Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at National Action Network’s 13th Annual Convention FULL TEXT

Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at National Action Network’s 13th Annual Convention.

Thank you, Reverend Sharpton. It is a privilege to be included in this annual gathering, and I want to thank you for putting me in such good company – among so many old friends, committed partners, and distinguished community and religious leaders. I’m grateful to you all – especially to the pastors who let me know that you’ve been praying for me. Please, keep it up.

I’m also grateful for this opportunity to salute all that the National Action Network – and its many supporters – are doing to strengthen our nation, to protect its most vulnerable citizens, and to carry on – and carry forward – the work of America’s greatest “drum major for justice” – the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Just two days ago, our nation marked the 43rd anniversary of Dr. King’s tragic and untimely death. Although I believe that Dr. King would be proud to see the America that he helped to create – and the extraordinary progress that’s been made in the last four decades – the unfortunate fact is that, in 2011, our nation’s long struggle to overcome disparities, to bridge long-standing divisions, and to eradicate violence has not yet ended. We have not yet reached the Promised Land that Dr. King spoke of so often. And we still have not realized his dream.

But we can all be encouraged that, for two decades now, the National Action Network has been on the front lines of our nation’s fight to ensure security, opportunity, and justice for all. Today, this work goes on in your demands to those in power and in your aspirations for those in need. It goes on in your efforts to safeguard civil rights, to expand learning and employment opportunities, and to prevent and combat violence and crime – especially among our young people. Throughout my life, I have seen the devastating effects of youth violence. While growing up in Queens, my brother William – who I’m glad is here with us today – and I witnessed the consequences of violence on the streets of this city.

Throughout my career, I have learned that exposure to violence early in life – not only as a victim, but also as an observer – can have devastating, long-term effects – increasing odds for depression, substance abuse, and violent behavior into adulthood.

Today, as Attorney General – and, above all, as the father of three teenage children – I am determined to make the progress that our children deserve.

In thinking about the challenges before us, I am reminded of a question that my most famous predecessor – and one of our nation’s greatest public servants – asked nearly half a century ago. In 1967, Robert Kennedy traveled to the Mississippi Delta, where – after stepping into a dilapidated shack – he came upon a young boy. Repeatedly, he tried to talk with this child. But his words were met with a blank, almost lifeless, gaze. Although that little boy had been born in the most powerful and affluent nation on Earth, he had been silenced – by hunger, by overwhelming need, by desperation, by hopelessness.

With tears in his eyes, Robert Kennedy turned away from that child and famously asked, “How can a country like this allow it?”

Almost half a century later, Robert Kennedy’s words still resonate and remain before us. And his question – How can a country like this allow it? – is still being asked, because people like you are still asking it.

People like you – and other community and religious leaders, elected officials and activists, and concerned citizens nationwide – are challenging our great nation to confront indefensible conditions and inequities. You are calling every American to examine our values and our priorities. You are speaking for the voiceless and standing up for the powerless. And, today, I want each of you – and the communities that you serve – to know that I am proud to stand with you.

As Reverend Sharpton – and so many of you have often said – protecting our children is not just our professional calling. It is our moral obligation.

Our nation will be defined, and its future will be determined, by the support that we provide – and the doors that we open – for our young people. In looking toward – and planning for – this future, we do not have a moment to waste. In fact, in many communities, the problem of youth violence has reached crisis proportions.

Today, the majority of America’s children – more than 60 percent of them – have been exposed to crime, abuse, and violence. And rates of exposure – as a witness to or victim of violence – are even higher in low-income and minority communities.

And while people often talk about the fact that African Americans are disproportionately jailed – why aren’t we also discussing the fact that black people are also disproportionately victimized by violent crime?

African Americans are now about 13 percent of the nation’s population – but nearly 50 percent of its homicide victims. More than ninety percent of black murder victims in this country are killed by other black people. That’s right – nine out of every ten. And the leading cause of death for young black men – those aged fifteen to twenty four – is homicide. Homicide.

How can our nation risk losing so many of tomorrow’s teachers and pastors, scientists and physicians, attorneys and artists? How – it is time to ask again – can a country like this allow it?

The answer, of course, is that we cannot. And my answer – to you and to every child who lives in fear or is struggling to heal or to find hope – is that we will not.

But how? How can we effectively prevent and combat youth violence? How can we remedy its symptoms? How can we overcome the obstacles before us and the odds against us?

These are critical – and complex – questions. And we can no longer answer them in vague platitudes and clichéd calls to action. My answer to these questions – and to how we’re going to address the causes and consequences of youth violence – is simple. And it’s something that you are already doing. Take it personally.

When you read that 1.5 million American children have a parent behind bars, and that the majority of African-American households nationwide do not include a father – and when you know that children in these households are more likely to live in poverty, to perform poorly in school, to commit crimes, and to abuse drugs – take it personally.

When you discover that Black and Hispanic 12th graders are, on average, reading at the same level as white 8th graders, take it personally.

We know that a good education holds the key to a better life. When you hear that in some neighborhoods many kids are more concerned with their jump shots than their report cards, take it personally.

When you see just how common – and widely accepted – it is for our young people to celebrate music, movies, games, and role models that glorify violence and denigrate women, take it personally.

When you understand how youth violence hurts local economies, lowers property values, drives up medical costs, and forces us to spend precious taxpayer dollars on prisons and jails – rather than on education, mentoring, and violence-prevention programs – take it personally.

And when you realize that, on average, 16 young people are murdered every single day in this country, take it personally.

Just imagine if more people viewed this problem – the problem of youth violence – as their problem. Imagine where we would be. Imagine the future we could build.

I have not – and I will not – give up on my vision for that future. In this great nation, we will simply not give up on our children. We must commit to building an America where every child has a chance – to learn and to unlock their potential; to develop their gifts and to find their passion; to know peace and to have hope.

We cannot stand by while our young people kill each other and ravage our communities. And we can no longer turn a blind eye to their suffering. We must protect our young people in every way we can; empower them as well as we know how; and challenge them to make good decisions – and to contribute to the work of strengthening our nation and honoring our founding principles.

I am proud that addressing youth violence is a top priority for this administration – and for today’s Justice Department. Just yesterday, as part of the administration’s National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention, the Justice Department convened – and I took part in – a summit in Washington where leaders and community stakeholders from six different cities unveiled comprehensive youth violence prevention plans. And the Justice Department now is directing resources for the express purpose of reducing childhood exposure to violence. We’re also working to raise awareness of its ramifications; to advance scientific inquiry on its causes and characteristics; and, of course, to counter its negative impact.

But the simple truth is that government can’t do it alone.

We need your help to apply the lessons we’ve learned – like the fact that enforcement, prosecution, and incarceration – while key components in our fight to ensure public safety – are merely pieces of the larger puzzle for addressing and eliminating youth violence.

