The George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas hosted two discussions Tuesday evening.
The overarching theme was the current state of civil rights in America. The event complemented The Continual Struggle, an exhibit at the Bush Center of artist Brian Washington’s work documenting the civil rights movement and America’s historical struggle against segregation and other forms of race-based disenfranchisement.
“The Continual Struggle: The American Freedom Movement and the Seeds of Social Change,” documents all phases of the civil rights movement, a pivotal time in America’s ongoing fight against social injustice.
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“I wanted people to see the pain in the eyes of the people who endured this,” Washington said during the event.
The world-class, self-taught artist and attorney has been recognized globally for his work. Former President Bill Clinton has also highlighted Washington’s attention to detail and ability to bring emotions off the page.
The second panel highlighted three leaders in the Dallas community working to be the change Washington said he hopes we see in the future.
The panel included Dallas Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall, Big Thought CEO Byron Sanders and Cullum Clark, director of the Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative. Their position was highlighting the issues they see every day and the work they are doing to identify racial inequities, to close the equality gap for people of color and to help empower communities through various forms of education.
George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States, and former first lady Laura Bush were both in attendance for the event.
NBC 5’s Laura Harris moderated the discussions.
