Leonard Weather, Jr., M.D. Things are not going to get better if we just let it be

President of NMA Tells students and faculty: "People are sick. We need to help them be well."

The president of the National Medical Association (NMA) urged UCF College of Medicine students, faculty and staff members Monday to do their part in ending health-care disparities, declaring, "Things are not going to get better if we just let it be."

Leonard Weather, Jr., M.D. leads the NMA, which was founded in 1895 and is the oldest and largest organization serving African-American physicians.

Dr. Weather is a practicing obstetrician/gynecologist in Shreveport, LA, who has seen the devastating health effects of environmental pollution on communities from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But he said toxic environments threaten communities of color across America, resulting in higher rates of cancer, obesity, lupus and endometriosis.

Chronic exposure to stress, unhealthy habits, and living in areas of low social capital, weak social networks and "food deserts" with no access to fresh produce, further erode health in minority communities, according to Dr. Weather. "Throughout man's history, income has been the primary determinant of health and life expectancy," he said.

Part of the challenge is getting health information to low-income communities, a point reinforced by College of Medicine M-1 student Sharise Richardson, who attended a recent NMA conference that discussed the need to better use social networking to help minority communities learn about topics such as HIV and AIDS.

As part of that effort, Dr. Weather said the NMA has begun a new initiative called "We Stand Together," radio public service announcements that offer health advice three times a day, seven days a week on African-American radio stations.

Ending health-care disparities will require everyone to get involved, Dr. Weather said. And as he looked to the College of Medicine students in the audience, he urged them, "You need to have a plan. You need to be great. You need to be good. We need you. People are sick. We need to help them be well."

CONTACT: Wendy Spirduso Sarubbi, UCF College of Medicine Information / Publication Services, 407.266.1418 or wsarubbi@mail.ucf.edu

Carla A. Harris Keynote speaker at Jacksonville University commencement ceremony

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville University is proud to announce that nearly 700 students received their degrees at the annual spring commencement ceremony today on campus. Keynote speaker Carla A. Harris, managing director at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, encouraged graduates to always make choices that will have a positive ripple effect on others.

Harris told the graduates that to maximize their success in life would depend on the following three factors: the choices you make; how you recover from your mistakes; and the view you have of yourself.

“When faced with a choice, always choose the option that will push and stretch you the most,” said Harris. “Choose to be a leader and not let life happen to you.”

Harris also told the graduates that they each have the following three things they can offer the world: their time, their talent and their treasure.

“At different points in your life, you will have more of one over the other,” said Harris. “Regardless, you must always choose to use this in a leadership role that will positively benefit others.”

Carla A. Harris

Harris also commented that the most important of these three gifts to the world is time because time is finite. “You will never be able to get more time,” said Harris. “Be sure that what you are doing with it produces a return of joy, happiness and satisfaction with the knowledge that you have impacted someone else’s life for the better.” Harris also said that collectively, we should not be so quick to say that they are not making the right decisions in Washington. “Who is they,” said Harris. “They are we and we need to decide to get involved now and not use the excuse that we are too busy.” When referring to mistakes, Harris encouraged the graduates to not look upon the subject with discouragement.

“When you make a mistake, take the blessing of the lesson and move on,” said Harris. “Failure always brings you a gift. You will know how to do it differently next time. Don't carry the baggage of having made a mistake, embrace the valuable lesson.”

Harris also told the graduates that when they think of themselves, they need to own all of that which is uniquely their own.

“You all have this unique gift,” said Harris. “Nobody can be you the way you can be you. You must have a winner’s lens and dwell in the land of possibility that you will have good outcomes. The more you dwell in possibility; you will naturally migrate in the land of probability of positively affecting others.”

Harris concluded by giving the graduates one more piece of advice.

“Expect to have an extraordinary life,” said Harris. “Your greatness is a part of you and it will continue to grow.”

An honorary doctor of humane letters was also conferred on Harris, who is head of Morgan Stanley’s Emerging Manager Program and also provides investment advice to corporations, public pension plans, foundations and endowments. She was previously responsible for the structuring, marketing and execution of public and private equity financings and has industry experiences in the technology, media, retail, telecommunications, transportation, industrial and healthcare sectors.

She is also the author of “Expect to Win: 10 Proven Strategies for Thriving in the Workplace,” Harris has been named to Fortune Magazine’s list of “The Most Powerful Black Executives in Corporate America” and to Fortune’s “The Most Influential List” 2005, to Black Enterprise Magazine’s “Top 50 African Americans on Wall Street,” to Essence Magazine’s list of “The 50 Women Who are Shaping the World,” Ebony’s list of “15 Corporate Women at the Top,” The Network Journal’s 2005 list of “25 Most Outstanding Women in Business” and was named “Woman of the Year 2004# by the Harvard University Black Men’s Forum.

Harris received a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School, Second Year Honors and an Artium Baccalaureus in economics from Harvard University, magna cum laude. The University will present her with an honorary doctorate in business commerce in recognition of her outstanding career.

The graduates included nearly 550 undergraduates receiving bachelor’s degrees. Of those, 238 were nursing students. Master’s degrees were bestowed on 153 graduate students.

One graduate, Kasey Sousa, was honored with the prestigious Fred B. Noble Medal for Scholarship for achieving a 4.0 grade point average.

The University's Navy ROTC Program commissioned 11 officers. JU's NROTC program also serves students at the University of North Florida and Florida Community College at Jacksonville.

The University also presented an honorary doctorate of humane letters to W. Ash Verlander (1920-2009). Verlander was a member of the JU Board of Trustees from 1968 to 1996 and served as chairman of the Board from 1982 to 1985. He devoted much of his time to fundraise for the University and chaired the University’s Golden Anniversary Campaign committee, which raised more than $16 million. A 53- year resident of Jacksonville, Verlander was one of the founding members of the American Heritage Life Insurance Company, serving as its president for 25 years and then as board chairman until he retired in 1994. The Verlander legacy lives on at JU as his son, Chris, is a member of the Board of Trustees and his grandson, Alan, serves as the athletics director.

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TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: Jacksonville University

Black, Latino, and White candidates make race based appeals at roughly the same rates in campaigns in which their opponents are of a different race

Black, Latino, and White candidates make race-based appeals in advertisements at roughly the same rates in campaigns in which their opponents are of a different race, according to research by New York University’s Charlton McIlwain and North Central College’s Stephen Caliendo. However, their findings, which appear in the new book, Race Appeal: How Candidates Invoke Race in U.S. Political Campaigns (Temple University Press), also show that nearly 70 percent of political ads by Black and Latino office seekers focus on their own candidacies while more than 90 percent of ads run by White candidates attack their opponents.

