Pioneering initiative launched on equity, diversity and inclusion, backed by Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund

BERKELEY — On a campus long dedicated to educating Californians of every background, a major effort was announced today (Thursday, Feb. 18) to establish the University of California, Berkeley, as a national leader in research, teaching and public service related to equity and inclusion.

Backed by a $16 million gift from the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, the new UC Berkeley Initiative for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion will launch a sweeping array of research projects, faculty chairs, student scholarships, several dozen new courses in American cultures, and programs across the campus. The investment eventually could total $31 million, as parts of it are set up as challenge grants.

"We are in one of the most diverse states in the nation from every aspect — socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, religion, abilities and disabilities, sexual orientation. Our campus reflects that diversity, making it the perfect place to examine these issues," said Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau.

The new UC Berkeley Initiative for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion "will put resources behind Berkeley 's commitment to diversity, and ensure a collective Berkeley effort," says Maria Blanco, a School of Law administrator who serves on the Berkeley Diversity Research Initiative's executive committee. To Blanco, executive director of the law school 's Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity, the $16 million gift from the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund helps to ensure that the work of scholars who specialize in this area will be publicly valued. The gift "validates the work of individual scholars and of departments and administrators who have been walking the talk about diversity for a long time," she says. Area studies such as ethnic studies, queer studies and gender studies tend to be marginalized and viewed as less essential to the university than such fields as engineering, law or biology, says Blanco. She expects the new Haas-funded initiative to change the character of Berkeley 's area studies, "asserting them squarely into the main life and importance of the campus." "I think what 's really impressive is this gift runs the gamut from recruitment to hiring to research," she adds. "It 's a multi-strategy approach, because the funder understands that 's what it takes to really make this a core discipline at a campus level." Janelle Scott, an assistant professor of education and of African American studies, says the gift formalizes some of the activities around equity and inclusion already taking place at Berkeley. In addition to the significant size of the gift, she observes, dedicating scholarships, chairs and centers to the study of diversity has "symbolic and real importance " to students, faculty and the broader research and scholarly community. "The work that we do here with students is critically important in creating more spaces in our future to have these interdisciplinary conversations about race," says Na 'ilah Suad Nasir, an associate professor of African American studies and of education. She's confident that the gift 's impacts will extend beyond the Berkeley campus, in part because students here will secure positions at other universities where they will establish interdisciplinary programs themselves. "Our students will go out into the world," she predicts, "and they will be the people to really change this field." — Wendy Edelstein

"This generous gift will allow us to remain a beacon of access and excellence for students of all backgrounds," he said, "and to become a national model in this growing area of research that is of such importance to society." Researchers soon will explore some of the most compelling issues facing California and the nation, students will be trained as leaders for an increasingly globalized world, and every corner of UC Berkeley will work to create a more inclusive campus environment. After five years, this broad range of programs funded by the Haas, Jr. Fund investment will be capable of sustaining itself. "The UC Berkeley Initiative for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is considered the most comprehensive initiative of its kind at a major public research university, in that it launches programs affecting and involving the entire campus community — students, faculty and staff," said Gibor Basri, appointed in 2007 as UC Berkeley's first vice chancellor for equity and inclusion. "This contribution from the Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund is critical to our ability to expand this work and make it a permanent part of our institutional fabric." Highlights of the initiative include: * Five new faculty chairs in diversity-related research. They will join the Robert D. Haas Chancellor's Chair in Equity and Inclusion, established at UC Berkeley in 2008 by the Levi Strauss Foundation. * A $1.5 million endowed scholarship matching fund for community college transfer students, who disproportionately come from economically disadvantaged communities across the state * Some 30 new or revised American Cultures courses, required of all UC Berkeley undergraduates since 1991, that emphasize community and public service and offer opportunities outside the classroom * An expanded mentoring and career development program for faculty members * New tools for gathering statistics that will allow the campus to analyze the effectiveness of its efforts toward equity and inclusion * Competitive grants, available to students, faculty or staff across divisions, for innovative projects that positively affect campus climate * Resources and classes for students and employees on bridging cultural, physical and societal differences The faculty members chosen or hired to hold the Haas Diversity Chairs will form the heart of the campus's four-year-old Berkeley Diversity Research Center, which will be renamed the Haas Diversity Research Center in recognition of this gift. They will create a multidisciplinary research hub to explore issues including disparities in education, health and the economy, and diversity and democracy. One of the chairs will be focused on equity rights affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, and it will be one of the first endowed chairs on this subject in the United States. Some of the diversity-related research already underway on campus is being done by faculty members such as professor Na'ilah Suad Nasir, who left her position at Stanford University in 2008 to come to UC Berkeley. "The Berkeley Diversity Research Center and the Haas gift are the reasons why I'm here at Berkeley," said Nasir, who studies the experiences of African American and other minority students in urban schools and communities. "I was happy with my career at Stanford, but the big draw at UC Berkeley is that you have an administration and a faculty in the midst of creating national leadership on this research. At UC Berkeley, we have the ability to build a community across disciplines." Chancellor Birgeneau said he is thrilled that the initiative also will help prepare students for a diverse and complex world. "The single most important skill that a 21st century student must master is 'intercultural competence,'" said Birgeneau, "which is the ability to navigate successfully among diverse groups in an increasingly globalized society." The initiative builds upon work Birgeneau spearheaded upon his inauguration in 2005, when he dedicated himself and the campus community to creating a substantially more diverse, inclusive environment at UC Berkeley.

Since then, the campus has begun examining how to cultivate a more inclusive workplace for staff, created a faculty-focused diversity research center, and set up UC Berkeley's first Division of Equity and Inclusion.

A $1.5 million endowed scholarship matching fund created by the Haas, Jr. investment will encourage and match contributions of $100,000 or more and provide scholarships for community college transfer students, who disproportionately come from economically disadvantaged communities across the state. These students, in addition to their extraordinary academic qualifications and high degrees of financial need, will receive this help because of their interest in community and public service leadership.

Because of its comprehensive scope, the initiative is expected to have a more lasting impact on campus than if it were a piecemeal effort focused strictly on research or on the workplace, said Christopher Edley, dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law.

"This investment meets the gold standard for philanthropy - not just generous, this will be transformative for Berkeley," Edley said. "We'll have the outstanding students and faculty to make us the undisputed center of the universe for research, teaching and service tackling one of the deepest challenges facing California, the nation and humankind. This is why I came to Berkeley."

"Cal has the potential to be a model for the nation," said Robert D. Haas, trustee of the Haas, Jr. Fund and national chair of annual giving for The Campaign for Berkeley.

"UC Berkeley historically has sought to educate Californians from every background, regardless of their financial status," he said, pointing out that a third of the campus's undergraduates come from families with incomes under $45,000, more than 70 percent receive some form of financial aid, and nearly a third are the first in their families to attend college.

"This initiative takes that public mission to a new level, propelling much-needed research on diversity and cultivating a campus built on fairness and acceptance," Haas added.