We need your help to develop and implement prevention, intervention, and reentry strategies; to launch new after-school programs; to create more summer jobs; and to build the adult support necessary to expand opportunities for achievement, contribution, and public service.

And we need your help to reach out to both parents and children; to provide teachers, civic leaders, and public health officials with up-to-date information about youth violence trends and indicators; and to train lawyers and law enforcement officers to respond more effectively when violence occurs.

Unfortunately, it’s not yet possible to reach every child who needs our help. And, despite our best efforts, we know that some young people will start down the wrong path. But for them, we must provide opportunities to break destructive cycles and to grow still into productive members of society.

Equally important, we must not – and will not – excuse violent criminal behavior. Just as our crime prevention efforts must focus on alleviating the conditions that tend to breed crime, they must also concentrate on bringing those who seek to impose their will through violent means to justice. Personal responsibility and accountability are necessary ingredients in the struggle for the future of our children.

Now, I don’t pretend that the work of achieving our public safety goals – and fulfilling our responsibilities to our young people – will be easy. As we move forward, I know there will be obstacles and costs. And progress may not come as quickly as we would like.

I can accept that. But what I cannot accept is an America where parents no longer tell their children what my parents and grandparents so often told me, that “In this country, if you are willing to work hard and to play by the rules, you can achieve great things.”

Since America’s earliest days, this has been her creed. I cannot accept an America where these words no longer hold truth – an America were children can’t learn and play in peace, and where they are at risk in their own homes and schools.

No, I cannot accept that America. None of us can. None of us should. Never forget: This is a moral issue.

So let us seize this moment – and the extraordinary opportunities before us. Let us commit to the progress that we can, and must, make together – and, most importantly, let us commit ourselves to the children who are counting on us all. Their future is our future. Their fate is our own. If we are to be true to the rich legacy that is ours, we must do all that we can to ensure a future for our children that is steeped in responsibility and filled with opportunity and equality. This is the task before us. With hard work and with commitment we can make a better world for those for whom we have the ultimate responsibility.

Thank you.

TEXT amd IMAGE CREDIT: U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001. Department of Justice Main Switchboard - 202-514-2000, Office of the Attorney General Public Comment Line - 202-353-1555, E-mails to the Department of Justice, including the Attorney General, may be sent to AskDOJ@usdoj.gov. E-mails will be forwarded to the responsible Department of Justice component for appropriate handling.

President Lyndon B. Johnson's Special Message to the Congress: The American Promise March 15, 1965 TEXT PODCAST VIDEO

[As delivered in person before a joint session at 9:02 p.m.]

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President, Members of the Congress:

I speak tonight for the dignity of man and the destiny of democracy.

I urge every member of both parties, Americans of all religions and of all colors, from every section of this country, to join me in that cause.

At times history and fate meet at a single time in a single place to shape a turning point in man's unending search for freedom. So it was at Lexington and Concord. So it was a century ago at Appomattox. So it was last week in Selma, Alabama.

There, long-suffering men and women peacefully protested the denial of their rights as Americans. Many were brutally assaulted. One good man, a man of God, was killed.

There is no cause for pride in what has happened in Selma. There is no cause for self-satisfaction in the long denial of equal rights of millions of Americans. But there is cause for hope and for faith in our democracy in what is happening here tonight.

DOWNLOAD MP3 for PODCAST Special Message to the Congress: "The American Promise" PART 1 || Special Message to the Congress: "The American Promise" PART 2

For the cries of pain and the hymns and protests of oppressed people have summoned into convocation all the majesty of this great Government--the Government of the greatest Nation on earth.

Our mission is at once the oldest and the most basic of this country: to right wrong, to do justice, to serve man.

In our time we have come to live with moments of great crisis. Our lives have been marked with debate about great issues; issues of war and peace, issues of prosperity and depression. But rarely in any time does an issue lay bare the secret heart of America itself. Rarely are we met with a challenge, not to our growth or abundance, our welfare or our security, but rather to the values and the purposes and the meaning of our beloved Nation.

The issue of equal rights for American Negroes is such an issue. And should we defeat every enemy, should we double our wealth and conquer the stars, and still be unequal to this issue, then we will have failed as a people and as a nation.

For with a country as with a person, "What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul ?"

There is no Negro problem. There is no Southern problem. There is no Northern problem. There is only an American problem. And we are met here tonight as Americans--not as Democrats or Republicans-we are met here as Americans to solve that problem.

This was the first nation in the history of the world to be founded with a purpose. The great phrases of that purpose still sound in every American heart, North and South: "All men are created equal"--"government by consent of the governed"--"give me liberty or give me death." Well, those are not just clever words, or those are not just empty theories. In their name Americans have fought and died for two centuries, and tonight around the world they stand there as guardians of our liberty, risking their lives.

Those words are a promise to every citizen that he shall share in the dignity of man. This dignity cannot be found in a man's possessions; it cannot be found in his power, or in his position. It really rests on his right to be treated as a man equal in opportunity to all others. It says that he shall share in freedom, he shall choose his leaders, educate his children, and provide for his family according to his ability and his merits as a human being.

To apply any other test--to deny a man his hopes because of his color or race, his religion or the place of his birth--is not only to do injustice, it is to deny America and to dishonor the dead who gave their lives for American freedom.

THE RIGHT TO VOTE

Our fathers believed that if this noble view of the rights of man was to flourish, it must be rooted in democracy. The most basic right of all was the right to choose your own leaders. The history of this country, in large measure, is the history of the expansion of that right to all of our people.

Many of the issues of civil rights are very complex and most difficult. But about this there can and should be no argument. Every American citizen must have an equal right to vote. There is no reason which can excuse the denial of that right. There is no duty which weighs more heavily on us than the duty we have to ensure that right.

Yet the harsh fact is that in many places in this country men and women are kept from voting simply because they are Negroes.

Every device of which human ingenuity is capable has been used to deny this right. The Negro citizen may go to register only to be told that the day is wrong, or the hour is late, or the official in charge is absent. And if he persists, and if he manages to present himself to the registrar, he may be disqualified because he did not spell out his middle name or because he abbreviated a word on the application.

And if he manages to fill out an application he is given a test. The registrar is the sole judge of whether he passes this test. He may be asked to recite the entire Constitution, or explain the most complex provisions of State law. And even a college degree cannot be used to prove that he can read and write.

For the fact is that the only way to pass these barriers is to show a white skin.

Experience has clearly shown that the existing process of law cannot overcome systematic and ingenious discrimination. No law that we now have on the books-and I have helped to put three of them there--can ensure the right to vote when local officials are determined to deny it.

In such a case our duty must be clear to all of us. The Constitution says that no person shall be kept from voting because of his race or his color. We have all sworn an oath before God to support and to defend that Constitution. We must now act in obedience to that oath.