Through an analysis of political advertisements and news coverage, along with results of laboratory experiments, Race Appeal offers insights into the way race-based messages influence campaigns. It includes: a chapter on immigration and the 2006 election; case studies on news coverage of the campaigns of Harold Ford, Jr., Mel Martinez, and Artur Davis; and an analysis of the 2008 presidential election.

The authors analyzed 56 variables in nearly 800 televised political advertisements from U.S. House and Senate campaigns between 1970 and 2006 that included at least one candidate of color. Among the examined variables were: whether or not the candidate or his or her opponent appeared in the ad; what stereotypes were invoked (e.g., “liberal,” “unqualified,” “uncaring”); and what public policy issues were mentioned—crime, welfare, and Social Security were among the 29 issues examined.

The authors found that 82 percent of all ads run by White candidates against Black and Latino candidates included some form of race-based appeal. The percentage of ads from Black and Latino candidates invoking race – 78 percent – is statistically on par with their White political rivals. However, McIlwain and Caliendo observed a clear distinction between ads by Whites and those by Blacks and Latinos. They found that 69 percent of ads by Black and Latino office seekers focused on their candidacies while 92 percent of ads by White candidates included attacks on their opponents. Among Race Appeal’s other findings are: · There is little evidence that reporters “racialize” their coverage of Black and Latino candidates.

McIlwain and Caliendo find that while one-quarter of a sample of newspaper stories covering campaigns written since 1990 include a reference to a candidate’s race, the researchers conclude that “racial framing” in these stories is minimal when other factors, such as story placement, headline reference, story length, and other story attributes are taken into account.

· White candidates most commonly seek to portray their Black opponents as “untrustworthy,” “criminal,” “taking advantage of the system,” and “lazy”;

· Playing the “race card” is effective in advertising if voters don’t see it as an overt racial appeal. The authors’ experiments show that White voters gave less support to both White and Black candidates whom they saw as making race-based appeals. However, the standard for “playing the race card” may vary between candidates—White voters saw Black candidates as making a racial appeal even when only those candidates’ faces appeared in ads.

McIlwain is an associate professor in the Department of Media, Culture, and Communication at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. He is the author of When Death Goes Pop: Death, Media and the Remaking of Community and Death in Black and White: Death, Ritual and Family Ecology. Caliendo is a professor of political science at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. He is the author of Inequality in America: Race, Poverty and Fulfilling Democracy's Promise and Teachers Matter: The Trouble with Leaving Political Education to the Coaches. McIlwain and Caliendo are co-editors of The Routledge Companion to Race and Ethnicity.

For review copies, contact Gary Kramer, Temple University Press, at gkramer@temple.edu. Reporters interested in speaking with McIlwain should contact James Devitt, NYU’s Office of Public Affairs, at 212.998.6808 or james.devitt@nyu.edu.

YOUR Blessed Health, a youth program where church leaders teach sexual health and HIV prevention.VIDEO

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—When 10th-grader Quintin Scott learned that only physicians could diagnose AIDS, he wasn't in sex education class and he wasn't overhearing locker room talk: Scott was in church.

Such open discussion about sexual health in the African-American church where Scott learned this information would have been unthinkable even a few years ago, but at the time Scott was taking a test to become a peer counselor in one of the 55 churches in Flint, Mich., that participate in YOUR Blessed Health, a youth program now in its fifth year.

The primary goal of YOUR Blessed Health is to provide African-American faith leaders with the knowledge and communication tools to educate young members about HIV and sexually transmitted infections.

Derek Griffith, assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, is evaluating the effectiveness of YOUR Blessed Health.

"In a project like this, 'evaluator' translates to helping with the development of the program, as well," he said. "In a broader sense, we're trying to bring some science to the work that is being done. The question is how do you build the science around it to help strengthen the impact of the program on youth, on the organization and on the community?"

Sex and HIV are, historically, taboo topics in African-American churches, despite the fact that AIDS impacts African Americans in disproportionately higher numbers than other minority groups and whites—which is exactly why African-American churches in Flint so desperately needed YOUR Blessed Health, said Bettina Campbell, executive director of YOUR Center and principal investigator who started the pilot program in 2006.

In six years, 55 churches representing nine denominations in Flint have joined YOUR Blessed Health.

At Flint's Faith Deliverance Center, Pastor Bernadel Jefferson said parents were receptive to the idea—the resistance came primarily from church leaders, many of them men who weren't as open-minded, she said (one of Jefferson's seminars is called "Saved, Satisfied and Sanctified! How to Satisfy Your Boo and Still be Saved").

To that end, one critical component of YOUR Blessed Health is enlisting the pastors' spouses and teaching them the training.

"Church is not just for the people right inside, it's for the whole community," Jefferson said.

YOUR Blessed Health intervention includes a menu of activities for faith leaders to select from according to their institutional beliefs, doctrines and culture. For instance, the pastor who frowns on a counselor demonstrating proper condom application on a banana on church grounds, might allow that same demonstration in, say, an empty office space next door to the church.

U-M's Griffith said he and Campbell have been approached by churches around the country who are interested in duplicating the program, and that the goal is to use YOUR Blessed Health as a model for how to educate people about sexual health in faith-based settings and the African- American community.

The University of Michigan School of Public Health has been promoting health and preventing disease since 1941, and is ranked among the top five public health schools in the nation. Whether making new discoveries in the lab or researching and educating in the field, SPH faculty, students and alumni are deployed around the globe to promote and protect our health.

Contact: Laura Bailey Phone: (734) 647-1848

African Americans and Education: The Rosenwald School Legacy conference

While Rosenwald Schools left a legacy of reading, writing and arithmetic for African-American children, their impact can perhaps best be measured by the numbers: 4,977 schools, 217 homes for teachers, and 163 shop buildings constructed in 15 states, all used to educate more than 650,000 students. Add to that a lifetime of hard work and dedication from countless teachers and other supporters and you have a sense of how the Rosenwald initiative improved the education of African American schoolchildren in the Southeastern U.S.

The educational and cultural contributions of Rosenwald Schools will be remembered during African Americans and Education: The Rosenwald School Legacy conference, to be held April 28-30 at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. A follow up to an initial Rosenwald School History Awareness conference held in 2009, this year's conference will focus on raising awareness of Rosenwald School history, preserving the history of African Americans and education and examining current issues facing African American students in public schools.

"This conference is about history, learning and hope for African Americans who want the world to know how important education has been--and still is-- to them," said Donyell Roseboro, assistant professor in the Watson School of Education and conference coordinator. "We hope it will bring people together who are united in one common goal, to improve the educational experiences of all children."

