For All the World to See

Local Exhibits

LGBTQ/Gay Rights
Inspired by the black civil rights movement, gay rights activism in the 1960s became much more visible and politically active than it had been during the 1950s. Self-identified as the “homophile” movement, activists picketed government agencies to protest discriminatory employment practices.
Curator: Todd Bruns

Migrant Worker Rights
Led by César Chávez, the 1960s migrant farm worker rights movement modeled itself on the civil rights movement. Chávez organized the National Farm Workers Association (later renamed the United Farmworkers Union) and launched campaigns to organize grape farm workers and a boycott of grapes. These protests of the harsh working conditions led eventually to the Californian Agricultural Labor Relations Act.
Curator: Todd Bruns

See EIU in the Civil Rights Era
During the 1960s-1970s, Eastern’s African-American student population began to grow significantly. It was a time of many “firsts” on campus, some of which are highlighted in this exhibit.
Curator: Ellen Corrigan

The Women’s Movement
The second wave of the women’s movement gained steam through the 1960s as part of the civil rights and anti-war movements. The approval of the pill and the consequent change in the number of women employed in the job market, the publishing of The Feminine Mystique (1963) by Betty Friedan, and the founding of the National Organization for Women in 1966 all provided grounding for the actions that would take place in the 1970s and beyond.
Curator: Ann Brownson

Children of the Civil Rights Movement
For some young people, growing up during the Civil Rights Movement meant a childhood marked by activism, countering segregation and participating in the fight for equality.  Located in the Ballenger Teachers Center, this display focuses on Barbara Rose Johns, Ruby Bridges, the Little Rock Nine, Freedom Riders, Student Sit-Ins, and the Children's Crusade, with a timeline detailing significant events of the period.
Curator: Katie Jenkins