Support for this initiative is part of The Campaign for Berkeley, a comprehensive effort to raise $3 billion by June 2013 to benefit students, faculty, research, and programs, including substantial new endowment funding to preserve UC Berkeley's promise for future generations.

The Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund is a private family foundation in San Francisco that was established in 1953. Over the last 10 years, the fund has made grants totaling more than $273 million to support initiatives and organizations that advance and protect fundamental rights and opportunities for all.

UC Berkeley By José Rodríguez, University Relations | 18 February 2010

African American Dance Company to present its 13th annual workshop Feb. 26-27

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University's African American Arts Institute Dance Company will presents its 13th Annual Dance Workshop next Friday and Saturday (Feb. 26-27) at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, 275 N. Jordan Ave.

The mission of the dance workshop is to expose participants to dance from the perspective of the African American and African Diaspora through master dance classes, panel discussion and enlightening dialogue.

This years' workshop will feature five distinguished guest artists:

* Rogeilo Kindelan-Nordet, of Guantanamo Cuba, an accomplished dancer, vocalist and percussionist in the styles of Merengue Haitiano, Rumba, Gaga, Palo, Vodu, Tumba Francesa, Tajon and Chancleta;
* Silfredo La O Vigo, San Diego, a professional dancer in the Afro-Cuban and Haitian tradition, modern contemporary dance and popular Latin dance;
* Evelyn Yaa Bekyore, Ghana, West Africa, a professional dancer with Saakumu Dance Company;
* Elana Anderson, Chicago, dancer, teacher and choreographer who has worked extensively in television, film and stage;
* Reynaldo Gonzalez, Boston, an experienced professor of folkloric voice, dance and percussion.

The workshop will kick off at 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 26 with a Cuban modern dance class taught by Kindelan-Nordet and La O Vigo, followed by a class on the Ghanaian style of West African Dance by Bekyore at 3 p.m. That evening there will be a panel discussion with the artists, "The Black Dance Experience: Dance and Engagement in the African Diaspora -- Practitioners and Scholars Speak," at 7 p.m. This discussion will help celebrate 40 years of the IU Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies, and is free and open to the public.

The first workshop on Feb. 27 will begin at 9:30 a.m. with classes for beginners and advanced students in the dance styles of Afro Cuban, Cuban Modern, West African, Horton (Modern) and Salsa.

There will be a dance showcase in the Grand Hall of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center that evening, starting at 7 p.m. This also is free and open to the public.

There are fees for the dance workshops. Full registration costs $90 (includes two Friday classes and three Saturday classes) and $55 for three Saturday sessions. Single classes cost $20. Lunch is $10. To obtain a registration form, visit www.indiana.edu/~aaai/adc.

For more information and a detailed listing of class times contact IU Professor Iris Rosa at 812-855-6853 or rosa@indiana.edu, or Olivia Hairston of the African American Arts Institute at 812-855-5427 or olhairs@indiana.edu.

Harvard Professor To Deliver Black History Month Address

Bowling Green, Ky. - Award-winning Harvard Law School professor Lani Guinier will deliver the keynote address for Western Kentucky University’s 2010 Black History Month celebration on Feb. 24.

Guinier’s lecture will begin at 7 p.m. at Downing University Center Theatre.

Guinier is a graduate of Radcliffe College of Harvard University and Yale Law School. In 1998, she became the first African-American woman to be appointed to a tenured professorship at Harvard Law School. Before joining the faculty at Harvard, she was a tenured professor for 10 years at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

During the 1980s, she was head of the voting rights project at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and served in the Civil Rights Division during the Carter administration as special assistant to then-Assistant Attorney General Drew S. Days.

Guinier came to public attention when she was nominated by President Clinton in 1993 to head the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, only to have her name withdrawn without a confirmation hearing. Guinier turned that incident into a powerful personal and political memoir, Lift Every Voice: Turning a Civil Rights Setback into a New Vision of Social Justice. Guinier has received numerous awards, including the 1995 Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award from the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women in the Profession; the Champion of Democracy Award from the National Women’s Political Caucus; the Rosa Parks Award from the American Association for Affirmative Action; the Harvey Levin Teaching Award, given to her by the 1994 graduating class at the University of Pennsylvania; and the 2002 Sacks-Freund Teaching Award from Harvard Law School.

She is the recipient of 11 honorary degrees from schools which include Smith College, Spelman College, Swarthmore College and the University of the District of Columbia.

Event sponsors include WKU Campus Activities Board, Office of Diversity Programs, Diversity Enhancement Committee, African American Studies, School Journalism & Broadcasting, Women’s Studies and Housing and Residence Life with support from other organizations.

Office of Media Relations Western Kentucky University 1906 College Heights Blvd., Bowling Green, Ky. 42101-3576 Phone: (270)745-4295 - Fax: (270)7455387 - E-Mail: western@wku.edu

Princeton Professor to Discuss African-American Christianity and Black Political Life

OXFORD, Miss. - Eddie Glaude Jr., Princeton University's William Tod Professor of Religion and African American Studies and chair of the Center for African-American Studies, speaks about his latest book, "In a Shade of Blue - Pragmatism and the Politics of Black America," during a free public lecture at 5:30 p.m. Thursday (Feb. 18) in Bryant Hall, Room 209.

A native of Moss Point, Glaude received the 2002 Modern Language Association William Sanders Scarbrough Prize for his book "Exodus! Religion, Race and Nation in Early 19th Century Black America." His work also includes "African-American Religious Thought: An Anthology," co-edited with Cornel West, and "Is It Nation Time? Contemporary Essays on Black Power and Black Nationalism."

Titled "Public, Prosperity and Politics: The Changing Face of African-American Christianity and Political Life," Glaude's lecture made possible through the Department of Religion and Philosophy's William Hal Furr Dialogue on Philosophy and Religion.

Eddie Glaude Jr.

The series was established in the late UM's professor's honor following his death in 1974. The Sarah Isom Center for Gender Studies is co-sponsoring the event. For more information or assistance related to a disability, contact Mary Thurkill at 662-915-1400 or maryt@olemiss.edu This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Professor Refutes Theory about African American Marital Instability

Emory University English and women's studies professor Frances Smith Foster challenges deeply ingrained theories about slave marriages and the impact they have had on modern African American marital stability in her new book, "‘Till Death or Distance Do Us Part: Love and Marriage in African America" (Oxford University Press, 2010).

Foster's evidence is letters, poems, sermons, essays, court cases and articles written by slaves during or after their enslavement, and by antebellum African Americans who were free. The documents show that even though enslaved people could not legally marry, many did so anyway for life - and even beyond.

The book is a product of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion's (CSLR) project on "Sex, Marriage, and Family & the Religions of the Book" and is a companion to Foster's earlier CSLR volume, "Love and Marriage in Early African America" (Northeastern University Press, 2007).

Foster, who earlier this month received the Association of Departments of English "Francis Andrew March Award" for exceptional service to the profession of English, will discuss her new book at 7:15 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1, at the Decatur Library, 215 Sycamore Street, Decatur, Georgia 30030.

