Missouri Professional Communicators will present "A Monumental Debate: Remove or Reinterpret" at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 18, at the St. Louis Artists' Guild. The morning will feature two outstanding speakers.
Lynne Jackson is founder and president of The Dred Scott Heritage Foundation and great-great-granddaughter of Dred and Harriet Scott. Jackson is overseeing a new monument to be installed at the grave of Dred Scott in Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis, Mo. She spearheaded placement of a statute of the Scotts on the Old Courthouse lawn in St. Louis, the site where the court decision to deny their freedom was announced in 1857.
Jackson, a native St. Louisan, holds a bachelor's degree from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. She was general services manager at Bryan Cave LLP and has served on community boards, including the St. Louis Artists' Guild.
Dr. Jody Sowell, president of the Missouri Historical Society (MHS), is an advocate of positioning MHS and its Missouri History Museum in St. Louis as a place where visitors can learn and wrestle with difficult history. He led the project to create interpretive labels for the museum's Thomas Jefferson statue. In April 2022, the three interpretive labels that examine contradictions between Jefferson's words about freedom and his practices concerning slaves were installed.
Sowell, originally from Memphis, Tenn., has been with MHS for 17 years. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from Southern Methodist University, a masters of arts degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism, and a doctorate of philosophy degree in American Studies from Saint Louis University.
Please RSVP for this free program by March 16 to mpcnfpw@gmail.com. The St. Louis Artists' Guild is at 12 N. Jackson Ave.; enter through green doors. Free parking is available across Jackson Avenue. Those who wish to view the program via Zoom and will receive link information with their reservation confirmation.