March 13, 2012 — On March 19, Derrick P. Alridge of the University of Virginia's Curry School of Education will give the school's seventh Walter N. Ridley Distinguished Lecture.The lecture begins at 4 p.m. in Bavaro Hall, room 116.

Alridge joined the faculty in 2011. His work focuses on African-American educational and intellectual history and the role of education in the Civil Rights Movement.

"As a new faculty member at U.Va. whose work examines the intersections of education and the Civil Rights Movement, I am honored to have the opportunity to give the Ridley Lecture," Alridge said. "Walter Ridley's life and work reflect my research interests on the role that educators like Dr. Ridley played in the Civil Rights Movement. More importantly, though, I am honored to give the lecture in honor of the man who paved the way for so many individuals to receive an education.

"As an African-American professor in the Curry School, where Ridley received his doctorate, I stand on the shoulders of Dr. Walter Ridley and attribute my being here to his sacrifices and commitment to social justice," he said.

His lecture is titled "Ideas Have Consequences: The Educational Legacy of W.E.B. Du Bois."

"Because Du Bois lived so long – 95 years – and wrote so much over an 80-year period, he provides a critical lens for examining the long history of the African-American educational experience and Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century," Alridge said.

According to Alridge, scholars have paid little attention to Du Bois' educational ideas. His lecture will examine the evolution of Du Bois' educational thought and explore the relevancy of Du Bois' ideas for contemporary American education.

The lecture is based on Alridge's book, "The Educational Thought of W.E.B. Du Bois: An Intellectual History."

Registration for the lecture and other information can be found here.

The lecture is held annually in honor of Ridley, U.Va.'s first black graduate, who earned a doctorate in education in June 1953.