Frieze Lectures consider student activism, from the 60s to Greta Thunberg

The 22nd annual Frieze Lecture Series will note the 50th anniversary of the “Student Bill of Rights and Responsibilities” at Augustana College, and the 40th anniversary of the assassination of one of Augustana’s most extraordinary graduates, by considering the nature and impact of student activism here and around the world.

Bill Sampson '70 was killed at a rally against the Ku Klux Klan in 1979 in Greensboro, N.C. This year’s Frieze Lectures are dedicated to his memory.

Free and open to the public, the lectures begin at 2 p.m. on four consecutive Tuesdays. This year's dates are Oct. 22, Oct. 29, Nov. 5 and Nov. 12.

Lectures are held in the second-floor community room of Rock Island’s Downtown Library, 401 19th St. Free coffee, cookies and conversation are offered after each lecture.

The elegant frieze which wraps around the Frederick Weyerhaeuser-funded edifice is engraved with the names of some of the world’s great 19th-century poets, whose stories were celebrated in the first lectures held in 1998. The series has continued since as a partnership between Augustana College and its hometown library.

2019 Frieze Lectures

Oct. 22: Dr. Bobby Wengronowitz, visiting assistant professor in sociology, anthropology and social welfare, will consider the global phenomenon that is the School Strike for Climate Action, begun by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg.

Oct. 29: Dr. Monica Smith, vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion, will speak on the changing nature of activism, and how students engage in the digital age with local, national and global movements.

Nov. 5: Vickie Phipps, associate professor of art and graphic design, will describe a shift within the art community in broaden its focus from the “radical” to the “radicant,” and the impact that’s having on activism.

Nov. 12: Dr. Tom Tredway, former Augustana president and professor emeritus of history, will share the story of Bill Sampson, a 1970 graduate of Augustana who left a major mark on the college, then went on to confront the Ku Klux Klan in a struggle that would lead to his murder on Nov. 4, 1979.