Equal rights advocate and decorated veteran Margaret Witt speaks at LCC April 5
As part of this Lane Community College Speakers Series event, KLCC reporter Tiffany Eckert will lead a community conversation with Witt, who released a memoir last year, “Tell: Love, Defiance, and the Military Trial at the Tipping Point of Gay Rights.” Witt will also take questions from the audience and participate in a book signing and sale sponsored by the Titan Bookstore.
During her career in the Air Force, Witt logged nearly 2,000 hours as a flight nurse before she was suspended in 2004 and faced dismissal under “don't ask, don't tell.” Witt legally challenged the discharge and made history in 2010 when the courts ruled the dismissal violated her constitutional rights and ordered her reinstatement. Her legal fight helped lead to the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010.
“Major Witt’s service to her country and her advocacy for human rights is inspirational,” said Lane Community College President Margaret Hamilton. “One of the goals of our speaker series is to share powerful stories from people who advocate for education, access and equity. We’re honored that Major Witt will spend time with our student veterans during her visit to Lane, as well as share her story with the greater community.”
Witt is currently the supervisor of rehabilitation services at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Portland, where she lives with her wife, Laurie Johnson.
The Lane Community College Speaker Series is sponsored by the Lane Community College Foundation’s Roberta Konnie Endowment Fund. The series seeks to connect the campus and community to educational events as part of the college’s mission to transform lives through learning.
Doors to the venue open at 5 p.m. For accommodations to attend the public event, contact the LCC Center for Accessible Resources at (541) 463-5150 (voice), 711 (relay), or AccessibleResources@lanecc.edu.
For more information about Lane Community College:
Lane is an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabilities Employer
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Lane Community College educates over 25,000 students annually at six locations across Lane County and online. Students and alumni from all 50 states and 79 countries create more than an $850 million dollar impact on the local economy, helping to support more than 13,000 local jobs. Lane provides affordable, quality, professional technical and college transfer programs; business development and employee training; academic, language and life skills development; and lifelong personal development and enrichment courses.