Cadentown Rosenwald School, Caden Lane, Lexington, Fayette, KY

Conference highlights: • Thursday, April 28 at 5 p.m. premiere of Claudia Stack' s documentary film on Rosenwald Schools, in Morton Hall, room 100. A question and answer session with Stack will follow the film showing. • Friday, April 29 from 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Morning keynote speaker Anthony Parent, professor of history at Wake Forest University, will speak about African Americans and education in the 18th century in the Watson School of Education Building, room 162. Luncheon Keynote speaker Phillip J. Merrill, former appraiser with the PBS television show Antiques Roadshow, will speak about preserving African American material and cultural history. • Saturday, April 30 from 9 a.m. - noon field trip to a restored Rosenwald School in Pender County. The cost of the field trip is $10; transportation will be provided.

Other Friday speakers include:
• George Edwards, executive director of Historic Wilmington Foundation, who will discuss the history of Rosenwald Schools in Southeastern N.C. and current preservation efforts
• Carrie Newkirk, former Rosenwald School student
• James Faison, former director of industrial education at Williston High School

A panel discussion on current educational issues facing African American students and families will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday. Panelists include:
• Elizabeth Redenbaugh, New Hanover County School board member
• Pamela Baldwin, principal of Hoggard High School
• Frankie Roberts, director of LINC, Inc.
• Timothy Nathaniel French, director, Magnolia Scholars Program, Wake Forest University

To register online for the conference visit: www.uncw.edu/rosenwald or call 910.962.3195. Registration for the conference is $15.

The conference is sponsored by the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, the Upperman African American Cultural Center, the Department of History and the Watson School of Education.

For more information about the conference visit: www.uncw.edu/ed/rosenwald

Media Contact: Emily Jones, Media Relations, 910.962.3171 or jonesel@uncw.edu

Cancer screenings appear beneficial for African-American couples who are at high risk for chronic diseases

A new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that interventions to promote healthy behaviors, including eating more fruits and vegetables, increasing physical activity, and participating in cancer screenings appear beneficial for African-American couples who are at high risk for chronic diseases, especially if one of the individuals is living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus).

Since medications being used to treat HIV, particularly highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), have been successful, they are now living longer and are at risk for developing other chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

“This study is important, demonstrating that a theory-based contextually appropriate intervention which teaches skills caused positive changes on multiple behaviors linked to chronic diseases in African American members of HIV-serodiscordant couples,” said study co-author John B. Jemmott, III, Ph.D., professor of Communication in Psychiatry and of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Medicine and Annenberg School for Communication, who led the Philadelphia trial site for the trial.

University of Pennsylvania Office of University Communications 200 Sansom Place East, 3600 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6106 Media Contact:Joe Diorio || jdiorio@asc.upenn.edu || 215-746-1798

The African American Choral Ensemble of Indiana University's African American Arts Institute will present its annual spring concert

BLOOMINGTON -- The African American Choral Ensemble of Indiana University's African American Arts Institute will present its annual spring concert on Saturday, April 30, at 8 p.m. at the Ruth N. Halls Theatre, 275 N. Jordan Ave.

This year's concert features tributes to two gospel music greats, Walter Hawkins and Richard Smallwood.

Smallwood, a graduate of Howard University, a historically black college in Washington, D.C., combines elements of the baroque and classical period with traditional gospel. The choir will perform a medley of Smallwood's best known pieces including, "Total Praise," "Psalm 8" and the orchestral masterpiece, "Anthem of Praise."

The concert theme, "Africa to America (Revisited)," begins in West Africa with a gospel song from Ghana titled "Daa Naa See." This song will be introduced and performed by Ghanaian Ph.D. student Nana Amoah.

The choir then will move from the fields of Africa to the fields of Georgia, performing a work song arranged by legendary choreographer Donald McKayle, from his work titled "Rainbow Etude." Members of the chorus performed this work with the IU Dance Theatre in January.

African American Choral Ensemble. Photo by Eugene Siew

The work song is transformed into the spiritual, and this evolution is captured in Hall Johnson's "I've Been 'Buked." This powerful spiritual was featured by choreographer Alvin Ailey in his famous work, "Revelations." The power of historic poetry and music are combined in the music of two women composers of African descent, Margaret Bonds and Undine Smith Moore. The poet is Langston Hughes.

Hughes' poem "Mother to Son" is set to music by Smith Moore. The text, "Life for me ain't been no crystal stair," begins an analogy of hard life illustrated through visions of floors with splinters and holes in the carpet. The scene is barren, yet a mother encourages her son to not give up or turn back. The setting is written for chorus, piano and soprano solo, and will feature IU graduate vocal major Lenora Green.

Hughes' visions of black life dispersed around the world are captured in his poem "The Negro Speaks of Rivers." Pianist and composer Bonds originally set this piece as a solo art song but later created a version for four-part chorus and piano. The scenic view of rivers moves from the mighty Nile of Egypt to the Mississippi and the Delta.

Jazz infused riffs and shouts pay homage to Duke Ellington as the choir sings one of its later-day staples, an Ellington medley that features his "Come Sunday" and the up tempo "David Danced Unto the Lord." The arrangement by choral ensemble director Keith McCutchen features a jazz rhythm section and associate instructor Christina Harrison.

McCutchen is a composer, arranger, pianist and choral director well-known for his arrangements and compositions of religious choral music. His music has been recorded by the American Spiritual Ensemble and the St. Olaf Choir. McCutchen is also an accomplished jazz pianist. He has performed with Mel Tormé, bassist Richard Davis and drummer Eric Gravatt.

The African American Choral Ensemble is one of three ensembles of IU's African American Arts Institute, housed in the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center. AAAI is the only collegiate arts program with an emphasis in African American performance traditions through credit-bearing ensembles. Over the years, the AAAI has made a vital contribution to the cultural diversity of IU by preserving, promoting and celebrating African American arts traditions. Its executive director is Charles E. Sykes, and it is a unit of the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children and IU students with valid ID (limit 2 per IU I.D.). Tickets are available at the IU Auditorium Box Office, 1211 E. Seventh St., and more information is available at 812-855-1103.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For more information and a calendar of AAAI events, visit the African American Arts Institute website at www.indiana.edu/~aaai.

Media Contacts: Sam Davis African American Arts Institute sammdavi@indiana.edu 812-855-5427

The University of Kansas will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its Department of African and African-American Studies

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its Department of African and African-American Studies with a symposium Thursday, April 28.

The event begins at noon at Alderson Auditorium in the Kansas Union with a series of panels chronicling the history of the department, from the student activism that led to its creation in 1970-71 to its current existence as the only university in the Big 12 Conference offering a master of arts program in African and African-American studies.

The symposium concludes at 5:45 p.m., followed by reception and entertainment in the Malott Room.

In addition to reviewing the department’s history, the symposium will stimulate an interdisciplinary dialogue concerning the practice, the state, the history and the future of African and African-American studies in the academy and beyond.

