In December 1965, with increasing conversation and stress on the subject of civil legal rights in the region, the university hosted a debate on the subject matter between conservative writer and commentator William F. Buckley Jr. and liberal African American journalist Louis Lomax. July 1, 2008 - Ebony Whitaker, an African American trans lady, was shot and killed in Memphis. February 4, 2008 - Ashley Sweeney, a trans female, was shot in the head.