What to See at Duke This Week -- SNCC, Vietnam and the Duke Chorale
The violence in El Salvador during the 1980s claimed many lives, but few had the impact of the assassination of Catholic Archbishop Óscar Romero by one of the country’s notorious death squads. Decades later, the Vatican has put Romero on track for sainthood for his championship of the poor. In "Assassination of a Saint: The Plot to Murder Óscar Romero and the Quest to Bring His Killers to Justice," author Matt Eisenbrandt traces the story of how an international team of lawyers, private investigators and human-rights experts sought justice for the slain archbishop. At Duke, Eisenbrandt will discuss the murder and Archbishop Romero’s lasting legacy and receive the 2017 Méndez Book Award, given by Duke for the best book on human rights and justice in contemporary Latin America. Noon. Holsti-Anderson Room, 153 Rubenstein Library.
When industrialist James B. Duke created The Duke Endowment in 1924, he said he hoped the charitable foundation's work would "make provision in some measure for the needs of mankind along physical, mental and spiritual lines." Nine decades later, the Endowment can point to successful work in health and child care, rural development and higher education. Rhett Mabry, president of The Duke Endowment, will present the Sanford School’s annual Sulzberger Distinguished Lecture and talk about how the Endowment is addressing changing social needs while keeping true to Duke’s original vision. 3 p.m. Rhodes Conference Room, 223 Sanford School.
The students in the Duke Chorale are back on campus following a Spring Break road tour of the US Northeast, and they’re going to showcase the music that brought the tour acclaim. Conducted as always by Rodney Wynkoop, the Chorale has expanded its usual repertoire to include many contemporary works, including American folk songs and spirituals. Free. 8 p.m. Baldwin Auditorium.
The Vietnam War is still being debated across the country, and the fractures it exposed in the United States 50 years ago still play out in our politics. Like a Rorschach Test, different political sides find their own narrative to explain what happened. Clay Risen, editor of the New York Times series Vietnam '67, and Christian Lentz, a specialist on the history of Vietnam, will discuss the ways in which we remember the Indochinese and Vietnam wars. The event is co-sponsored by the Forum for Scholars and Publics and the Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy. Noon. 011 Old Chemistry Bldg.
In the aftermath of the 1960 Greensboro sit-ins, young African-American activists looked to create a new organization that would expand that activism. The result was the Southern Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, popularly known as SNCC. For the next decade and beyond, SNCC students put their lives at risk to register voters, teach children and create local grassroots organizations that were central to the Civil Rights movement. A two-day free, public conference sponsored by the Center for Documentary Studies and Duke University Libraries will highlight SNCC’s work and shine a light on some of the stories of SNCC veterans. The first day will be held in the Richard White Auditorium on East Campus while day two will be held at NC Central University.