KU’s African and African-American studies department is one of a few such academic departments that were created in the late 1960s and early 1970s throughout the country. KU’s department is within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Peter Ukpokodu

“The 40th anniversary of AAAS presents a unique opportunity to chronicle more than four decades of work to create a stable academic unit in the face of daunting challenges both within and without the university,” said Peter Ukpokodu, department chair. “Since its inception at KU, the African and African-American studies department has continued to alter the very fabric of university life and teaching. “The formation of AAAS created a space for students who had previously been excluded to be included in the university curriculum and in the process changed the fundamental character of higher education forever.

The women and men affiliated with the department, over the course of the past 40 years, with their interdisciplinary, multiracial intellectual focus, have continually been at the forefront of the transformation of academia to a more global, diverse, interdisciplinary place of higher learning.”

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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.

The University of Kansas Lawrence, Kansas 66045 (785) 864-2700 kunews@ku.edu | (785) 864-3256 | 1314 Jayhawk Blvd., Lawrence, KS 66045

Dr. Cheryl Davenport Dozier to serve as interim president of Savannah State University

University System of Georgia Chief Academic Officer Susan Herbst announced today that she has appointed Dr. Cheryl Davenport Dozier, associate provost and chief diversity officer at the University of Georgia (UGA) since 2006, to serve as interim president of Savannah State University (SSU), effective May 9, 2011. Dozier will step in as interim president for current SSU president Dr. Earl G. Yarbrough Sr., who served from July 2007 and who was not reappointed.

“We are extremely fortunate to be able to call on Dr. Dozier’s strong leadership skills during this transition. Savannah State University has a great deal of momentum and I am confident that the institution will be in excellent hands under Dr. Dozier,” Herbst said, “Most of our university leaders across this state know her from superb leadership on the system wide diversity initiative, so like me, they are familiar with her tremendous intellect, her charisma, and most of all, her profound openness and humanity.”

Dozier previously served as assistant vice president of academic affairs at the Gwinnett University Center from 2002-2006. She is a tenured Professor in the School of Social Work. Dozier served as the director of the interdisciplinary Ghana Study Abroad Program from 2003-2010.

Dr. Cheryl Davenport Dozier

She has served as the lead co-principal investigator for the Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, a $4.9M National Science Foundation (NSF) program with the goal of broadening participation of minority students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics since 2007. The partner institutions include Savannah State University, Fort Valley State University, Southern Polytechnic University, Georgia Perimeter College and UGA. In addition, Dr. Dozier is a faculty researcher with the Foot Soldier Project for Civil Rights Studies and Research at UGA and recently served as the co-executive producer of the Donald L. Hollowell Documentary: American Freedom Fighter, which aired on Georgia Public Broadcasting. She recently co- chaired the 50th anniversary of the desegregation at UGA entitled “Celebrating Courage”.

Dr. Dozier is an affiliate faculty member of the African Studies Institute and the Institute of African American Studies. She has published widely in professional journals and books and is a well recognized public speaker.

Dozier is an active member of many professional and civic organizations, and was recently elected President of the Georgia Association for Women in Higher Education. Dr. Dozier earned a Doctorate in Social Welfare (DSW) from Hunter College, at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and received a Masters in Social Work from Atlanta University (now Clark-Atlanta), School of Social Work and a Bachelors degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Plans regarding the search for a permanent presidential appointee at Savannah State will be announced at a later date.

University System of Georgia 270 Washington Street, S.W., Atlanta, GA 30334, U.S.A. Media Contact: John Millsaps 404-656-2250 medpub@usg.edu

Sylverster James Gates, Jr. Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Sylverster James Gates, Jr. Elected to American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Jim Gates, the John S. Toll Professor of Physics at Maryland, is the first African American to hold an endowed chair in physics at a major research university in the United States.Gates has long been known for his groundbreaking, ongoing work in supersymmetry and supergravity, areas that are closely related to string theory. In 1983, he co-authored the book "Superspace or 1001 Lessons in Supersymmetry," which more than two decades later remains a standard in the field. String theory. Hailed by many physicists as the "Unified Field Theory" that was pursued unsuccessfully by Einstein, string theory is a leading candidate for what is commonly called the "theory of everything." Such a theory could explain the origins of all matter and energy in the universe and may one day form the basis for technologies that we cannot even imagine today.

"Professor Gates is just an extraordinary person," said Physics Chair Drew Baden. "His research is at the very cutting edge of theoretical physics, probing the fundamental structure of nature, looking for exotic connections between string theory and information theory and anything else he can think of.

On top of that, he finds the time and energy to give a huge number of invited public talks on science at all levels, communicating the excitement of science, and working hard to demystify. I believe that in 2005, the 100 year anniversary of Einstein's famous papers (one that introduced the theory of special relativity), he gave about 90 such talks in a single year! And on top of that, he finds the time contribute to society as a member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), advising the President on science policy, and as a member of the Maryland Board of Education."

Gates said "It is a strange, humbling and numbing feeling to be considered among the company of one's own heroes. While I was growing up in the U.S., the names of the founding Academy 'class' including John Adams, James Bowdoin, John Hancock, to those of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Daniel Webster, and Ralph Waldo Emerson loomed like far distant mountain peaks marking the apex of accomplishment in the United States of America. So very many of my personal heroes like Einstein and Churchill have been members of this company. I am stunned to be in a class that includes so many accomplished individuals whose work has had such an impact on my life. It is the highest honor and recognition I have been accorded to be included among this new class of the academy. This could not have happened without the absolutely superb support I have received from the College Park campus. The election is also a signal of the recognition of the quality of the University."

The University of Maryland For Immediate Release April 19, 2011 Contacts: David Ottalini, 301 405 4076 or dottalin@umd.edu

Soul Revue of Indiana University's African American Arts Institute will present its annual spring concert

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The IU Soul Revue of Indiana University's African American Arts Institute will present its annual spring concert on Saturday (April 23) at 8 p.m. at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, located in downtown Bloomington at 114 E. Kirkwood Ave.

IU Soul Revue director Nathanael Fareed Mahluli said the theme for this year's show is "basement party."

"Friends and family show up with a set of records -- both LPs and 45s," he reminisced. "They take turns setting the groove and letting everybody know what the real hip song used to be. Dance-a-longs, sing-a-longs, and then there's the "Purple Hour" when lights are out and it's time for the children to go bed."

Mahluli, the IU Soul Revue director since 2005, promises a show featuring a vibe and vivacity like none other. "It will definitely pick you up from your seat and move your feet," he said.

Mahluli is an accomplished performer, educator, composer, producer and sound engineer who has contributed to the Sanfoka African Dance Company conferences and to recordings such as the charitable and poetic "Write to Heal." He has performed and recorded with such artists as Erykah Badu, members of BET's International Association of African American Music, the Stanley Paul Orchestra and many others.

