Bree Newsome brings an impassioned message about racial equality and illustrates how, with courage, zeal, and the support of others, ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference. 

This contemporary civil rights icon first garnered national attention for her daring act of peaceful disobedience in June 2015 following the brutal murder of nine black parishioners at Mother Emmanuel Church in Charleston, S.C. Bree climbed the flagpole at the South Carolina statehouse and pulled down the Confederate Battle flag as a protest against racist symbolism. Her arrest galvanized public opinion and led to the permanent removal of the flag.

Newsome’s session is free and sponsored by Oswego’s criminal justice department and the college’s David F. Cutler ‘74 Public Justice Excellence Fund.