GUARANTEEING THE RIGHT TO VOTE

Wednesday I will send to Congress a law designed to eliminate illegal barriers to the right to vote.

The broad principles of that bill will be in the hands of the Democratic and Republican leaders tomorrow. After they have reviewed it, it will come here formally as a bill. I am grateful for this opportunity to come here tonight at the invitation of the leadership to reason with my friends, to give them my views, and to visit with my former colleagues.

I have had prepared a more comprehensive analysis of the legislation which I had intended to transmit to the clerk tomorrow but which I will submit to the clerks tonight. But I want to really discuss with you now briefly the main proposals of this legislation,

This bill will strike down restrictions to voting in all elections--Federal, State, and local--which have been used to deny Negroes the right to vote.

This bill will establish a simple, uniform standard which cannot be used, however ingenious the effort, to flout our Constitution.

It will provide for citizens to be registered by officials of the United States Government if the State officials refuse to register them.

It will eliminate tedious, unnecessary lawsuits which delay the right to vote.

Finally, this legislation will ensure that properly registered individuals are not prohibited from voting.

I will welcome the suggestions from all of the Members of Congress--I have no doubt that I will get some--on ways and means to strengthen this law and to make it effective. But experience has plainly shown that this is the only path to carry out the command of the Constitution.

To those who seek to avoid action by their National Government in their own communities; who want to and who seek to maintain purely local control over elections, the answer is simple:

Open your polling places to all your people.

Allow men and women to register and vote whatever the color of their skin.

Extend the rights of citizenship to every citizen of this land.

THE NEED FOR ACTION

There is no constitutional issue here. The command of the Constitution is plain.

There is no moral issue. It is wrong--deadly wrong--to deny any of your fellow Americans the right to vote in this country.

There is no issue of States rights or national rights. There is only the struggle for human rights.

I have not the slightest doubt what will be your answer.

The last time a President sent a civil rights bill to the Congress it contained a provision to protect voting rights in Federal elections. That civil rights bill was passed after 8 long months of debate. And when that bill came to my desk from the Congress for my signature, the heart of the voting provision had been eliminated.

This time, on this issue, there must be no delay, no hesitation and no compromise with our purpose.

We cannot, we must not, refuse to protect the right of every American to vote in every election that he may desire to participate in. And we ought not and we cannot and we must not wait another 8 months before we get a bill. We have already waited a hundred years and more, and the time for waiting is gone.

So I ask you to join me in working long hours--nights and weekends, if necessary--to pass this bill. And I don't make that request lightly. For from the window where I sit with the problems of our country I recognize that outside this chamber is the outraged conscience of a nation, the grave concern of many nations, and the harsh judgment of history on our acts.

WE SHALL OVERCOME

But even if we pass this bill, the battle will not be over. What happened in Selma is part of a far larger movement which reaches into every section and State of America. It is the effort of American Negroes to secure for themselves the full blessings of American life.

Their cause must be our cause too. Because it is not just Negroes, but really it is all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice.

And we shall overcome.

As a man whose roots go deeply into Southern soil I know how agonizing racial feelings are. I know how difficult it is to reshape the attitudes and the structure of our society.

But a century has passed, more than a hundred years, since the Negro was freed. And he is not fully free tonight.

It was more than a hundred years ago that Abraham Lincoln, a great President of another party, signed the Emancipation Proclamation, but emancipation is a proclamation and not a fact.

A century has passed, more than a hundred years, since equality was promised. And yet the Negro is not equal.

A century has passed since the day of promise. And the promise is unkept.

The time of justice has now come. I tell you that I believe sincerely that no force can hold it back. It is right in the eyes of man and God that it should come. And when it does, I think that day will brighten the lives of every American.

For Negroes are not the only victims. How many white children have gone uneducated, how many white families have lived in stark poverty, how many white lives have been scarred by fear, because we have wasted our energy and our substance to maintain the barriers of hatred and terror?

So I say to all of you here, and to all in the Nation tonight, that those who appeal to you to hold on to the past do so at the cost of denying you your future.

This great, rich, restless country can offer opportunity and education and hope to all: black and white, North and South, sharecropper and city dweller. These are the enemies: poverty, ignorance, disease. They are the enemies and not our fellow man, not our neighbor. And these enemies too, poverty, disease and ignorance, we shall overcome.

AN AMERICAN PROBLEM

Now let none of us in any sections look with prideful righteousness on the troubles in another section, or on the problems of our neighbors. There is really no part of America where the promise of equality has been fully kept. In Buffalo as well as in Birmingham, in Philadelphia as well as in Selma, Americans are struggling for the fruits of freedom.

This is one Nation. What happens in Selma or in Cincinnati is a matter of legitimate concern to every American. But let each of us look within our own hearts and our own communities, and let each of us put our shoulder to the wheel to root out injustice wherever it exists.

As we meet here in this peaceful, historic chamber tonight, men from the South, some of whom were at Iwo Jima, men from the North who have carried Old Glory to far corners of the world and brought it back without a stain on it, men from the East and from the West, are all fighting together without regard to religion, or color, or region, in Viet-Nam. Men from every region fought for us across the world 20 years ago.

And in these common dangers and these common sacrifices the South made its contribution of honor and gallantry no less than any other region of the great Republic--and in some instances, a great many of them, more.

And I have not the slightest doubt that good men from everywhere in this country, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, from the Golden Gate to the harbors along the Atlantic, will rally together now in this cause to vindicate the freedom of all Americans. For all of us owe this duty; and I believe that all of us will respond to it.

Your President makes that request of every American.

PROGRESS THROUGH THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS

The real hero of this struggle is the American Negro. His actions and protests, his courage to risk safety and even to risk his life, have awakened the conscience of this Nation. His demonstrations have been designed to call attention to injustice, designed to provoke change, designed to stir reform.

He has called upon us to make good the promise of America. And who among us can say that we would have made the same progress were it not for his persistent bravery, and his faith in American democracy.

For at the real heart of battle for equality is a deep-seated belief in the democratic process. Equality depends not on the force of arms or tear gas but upon the force of moral right; not on recourse to violence but on respect for law and order.

There have been many pressures upon your President and there will be others as the days come and go. But I pledge you tonight that we intend to fight this battle where it should be fought: in the courts, and in the Congress, and in the hearts of men.

We must preserve the right of free speech and the right of free assembly. But the right of free speech does not carry with it, as has been said, the right to holler fire in a crowded theater. We must preserve the right to free assembly, but free assembly does not carry with it the right to block public thoroughfares to traffic.

We do have a right to protest, and a right to march under conditions that do not infringe the constitutional rights of our neighbors. And I intend to protect all those rights as long as I am permitted to serve in this office.

We will guard against violence, knowing it strikes from our hands the very weapons which we seek--progress, obedience to law, and belief in American values.

