On Thursday, Oct. 9 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., students, faculty and community members filled Southern Utah University’s Sterling Church Auditorium for the Eccles A.P.E.X. Lecture “Get Back to the Counter.” It featured civil rights activist Joan Trumpauer Mulholland and her son, Emmy-winning filmmaker Loki Mulholland.
The lecture opened with Eccles A.P.E.X. Director Ryan Paul welcoming the mother and son duo under the applause of the crowd. The presentation focused on Joan’s experience as an American civil rights activist during the 1960s in the segregated South.
Born in 1941 in Washington, D.C. and raised in nearby Arlington, Virginia, Joan’s Freedom Rider mugshot has been called one of the most iconic in American history. Her mother sent her to Duke University to keep her away from integrated schools, but visiting activists soon inspired her to join demonstrations. She was arrested for her involvement in the Freedom Rides in 1961 and jailed in Mississippi for two and a half months.
“It’s better to die doing what you believe in,” said Joan. “You’re gonna die sometime or later so at least do something good.”
By the time she was 23 years old, Joan participated in over 50 sit-ins and demonstrations, including the March on Washington, the Meredith March, the Selma to Montgomery March and the Jackson Woolworth’s Sit-In, which is one her son’s favorite stories. On May 28, 1963, she and fellow protesters were attacked by a mob as they sat at the white-colored counter for three hours.
“I think that Miss Joan really shows what you can do when you decide to do it,” said Paul. “And it’s important to note that all of these things happened when she was your age, when she was a college student. She didn’t wait to be an adult; she was in her 20s and this is really how it happens.”
At the end of the lecture, the audience rose in a standing ovation.
“This (lecture) was really especially interesting because you get to hear about all these stories, but it’s actually learned from someone who was actually there and that’s impressive,” said Preston Cox, a senior history major at SUU.
Paul, who has directed Eccles A.P.E.X. since 2021, shared that he views the program as a vital part of SUU’s educational mission.
“I think that this generation, the college kids now, they’re the ones that are either going to save us or destroy us,” he said. “I mean, it’s up to them. My generation is not gonna do it. My parents’ generation isn’t gonna do it. It’s this group now that is really going to move things forward. And if we follow examples like Ms. Joan, then we’re going to move in a positive direction.”
Outside the theater, a table displayed books and mugshot prints of Mulholland. Attendees could purchase copies and get it signed by both her and Loki. Later that afternoon, the discussion continued with a special segment at 3 p.m. on KSUU Thunder 91.1.
Along with the lectures, Eccles A.P.E.X. Lecture offers a podcast, internship opportunities, as well as a one-credit class titled “Passport to SUU.” If desired, people can suggest a speaker for Eccles A.P.E.X. on its website.
Author: Fanny Felixine
Editor: Heather Turner
Photos by Fanny Felixine
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