Hey there, Secular FAM! I am writing this on July 2nd, 2025 – the 100th anniversary of the birth of WWII veteran and civil rights activist, Medgar Evers.
I vaguely recall hearing about Medgar Evers when I was a kid, somewhere on TV, probably in a PBS documentary. My dad has always been fond of historical documentaries, and when I was a kid, we literally only had four channels to choose from.
I watched the movie Mississippi Burning back in the late 80s, and I recall news stories and movie critics that mentioned Medgar Evers while discussing the movie, but I didn’t really get a full history lesson on his life and death until I went back for my undergraduate degree at ASU from 2005-2008.
I regularly state that I feel I received an excellent public education, but I didn’t receive a formal lesson about one of the most accomplished civil rights activists in American history, Medgar Evers, until I attended college.
Bu-bu-but, I’ve been told that all of our public schools are wOkE!?
JEANNE CASTEEN has a bachelor’s degree in human communication and history from the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at ASU and a master’s in education, also from ASU. Jeanne has over 11 years of experience teaching in Maricopa County’s public schools. In 2011, Jeanne completed the Emerge Arizona program and in 2012 became a school board member of the Creighton School District. She served as Board President from 2016 through 2020. In 2020, Ms. Casteen ran for Maricopa County School Superintendent, and came within 12,000 votes of winning. She has been awarded the Arizona School Public Relations Association Award for Excellence in Advocacy and Political Contributions to Education as well as the Arizona School Board Association’s All-Arizona School Board Member Award.
Author: Jeanne Casteen, Secular AZ Executive Director
JEANNE CASTEEN has a bachelor’s degree in human communication and history from the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at ASU and a master’s in education, also from ASU. Jeanne has over 11 years of experience teaching in Maricopa County’s public schools. In 2011, Jeanne completed the Emerge Arizona program and in 2012 became a school board member of the Creighton School District. She served as Board President from 2016 through 2020. In 2020, Ms. Casteen ran for Maricopa County School Superintendent, and came within 12,000 votes of winning. She has been awarded the Arizona School Public Relations Association Award for Excellence in Advocacy and Political Contributions to Education as well as the Arizona School Board Association’s All-Arizona School Board Member Award. View all posts by Jeanne Casteen, Secular AZ Executive Director →
