Jonesborough pastor to speak as part of Carson-Newman’s “A Simple Justice” celebration, March 29

(March 23, 2016) – Carson-Newman University will host Rev. Vincent Dial, pastor of Bethel Christian Church in Jonesborough on Tuesday, March 29.

An alumnus of Carson-Newman, Dial will present a program focusing on Freedom Songs, which played an important role during the Civil Rights era. He will also share about his memoir “The View from the Back of the Bus.”

Dial’s presentation is part of the University’s “A Simple Justice: The Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act,” a year-long observance that began last year of the historical event.

The U.S. Voting Rights Act was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on August 6, 1965. The act meant to enforce the 15th Amendment of the Constitution ratified by Congress in 1870.

The bill was created to guarantee African-Americans the right to vote and made it illegal to impose restrictions on any federal, state and local elections that were designed to deny the vote to blacks.

The 7 p.m. program will be held in Thomas Recital Hall located in the University’s Tarr Music Center on Russell Ave in Jefferson City. It is free and open to the public.

The event is co-sponsored by the University and AAHA! (African American History Alliance) and in conjunction with the student campus exhibit “We March with Selma.”