came from a poem written by native Kansan Langston Hughes. The contest was designed to provide middle school students an opportunity to research and tell untold stories of the diverse peoples of Kansas. Entries were submitted in several formats ranging from essays and short stories to drawings and PowerPoint presentations. The students were provided five themes interpreted by the national park units in Kansas that they could connect with their own family, community, and cultural histories. The themes included: “Living between two worlds,” “Building communities,” “Overcoming hardship,” “Migration stories,” and “Seeking fairness and justice.” Many student entries told compelling stories related to the themes, making the judging process a difficult one. After hours of deliberation, the judges chose submissions from the following students:

Joe Cheng - 8th grader at Roosevelt Middle School in Coffeyville, Kansas
Anne DeArmond - 7th grader at Westridge Middle School in Overland Park, Kansas
Ryan Kelly - 8th grader at Seaman Middle School in Topeka, Kansas
Becky Loepky - 8th grader at Satanta Junior High School in Satanta, Kansas
David Spivak - 7th grader at Mission Valley Middle School in Prairie Village, Kansas

For more information, including pictures of the winners and their winning entries, please visit www.nps.gov/brvb/forkids/npskscontest.htm.

Unfolding Untold Stories 2009 - 2010 Program Series

Release Date: September 15, 2009
Contact: Dave Schafer, National Park Service at (785) 354-4273
           Cheryl Brown Henderson, Brown Foundation at
           (785) 235-3939

Topeka, KS – The Unfolding Untold Stories 2009-2010 Program Series, co-sponsored by the Brown Foundation and Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, will kick off this month with a Hispanic Heritage Month Concert featuring Makuza, an Afro-Cuban jazz band from Kansas City and Mariachi Habanero of Topeka. The outdoor concert will begin at 6 p.m., Saturday, September 19, 2009, on the grounds of Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, 1515 SE Monroe Street, in Topeka. The concert is free and open to the public.

This year's series, Unfolding Untold Stories, reflects the interpretive mission to uncover and share little-known and diverse stories from our past. Upcoming programs and exhibits include:

Nuestras Historias, Nuestros Sueños/Our Stories, Our Dreams, an exhibition from the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University and Student Action with Farmworkers, will be on display at the site from September 20 through October 31, 2009.

Saturday Night at the Down Beat, a celebration of Native American Heritage Month, will take place on November 14, 2009, and will feature the music of Native American flutist Lewis Johnson and the band Injunuity, winners of the 2008 Native American Music Award for Debut Group of the Year.

The World Will Move: Civil Rights and Public Transportation, 1860s -1950s, a traveling exhibit that observes the U.S. Supreme Court decision Plessy v. Ferguson, will be on display for the entire month of January 2010.  On January 24, 2010, descendants of Homer Plessy and Judge John Ferguson will recount their families’ history and involvement in the legal case that led to the policy of “separate but equal.”

The documentary film Garrett Morgan: An Uncommon Inventor will be shown in the auditorium on February 21, 2010. Garrett Morgan was an African American inventor who developed several commercial products, such as a three-position traffic signal and the gas mask. The site will display Firsthand History, a traveling exhibit from the National Archives, in June and July 2010.

For more information about any of the events listed, call the Brown Foundation at (785) 235-3939, send an email by clicking here, or visit the website www.brownvboard.org. Additional information may be found at www.nps.gov/brvb. Click on the Special Events link for a complete list of all the special events and exhibits in the Unfolding Untold Stories Program Series or to print your own copy of the Program Series booklet, click on the 2009-2010 Program Series link.

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site documents the story of the people and places involved in the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended legal segregation in public schools. The site is located at 1515 SE Monroe Street in Topeka. It is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. A parking lot for visitors is located across the street from the site. Accessible parking is available behind the site.

Park Superintendent Dennis Vasquez to become Program Manager for Commission to Study Potential National Museum of the American Latino

Release date: August 6, 2009
Contact: Dave Schafer
Phone number: (785) 354-4273

Topeka, KS--Dennis A. Vasquez has been selected to serve as the program manager for the commission to study the potential creation of the National Museum of the American Latino in Washington, DC. The 23 members of the commission will be appointed by the President and Congress. As program manager, Vasquez will be responsible for directing the policies, standards, and guidelines for overall coordination, planning, and successful accomplishment of the commission, which was authorized by Public Law 110-229.