IU Soul Revue Photo by Eugene Siew

The IU Soul Revue is one of three ensembles of IU's African American Arts Institute, housed in the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center. AAAI is the only collegiate arts program with an emphasis in African American performance traditions through credit-bearing ensembles.

Over the years, the AAAI has made a vital contribution to the cultural diversity of IU by preserving, promoting and celebrating African American arts traditions. Its executive director is Charles E. Sykes, and it is a unit of the Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children and IU students with valid ID (limit 2 per IU I.D.). Tickets are available at the Sunrise Box Office, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., phone 812-323-3020.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 18, 2011 For more information and a calendar of AAAI events, visit the AAAI website at www.indiana.edu/~aaai.

Michael Jacques found guilty of burning a predominantly African American church in Springfield Massachusetts

WASHINGTON –Michael Jacques, 26, of Springfield, Mass., was found guilty by a federal jury of three crimes related to the burning of a predominantly African-American church in Springfield on the morning after Barack Obama was elected as the first African-American President of the United States, the Justice Department announced today.

Evidence at trial established that in the early morning hours of Nov. 5, 2008, within hours of Obama being elected president, Jacques and his co-conspirators agreed to burn and succeeded in burning the newly-constructed Macedonia Church of God in Christ’s building where religious services were to be held. The building was nearly completed at the time of the fire, which destroyed the entire structure, leaving only the metal superstructure and a small portion of the front corner intact. Investigators determined the fire to be incendiary in nature and caused by an unknown quantity of gasoline applied to the exterior and interior of the building.

Prior to the Nov. 4, 2008 presidential election, Jacques and his co-conspirators used racial slurs against African-Americans and expressed anger about the possible election of Obama as the first African-American President. On Nov. 4, 2008, Jacques and his co-conspirators agreed to retaliate against the election by burning the new church because the church members, congregation and bishop were African-American.

Jacques was convicted of damaging religious property and obstructing the free exercise of religion because of the race, color or ethnic characteristics of any individual associated with that religious property.

Jacques was also convicted of conspiring to injure, oppress, threaten and intimidate the parishioners of the church in the free exercise or enjoyment of the right to hold and use real property, a right which is secured by the Constitution and laws of the United States, and for using fire in the course of a federal felony.

“Hateful acts of violence of this kind will not be tolerated in our country,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The department will continue to vigorously prosecute hate crimes against all individuals.”

“This was a very serious case that affected the lives of hundreds of parishioners at the Macedonia Church of God in Christ. When I met with Bishop Bryant Robinson it was clear to me how much damage was inflicted on his community by this horrible act. It was not necessarily about the physical structure that was burned, it was about symbolic and personal nature of the crime”, said U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Carmen M. Ortiz. “We are very pleased with the jury’s verdict and want to reaffirm our commitment to defend our most fundamental rights, stemming the tide of hatred and discrimination.”

Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 15, 2011.

Two other co-conspirators, Thomas Gleason and Benjamin Haskell, have previously pleaded guilty for their role in the offenses. Haskell was sentenced to nine years in prison and three years of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; FBI; Massachusetts State Police; Hampden County District Attorney’s Office and the Springfield Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul H. Smyth and Kevin O’Regan and Nicole Lee Ndumele, Trial Attorney in the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.

11-483 Civil Rights Division Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Thursday, April 14, 2011

Strengths and weaknesses of Christianity from the perspective of African American women

Diana L. Hayes, professor of theology at Georgetown University, will give a lecture on themes in her recent book, Standing in the Shoes My Mother Made: A Womanist Theology (Fortress Press, 2010), on Tuesday, April 26 at 4 p.m. in Rehm Library, Smith Hall at the College of the Holy Cross.

The lecture is one of the Deitchman Family Lectures on Religion and Modernity presented by the College’s Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture. It is free and open to the public.

In the book, Hayes combines personal reflection with theological analysis to explore strengths and weaknesses of Christianity from the perspective of African American women. A leading commentator and forger of womanist thought, Hayes is author of many books, including Were You There? Stations of the Cross (Orbis Books, 2000); And Still We Rise: An Introduction to Black Liberation Theology (Paulist Press, 1995); and Hagar’s Daughters: Womanist Ways of Being in the World (Paulist Press, 1995). She is co-editor, with Cyprian Davis, of Taking Down Our Harps: Black Catholics in the United States. (Orbis Books, 1998).

Hayes is the first African American to earn a doctor of sacred theology degree from the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. She received the 2001 U.S. Catholic Award for furthering the role of women in the church. Hayes’s talk is supported by the Rehm Family Endowment and co-sponsored by the Women and Gender Studies and Africana Studies at Holy Cross. For more information about this and other events hosted by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, and to listen to lectures online, visit www.holycross.edu/crec.

College of the Holy Cross 1 College Street, Worcester, MA 01610 • (508) 793-2011 April 15th, 2011 Danielle Kane

Anton V. Vincent Executive at General, will deliver the keynote address at Norfolk State University’s commencement ceremony

Norfolk, Va.— Anton V. Vincent, president of the Baking Products Division at General Mills food company, will deliver the keynote address at Norfolk State University’s commencement ceremony, scheduled for 10 a.m., Saturday, May 7 at William “Dick” Price Stadium. The procession will begin at 9:30 a.m. More than 700 students will participate in the commencement exercises.

In addition to Vincent keynote address, William T. Mason, Jr., a long-time Norfolk attorney and philanthropist, will receive an honorary doctorate of humane letters for his contributions to the university and the community. For more than 40 years, Mason has been a part of the Norfolk State University family, serving as a member of the NSU Board of Visitors and the NSU Foundation Board. He has generously supported the university financially through the establishment and growth of the W.T. and Vivian Carter Mason Endowed Scholarship Fund.

“It is indeed a privilege to have Mr. Anton Vincent as our keynote speaker at Norfolk State University’s commencement,” said Kim Luckes, acting president of Norfolk State University. “Mr. Vincent’s history of success at one of our nation’s most profitable corporations is the result of hard work and determination, and one that our students will benefit from as an example.”

Vincent is directly responsible for leading the profitable growth of some of America’s most storied brands including the Betty Crocker franchise. His General Mills career spans leadership roles on brands including Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks, Total Cereal, Pop Secret Popcorn, Chex Mix, Gardettos Snack Mix, Yoplait yogurt, Betty Crocker side dishes and new products. Prior to becoming president of the Baking Products Division, Vincent served as Vice President of Marketing for the Baking Products Division and Business Unit Director. He was also a founding member of General Mills’ Black Champions Network (BCN), the company’s largest employee network group.<.td>

In February, Black Enterprise named Vincent one of the Top 100 African Americans in Marketing and Advertising and in 2009 he earned the General Mills Champions Award, the company’s highest honor. His other honors include being named one of the “Top 50 Under 50” leaders in 2006 by Diversity MBA Magazine and the 2008 Minneapolis Business Journal Minority Corporate Executive of the Year award.