In Selma as elsewhere we seek and pray for peace. We seek order. We seek unity. But we will not accept the peace of stifled rights, or the order imposed by fear, or the unity that stifles protest. For peace cannot be purchased at the cost of liberty.

In Selma tonight, as in every--and we had a good day there--as in every city, we are working for just and peaceful settlement. We must all remember that after this speech I am making tonight, after the police and the FBI and the Marshals have all gone, and after you have promptly passed this bill, the people of Selma and the other cities of the Nation must still live and work together. And when the attention of the Nation has gone elsewhere they must try to heal the wounds and to build a new community.

This cannot be easily done on a battleground of violence, as the history of the South itself shows. It is in recognition of this that men of both races have shown such an outstandingly impressive responsibility in recent days--last Tuesday, again today,

RIGHTS MUST BE OPPORTUNITIES

The bill that I am presenting to you will be known as a civil rights bill. But, in a larger sense, most of the program I am recommending is a civil rights program. Its object is to open the city of hope to all people of all races.

Because all Americans just must have the right to vote. And we are going to give them that right.

All Americans must have the privileges of citizenship regardless of race. And they are going to have those privileges of citizenship regardless of race.

But I would like to caution you and remind you that to exercise these privileges takes much more than just legal right. It requires a trained mind and a healthy body. It requires a decent home, and the chance to find a job, and the opportunity to escape from the clutches of poverty.

Of course, people cannot contribute to the Nation if they are never taught to read or write, if their bodies are stunted from hunger, if their sickness goes untended, if their life is spent in hopeless poverty just drawing a welfare check.

So we want to open the gates to opportunity. But we are also going to give all our people, black and white, the help that they need to walk through those gates.

THE PURPOSE OF THIS GOVERNMENT

My first job after college was as a teacher in Cotulla, Tex., in a small Mexican-American school. Few of them could speak English, and I couldn't speak much Spanish. My students were poor and they often came to class without breakfast, hungry. They knew even in their youth the pain of prejudice. They never seemed to know why people disliked them. But they knew it was so, because I saw it in their eyes. I often walked home late in the afternoon, after the classes were finished, wishing there was more that I could do. But all I knew was to teach them the little that I knew, hoping that it might help them against the hardships that lay ahead.

Somehow you never forget what poverty and hatred can do when you see its scars on the hopeful face of a young child.

I never thought then, in 1928, that I would be standing here in 1965. It never even occurred to me in my fondest dreams that I might have the chance to help the sons and daughters of those students and to help people like them all over this country.

But now I do have that chance--and I'll let you in on a secret--I mean to use it. And I hope that you will use it with me.

This is the richest and most powerful country which ever occupied the globe. The might of past empires is little compared to ours. But I do not want to be the President who built empires, or sought grandeur, or extended dominion.

I want to be the President who educated young children to the wonders of their world. I want to be the President who helped to feed the hungry and to prepare them to be taxpayers instead of taxeaters.

I want to be the President who helped the poor to find their own way and who protected the right of every citizen to vote in every election.

I want to be the President who helped to end hatred among his fellow men and who promoted love among the people of all races and all regions and all parties.

I want to be the President who helped to end war among the brothers of this earth.

And so at the request of your beloved Speaker and the Senator from Montana; the majority leader, the Senator from Illinois; the minority leader, Mr. McCulloch, and other Members of both parties, I came here tonight--not as President Roosevelt came down one time in person to veto a bonus bill, not as President Truman came down one time to urge the passage of a railroad bill--but I came down here to ask you to share this task with me and to share it with the people that we both work for. I want this to be the Congress, Republicans and Democrats alike, which did all these things for all these people.

Beyond this great chamber, out yonder in 50 States, are the people that we serve. Who can tell what deep and unspoken hopes are in their hearts tonight as they sit there and listen. We all can guess, from our own lives, how difficult they often find their own pursuit of happiness, how many problems each little family has. They look most of all to themselves for their futures. But I think that they also look to each of us.

Above the pyramid on the great seal of the United States it says--in Latin--"God has favored our undertaking."

God will not favor everything that we do. It is rather our duty to divine His will. But I cannot help believing that He truly understands and that He really favors the undertaking that we begin here tonight.

NOTE: The address was broadcast nationally.

Source: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: Lyndon B. Johnson, 1965. Volume I, entry 107, pp. 281-287. Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1966.

TEXT CREDIT: President Lyndon B. Johnson's Special Message to the Congress: The American Promise March 15, 1965

VIDEO CREDIT: MCamericanpresident

AUDIO CREDIT: The Presidential Timeline of the Twentieth Century

Pennsylvania Man Pleads Guilty for Cross Burning

WASHINGTON – Kenneth Stiffey Jr. of Robinson, Penn., pleaded guilty yesterday to a charge related to the burning of a cross in the yard of an African-American victim in November 2009, the Justice Department announced today.

Stiffey, 21, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with the housing rights of another in federal court in Pittsburgh before Senior U.S. District Judge Maurice B. Cohill. Information presented during the plea hearing established that a cross burning occurred on Nov. 14, 2009, at a residence in Robinson that was home to a family with three minor children, one of whom is African-American. The investigation revealed that Stiffey and his co-conspirators agreed to burn a cross in the backyard of the home of the African-American minor victim. After the cross was constructed and doused in accelerant, Stiffey transported the 6-foot wooden cross to a garage owned by Stiffey’s family. Together with co-conspirators, Stiffey carried the cross into his garage and supplied additional gasoline, which was poured on the cross. One of the co-conspirators then took the cross, jumped the fence onto the backyard of the victim’s property, stuck it into the ground and, using a cigarette lighter, ignited it around 11 p.m.

“This defendant used an unmistakable symbol of hate to threaten a family with violence simply because the race of a child. These incidents are a reminder of the civil rights challenges we still face today,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “We will continue to aggressively prosecute hate crimes of this kind.”

“This case underscores our commitment to prosecute those who commit crimes driven by hatred or intolerance,” stated U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania David J. Hickton.

On Feb. 9, 2011, co-conspirator Michael Francis Bealonis pleaded guilty to conspiracy to interfere with the housing rights of another in federal court in Pittsburgh.

Sentencing has been set for July 26, 2011. The law provides for a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The case was investigated by the FBI, together with the Pennsylvania State Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Soo C. Song from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Patricia A. Sumner from the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.

11-415 Civil Rights Division Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, April 1, 2011

Indiana University professors take political, cultural stand

Collection of essays brings marginalized, oppressed voices of labor to forefront.

In his lifetime, Thandabantu Iverson, Ph.D., has worn many hats, including that of coal miner, auto worker, steel worker, butcher, stage hand, cab driver and teacher.

Each one of these experiences has shaped Iverson indelibly, contributing to his passion for justice, his pride in his working class roots and his heightened awareness of the forces at play in the pursuit of equity in work. In fact, he proudly attributes his current scholarly work and academic career as a political scientist in large part to his diverse work history.

