Bill and Rita Bender presented at the Recognition, Reparation, and Reconciliation Conference held December 5-9, 2018 at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. This annual conference aims to deepen the understanding of the transgenerational repercussions of traumatic pasts in a range of cultural contexts, to explore how different disciplines represent this transgenerational phenomenon, and to contribute to new knowledge production in this area of research.
Mr. and Mrs. Bender conducted a panel presentation titled “Reckoning with the Legacies of White Supremacy: The Role of Eugenics, Violence, and Incarceration in Mississippi Public Schools.” This presentation was interrelated with their pro bono work in the landmark federal lawsuit filed in Mississippi on May 23, 2017 by the Southern Poverty Law Center.