For the past five years, Vasquez has served as superintendent of Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas, where he provided direction and guidance as the park established its identity in the community and around the country. He worked closely with the park’s primary partner, the Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence and Research. In his role as superintendent, Vasquez also served as the Kansas state coordinator for the National Park Service (NPS).

Vasquez began his NPS career 32 years ago, working in field positions at White Sands National Monument, Yosemite National Park, Sunset Crater National Monument, and Joshua Tree National Monument. He served as chief of interpretation at Big Bend National Park, training manager at the NPS Albright Training Center at Grand Canyon National Park, and superintendent at White Sands National Park and Bandelier National Monument.

From 2002-2004, Vasquez served as staff assistant for the newly formed office that established graphic identity standards for the NPS and as staff assistant to the director of the NPS.

Vasquez is a graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso and has served as adjunct professor at Washburn University in Topeka. He has been a board member of the Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy, the Kansas State Historical Society, the Governor’s Council on Travel and Tourism, and Visit Topeka, Inc. Fluent in Spanish, Vasquez has served the NPS on international assignments in Mexico, Panama, and Chile. He looks forward to relocating to Washington, DC with his wife, Lynn, in mid-August.

Dave Schafer will serve as the acting superintendent at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in the interim period before a permanent replacement is selected. Schafer is currently the chief of interpretation and education at the historic site.

“Music of the Parks” to Accompany “Paint the Parks” Exhibit During First Friday Artwalk at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site

Release Date: July 30, 2009
Contact: Dave Schafer
Phone: (785) 354-4273

Topeka, KS--On the evening of August 7, 2009, Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site will be a fun and entertaining stop during Topeka’s “First Friday Artwalk.” From 5:30 to 8:30 pm, the historic site will feature live acoustic music performed by National Park Service employees. This evening of “Music of the Parks” will complement the “Paint the Parks” exhibit of original paintings depicting scenes from America’s national parks.

Musicians for the August 7 performance will include Norton Canfield, a park guide at Harry S Truman National Historic Site in Independence, Missouri. A professional musician before beginning a career with the National Park Service, Norton frequently performed as a well-known singer-songwriter in the Kansas City area. For several years, he coordinated the acts at the acoustic music tent at Kansas City’s annual Spirit Festival and in 1997 he produced Cowtown City Limits, a compact disc featuring Norton and four other singers and musicians.

Ron Parker, Ken Ruhnke, and Willie Faye Smith, three musicians who will perform during the artwalk event on August 7, are employees of Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Sulphur, Oklahoma. Chief of Interpretation Ron Parker and Landscape Architect Ken Ruhnke, a guitar-fiddle musical duo, often perform their original tunes at south-central Oklahoma venues. One of their interpretive programs, “We Can Take It,” tells the story of Company 808, a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp that from 1933 to 1940 built limestone shelters, planted trees, and constructed hiking trails for the National Park Service in Oklahoma. Park Guide Willie Faye Smith is a gifted singer whose rich voice fills the room during her renditions of folk, gospel, and blues songs.

The “Paint the Parks100 Mini50” traveling exhibition features works by many of the country’s best known contemporary artists. The exhibit is organized by PaintAmerica, a Topeka-based, non-profit organization that supports and promotes the visual arts. The Paint the Parks exhibit will be displayed at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site free of charge from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily from July 18 through August 31. This showing is the final stop on the 2008 national tour.

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site documents the story of the lawsuit that ended legal segregation in public schools. The site is located at 1515 SE Monroe Street in Topeka, Kansas, and is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily. A parking lot for visitors is located across the street from the site. Accessible parking is available behind the site.

"Paint the Parks" National Touring Show Comes to Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site

Date: July 17, 2009
Contacts: Dave Schafer NPS, Rod Seel PaintAmerica
Phone numbers: (785) 354-4273, (785) 273-4502

Topeka, KS--Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, one of five sites the National Park Service oversees in Kansas, is proud to announce that it will display the “Paint the Parks100 Mini50” this summer. This national touring exhibition of beautiful contemporary paintings depicts scenes found in America’s national parks. The exhibit is organized by PaintAmerica, a Topeka-based, national non-profit organization that supports and promotes the visual arts.

