Robert G. Stanton will present the U.S. Civil Rights Movement Sites 2023 Symposium Lecture, drawing on his 35-year career at the National Park Service, ultimately serving as its first African American director. Stanton was also a senior adviser to the Secretary of the Interior and served on the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

Stanton has led major efforts to improve diversity and inclusion in the workforce and public programs. He helped to establish new park areas and programs that recognized the struggles, courage, leadership and contributions of women and people of color in the collective history and development of our nation. Stanton believes that “in a real sense, the preservation of our heritage is more than the protection of structures, artifacts and landscapes. Preservation demonstrates the values of diversity and community that honors and links us with the heritage of our predecessors and furthermore represents our individual and collective heritage to our successors.”

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. RECEPTION TO FOLLOW.