Recently, the Indiana University Northwest Labor Studies assistant professor and coordinator added book editor to his collection of titles, with the release of “Trabalhadores, Noves Perspectivas e Comparacoes,” a collection of essays written in Portuguese and English by both Brazilian and American scholars on labor issues.

Iverson defers a considerable amount of the accolades for the project to his colleague, William Mello, Ph.D., associate professor in the Labor Studies program at IU Kokomo, who invited Iverson to partner with him on the endeavor intended to bring oft-disregarded voices to the forefront of debates on labor and power. Passionate about social justice, Iverson has much experience on the American social movement front, having been intensely involved in building crusades for civil rights, black political power, African liberation and worker empowerment. Mello was born in the U.S. but raised in Brazil, where he was an iron worker and labor activist. His research focuses on social movements in the U.S. and Brazil.

The two educators, who both have roots in ethnic groups they see as often being marginalized or oppressed, wanted to address what they perceive as a U.S.-centric way of interpreting and analyzing experiences of workers outside the United States. With their work, they hope to start a conversation from a vantage point much different than that of the status quo.

“We wanted to have people in Brazil have the opportunity to speak their own truth and say what they are doing and why they are doing it without having to look at it through the lens of U.S.-centered and European-centered experiences,” Iverson said.

The essays cover such topics as the absence and underdevelopment of labor’s capacity for independent organization; the impact of recent shifts in economic structure and public policies; the size and political strength of organized sectors of labor; elite forms of ownership and control; the history of trade unions in society; and much more.

Mello said the idea for the book came about two years ago while he was studying the organization of the Brazilian working class. He set out on a mission to advance the internationalization of his curriculum and opened the discussion to include scholars of different fields in different countries looking at different aspects of working-class organizations and working-class response.

“Very often, scholars from the U.S. have a tendency to avoid talking about some of the serious issues that working people from other countries confront,” Iverson says. “A lot of times as labor educators, we are working with people from unions who have a particular history with regard to power relations in this country. If we speak with complete candor about things, a lot of times, we create trouble for ourselves and we get into difficult situations because we are speaking to power. When you have to deal with power relations in this country, things are marginalized, obscured. We wanted to have a book that would open up discussion about what is happening in people’s countries and with people’s struggles and hear the voices of the people themselves.”

Through their work, Mello and Iverson sought to shun the role of “gatekeepers of the status quo” and, instead, consciously engaged others in thoughtful commentary that they hope will bring about a “culture of dialogue.” Less dominant cultures’ ideas are rarely understood and are therefore often dismissed, the editors say, unless exceptional measures are taken to foster understanding. That is what Mello and Iverson want to achieve – to get large numbers of people to speak, listen and think across boundaries and, ultimately, join in solidarity.

As the book’s introduction states, “(The essays) help us to rethink a broad range of conditions and factors through which political and social actors are exercising their individual and collective agencies to oppose the agenda(s) of neoliberalism.”

Neoliberalism, according to the authors, is a market-driven approach to economic and social policy that stresses the efficiency of private enterprise and has led to increased inequality between working people and predominant elites in the U.S. Mello and Iverson are interested in what workers are doing to resist a neoliberal corporate agenda.

“We invite you to join us and our contributors in furthering the dialogue,” Mello and Iverson write in the book’s introduction, “for we know of no other pathway that we can pursue to end the long, dark night of neoliberal domination.”

Iverson earned his Ph.D. in political science from Clark Atlanta University in Georgia in 2007. His subfields include comparative politics, women’s studies and feminist theory, African American political theory, and labor studies. He has been an IU Northwest lecturer since 1996. His dissertation is titled, “Serving in the Shadows: African American women healthcare workers in Gary, Indiana – 1980-2000.”

Indiana University 3400 Broadway, Gary, IN 46408 | 888-YOUR-IUN (888-968-7486) Published: 04-1-2011 Media Contact Emily Banas Office of Marketing and Communications 980-6536 ebanas@iun.edu

Washington’s African American Community Gathers at the National Zoo to Celebrate a Tradition on Easter Monday

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Friends of the National Zoo will continue a Washington tradition that spans more than 100 years by hosting “Easter Monday: An African American Family Tradition” April 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is free and will take place rain or shine.

This year’s celebration will include a variety of activities, featuring traditional Easter activities for families, such as an Easter egg hunt, Easter-themed games and a visit from the Easter panda. The event will also feature live entertainment, including performances by an a cappella gospel quintet, a husband-and-wife guitar and vocalist duo, a Caribbean and reggae band, a soloist and a children’s songwriter, musician and poet. In addition, the Zoo and various restaurant vendors will offer an array of delicious food.

Animal keepers will host 56 talks, feedings and demonstrations highlighting a variety of animals, including cheetahs, western lowland gorillas, sloth bears, kori bustards and Asian elephants. Visitors will also have the unique opportunity to “Meet-a-Curator” in various Zoo exhibit areas.

New this year is Zoomagination Station!, a hands-on shopping experience that is engaging and fun for all age groups. This new concept features an assortment of products that allow visitors to customize their own items: from a glitzy butterfly wand to a tube filled with an assortment of PVC animal replicas. Zomagination Station! is located across from Lemur Island. The 2011 “Easter Monday: An African American Family Tradition” event is sponsored by Booz Allen Hamilton, Capital One Bank, United Airlines, WHUR Radio 96.3 FM and YellowBook. For more information, the public may visit nationalzoo.si.edu/ActivitiesAndEvents/Celebrations/Easter/ or call (202) 633-3040. Parking charges apply. # # # SI-149-2011

Activity Schedule

Easter Monday 2011: Celebrating the African American Family Tradition

Children’s Easter Activities (Ongoing at Great Meadow)

* Easter egg hunt
* Easter panda

Children’s Easter Activities (Ongoing across from Lemur Island)

* Organized field games

Live Entertainment (Great Meadow from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.)

* Stevie Prather (12 p.m.)
* Easter panda (12:30 p.m.)
* Mr. Derby (1 p.m.)
* Easter Panda (1:30 p.m.)
* Stevie Prather (2 p.m.)
* Easter panda (2:30 p.m.)
* Mr. Derby (3 p.m.)
* Easter panda (3:30 p.m.)

Live Entertainment (Lion/Tiger Hill from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.)

* Mutual Agreement (12 p.m.)
* Michael George: The One Man Band (1 p.m.)
* Stone & Wright (2 p.m.)
* Steve Scott Project: Featuring Steve Scott and Leroy Greer (3 p.m.)

Additional Activities

* Zoomagination Station! (across from Lemur Island)
* Food court (across from Mane Restaurant)
* Merchandise vendors

Special Keeper Talks (Various Locations throughout the Zoo)

In addition to the usual schedule of keeper talks, animal feedings and demos that take place each day throughout the Zoo, Zoo staff from a variety of exhibits will make special presentations to visitors.