"None of the antebellum records that I have seen written by enslaved people suggest that brides and grooms vowed to stay faithful "‘til death or distance do us part," says Foster, a CSLR senior fellow and Charles Howard Candler Professor of English and Women's Studies. "In fact, accounts by enslaved African Americans reveal that wedding officiators deliberately declared that only God could dissolve a wedding, not distance or slave owners." Foster reveals that historians developed their ideas of slave marriage "from stories told by people who were not enslaved themselves," believing that marriage vows were fragile due to death, distance and many other factors. The theory took hold, acquiring the modern labels of "posttraumatic slavery disorder" or "posttraumatic slavery syndrome" to explain why modern African Americans are 20 to 30 percent less likely than white Americans to make commitments to marriage and monogamy. A recent article in Essence magazine on how African Americans can break free from the "bonds of slavery [that] continue to hold Black folks captive" is one example of how the myth is propagated today.

Foster, an editor of "The Concise Oxford Companion to African American Literature" and "The Norton Anthology of African American Literature," and the author of a dozen other volumes, writes in "‘Till Death or Distance" that many modern African Americans buy into the misconception that they cannot commit and are ultimately doomed to failure in relationships with the opposite sex, the men are incarcerated, and the women are "demanding, emasculating or traumatized," all because black Americans do not have a heritage of marital success as do white Americans.

Foster refutes these claims, saying that slaves usually celebrated their marriages with their families and friends. Some even were able to have lavish weddings, marrying in churches and exchanging rings. Because many African Americans believed in staying faithful to their spouses until death, they chose their partners carefully. When free African Americans fell in love with people who were enslaved, it was not uncommon for them to forfeit their freedom so that they could marry their beloved and live together. They viewed "freedom a dubious gift, a counterfeit coin, if they couldn't spend it on the people they loved."

She also points out that slave owners used this dedication to their advantage. They tried to force slaves to marry each other to decrease the probability that they would run away. Slaves who believed that this was true refused to marry, especially if they could not marry the one they loved. Those slaves who did marry and run away sometimes came back for their spouses and children, even though they risked getting caught. What's more, physical distance between slaves often had little effect on their decisions to marry, even though they risked whips, lashes and even death to visit each other.

After the Civil War, evidence of the dedication between husband and wife includes "Information Wanted" columns in newspapers for and by African Americans, seeking information about their spouses. Even when they had not seen each other for 40 years, spouses still sought desperately and did not remarry.

Foster hopes that as a result of this book, African Americans will rethink what the legacy of slavery means for them individually and collectively. "The half-truths about marriage among slaves has devastated and embarrassed the African American community long enough," she says. "When people internalize the disrespect and believe that they are, indeed, as their oppressors define them, they cannot aspire to greatness."

About the Center for the Study of Law and Religion

The Center for the Study of Law and Religion (CSLR) at Emory University is home to world-class scholars and forums on the religious foundations of law, politics, and society. It offers first-rank expertise on how the teachings and practices of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam have shaped and can continue to transform the fundamental ideas and institutions of our public and private lives. The scholarship of CSLR faculty provides the latest perspectives, while its conferences and public forums foster reasoned and robust public debate. ###

Contact:

• April Bogle: 404.712.8713
• Beverly Clark: 404.712.8780

CSU-Pueblo Black History Month Events

Colorado State University - Pueblo Sponsors Black History Month Events

PUEBLO – Colorado State University– Pueblo will continue to celebrate with a host of speakers in celebration of Black History Month. Americans have celebrated black history annually since 1926 with the creation of Negro History Week by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who was declared the “father of black history” for his work in the field. In 1976, Negro History Week was changed to Black History Month and is celebrated every February.

“We should emphasize not Negro history, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice, “said Woodson.

Events began last week with the start of a Re-thinking Diversity series. Biology Professor Dr. Moussa Diawara spoke about the contributions of African American. A Gospel Explosion and a Tribute to Motown in conjunction with the PAACO annual dinner were held last weekend. Below is a list of Black History Month remaining this month:

Wednesday, Feb. 10- “Re-thinking Diversity” series. Lana Brumfield, music professor, “History of the Mardi Gras.” Diversity Resource Center. Lunch provided, 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. Wednesday Feb. 10- Distinguished Speaker Series. Danny Glover, “The Intersection of Art and Activism.” Hoag Recital Hall. 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16- President Joseph Garcia, “What’s Black, Who’s Black, and Who Decides.” Diversity Resource Center. Lunch provided, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17- “Re-thinking Diversity” series. Jennifer Peters, music professor, “Underground Railroad, ‘Coded Spirituals.’” Diversity Resource Center. Lunch provided, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Wednesday Feb. 17-Distiguished Speaker Series. Nontombi Naomi Tutu, “Truth and Reconciliation: Healing the Wounds of Racism,” Hoag Recital Hall, 7 p.m.

Monday, Feb. 22- LaNeeca Williams, “21st Century Discrimination: Micro-Inequities.” Diversity Resource Center. Lunch provided, Noon to 1 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 24- “Re-thinking Diversity” series. Jacqueline Stroud, history professor. “Miners, Military, Mercantile and More: Afro-Latino Culture in Latin America.” Diversity Resource Center. Lunch provided, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Colorado State University - Pueblo is a regional, comprehensive university emphasizing professional, career-oriented, and applied programs. Displaying excellence in teaching, celebrating diversity, and engaging in service and outreach, CSU-Pueblo is distinguished by access, opportunity, and the overall quality of services provided to its students.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2/9/2010 Cora Zaletel Executive Director, External Affairs
Colorado State University-Pueblo 2200 Bonforte Blvd. Pueblo, CO 81001 719-549-2576

Dr. Kweisi Mfume Urges Students to Define Themselves VIDEO

(Worcester, Mass.) -- NAACP CEO, Congressman and Author Kweisi Mfume told the crowd gathered at Worcester State College’s Third Annual “Courageous Conversations” lecture to, “Define yourselves. Don’t let pop culture or others tell you who you are.” The talk was sponsored by Third World Alliance, Diversity Office and Multicultural Affairs Offices.

Kweisi derided current pop culture and urged students to strike out on their own path. “When we allow song lyrics to defame us we have to stand up and say, ‘we have a problem.’” He urged students instead to get involved and make a difference, stressing that the need is critical. He cited statistics showing that one out of six children lives in poverty; two million people lost their pensions last year; 1 million more lost their jobs and 47 million people in the U.S. are worried about healthcare. But he stressed that the situation is not hopeless. “I have not given up on the American dream and I ask that you not give up.”

He admitted that to persevere is sometimes difficult but told the story of how he turned his own life around and embraced a life of community activism. “When I was in high school, I dropped out at age 16 after my mother died of cancer.” The experience hardened him and he found himself “running with a gang” and fathering five children out of wedlock by age 22. He remembers the fateful night when he began to turn it around, “something came over me. I saw my mother and felt her deep disappointment in me. I was cold in the middle of a hot July night.”

It wasn’t easy, “because you don’t just turn in your letter of resignation to a gang.” But Mfume persevered. He received his GED, attended community college and transferred to a baccalaureate institution to complete his bachelor’s degree and completed his Ph.D.

