A Symposium on the Life and Work of Sterling Brown: With Chet Lasell, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Paula Giddings, Sterling Stuckey, Wahneema Lubiano, and Cornel West

Abstract Chet lasell: Good morning ladies and gentlemen. My name is Chet Lasell, and I’m Director of Alumni Relations for Williams College. On behalf of the College, it’s my pleasure to welcome you to this symposium on the life and work of Sterling Brown. The connections between Williams and Dunbar High go back to the era of the 1920s, when there was an influx of Dunbar graduates, including Sterling Brown, to Williams. Thus began a close and fruitful relationship that continues today. We greatly appreciate the valuable assistance that Dunbar’s representatives have provided for this program today. This weekend’s events, which honor Sterling Brown and celebrate the visiting professorship established at Williams in his name, would not have been possible without the generosity and dedication of the members of our Williams black alumni network and several of our graduated classes. I also want to ac- knowledge the hard work and involvement of the members of our Washington Alumni Association and the twenty-one Williams alumni who are members of the highly effective Sterling Brown Events Committee. We sincerely appreciate all of your efforts.