Memphis State Eight Archives - Summer Owens S.O. What! https://summerowens.com/tag/memphis-state-eight/ S.O. What! Fri, 03 Oct 2025 07:38:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.5 https://i0.wp.com/summerowens.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/cropped-Summer-Owens-S.O.-What.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Memphis State Eight Archives - Summer Owens S.O. What! https://summerowens.com/tag/memphis-state-eight/ 32 32 152051023 Honoring the Memphis State Eight: How Their Courage Shaped My Journey https://summerowens.com/honoring-the-memphis-state-eight-how-their-courage-shaped-my-journey/ https://summerowens.com/honoring-the-memphis-state-eight-how-their-courage-shaped-my-journey/#respond Fri, 19 Sep 2025 21:16:18 +0000 https://summerowens.com/?p=24568 Sixty-six years ago, eight courageous students walked onto the campus of Memphis State University for the first time, integrating the school and making history. On that September day in 1959, the Memphis State Eight faced hostility and isolation so that students like me could one day thrive. Because of their bravery, my own journey was […]

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]]> https://summerowens.com/honoring-the-memphis-state-eight-how-their-courage-shaped-my-journey/feed/ 0 24568 Embracing Legacy and Resilience: How to Honor Legacy and Foster Resilience Through Symbolic Actions https://summerowens.com/embracing-legacy-and-resilience-how-to-honor-legacy-and-foster-resilience/ https://summerowens.com/embracing-legacy-and-resilience-how-to-honor-legacy-and-foster-resilience/#respond Mon, 13 May 2024 23:43:21 +0000 https://summerowens.com/?p=23764 I’m not sure how I came to the realization of the importance of embracing legacy and resilience, but I have learned to love the power in journies of those who have come before me. Especially, because I am a black woman, I appreciate and honor the legacy of black women. Last month I struggled through […]

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]]> https://summerowens.com/embracing-legacy-and-resilience-how-to-honor-legacy-and-foster-resilience/feed/ 0 23764 Making History: Create Impact in Women and Black History Month https://summerowens.com/making-history-create-impact-in-women-and-black-history-month/ https://summerowens.com/making-history-create-impact-in-women-and-black-history-month/#respond Tue, 06 Feb 2024 09:30:43 +0000 https://summerowens.com/?p=23654 Hope you’re soaking up the joy of Black History Month and eagerly planning for Women’s History Month! I want to kick off our conversation by acknowledging a remarkable friend, Bertha Rogers Looney—a true pioneer.     Unveiling Bertha’s Legacy Bertha was one of the courageous Memphis State Eight, the trailblazing students who desegregated my alma […]

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]]> https://summerowens.com/making-history-create-impact-in-women-and-black-history-month/feed/ 0 23654 The Success of the Inaugural S.O. What! Awards and Scholarship Soiree https://summerowens.com/s-o-what-awards-and-scholarship-soiree/ https://summerowens.com/s-o-what-awards-and-scholarship-soiree/#respond Fri, 05 May 2023 05:09:39 +0000 https://summerowens.com/?p=23303 One night about six years ago, I had a dream about an awards and scholarship program. I’ve been a part of several awards programs either as a recipient or helping to plan the event, and I knew I wanted this one to be special. On April 29, 2023 my dream was realized. With the help […]

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]]> https://summerowens.com/s-o-what-awards-and-scholarship-soiree/feed/ 0 23303 Graduating Against the Odds: How I Made it to My 20 Year College Graduation Anniversary https://summerowens.com/graduating-against-the-odds/ https://summerowens.com/graduating-against-the-odds/#respond Tue, 04 May 2021 01:02:52 +0000 https://summerowens.com/?p=20233 It’s graduation season, and many students are graduating against the odds. Financial challenges, lack of support, illnesses, competing priorities, too many responsibilities and so many other obstacles keep many people from completing college. But so many did it in spite of the odds. Many overcame tremendous obstacles, self-doubt, and doubt from others…but you did it! […]

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