Florida State University administrators, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters gathered for a powerful evening of reflection and inspiration at the Dunlap Champions Club Thursday, Nov. 1. The event launched a new institute dedicated to the study of civil rights in America and the promotion of social change.
The new FSU Civil Rights Institute is the brainchild of Doby Flowers and attorney Fred Flowers, both FSU alumni. Doby Flowers was FSU’s first African-American Homecoming Queen, and her brother, Fred, was the first African-American student athlete to wear an FSU uniform. Doby Flowers presided over the event, recounting her experience integrating the university with her brother and others more than 50 years ago.