Kweisi Mfume, former president of the NAACP and former Congressman from Maryland, delivers a speech at a NOAA function during Black History Month,

Kweisi Mfume served as national speaker for the “Obama for America” Presidential campaign. He got his start in politics winning a grassroots election for Baltimore City Council by only three votes in 1979. During his seven years of service in local government, he led the efforts to diversify city government, improve community safety, enhance business development and divest city funds from the apartheid government of South Africa.

In 1986, he was elected to the U.S. Congress, where he served on the Ethics Committee and the Joint Economic Committee of the House and Senate, where he later became the Chairman. He successfully co-sponsored and helped to pass the American with Disabilities Act and strengthen the Equal Credit Opportunity Law. He co-authored and successfully amended the Civil Rights Bill of 1991 to apply the act to US citizens working for American-based companies abroad. He also sponsored legislative initiatives banning assault weapons and establishing s talking as a federal crime. Mfume also served as Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, and during his last term in Congress, he was appointed by the House Democratic Caucus as the party’s Vice-Chairman for Communications.

Mfume became President and Chief Executive Officer of the NAACP on February 20, 1996 after being unanimously elected to the post and served there for nine years. Mfume is credited with helping to raise over 100 million dollars in outside contributions for the organization while at the same time developing its national Corporate Diversity Project and establishing 75 new college-based NAACP chapters. His five point program of advocacy included civil rights enforcement, educational excellence, economic empowerment, health advocacy and youth outreach. In 2006, he was a candidate for the United States Senate from the State of Maryland.

He serves as a member of the Gamma Boule Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Masons and Big Brothers. In addition, he serves on the John Hopkins University Board of Trustees, the Morgan State University Board of Regents, the African American Advisory Board of PepsiCo and the National Advisory Council of Boy Scouts of America.

In 1984, he earned a Master’s degree in Liberal Arts, with a concentration in International Studies, from Johns Hopkins University. In addition, he is the recipient of 10 honorary doctorate degrees and hundreds of other awards, proclamations and citations; he is also author to the best-selling autobiography, No Free Ride. ###

Contact: Lea Ann Scales Assistant Vice President of Public Relations and Marketing
Phone: 508-929-8018 February 8, 2010

VIDEO CREDIT: WorcesterState

PHOTO CREDIT: This image is in the public domain because it contains materials that originally came from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, taken or made during the course of an employee's official duties.

Blacks with MS Have More Severe Symptoms, Decline Faster than Whites, New Study Shows

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Fewer African Americans than Caucasians develop multiple sclerosis (MS), statistics show, but their disease progresses more rapidly, and they don't respond as well to therapies, a new study by neurology researchers at the University at Buffalo has found.

Magnetic resonance images (MRI) of a cohort of 567 consecutive MS patients showed that blacks with MS had more damage to brain tissue and had less normal white and gray matter compared to whites with the disease.

Results of the study were published ahead of print on Jan. 20 at www.neurology.org and appear in the Feb. 16 issue of the journal Neurology.

Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, MD, UB associate professor of neurology in the UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, is first author on the study. Weinstock-Guttman directs the Baird Multiple Sclerosis Center in Kaleida Health's Buffalo General Hospital.

"Black patients showed more brain tissue damage and accumulated brain lesions faster than whites, along with rapid clinical deterioration," confirms Weinstock-Guttman. "The results provide further support that black patients experience a more severe disease, calling for individualized therapeutic interventions for this group of MS patients."

"White matter" refers to the parts of the brain that contain nerve fibers sheathed in a white fatty insulating protein called myelin. The white matter is responsible for communication between the various gray matter regions, where nerve cells are concentrated and where cognitive processing occurs. "Initially, multiple sclerosis was considered primary a white-matter disease," says Weinstock-Guttman, "but today we know that the gray matter may be more affected than white matter." In general, black MS patients tend to have more severe and more frequent attacks, followed by an incomplete recovery even after the first episode.

Studies on signs and symptoms of MS among populations have shown that blacks experience gait problems sooner after their diagnosis, show faster cognitive decline than whites with MS, and become dependent on a wheelchair sooner, she notes.

The study's MRI scans were conducted at the Buffalo Neuroimaging Analysis Center (BNAC), part of the Jacobs Neurological Institute/UB Department of Neurology. Robert Zivadinov, MD, PhD, a UB associate professor of neurology, is director of the center.

Seventy-nine black patients and 488 white patients were entered in the study. Participants were older than 18 and had been scanned within 90 days of their most recent clinical visit. Black participants were significantly younger, and their disease was more severe than white patients, despite having MS for a shorter amount of time.

"Results of the MRI scans showed that the aggressive disease process in blacks appears to be associated with increased macroscopic and microscopic tissue damage, as measured by specific MRI parameters," says Weinstock-Guttman.

"Based on our MRI findings, a plausible hypothesis that would explain the more aggressive disease in blacks compared to whites with MS may be that blacks have a reduced capacity for remyelination, the brain's ability to repair the protective myelin sheath. However, to confirm this hypothesis, we will need to conduct more longitudinal studies."

Murali Ramanathan, PhD, associate professor in the departments of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Neurology in the UB School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, respectively, also contributed significantly to the study.

Additional contributors were David Hojnacki, MD, Michael G. Dwyer, Sara M. Hussein, MD, Niels P. Bergsland and Frederick E. Munschauer, MD, former chair of the UB Neurology department, now vice president of U.S. medical affairs for Biogen Idec in Boston, Mass.

The study was supported by grants from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the UB Pediatric MS Center of Excellence.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.

Contact: ljbaker@buffalo.edu 716-645-4606 Release Date: February 5, 2010

A Motivational Alger Adams Dinner

"Your transcript is your passport."

That was the mantra of Horace D. Allen '85, who returned to campus on Tuesday, Feb. 2 as the keynote speaker for the Colleges' Ninth-Annual Academic Excellence Dinner, held annually in honor of Alger L. Adams '32, the first African-American student of Hobart College and recognized as a man who laid the foundation for students to surmount major societal obstacles to attend and excel at Hobart and William Smith.

"Your transcript is what got you here," said Allen, an entrepreneur who successfully formed a technology integration company and, with his sister, formed Team Pact, an organization aimed at improving the success of young men of color.

"Growing up, the one thing I understood, from every teacher and every coach, is that when the day is all done, your transcript is your passport. It tells you where you've been, what you've done, and gives you a pretty good idea of where you're going. The transcript is the piece that's going to carry you."

Horace D. Allen

In addition to Adams, the Academic Excellence Dinner honors those students of color and international students at Hobart and William Smith Colleges who have had to overcome major obstacles to become academically successful. "Alger Adams' story inspires students to follow their dreams knowing success is more than possible," says James Burruto, Director of Academic Opportunity Programs at Hobart and William Smith.

After the recognition of this year's senior classes, economics and Spanish double major Elaine Aguasvivas '10 was invited to the podium.

