Famous civil rights marcher and activist Lynda Blackmon Lowery will present the keynote address “History: Past, Present, and Future” at the La Crosse Community Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20 in the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center Main Theatre.

Blackmon Lowery began her civil rights activism as a child in the early 1960s. She was on the front lines of the struggle in Alabama, marching on “Bloody Sunday,” “Turn Around Tuesday,” and was the youngest marcher to walk every step of the successful march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965. On “Bloody Sunday” March 7, 1965, Blackmon Lowery and other marchers were beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. She needed 35 stitches as a result of her injuries.

A much sought-after speaker, Blackmon Lowery has presented at conferences across the country. She is a graduate of the College of Staten Island and recently retired from Cahaba Mental Health as a senior case manager. She is a lifelong worshiper at the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Friday, Jan. 3

The Mathy Center is closed today. Hours for Jan. 6–10 are 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Regular academic year hours will resume Monday, Jan. 13.

Her college career was just a few months old when freshman Stephanie Sesvold realized her chosen major wasn’t quite right for her and what she really wanted to be was an attorney.

Viterbo University will be closed Tuesday, Dec. 24–Wednesday, Jan. 1. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.