University of Iowa College of Education's African American Awareness Program

Media advisory: Cedar Rapids students visit UI to learn about college life April 1

WHAT: The University of Iowa College of Education's African American Awareness Program (AAAP)

WHEN: Friday, April 1 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:55 p.m.

WHERE: 301 Lindquist Center in the UI College of Education from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., Burge Hall from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and the Blank Honors Center from 12:45 to 1:55 p.m.

WHO: The AAAP programs brings 100 Cedar Rapids middle school students of African descent and their teachers to the UI to visit with faculty, staff and students in the College of Education. This includes staff and faculty with the Belin-Blank Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A major component of the program will be a book discussion in small groups with College of Education faculty, staff and students at the Belin-Blank Center. This year's book is "Of Beetles and Angels" by Mawi Asgedom. Panel discussions and presentations will be held earlier in the day. The College of Education Diversity Committee, the UI Center for Diversity and Enrichment and the Connie Belin and Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development are sponsoring the visit. This is the fifth year for the program.

STORY SOURCE: University of Iowa News Services, 300 Plaza Centre One, Suite 371, Iowa City, Iowa 52242-2500 The University of Iowa MEDIA CONTACTS: John Achrazoglou, 319-335-5620, john-achrazoglou@uiowa.edu; Clar Baldus, 319-335-6189; or Lois J. Gray, University New Services, 319-384-0077, lois-gray@uiowa.edu

National Institutes of Health has awarded Emory University $4.8 million over five years to study the genetics of Crohn’s disease in African Americans

The National Institutes of Health has awarded Emory University $4.8 million over five years to study the genetics of Crohn’s disease in African Americans. The principal investigator is Subra Kugathasan, MD, professor of pediatrics (gastroenterology) at Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

“This will be the first large-scale, genome-wide association study of Crohn’s disease in African Americans,” says Kugathasan. “Previous genetic studies of Crohn’s disease were done in people of European descent, and genome-wide association studies have been successful in identifying dozens of variations responsible for contributing to disease risk. Unfortunately, most of these variations are not expected to contribute to Crohn’s disease risk in African Americans. This is due to the genetic differences that exist between the two populations.”

Scientists expect that finding genetic variations linked to Crohn’s disease will help doctors find new treatments and better choose between existing treatments for patients with the disease. In contrast to other complex conditions in which genomic approaches have been disappointing, Crohn’s disease is “the poster child” for successful genomic studies, Kugathasan says.

Subra Kugathasan, MD, professor of pediatrics (gastroenterology) at Emory University School of Medicine and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease, often episodic, that can involve abdominal pain, diarrhea, blood in the stool and weight loss. It is estimated that approximately 500,000 North Americans are dealing with Crohn’s disease. Severe cases lead to blockage of the intestines, requiring surgery to remove part of the intestines. Having Crohn’s also increases the risk of colorectal cancer. There is no cure for Crohn’s disease, although it can be treated with various antinflammatory and immunosuppressant drugs. Doctors believe that the inflammation in Crohn’s disease comes from the immune system reacting against bacteria that are normally found in the intestines, and then being unable to turn the reaction off. Risk factors include family history, smoking, diet and environmental exposures. Doctors have previously viewed Crohn’s disease as a condition predominantly affecting people of European descent. However, the number of reported cases in African Americans has been increasing, and more cases that were previously untreated because of disparities in health care are now being recognized, Kugathasan says.

“Future drugs for Crohn’s disease will be based on genetics, and more specifically tailored to the patient,” he says. “A greater understanding of genetics of Crohn’s in African Americans will complement existing studies and also provide population-specific information toward understanding, managing and treating the disease.”

Genomic studies of Crohn’s disease have already led to a shift in the field, with a greater emphasis on the bacteria that live in the gut and the genes that affect cells’ ability to recognize and respond to those bacteria, he says.

Kugathasan is scientific director of Children’s Combined Center for Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease and an investigator in the Children’s Transplant Immunology and Immune Therapeutics Center, one of the priority centers established within the Emory-Children’s Pediatric Research Center.

For his clinical study he plans to recruit 1,500 patients with Crohn’s disease nationwide, along with 1,150 controls. Both pediatric and adult participants are eligible for the study. Top gastroenterologists at medical centers across the United States have pledged to recruit patients, he says.

Kugathasan will look for both single nucleotide polymorphisms (alternative spellings of one particular letter in someone’s genetic code) and copy number variations (longer duplications or deletions, whose detection is more complex) that contribute to Crohn’s disease risk in African-Americans.

At Emory, the investigators will collaborate with Michael Zwick, PhD, assistant professor of human genetics, who has developed “targeted sequencing” techniques for investigating the genetics of autism, and also with David Cutler, PhD, assistant professor of human genetics, who has developed techniques for large-scale genomic analysis.

This genomic study will cooperate with the ongoing Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics Consortium, which was created by the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases in 2002 and is headquartered at Yale University.

###

The Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center of Emory University is an academic health science and service center focused on missions of teaching, research, health care and public service.

Contact: Holly Korschun: 404-727-3990

Cleveland State University Appoints Craig M. Boise to Law School Dean

Cleveland State University has named Craig M. Boise to dean of the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. CSU President Ronald Berkman said Boise stood out among the impressive list of candidates for his academic and administrative credentials.

"Craig has published extensively and is well respected for his research in money laundering and offshore banking practices," Berkman said. "He brings an intellectual approach to law that clearly stands out among his peers."

Most recently, Boise served as law professor at DePaul University in Chicago, where he was director of the Graduate Tax Program. Prior to that, he was an associate law professor at Case Western Reserve University. He earned his law degree from the University of Chicago and a master of law from New York University. Boise will be Cleveland-Marshall's 14th dean and the law school's first African-American dean.

Boise has practiced law with national and international law firms in New York, Cleveland and Kansas City. In Cleveland, he was a senior tax associate with Thompson Hine LLP.

Boise has been active in a variety of civic and charitable organizations, including The Cleveland Clinic's Children's Hospital and Cleveland Bridge Builders. He is an accomplished classical pianist, and was named among the "40 Under 40" by Kaleidoscope Magazine in 2002. "Cleveland-Marshall is an outstanding law school with strong faculty and loyal alumni," Boise said. "I'm looking forward to raising the school's national reputation."

About Cleveland State University

Founded in 1964, Cleveland State University is a public research institution that provides a dynamic setting for engaged learning. With an enrollment of more than 17,000 students, eight colleges and approximately 200 academic programs, CSU was again chosen for 2011 as one of America's Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report.