In light of the recognition of academic excellence and four years of hard work, Aguasvivas said that being a senior is a time that calls for reflection. "This campus is full of memories for me, full of stories to tell, of opportunities to explore. As a graduating senior, I ask the first-years, the sophomores, the juniors to never forget that everyone in this room, everyone in your dorm, everyone in this school is part of your experience at the Colleges."

At the end of his speech, in the spirit of Adams-who graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and with three majors, in Greek, English, and psychology at a time when racial stereotypes and barriers impeded many students of color nationally-Allen invited students to "think about your four years here. Then think about the 40 years your transcripts will follow you around. If you can focus on doing a great job over four years, the next 40 years are going to be a lot easier."

Other speakers include Desislava Byanova '10, Clifford Gardner '10 and Jessamyn Martinez '12.

While at the Colleges, Allen majored in economics and minored in religious studies and sociology. He was named to the Dean's List, was a four year varsity winner in football, and one of the first African American students in the history of Hobart College named to the International Honor Society of Economics.

After graduation, Allen was recruited by IBM Corporation, where he served as a marketing representative and product manager from 1985 to 1993.

Allen co-founded Total Solutions Group, a technology integration company with headquarters in Minneapolis, Minn. Total Solutions Group was recognized as the second fastest growing privately held company in the state of Minnesota by "City Business Magazine" in 1998 and Allen was recognized as one of the top 40 executives under age 40.

In 2005, he and his sister Vickie Allen founded TeamPact. The company is aimed at improving the lives of young men of color through their "Road Map to Success" program. Its objective is to compete head-to-head with dysfunctional street alternatives (i.e. drugs, gangs, crime, teen pregnancy, etc.) for America's young men of color by providing recognition through financial and in-kind rewards for high levels of academic and extracurricular performance.

Allen serves on the board of directors of the Greater Minneapolis YMCA, Catholic Charities of the Twin Cities and Greater Minneapolis Big Brothers and Big Sisters. He is also a devoted member of the Young President's Organization, the International Honor Society in Economics for Hobart College and the Rites of Passage Leadership Program for the Development of African American Men who are seniors in high school. Allen is currently the president of the Hobart and William Smith Afro-Latino Alumni and Alumnae Association; he served on the Colleges' Board of Trustees from 2004-2008.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY 14456 (315) 781-3000

UNA Soprano to Perform, Discuss Music by African American Women Composers

FLORENCE, Ala. – The University of North Alabama Department of Music and Theatre will host “‘Saving Our Lives’: Art Songs by African American Women Composers” at noon Feb. 10 in the UNA Music Building Choral Room, room 146. The lecture-recital will feature UNA music librarian Eleanor McClellan Bulathsinghalage, assisted by pianist Megan Pettus. The event is free and open to the public

The lecture-recital will include songs by Margaret Bonds, Jacqueline Hairston, Betty Jackson King, Lena McLin, Florence Price and Undine Smith-Moore.

Bulathsinghalage, a Florence native, graduated from UNA with a bachelor’s degree in music education with an emphasis in choral/vocal music.

She earned a master’s degree in vocal performance from the University of Louisville and has completed doctoral coursework in vocal performance at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. She has also studied at the Institute for Advanced Vocal Study in Paris, France, and the Accademia Internazionale delle Arti in Rome, Italy.

Bulathsinghalage has taught on the music faculties of Bellarmine University, Wilberforce University, Central State University, the University of Dayton, Mississippi University for Women, Mississippi State University and the Accademia Internazionale delle Arti. She has also taught on the summer vocal faculties of the Kentucky Center’s Governor’s School for the Arts and the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan. As a performer, Bulathsinghalage has been presented in solo recitals, opera and musical theatre on three continents. She is currently pursuing her own studies and research and working as a music library specialist at the UNA and as director of music at Edgemont United Methodist Church in Florence.

University of North Alabama Florence, AL 35632 | 1.800.TALK.UNA Feb. 5, 2010 For more information, contact the UNA Department of Music and Theatre at 256-765-4375 or jbaughman@una.edu.

Race and Politics the Subject of Feb. 15 Lecture at Pitt

PITTSBURGH-Vincent Hutchings, a professor of political science at the University of Michigan, will deliver a lecture at the University of Pittsburgh titled “Wedge Politics: The Structure and Function of Racial Group Cues in American Politics.”

The talk will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at Pitt's Center on Race and Social Problems (CRSP), School of Social Work Conference Center, 20th floor, Cathedral of Learning, 4200 Fifth Ave., Oakland. It is part of the Reed Smith Spring 2010 Speaker Series and is free and open to the public. Registration is not required, and lunch will be provided. For more information, call 412-624-7382.

Hutchings' areas of research include public opinion, elections, voting behavior, and African American politics.

In his book “Public Opinion and Democratic Accountability: How Citizens Learn About Politics” (Princeton University Press, 2005), he explores how and under what circumstances citizens monitor their elected representatives' voting behavior. Hutchings also has looked at how the size of the African American constituency in congressional districts can influence the legislative response to Black interests. Hutchings' research on this has been published in the “Journal of Politics.”

### 2/3/10/tmw

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 3, 2010 Contact: Sharon Blake 412-624-4364 (office); 412-277-6926 (cell) blake@pitt.edu

SXU celebrates Black History Month Month of speakers and events at Chicago campus

Chicago (Feb. 3, 2010) Saint Xavier University is celebrating Black History Month with a month-long schedule of performances, panel discussions and other events, all free and open to the public. Events will be held at the University’s Chicago campus, 3700 W. 103rd St.

• Celeste Watkins: Mentoring and Professional Development
6 p.m., Wed., Feb. 3, Butler Reception Room
A lecture by Celeste Watkins, professor at Northwestern University, on "Mentoring and Professional Development." Watkins' presentation will discuss the importance of mentoring and professional development for African-Americans in Higher Education.

• HIV/AIDS Awareness Program 7 p.m., Thurs., Feb. 4, McGuire Hall

HIV/AIDS activist David Robertson will present a one-man show about his story of being diagnosed with HIV, battling depression and his hope of stopping the infection rate through his message.

• Financial Literacy
5:30 p.m., Tues., Feb. 9, Student Lounge
Jay Rhodes from Texas Guaranteed Student Loan Corporation will talk about the importance of financial literacy in the African-American community.

• Youths and Violence Panel Discussion
7 p.m., Thurs., Feb. 11, McGuire Hall
A discussion is about increasing numbers of youths who have become victims of violence, and how this has affected the African-American community in Chicago.

• He Say/She Say Who’s To Blame?
7 p.m., Tues., Feb. 16, Diner Atrium
An open forum about African-American male and female relationships in celebration of Valentine’s Day

• Laugh out Loud Comedy Show
7 p.m., Fri., Feb. 19, McGuire Hall
Join us for a comedy show with performances by Rashida “Sheeds,” Clark Jones and Wild Cat from BET’s Comic View.

• National African American Read-In
Noon, Mon., Feb. 22, Bishop Quarter Room
Come support the nationwide African American read-in as we read short stories from notable black authors. Feel free to bring a story to share.

• Good Hair
8 p.m. Tues., Feb. 23, McGuire Hall
A screening of Chris Rock’s Good Hair, an insightful and entertaining documentary about African-American hair culture.