Outside of his executive duties, Vincent dedicates much of his time to philanthropic and enterprise efforts. He currently serves as vice chairman of the board at Milestone Growth Fund and a board of trustee member at the Breck School. He is also an advisory council member at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business and the Center for Brand Leadership in Indiana. Other memberships include the Executive Leadership Council, Sigma Pi Phi Omicron Boule and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

A native of Jackson, Miss., Vincent earned a bachelor of business administration degree with a concentration in finance from Sam Houston State University and an MBA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. He considers himself to be a proud southerner turned Midwesterner, and resides with his wife, Lindy, and their three children in Minnetonka, Minn.

Norfolk State University For more information, call Communications and Marketing at 823-8373.

Wayne State University's College of Nursing aims to improve the care of African Americans with cancer pain

DETROIT - Nearly all patients with advanced cancer experience severe pain, and almost half of all other cancer patients have some pain, regardless of the type or stage of the disease. Pain often limits a patient's daily activities and causes distress. A new study, led by Wayne State University's College of Nursing and funded by a three-year, $1,078,000 award from the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health, aims to improve the care of African Americans with cancer pain.

Prior research done by April Vallerand, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, associate professor of nursing at Wayne State University and resident of Novi, Mich., showed that African American cancer patients experience higher pain levels, resulting from a lower feeling of control over pain and a need for help with pain management. Pain care must be highly individualized and responsive to the rapidly changing needs of patients and caregivers trying to manage pain and symptoms at home. This is especially important because patients and caregivers are increasingly responsible for daily pain and symptom management due to shorter hospital stays.

April Hazard Vallerand, PhD, RN, FAAN. Associate Professor. Wayne State University, College of Nursing. 364 Cohn. 5557 Cass Avenue Detroit, MI 48202 (313) 577-0359 (313) 577-8451(FAX)

"Patients and caregivers are typically unprepared to manage cancer pain, so including both in teaching and coaching is essential to assure pain control," said Vallerand. "Our previous study was a one-time intervention that included medication management and pain advocacy information, and we are now expanding to a five-week program called Power Over Pain - Coaching or POP-C. We have also added a new element called Living with Pain that will help patients and families do more of the things they want and need to do in spite of serious illness." The POP-C program will expand patients' ability to function and is designed specifically for African American cancer patients undergoing outpatient treatment. "We will address the challenges to pain care that have remained unsolved in this urban community by better managing cancer pain African Americans on a case-by-case basis," said Vallerand. "We are trying to reduce suffering, decrease patient and caregiver distress and burden, and help patients function in spite of cancer pain." The program also aims to reduce current disparities in access, treatment and outcomes for patients and their families. When shown to be effective, this intervention can be adapted for diverse populations with pain so that patients and loved ones can live life to the fullest.

Wayne State University is one of the nation's pre-eminent public research universities in an urban setting. Through its multidisciplinary approach to research and education, and its ongoing collaboration with government, industry, and other institutions, the university seeks to enhance economic growth and improve the quality of life in the City of Detroit, State of Michigan, and throughout the world. For more information about research at Wayne State University, visit www.research.wayne.edu/.

Contact: Julie O'Connor. Voice: (313) 577-8845 Email: julie.oconnor@wayne.edu Fax: (313) 577-362

Dr. Ancella R. Bickley will deliver the 2011 Charles Hill Moffat Lecture

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Dr. Ancella R. Bickley, professor emeritus of English and former Vice President of Academic Affairs at West Virginia State University, will deliver the 2011 Charles Hill Moffat Lecture Thursday, April 21 at Marshall University.

The lecture, which is free to the public, will take place at 4 p.m. in Room BE 5 of the Memorial Student Center on Marshall’s Huntington campus. The title of Bickley’s lecture is “African American History of West Virginia.”

Bickley also is the co-editor of Memphis Tennessee Garrison: The Remarkable Story of a Black Appalachian Woman.

Dr. David Peavler Trowbridge, an assistant professor of African American history at Marshall, said Bickley is the reason African American history in West Virginia has been preserved.

“Students at Marshall have spent the past semester conducting original research on topics in African American history,” Trowbridge said. “Examples include the integration of Marshall University, Charleston and Huntington schools; lynching in West Virginia; the Barnett Hospital of Huntington; sit-ins in Huntington and Charleston; the 45th USCT (United States Colored Troops) – an Appalachian Civil War regiment composed of black troops from West Virginia; Affrilachian poets; race relations in law enforcement; the experiences of black teachers in one-room schools prior to integration and the integration of Mingo County schools.

“These topics were inspired by a list I was able to put together last semester based largely on the research of Dr. Bickley. As a newcomer to the state, I traveled to archives and spoke with librarians across the state and most of the secondary sources I found on black history in West Virginia were written or directed by Dr. Bickley. She has done more than any West Virginian since Carter Woodson to collect and preserve African American history. It is truly an honor to have Dr. Bickley come to Marshall to share her knowledge, and I hope everyone who can make it Thursday afternoon will come to hear Dr. Bickley discuss her life’s work.” The lecture is named in honor of Dr. Charles Moffat, who taught history at Marshall from 1946 to 1977 and was recognized as one of the top professors in Marshall history by Marshall Magazine.

The lecture is sponsored by Marshall’s Department of History, Phi Alpha Theta and the College of Liberal Arts.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, April 11, 2011 Contact: Dave Wellman, Director of Communications (304) 696-7153.

For further information, contact: Office of University Communications Marshall University 213 Old Main | Huntington, WV 25755-1090 Fax: (304) 696-3197

Lucille Bridges Ruby Bridges mother

In 1956 U.S. District Court Judge J. Skelly Wright ordered the desegregation of the New Orleans public schools. After a series of appeals, in 1960, Wright set down a plan that required the integration of the schools on a grade-per-year basis, beginning with the first grade. The School Board issued a test to black kindergartners to determine the best candidates. Six-year old Ruby Bridges was one of six children selected. Four agreed to proceed. On November 14, Bridges integrated the William Frantz Public School. In retaliation, white parents withdrew her classmates and Bridges's father was fired from his job. Ruby completed the first grade alone with the support of Barbara Henry, a Boston teacher, and Dr. Robert Coles, a child psychiatrist. Ruby's walk to school the first day, escorted by U.S. Marshals, inspired the 1964 Norman Rockwell painting, "The Problem We All Live With."

The "deliberate speed" called for in the Supreme Court's Brown decision was quickly overshadowed by events outside the nation's courtrooms. In Montgomery, Alabama, a grassroots revolt against segregated public transportation inspired a multitude of similar protests and boycotts. A number of school districts in the Southern and border states desegregated peacefully. Elsewhere, white resistance to school desegregation resulted in open defiance and violent confrontations.

