Fort Wayne, Ind.—Dean Peter Alexander announced today that Cheryl Brown Henderson will be Indiana Tech Law School’s inaugural distinguished lecturer on Tuesday, April 8. Henderson was one of the plaintiffs in the historic Supreme Court decision of Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.

Henderson is one of three daughters of the late Oliver L. Brown, who agreed to file suit on behalf of his children against the Topeka, Kansas, school board in order to integrate the public school system. She will share her personal experiences and describe the decisions that her parents made that led to their becoming part of the famous case.

“Cheryl Brown Henderson is an extraordinary figure in our country’s civil rights history,” Alexander said, “and we are extremely pleased that she has agreed to be our first distinguished lecturer.”

Henderson currently serves as president and CEO of the Brown Foundation for Educational Equity, Excellence, and Research, which she founded in 1988. She is the owner of Brown & Brown Associates, an educational consulting firm, and has an extensive background in education, business, and civic leadership, having served on and chaired various local, state, and national boards. Additionally, she has nearly two decades of experience in political advocacy, public policy implementation, and federal legislative development. She is also an associate with the Westerly Group, a public advocacy firm in Washington, D.C.

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be at the Grand Wayne Center rather than the Law School because of its wide appeal, Alexander said.

“We especially hope that school-age children and college students will be in attendance, because Ms. Henderson is living history, not someone they meet every day,” he explained.