In December 1965, with escalating dialogue and stress on the subject matter of civil legal rights in the state, the college hosted a discussion on the issue involving conservative creator and commentator William F. Buckley Jr. and liberal African American journalist Louis Lomax. July 1, 2008 - Ebony Whitaker, an African American trans woman, was shot and killed in Memphis. February 4, 2008 - Ashley Sweeney, a trans woman, was shot in the head.