Mark Peterson
Professor Mark Peterson, Chair of the Washburn University Department of Political Science, was our speaker. He chronicled the life and times of the late Arthur Fletcher: a federal public official and notable Kansan often called the "Father of Affirmative Action". Fletcher was an energetic and forceful champion of affirmative action for most of his long life. Today, affirmative action remains contentious and provocative, and people frequently wrangle and quarrel over its meaning and justification. Dr. Peterson updated us on the current status of the affirmative action debate and also described Arthur Fletcher's efforts, after the landmark decision Brown v Board of Education, to bring about the goals and benefits of affirmative action.