• Black History Month Knowledge Bowl
7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, Butler Reception Room
Teams will be tested on their knowledge of black history and Black History Month events. The winning team will receive prizes.

Black History Month is sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs, Department of Campus Life, African-American Studies, Barrier Breakers Club, Black Student Union and NAACP Interest Group.

For more information, please contact Campus Life Assistant Director for Multicultural and Leadership Programming Erika McCall at (773) 298-3166.

-SXU-

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Jay Foot, Executive Director of Media Relations
O: (773) 298-3937
C: (773) 617-3632
foot@sxu.edu

Heinz College Student, Alumni Honored as 'Men of Excellence'

One Heinz College student and two alumni were among 50 men recently honored for their accomplishments in the Pittsburgh community. Since 2003, the New Pittsburgh Courier has recognized “Men of Excellence” for their professional achievements and community work that benefits the African American population of Pittsburgh. This year’s list included educators, activists, former athletes, politicians, and judges. Although these men come from different backgrounds, they share the common ability to inspire.

Among those honored was Heinz College graduate (MPM '96), Evan Frazier.

Frazier is the current president and CEO of the Hill House Association and the future Senior Vice President of Community Affairs for Highmark Health Insurance.

Frazier has worked to spread his formula for success through speaking engagements and authoring books.

Also honored was Dr. Howard Slaughter (MPM '95), CEO of Landmarks Community Capital, a nonprofit whose mission is to spur economic and community revitalization by providing financing for housing and economic development activities throughout Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.

A current Heinz College student was also granted the distinguished award. Roderick Craighead, current Masters of Public Management student and Manager of Corporate Supplier Diversity at Highmark received his award during the sold out reception at the Rivers Club on Nov. 19. The honorees were applauded by 300 community attendees who purchased $75 tickets that supported the New Pittsburgh Courier, one of the oldest African-American newspapers in the United States.

Release Date: Feb 02, 2010 H. John Heinz III College Carnegie Mellon University 5000 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890

Blackett to speak on slaves' quest for freedom before Civil War

Richard J.M. Blackett, the Andrew Jackson Professor of History at Vanderbilt University will lecture on African American reactions to the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 at Texas State University-San Marcos, Thursday, Feb. 18, 6:30-8:30 p.m. in Flowers Hall 230.

The talk, "Escaping Massa: Slaves and their quest for freedom before Civil War," is in celebration of African American History month.

Blackett will highlight the ways in which escaped American slaves influenced the politics of slavery in the United States in the years before the Civil War. The topic is of current interest as the United States approaches the sesquicentennial of the end of the Civil War.

Blackett is a prominent historian of the American abolition movement. He has written and edited numerous works, including Building an Antislavery Wall: Black Americans in the Atlantic Abolitionist Movement, 1830-1860 (1983); Beating Against the Barriers: Biographical Essays in Nineteenth-Century Afro-American History (1986); Thomas Morris Chester: Black Civil War Correspondent (1989); Divided Hearts: Britain and the American Civil War (2001); and Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom: The Escape of William and Ellen Craft from Slavery (1999).

He is working on a study of the ways in which communities on both sides of the North-South divide organized to support or resist enforcement of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law and the ways that slaves influenced antebellum debates concerning slavery.

The event, free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Texas State History Department and the Texas State Equity and Access Committee. A reception with refreshments will follow the talk.

By Ann Friou Texas State University News Service February 2, 2010 University News Service, 480 J.C.Kellam: Phone: 512.245.2180. Fax: 512.245.2336

Cave Hill Campus co-hosting conference in Memory of Sir Frank Worrell

The year 2010 marks the 50th anniversary of Frank Worrell becoming the first Black captain of the West Indies cricket team in a complete test series, and of the famous "Tied Test" with Australia, in his first test as Captain.

In honour of this anniversary and in memory of Sir Frankl, the Third International Conference on Sport, Race, and Ethnicity will be held at The University of the West Indies Cave Hill, from July 15 to 18, 2010.

The conference will be co-hosted by the Academy of International Sport at George Mason University, Virginia, USA, and the CLR James Centre at The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill.

Frank Worrell Everton Weekes and Clyde Walcott -The 3W's Uploaded on April 3, 2008 by faisal_c © All rights reserved.

The conference, under the theme "Beyond Boundaries - Race and Ethnicity in Modern Sports", is being held in Barbados, the birthplace of Sir Frank and many other great West Indian cricketers. These include Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Conrad Hunte, the late Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes. In recognition of all these events, the UWI will hold two special panels: -1. The Legacy of Sir Frank Worrell -1. Assessing Africa¹s First World Cup

The UWI has also chosen a number of relevant conference themes including, but not limited to the following: Sport, social inclusion and reconciliation, Race, Ethnicity and Migration, Race, Ethnicity and Performance, Coaching and the management of sport, Sports Tourism, Key Moments in sports history related to race and ethnicity and Sports and Cultural Expression.

Presenters, who submitted papers to be part of the conference, will be informed of their acceptance no later than February 28, 2010. However, presenters who wish to have their papers considered for the collection published by Fitness Information Technology Press in the United States of America should submit these in full, by June 30, 2010. Editors are John Nauright, Alan Cobley, and David Wiggins.

The UWI has also noted that 2010 is a significant year, as it is also the 200th anniversary of African-American Tom Molineaux¹s title fight against White Englishman, Tom Cribb; as well as the 50th anniversary of Abebe Bikila¹s win, in the Marathon at the Rome Olympics - the first Olympic Gold Medal won by a Black African athlete. In addition, a young Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali) won a Gold Medal in boxing at the Rome Olympics, while Wilma Rudolph became the first African American to win three gold medals in athletics in a single Olympics and apartheid South Africa competed for the last time. Moreover, 2010 marks two sporting events unimaginable in 1960, a tour of the West Indies by the South African national cricket team, and the holding of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

For Release Upon Receipt - January 28, 2010, Cave Hill. Contact * Office of Public Information * Tel.: (246) 417-4076 * Email: publicinformation@cavehill.uwi.edu The University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, Barbados, Tel: (246) 417-4000, Fax: (246) 425-1327

Obama Back in Swing as 'Teacher-In-Chief,' Say Movement Experts

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The President Obama who delivered the State of the Union Address was one not seen for a while, say movement experts Professor Karen Bradley of the University of Maryland and Professor Karen Studd of George Mason University.

The experts describe him as a teacher instructing a class, and then morphing into the guise of a principal forbidding students to engage in shenanigans.

Based on his physical movement and non-verbal communication, "He was back in the swing," Bradley and Studd add.

"Whereas in Obama's other recent appearances we've seen tenacity and constraint, during the State of the Union Address we saw resilience and strength. Where recently we've seen grimaces, during this address he smiled, openly and directly, at those who oppose him. He was upbeat, impactive, at times gravely serious and at other times lightly potent," say the two experts.