The “Paint the Parks” exhibit will be displayed at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site free of charge from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily from July 18 through August 31. On August 7, the paintings can be viewed from 5:30 to 8:30 pm as part of Topeka’s “First Friday Artwalk.”

As one of America’s leading traveling exhibitions, “Paint the Parks” features works by many of the country’s best known contemporary artists, as well as works by talented emerging artists. The Mini50 exhibit is created annually from a national juried artists’ competition and includes the 50 highest scoring pieces out of the nearly 1,000 paintings submitted in the mini category (paintings 10” x 18” or smaller).

The exhibit features many different mediums and illustrates a variety of regional styles. The artwork will include the Grand Prize Purchase Award painting by Dan McWilliams of Jasper, Missouri, depicting Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Other major juror award winners include Frank Glendinning’s “Saguaro Scene,” Beth Norwood’s “La Push,” and Eileen Nistler’s “Tatanka IV.”

This showing is the final stop on the 2008 national tour that began in St. Louis, traveled to the Chicago area and Shreveport, Louisiana, before coming to Topeka. The show can be viewed online at www.paintamerica.org.

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site documents the story of the lawsuit that ended legal segregation in public schools. The site is located at 1515 SE Monroe Street in Topeka, Kansas, and is open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily. A parking lot for visitors is located across the street from the site. Accessible parking is available behind the site.

PaintAmerica was established to support and promote the arts, with a goal of providing scholarship opportunities for young artists, while providing a national showcase for some of the country’s most notable artists, as well as emerging artists. “We are delighted to partner with the National Park Service,” stated Rod Seel, Executive Director of PaintAmerica. “This is a unique exhibit venue and we’re proud to bring this terrific exhibit to Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site.”

Go Green at Brown!

Release Date: June 16, 2009
Contact: Tavio del Rio
Phone number: (785) 354-4273

Topeka, KS--Why drive around town looking for places to recycle? This community event offers many recycling opportunities in one central location! Bring your recyclable items to Green Day 2009 at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site on Saturday, June 27, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Items being recycled include paper, plastic, aluminum, cardboard, as well as scrap metal, tires, TVs, computer monitors, and cell phones! For a complete list, please visit our website at www.nps.gov/brvb.

Be an early bird! The first one hundred individuals to arrive will receive a FREE tote bag and pen, both made from recycled materials! For the first 100 tires (limit 2 per household), 10 TVs, and 10 computer monitors brought to the site, Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site will cover the recycling fee. After that limit has been reached, tires are $1.50 each, TVs are $10 each, and computer monitors are $5 each, payable by the person donating the equipment.

Master gardeners will have presentations on how to turn waste into rich soil for your plants and garden. Composting made easy! Save money! Listen to an expert on how to make rain collecting barrels to water your plants during dry days.

Learn about responsible outdoor recreation using the principles of Leave No Trace: plan ahead and prepare, travel and camp on durable surfaces, dispose of waste properly, leave what you find, minimize campfire impacts, respect wildlife and be considerate of other visitors.

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, located at 1515 SE Monroe Street is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with no fee, excluding Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. The National Park Service cares for special places saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage. For more information call (785) 354-4273 or visit www.nps.gov/brvb.

Share in a Moment of History at Brown v. Board of Education NHS

Release Date: January 13, 2009
Contact: Dennis Vasquez
Phone: (785) 354-4273

Topeka, KS— Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, in conjunction with the Brown Foundation, will telecast the Presidential Inauguration events on Tuesday, January 20. Superintendent Dennis Vasquez stated, "The public is invited to share in this historic moment. We will be showing the events of the day on the big screen in our main auditorium."

The Swearing-In Ceremony is scheduled to begin at 10:30 AM. The Inauguration Parade is scheduled to begin at 1:30 PM. The televised coverage will be shown at the national historic site on an open house basis from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Admission to the national historic site is free of charge. The site is open from 9 AM to 5 PM daily, excluding Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The National Park Service cares for special places and special stories saved by the American people so that all may experience our heritage. For more information call (785) 354-4273 or visit www.nps.gov/brvb.