Randolph AFB, TX, 3/31/2011: Lucille Bridges tells Randolph Air Force Base elementary school students about her first grade daughter, Ruby, being among the first African-American student to integrate New Orleans public schools in 1960. Bridges was invited to speak to various groups at the base on March 31, 2011 by the Women's History Month committee. (U.S. Air Force photo/David Terry)

Students at Randolph Air Force Base elementary school listen as Lucille Bridges recalls events that led to her daughter Ruby, a first grader, being among the first African-American to integrate New Orleans public schools in 1960. Bridges was invited to speak at the base March 31, 2011 as part of Women's History Month activities. (U.S. Air Force photo/David Terry)

Lucille Bridges, center, points to documents and photographs of her daughter Ruby, a first grader, entering school in 1960 in New Orleans under the protection of U.S. Federal Marshals. She was among the first African-American students to integrate New Orleans public schools. Listening to her, during a March 31, 2011 visit to Randolph Air Force Base, Texas are, (l. to r.) Sharon Holdipp, Felicia McCollum and Deanna Markovitch. The three are Care Managers with the Wounded Warrior Program at Headquarters Air Force Personnel Center. Bridges visited the base as part of Women's History Month. (U.S. Air Force photo/David Terry)

OPENING TEXT CREDIT: Brown v. Board at Fifty

The basics of genealogy and the unique challenges of researching African-American family histories

SALISBURY, MD---The basics of genealogy and the unique challenges of researching African-American family histories are explored during the Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture’s family history workshop.

The event is 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 16 (rescheduled from April 2), at the center, in the East Campus Complex of Salisbury University, 190 Wayne Ave.

Kimberly Conway Dumpson, Esq., leads the discussion using examples of source materials from the Nabb Research Center and from Dumpson’s own family history. The director of alumni affairs and planned giving at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, she has has been researching her family history for much of her life. What began as a childhood fascination has grown into decades of work, taking her from the Eastern Shore to New England.

Her research of the Whitehaven area of Wicomico County, in particular, has helped more fully explain the African-American community of that region. Recent research has provided information about the links her family has with the abolitionist movement and the Underground Railroad in Massachusetts.

Admission is free and the public is invited. Seating is limited to 35. For reservations call 410-543-6312. For more information visit the Nabb Research Center Web site at nabbhistory.salisbury.edu. Salisbury University · 1101 Camden Ave. · Salisbury, MD 21801 · 410-543-6000

Sheryl Gripper Film Industry Leader to be Honored by Spelman College Digital Moving Image Salon

Sheryl Gripper, C'72, founding director of the Black Women Film Network and executive director of the BronzeLens Film Festival, will receive the first annual Moving Image Award presented by the Spelman College Digital Moving Image Salon during the Reel Women Film Showcase at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 14, at Midtown Art Cinema.

Gripper will be recognized for her pioneering efforts to amplify the work of Black women filmmakers. A multi-Emmy Award winner, she is former vice president of community relations for the Networks of 11Alive, Atlanta’s NBC affiliate and WATL-36.

“Sheryl is a generous visionary in the moving image community who has opened many doors,” said Ayoka Chenzira, Ph.D., founder and director of the Digital Moving Image Salon. “She has been instrumental in helping Black women to tell their stories in front of and behind the camera.”

The Black Women Film Network (formerly the Black Women’s Film Preservation Network) was established in 1997 to increase the number of women of all cultures in the film and media industry. Since then, the organization has given funds for scholarships to women pursuing careers in film, broadcast and related areas and is undertaking a program to provide completion funding assistance in post production, marketing and distribution for established filmmakers.

The BronzeLens Film Festival, a film festival for people of color, is part of the African American Film Festival Releasing Movement, a collective that theatrically releases quality independent African-American films through simultaneous limited engagements. Also on the same program on April 14, the Digital Moving Image Salon will present its seventh annual student film showcase, which will screen the following four films:

“Neks Wol No go Tan So (The Next World Won't Be So)”

* Producers: M'Ballu Tejan-Sie, Blaire Smith and Nekesa J. Smith. The memories of three women who survived the civil war in Sierra Leone are highlighted in this film. The women share their journey of leaving war-torn Sierra Leone and rebuilding their lives in Atlanta. Their stories attest to their trials, celebrate their personal triumphs and highlight their overwhelming desires to return home.

“By Any Other Name”

* Producers: Daniel Edwards, Roberta Stanfield and Khadijah Ameen. The traditional notion of family is challenged in this documentary portrait of Cindy Lutenbacher, Ph.D., a white English professor at Morehouse College, who mounts a host of personal challenges to create a family of her own. This intimate documentary portrait follows Lutenbacher and her family as she candidly shares the experiences that led to her choice to become a single mother, adopting three daughters from different ethnic backgrounds.

“Beyond the Storm”

* Producers: Janeé Chambers, Darlene W. Garcia and Lauren Brown Jarvis. Five years after Hurricane Katrina and the broken levees, many women in New Orleans have rebuilt their homes, but in too many instances, their lives and communities are still fractured. “Beyond the Storm” looks into the post-Katrina challenges that arose for women and how they are facing these challenges as they continue to rebuild their lives.

“The Shadow Behind the Rainbow”

* Producers: Je-Shawna Wholley, Moriah Thomas and Cyncere White. The activism of Black queer women often goes unnoticed in both the Civil Rights and Gay Rights Movements. This documentary highlights some of the historical contributions as well as current contributions by young Atlanta-based activists.

The award presentation and film showcase are free and open to the public. Midtown Art Cinema is located at 931 Monroe Drive, Atlanta. For more information, visit Reel Women Film Showcase.

About the Digital Moving Image Salon: The Digital Moving Image Salon (DMIS) began at Spelman College in the fall of 2004. Founded by internationally award-winning filmmaker and digital media artist, Ayoka Chenzira, it is a mechanism through which the College encourages and supports the growing number of students interested in creating stories for digital media platforms. For more information, visit DMIS.

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Spelman College: Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a prestigious, highly selective, liberal arts college that prepares women to change the world. Located in Atlanta, Ga., this historically black college boasts an 83 percent graduation rate, and outstanding alumnae such as Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman; former U.S. Foreign Service Director General Ruth Davis, authors Tina McElroy Ansa and Pearl Cleage; and actress LaTanya Richardson. More than 83 percent of the full-time faculty members have Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees, and the average faculty to student ratio is 12:1. More than 2,100 students attend Spelman. For more information, visit: www.spelman.edu.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact(s) : Audrey Arthur (404) 270-5892 aarthur3@spelman.edu

IMAGE CREDIT: Sheryl Gripper Facebook

Black New Jerseyans more likely than whites to support school choice vouchers

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J – Voters are split on the continuing growth of charter schools in New Jersey, according to a Rutgers-Eagleton Poll released today. Forty-four percent of all Garden State voters support increasing the number of charter schools in the state, while 42 percent oppose adding more charters. Fourteen percent say they don’t know if they support or oppose an increase. Black voters are stronger supporters: 52 percent favor more charter schools.