See their complete analysis below. Karen Bradley, associate professor of dance, is the director of graduate studies in dance at the University of Maryland and the director of research for the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies in New York. Karen Studd, associate professor of dance at George Mason University, is director of the Modular Training Program in Laban Movement Studies. Both are Certified Movement Analysts. MEDIA CONTACTS: Karen Bradley, University of Maryland. 202-669-3927(cell) kbradley@umd.edu Karen Studd, George Mason University, 703-786-5271. kstudd@gmu.edu Neil Tickner, UM Communications. 301-405-4622 ntickner@umd.edu

Lincoln University to Honor Founders

[Jefferson City, MO] Lincoln University will honor its founders on Thursday, February 11, during the Founder’s Day Convocation. The program begins at 11 a.m. in Richardson Auditorium. Dr. Gary Kremer, Executive Director of the State Historical Society of Missouri will deliver the keynote address.

Dr. Kremer, a student of the African American history pioneer Dr. Lorenzo Greene, earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Lincoln University. A former member of the history faculty at Lincoln University, he is also currently the Director of the Western Historical Manuscript Collection, a repository of primary source materials for the four University of Missouri campuses. He has authored, co-authored and co-edited ten books, including George Washington Carver; In His Own Words (1987); James Milton Turner and the Promise of America; the Public Life of a Post-Civil War Black Leader (1991); and Missouri’s Black Heritage (1993).

Dr. Gary Kremer is the executive director of the State Historical Society of Missouri. Before coming to the University of Missouri, Kremer taught history at Lincoln University in Jefferson City and William Woods University in Fulton. Between those academic appointments, he also served as Missouri's state archivist.

Faculty and staff members who will retire this year, as well as employees with 25 years of service at Lincoln University, will also be recognized during the Founder’s Day program. In addition, the Fingers/Tippin Family will receive Family of the Year Honors. ### Founder's Day Convocation, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 28, 2010, Contact: Misty Young, (573)681-6032 Lincoln University - 820 Chestnut Street - Jefferson City, Missouri - 65101, 573-681-5000

Keep Your Lamps Burning

CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O'Brien taps her foot in time and softly sings along with the New Alpha Missionary Baptist Church Children's Gospel Choir as cherubic preschoolers join the honeyed voices of their older brothers and sisters, captivating a capacity crowd in Ira Allen Chapel. Gathered in celebration of the work of Martin Luther King Jr., the music captures the message of O'Brien's keynote speech. As the gospel song intones, "Keep your lamps trimmed and burning 'til your work is done."

"I don't believe in getting angry," O'Brien says before the event. "What are you aiming at? Go get that accomplished." Her power as a speaker reflects that attitude. O'Brien's mother, she says, got mad -- threw plates even -- so she takes a gentler persuasive tact, one based in her experience as a mixed-race first-generation American with black, Cuban, Australian and Irish roots; studying King's speeches, his private papers and interviewing his closest advisers; reporting on disaster both natural and societal.

"The only way you can lead effectively in a challenging environment is to serve," said Soledad O'Brien at her Jan. 26 speech in memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. "By being a serving leader, (King had) the authenticity, the consistency, and ultimately the authority and his message came through." (Photo: Rajan Chawla)

This talk, the highlight of a week of events designed to explore King's ongoing relevance, was heavily shadowed by the earthquake and its aftermath in Haiti, where O'Brien was working just days ago. President Fogel, in his introduction, indirectly evoked circumstances there when he quoted from the Reverend Andrew Harris, found to be UVM's first African American graduate, class of 1838 (not George Washington Henderson as previously believed), in a speech he gave before the 1839 meeting of the American Antislavery Society: "'If the groans and sighs of the victims of slavery could be collected, these walls would tremble, these pillars would be removed from their foundations, and we should find ourselves buried in the ruins of the edifice.'"

The connection between slavery in the U.S. and the current crisis in Haiti is one O'Brien would likely find apt. She was quick to point out that the earthquake was merely one event in a long history of human neglect.

The failure of Haiti as an infrastructure is a hundred years old," she says. "Haiti did not happen in a vacuum. They have a government that fails them. You cannot ignore a country for so long and then be surprised when there is a price to pay."

According to O'Brien, pre-earthquake Haiti had an 85 percent unemployment rate, 60 percent of the population had no access to healthcare, an estimated 225,000 children were working as slaves, farmed out as household help.

"As we sit and watch the pictures," she says, "we have to ask ourselves, 'Are we okay with this?'"

The current problems -- and solutions -- that O'Brien sees, beyond Haiti to what she deems a crisis in the education of young blacks and Latinos, are intimately connected with her close analysis of King's writings and of his unique characteristics as a leader. She views King as a shepherd, leading his people by serving, by example, by being as courageous and willing to suffer as he expected them to be.

"The only way you can lead effectively in a challenging environment is to serve," says O'Brien. "By being a serving leader, (King had) the authenticity, the consistency, and ultimately the authority and his message came through.

O'Brien clearly states that King's goals went deeper than feel-good relations between blacks and whites. She is purposeful in quoting pieces of his "I Have a Dream" speech that go beyond the easy and familiar. From that same speech she quotes King:

"The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges." And, "The negro has come to our nation's capital to cash a check."

King wanted, she notes, economic justice and justice before the law. And he believed in the ongoing fight, even as he foreshadowed his own death in his Memphis speech the day before his assassination. Personalizing that same confidence, O'Brien tells the story of her parents, their races making marriage illegal in Maryland where they both attended Johns Hopkins University, friends telling them, after they married in another state, not to have children at least.

But they had six and persisted in a faith in this country that went beyond their present reality, being spat upon on the street, even years later having a daughter told by a Harvard adviser to drop her major because blacks and women don't do well in physics. She didn't listen either. Now she's a Ph.D. and an M.D.

Their parents had told them, says O'Brien, "America is better than this. We won't settle for it because the goal is greater and when the goal is greater the risks are greater. Just because people tell you that you won't succeed doesn't actually have any correlation to whether you will succeed or not."

And so O'Brien is staunch about the morality of service. She says that was clearest to her watching the grim effects of inaction during Hurricane Katrina with an overwhelming sense of abandonment of people.

It recalls for her Dante's quote, "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality."

"Think about that," she says. "There is nothing worse than doing nothing and saying nothing when your voice is needed. Even the perpetrator of something bad is less bad than the person standing by who has an opportunity to speak or to act and chooses not to."

In O'Brien's channeling of King, a world where some people fail is a world that has failed. "There are talkers and there are doers," she says. "Which are you? Which am I?"

Release Date: 01-27-2010 Author: Lee Ann Cox¹ Email: LeeAnn.Cox@uvm.edu² Phone: 802/656-1107. Fax: (802) 656-3203

Navy Names Ship For Renowned Howard Surgeon and Blood Pioneer Dr. Charles Drew

The USNS Charles R. Drew will be christened on March 27.

WASHINGTON (Jan. 24, 2010) -- Dr. Charles Drew, the former chair of the Department of Surgery at Howard University College of Medicine who saved an untold number of lives through his pioneering work with blood, is being honored by the U.S. Navy with a ship.

Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter recently announced that a 689-foot, 42,000-ton Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo/ammunition ship, T-AKE 10, will be named the USNS Charles R. Drew in honor of the physician and medical researcher whose pioneering work led to the discovery that blood could be separated into plasma.

The model for blood and plasma storage developed by Drew in the 1930s and 1940s -- separating the liquid red blood cells from the near solid plasma and freezing the two separately -- has saved millions of lives over the years and is the same process used today by the Red Cross. Drew's system for the storing of blood plasma, the “blood bank,” revolutionized the medical profession.

When America went to war in 1941, Drew was named as director of the blood bank for the National Research Council, collecting blood for the U.S. Army and Navy. He established the American Red Cross blood bank, of which he was the first director. Drew also organized the world's first blood bank drive, nicknamed "Blood for Britain."

In 1942, he returned to Washington, where he became head of the College of Medicine’s Department of Surgery and chief surgeon at Freedman's Hospital.

The following year, he became the first African-American surgeon to serve as an examiner on the American Board of Surgery.

A year later, he was elevated to Freedmen Hospital’s chief of staff and medical director, a position he held until 1948. While still at the College of Medicine, he was killed in an automobile accident in 1950 on the way to a medical conference in Tuskegee, Ala.

Dr. Bernard Kapiloff, who graduated from the College of Medicine in 1945 and was an assistant fellow in surgery and surgical assistant under Drew, applauded the award.

“He’s worthy of anything and everything this country can give him,” said Kapiloff, 92, a retired plastic surgeon and Baltimore resident who also taught at the College of Medicine for more than 15 years. “It’s amazing that his work on blood plasma was his Ph.D., thesis. He saved many lives, and he established the department of surgery, as far as I’m concerned.”

While still at the College of Medicine, Drew was killed in an automobile accident in 1950 on the way to a medical conference in Tuskegee, Ala.

Dr. LaSalle Leffall, one of the world’s most prominent cancer surgeons, first black president of the American Cancer Society and the American College of Surgeons and a long-time professor at the College of Medicine, was a member of the last class that Drew taught.

“He was an excellent teacher, and he had a reputation among surgical residents and patients as an excellent surgeon,” said Leffall, who has taught over two-thirds of the more than 7,500 College of Medicine graduates.

“He had a saying, ‘Excellence of performance will transcend artificial barriers created by man.’ What he was talking about was discrimination. That is a message that I have carried with me all of my life.”

Winter announced that three other new Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo/ammunition ships are being named in honor of American explorers and pioneers.

The ships will be named after U.S. Navy Commodore Matthew Perry (1794-1858), aviation pioneer Navy Capt. Washington Chambers (1856-1934) and William McLean (1914-1976), a Navy physicist who developed the heat-seeking Sidewinder air-to-air missile.

The four ships are being built by General Dynamics NASSCO shipyard in San Diego. The ship named for Drew will be christened March 27, and Leffall will speak at the ceremony.

Howard University, 2400 Sixth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20059, Phone: 202-806-6100 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Ron Harris, Director of Communications. Office of University Communications 202.683.0182 rjharris@howard.edu

Former boxing champ, entrepreneur George Foreman to meet with students, participate in public panel discussion

LAWRENCE — Two-time world heavyweight boxing champion and internationally known entrepreneur George Foreman will visit the University of Kansas on Thursday, Feb. 4.

Foreman will take part in a panel discussion and book signing and visit with students in the McNair and Multicultural Scholars Programs while on campus.

The Heavyweight Boxing Symposium will take place at 7 p.m. at the Kansas Union ballroom. It is free and open to the public. Foreman will be joined on the panel by George Kimball, a renowned boxing journalist and KU alumnus, and Robert Rodriguez, associate director of KU’s McNair Scholars Program and lecturer in Latin American studies. Rodriguez, a boxing journalist, will begin the program with “A Heavyweight for the Ages: George Foreman,” a presentation about Foreman’s extraordinary life and boxing career. Rodriguez will incorporate his own photos and writings.

George Foreman

Kimball, a longtime boxing writer for the Boston Herald and author of the recently published book “Four Kings: Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, Duran and the Last Great Era of Boxing,” will follow with “The Last Great Heavyweight Rivalry: Ali, Frazier, Foreman and Norton,” a discussion of Foreman and great heavyweight boxers of the 1970s. Kimball’s book quickly became the best-selling boxing book in the United States, Great Britain and Ireland. Named one of the top 10 sports books of the year by the American Library Association, it is the subject of a documentary film currently in production.

In 1986, Kimball was awarded the Nat Fleischer Award for Excellence in Boxing Journalism, the highest honor for boxing writers.

“He has covered most of the great boxing events of the past three decades,” Rodriguez said of Kimball.

Foreman will then present “From Heavyweight Champion to Knockout Entrepreneur,” an overview of his transition from a heavyweight boxer to a successful businessman. A short question-and-answer session will follow, then all three panel members will sign copies of their books. Oread Books will have copies for sale of Foreman’s “Knockout Entrepreneur,” Kimball’s “Four Kings” and “American at Large,” for which Foreman wrote the foreword, and Rodriguez’s “The Regulation of Boxing: A History and Comparative Analysis of Policies Among American States.”

Foreman first entered the public spotlight when he won the Olympic boxing gold medal in 1968. He won the heavyweight championship in 1973 with a knockout victory over Joe Frazier. He then lost the title to Muhammad Ali in 1974. In 1977, he retired and dedicated his life to his ministry. Foreman returned to boxing in 1987. In 1994, at age 45, he became the oldest man to win the heavyweight title when he knocked out Michael Moorer.

After his boxing career, Foreman perhaps became more famous for his invention, the George Foreman Lean, Mean, Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine. The grills sold millions of units and spawned a whole line of related products.

Rodriguez, who organized a boxing symposium at KU for Hispanic Heritage Month featuring John Ruiz, the first Latino world heavyweight boxing champion, said he wanted to host a similar event during African-American History Month. He added that Foreman’s career longevity and duality compelled him to invite him to campus.

“When I ask students if they know who George Foreman is, they say ‘of course, he’s the grill guy,’ ” Rodriguez said. “But he had an extraordinary boxing career before that.”

While at KU, Foreman will visit with students in the McNair Scholars Program and Multicultural Scholars Program. The McNair program works to prepare low-income, first-generation college students and underrepresented minorities for doctoral studies. The Multicultural Scholars Program recruits students from underrepresented backgrounds for a variety of majors and provides resources and support for them to be successful students and professionals.

Foreman’s visit and the panel discussion are sponsored by the McNair Scholars Program, Multicultural Scholars Program, Institute for Educational Research and Public Service, Office of the Vice Provost for Diversity and Equity, Oread Books, Genovese Restaurant, the Oread and Coca-Cola.

Media advisory: Foreman, Kimball and Rodriguez will be available to media from 1:30 to 2 p.m. Feb. 4 at the Paul Adam Lounge in the Adams Alumni Center, 1266 Oread Ave. -30-

The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.

kunews@ku.edu | (785) 864-3256 | 1314 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045

Jan. 22, 2010, Contact: Jill Jess, University Relations, (785) 864-8858