# # #

Cleveland State University 2121 Euclid Avenue, MM 206 Cleveland, OH 44115-2214

News Release #14888 | Contact: Joe Mosbrook, 216.523.7279, j.mosbrook@csuohio.edu

Michelle Obama To Deliver Commencement Address To The Spelman College Class Of 2011

Debbie Allen and Phylicia Rashad to receive Honorary Degrees. Teach For America CEO Wendy Kopp to receive National Community Service Award.

ATLANTA (March 25, 2011) A dedicated proponent of service and working with young people, first lady Michelle Obama is an example of how one woman can positively influence the world. On Sunday, May 15, at 3 p.m., at the Georgia International Convention Center, Mrs. Obama will inspire more than 500 graduates to also leave their mark on the world when she delivers the commencement address to the Spelman College class of 2011. Mrs. Obama will also receive an honorary degree.

Honorary degrees will also be bestowed upon director, actress and choreographer Debbie Allen, and her sister, actress and director Phylicia Rashad. Wendy Kopp, CEO and founder of Teach For America will receive the National Community Service Award.

"Having Mrs. Obama as our 2011 Commencement speaker is a true honor because she embodies the Spelman College mission which is to prepare women to change the world in a meaningful way," said Beverly Daniel Tatum, Ph.D., president, Spelman College. "I know our students will be inspired by her powerful presence."

As first lady, Mrs. Obama uses her platform to support military families, help working women balance career and family, encourage national service, promote the arts and arts education, and foster healthy eating and healthy living for children and families across the country. In 2010, she launched the Let's Move! Campaign, a nationwide effort to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation.

Underscoring the important contributions made by all the honorees, Dr. Tatum said "Our honorees have made a significant impact on the world just as Spelman women do. They offer our graduates empowered examples of excellence in action with game-changing results. We could not be happier!"

Honorary Degree Recipient: Debbie Allen, director, choreographer and author

Debbie Allen continues to be one of the most respected, relevant, and versatile talents in the entertainment industry today. She is an internationally recognized director, choreographer and author. Allen has received three Emmy awards honoring her choreography, and two Emmys and one Golden Globe for her role as "Lydia Grant" in the hit series "Fame." Allen has choreographed for artists such as Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey, and Janet Jackson, and also holds the distinction of having choreographed the Academy Awards a total of ten times, six in consecutive years. She has accumulated a long list of directing and producing credits for television, including "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," "The Parkers," "That's So Raven," "All of Us," "Girlfriends," "Everybody Hates Chris," "Hellcats" and "Grey's Anatomy." She also produced the Steven Spielberg epic film "Amistad" in 1997.

Honorary Degree Recipient: Phylicia Rashad, actress, director

Phylicia Rashad is an actress, director and singer, best known for her role as Claire Huxtable on the NBC sitcom "The Cosby Show." She is the first African-American actress to win the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play, for her role in the revival of "A Raisin in the Sun." Rashad recently made her directorial debut at the helm of Seattle Rep's production of August Wilson's "Gem of the Ocean." Her other Broadway credits include "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "Dreamgirls," "The Wiz" and "Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death." Rashad has received many awards, including an NAACP Image Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her roles on "The Cosby Show" and the CBS sitcom "Cosby," on which she played Ruth Lucas. She has also been nominated for two Emmy Awards and has received two People's Choice Awards.

National Community Service Award Recipient: Wendy Kopp, CEO and founder, Teach For America

Wendy Kopp is CEO and founder of Teach For America, an organization established to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting the nation's most promising future leaders in the effort. Today more than 8,000 Teach For America corps members are in the midst of two-year teaching commitments in 39 regions across the country, reaching over 500,000 students. Last year, more than 20 percent of Spelman seniors sought Teach for America posts.

Kopp is the author of "A Chance to Make History: What Works and What Doesn't in Providing an Excellent Education for All" (2011) and "One Day, All Children: The Unlikely Triumph of Teach For America and What I Learned Along the Way" (2000).

Baccalaureate Service:
Spelman will hold its Baccalaureate ceremony on Saturday, May 14, 2011 on the Spelman College Oval beginning at 9 a.m. This year's speaker will be Emilie M. Townes, Ph.D., Andrew W. Mellon Professor of African-American Religion and Theology at the Yale Divinity School.

###

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 Terrilyn Simmons (404) 270-5822 tsimmons8@spelman.edu

Education Summit for African American and Latino Youth: Preparing for College and Career Success

As part of ongoing outreach to increase the number of African Americans and Latinos attending college, California State University, East Bay will host its annual “Education Summit for African American and Latino Youth: Preparing for College and Career Success” Saturday, April 30 on the university’s Hayward Campus, 25800 Carlos Bee Blvd.

The summit will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. and commence in Pioneer Gymnasium. More than 20 workshops and motivational presentations will be offered in addition to a college information and resource fair. Prospective college students in attendance can get information on possible fields of study as biochemistry, computer networking, engineering, environmental studies, mathematics, pre-nursing, business, and other majors.

“The Education Summit is designed to engage and motivate the youth of traditionally underserved communities and their families to pursue and live the dream of obtaining a college education by providing information and resources in a festive, family-friendly environment,” said Greg Smith, CSUEB associate vice president for Planning and Enrollment Management, who chairs the event.

The Education Summit, co-sponsored by Alameda County Office of Education, Hayward Chamber of Commerce, and Chabot College, will bring together a wide range of community resources and expertise to empower African American and Latino youth and their families. Those encouraged to attend include parents and families, high school and middle school students, school administrators, teachers, counselors and business and community leaders.

The summit will feature distinguished speakers, information sessions, and an educational resource fair. Topics to be covered in summit workshops and panels are student life experiences on campus; college admissions; and financing a college education through grants, scholarships and financial aid; STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers; and community support programs.

The college resource fair will feature representatives of other Northern California CSU campuses, community colleges and community outreach groups.

Registration, as well as to get additional information about the event, is available at www.csueastbay.edu/EducationSummit^[5] or (510) 885-3516.

March 24, 2011 MEDIA CONTACT: Barry Zepel, Media Relations Officer, (510) 885-3884

March 24th "Dorothy Irene Height Day" in Virginia

Dorothy Irene Height (March 24, 1912 – April 20, 2010 was an American administrator, educator, and social activist. She was the president of the National Council of Negro Women for forty years, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994, and the Congressional Gold Medal in 2004

RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell has issued a proclamation marking March 24th as "Dorothy Irene Height Day" in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Dorothy Height, who passed away last year, was a native of Virginia and a leading female Civil Rights leader of her time.

