If through her words and deeds one woman can truly make a difference for thousands of others in change-making ways, then that singular individual would be Billie Jean King. Named one of the "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century" by Life and a 2009 recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, King is a pioneer for equality, and the advancement of women and LGBTQ people.

This event is part of a celebration of 40 years of LGBTQ activism at VCU. Forty years ago VCU's first LGBTQ student group, the Gay Alliance of Students, secured official recognition as a student organization following a two year legal struggle. This year we celebrate that victory, which coincided with the bicentennial of the Declaration of Independence, as an important milestone on the path toward inclusion and acceptance for LGBTQ students, staff, and faculty at VCU. This Humanities Research Center speaker series examines the 1974-76 struggle at VCU and puts that local history into a broader national context.