A majority of the state’s white voters would prefer to send a child to a public school, but black voters prefer charter schools by a narrow margin. While only 31 percent of whites choose charters, 48 percent of blacks feel the same. Public schools are favored by whites, 51 percent to 43 percent.

Black voters are also more likely than whites to support school choice vouchers which would allow children to attend private schools using taxpayer funding, 54 percent to 36 percent.

“As education issues continue to make headlines here, voters are mixed on their reactions,” said David Redlawsk, director of the Rutgers-Eagleton Poll and professor of political science at Rutgers University. “While there are traditional party-line differences, what really stands out is the difference between black and white voters. African-Americans, while not otherwise supportive of Gov. Christie, are generally behind his plans for charter schools and vouchers.”

Governor Chris Christie delivers remarks and answer questions at the Brookings Institution regarding New Jersey’s education reform agenda on demanding the most effective education force, creating career ready graduates with higher standards and providing room for innovation in teaching in New York, N.Y. on Thursday, April 7, 2011. (Governor's Office/Tim Larsen)

Results are from a Rutgers-Eagleton Poll of 773 registered voters conducted among both landline and cell phone households from March 28 to April 4, with a margin of error for the full sample of +/- 3.5 percentage points. Garden Staters split on increasing charter schools Among all voters, supporters of charter schools edge opponents, 44 percent to 42 percent. The numbers are essentially the same for those with at least one child under 18 at home: 41 percent in favor and 44 percent against. Black voters are more positive, however, 52 percent supporting the growth of charter schools and 39 percent opposing.

Those with a favorable impression of the governor also are stronger supporters, 57 percent to 29 percent. Voters unfavorable toward Christie strongly oppose more charter schools, 57 percent to 30 percent. Not surprisingly, only a minority of voters in public employee union households support increasing the number of charter schools, 30 percent to 58 percent who oppose. Support for charters is greater among those in non-union households, 46 percent in favor and 39 percent opposed.

“These data show an interesting split in traditional Democratic constituencies on this issue,” said Redlawsk. “As Governor Christie pushes for more charter schools as a lynchpin in his education plan, public employee union members resist, but African-Americans appear to be on his side.”

Charter schools seen equal to or better than public schools

Almost four-in-10 respondents (38 percent) say charter schools do a better job educating children than traditional public schools, while 30 percent say both types are equally good and 9 percent say charters do worse. Twenty-three percent are not sure. Among those with a child under 18, the results are similar: 36 percent say charter schools do better, 34 percent say both types do about the same, 7 percent say charter schools do worse than traditional public schools and 23 percent are unsure. Though supporting charters, blacks are no more likely than whites to say charter schools do a better job than public schools.

By better than 2 to 1 (54 percent to 24 percent), Christie’s supporters are more likely to say charters do a better job than traditional schools at educating students. Twenty-two percent of Christie supporters say the two types of schools are equally good, while 42 percent of Christie detractors believe they are equal. While 14 percent of those unfavorable toward Christie say charter schools do a worse job, only 4 percent of Christie supporters agree. Similarly, among public employee union households, 22 percent prefer charters; 41 percent of non-union households agree.

Seventy-eight percent who say charter schools do a better job, want more in New Jersey. Among those who say both types perform about the same, only 29 percent support more charter schools, while 62 percent are opposed. Most voters do not think the growth in charters has weakened traditional public schools; only 24 percent do so and 45 percent say it has made no difference.

Whites prefer to send children to traditional public schools while blacks are split

Though a majority of voters says charter schools are as least as good as public schools, most white respondents would prefer to send a child to a traditional public school, 51 percent to 15 percent; 15 percent are not sure. Black voters have a starkly different view, with 48 percent preferring a charter school and 43 percent preferring a traditional public school, with only 7 percent unsure.

Christie supporters are half as likely as detractors to say they would send a child to public school; 36 percent would send a child to a public school, while 45 percent prefer a charter. However, 64 percent of those not favorable toward Christie prefer a traditional public school, and only 21 percent would use a charter school.

Black voters support school choice vouchers

Fifty-four percent of black voters support school choice vouchers, another key part of the governor’s education reform plan. Christie has proposed publicly funded scholarships to enable school children to attend private schools with public funding. While black voters support this idea, only 36 percent of white voters agree. As with other parts of his education plans, those favoring the governor are stronger supporters of vouchers, 51 percent to 44 percent opposed. Among those holding an unfavorable view of the governor, only 30 percent support vouchers, while 65 percent oppose them.

“Vouchers are perceived to be of most benefit to families in failing urban school districts,” said Redlawsk. “Since most white voters do not perceive their schools as failing, few seem to support the idea of using tax dollars to allow children to move to private schools where public schools are failing. These results show a clear sense of localism – if my schools are ok, then why use tax dollars for someone else?

“The governor’s voucher plan is not overly popular among his core constituency. Though conservatives and Republicans strongly support charter schools, they are evenly split of vouchers,” said Redlawsk. “Democrats in general strongly oppose vouchers, except for African-Americans, who clearly want more choice of schools. The usual political coalitions have a hard time with this issue.”

Public school budget support unclear

About a month before the annual school elections, Garden State voters are not sure if they will vote for or against their local school budgets. Thirty percent say they will vote yes (34 percent in households with children, 27 percent childless households) while 16 percent say they will vote no (14 percent with children at home; 18 percent without). However, 39 percent say they are not sure how they will vote (38 percent children, 40 percent without.)

Christie backers are less likely to favor their district’s budget. Only 24 percent favor their school budget, while another 24 percent plan to vote against it, and 36 percent are not sure. Among those unfavorable toward the governor, 40 percent plan to vote for their budget, 8 percent oppose it, and 41 percent are unsure.

“Signs point to another contentious season for school budgets,” said Redlawsk. “As with most other things in New Jersey these days, where the governor comes down on the issue matters. If he makes another effort to defeat school budgets as he did last year, he’s likely to motivate his base and see some success.”

Media Contact: David Redlawsk 732-932-9384, ext. 285 E-mail: redlawsk@rutgers.edu Contact: Steve Manas 732-932-7084, ext. 612 E-mail: smanas@ur.rutgers.edu

EDITOR'S NOTE: ATTENTION POLITICAL, ASSIGNMENT EDITORS, Professor David Redlawsk is available for interviews. He may be contacted at 319-400-1134, 732-932-9384, ext. 285, or redlawsk@rutgers.edu. Visit http://eagletonpoll.blogspot.com for more commentary.