WHEREAS, Dorothy Irene Height, was born on March 24, 1912 to James Edward and Fannie Burroughs Height in Richmond, Virginia; lived in South Richmond as a child; died on April 20, 2010 in Washington, DC at the age of 98; and she continues to live in the hearts and minds of the people of our Commonwealth, these United States and the world; and

WHEREAS, determined and unwavering, Dorothy Irene Height, earned Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees from New York University in 1933; participated in post-graduate work at Columbia University and the New York School of Social Work; later received 36 honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities across the country, such as Princeton University, Harvard University, Howard University, and Morehouse and Spelman Colleges; and her many achievements were recognized and honored by the University of Virginia's Explorations in Black Leadership project; and

Portrait of Dr. Dorothy Height taken in June 2008. PHOTO CREDIT: Adrian Hood

WHEREAS, Dorothy Irene Height, a daughter of Virginia, began her nearly seven decade commitment to justice in 1933 by serving as the vice president of the United Christian Youth Movement of North America to fight against the segregated armed forces and the evil act of lynching; and in 1937, joined the National Council of Negro Women, an organization founded by Mary McLeod Bethune, that highlighted education, equal employment, and equal pay, issues that impacted the lives of all women across our Commonwealth; and WHEREAS, often noted as the founding matriarch or godmother of the Civil Rights Movement, Dorothy Irene Height, an unsung heroine, was a compelling advocate for women and children during the 1950s and 1960s, working alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Whitney H. Young, A. Philip Randolph, James Farmer, Roy Wilkins, John Lewis, Rosa Parks, and several others to masterfully advance racial and gender equality across our country;

was an associate of Virginia's civil rights trailblazer Oliver W. Hill and supported the struggle to desegregate schools in Virginia and America; advised each U.S. president from President Dwight D. Eisenhower to President Barack H. Obama on issues of social justice, education, and socioeconomics; and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President William J. Clinton in 1994 and presented with the Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush in 2004; and

WHEREAS, Dorothy Irene Height, who always exuded grace and poise in her grand hats, keenly dedicated her life to the betterment of African-American women and girls as she worked on the National Board of the Young Women's Christian Association from 1944 to 1977, led as vice president and later president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. from 1944 to 1956, and served as the national president of the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years, from 1957 until 1998, when she became the Council's chair and president emerita; and founded the Black Family Reunion Celebration, which has welcomed Virginians to its programs and events since 1986; and

WHEREAS, Virginia is today a fairer and more just state because of the extraordinary life of Dorothy Height;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert F. McDonnell, do hereby recognize March 24, 2011 as DOROTHY IRENE HEIGHT DAY in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.

# # #

Contact: Jeff Caldwell Press Secretary (804) 786-2211

TEXT RESOURCE: Dorothy Height

TEXT CREDIT: Office of the Governor Robert F. McDonne

Institute of African American Affairs Features Performances, Discussions by Artists-in-Residence This Spring

Institute of African American Affairs Features Performances, Discussions by Artists-in-Residence This Spring.

The Institute of African American Affairs (IAAA) at New York University will host a series of performances and discussions centered on the artistic collaborations of musician Meklit Hadero and filmmaker John Akomfrah this spring as part of its 2011 Artist-in-Residence program.

All events are free and open to the public, with the exception of the April 3 Meklit Hadero concert. RSVP for all free events at 212.998.4222 and include which event(s) you would like to attend. For more, click here.

To purchase tickets for the April 3 Hadero concert, go to the Skirball Center's Shagan Box Office, visit skirballcenter.nyu.edu/calendar/meklit_hadero, or call 212.352.3101 or 866.811.4111.

Tuesday, March 29, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

“Hyphen, Mnemosyne and Spaces-in-Between—A Conversation with John Akomfrah and Meklit Hadero”

The Institute of African American Affairs (IAAA) will host a series of performances and discussions centered on the artistic collaborations of musician Meklit Hadero, pictured above, and filmmaker John Akomfrah this spring as part of its 2011 Artist-in-Residence program.

This introductory panel will address the questions of invisibility, memory in practice, productive nostalgia, and the archive in times of the post-national. Location: NYU’s Silver Center, Hemmerdinger Hall, 100 Washington Square East (between Waverly and Washington Place) Sunday, April 3, 2:30-3:30 p.m. “Self-Representation in African and African Diaspora Photography, Film, Music and Literature” Listen to artists in these different fields and learn how they address audiences with black images and from black and universal perspectives. At issue are questions of reception and aesthetics, but also genre, autonomy, and the specificity of black beauty. Participants include: John Akomfrah, Chester Higgins Jr., Hortense Spillers, and Tamar-kali. The event is organized with the Beauty and Fashion Symposium and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Department of Photography and Imaging. Location: NYU’s Silver Center, Jurow Lecture Hall/Silverstein Lounge, 100 Washington Square East (between Waverly and Washington Place)

Sunday, April 3, 7-9 p.m.

“Meklit Hadero and Friends in Concert”

General admission: $20; NYU students, faculty, and staff: $10; non-NYU students and seniors: $15

Location: NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 LaGuardia Place (at Washington Square South)

Thursday, April 7, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

“The Aesthetics of Vulgarity”

When the engines of change are unleashed a space can be created often defining modernity as a moment of vulgarity. This panel discussion, which includes Jean-Pierre Bekolo, Fred Moten, and Lesley Lokko, considers how the concept of change and liberation can be embraced as a “productive vulgarity” and asks if modernity can also function as a moment of beginnings, the time of the post-national, and the re-imagining of Pan-Africanism.

Location: Cantor Film Center, 36 East Eighth Street, Room 101 (at University Place)

Monday, April 11, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

“The Tizita Chronicles: Memory, Archive and Longing in African Diaspora Cultural Practices”

Though the concept and the music of Tizita emerge from Ethiopia, its implications reach far beyond this region. Tizita frames one's relationship to the past and to one's origins, and allows a broad space for integrating the inevitable losses that, at least in part, define every human life. The Tizita Chronicles, which includes a combination of film, music, and short talks, uses the concept of Tizita as a lens to explore cultural memory, both collective and individual, as it evolves in the African Diaspora and its artistic expressions.

Location: Cantor Film Center, 36 East Eighth Street, Room 200 (at University Place)

Thursday, April 21, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

“Astro Black Hauntology”

This session re-imagines Pan-Africanism by considering the specters of African independences, black nationalism, and Afro-futurism. Participants include Coco Fusco.

Location: Cantor Film Center, 36 East Eighth Street, Room 101 (at University Place)

Monday, April 25, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

John Akomfrah and Meklit Hadero will present their collaborative works to fuse music with visuals using the themes and questions posed in the opening panel: invisibility, memory in practice, productive nostalgia and the archive in times of the post-national.

Location: Cantor Film Center, 36 East Eighth Street, Room 200 (at University Place)

Meklit Hadero, whose music combines jazz, folk, and East African traditions, released "On A Day Like This…" in 2010. For more, go to: www.meklithadero.com. John Akomfrah, born in Ghana and raised in England, has directed over a dozen films and won numerous awards. His latest film is “Mnemosyne” (2010), an essay exploring perceptions of belonging and alienation and the shifting boundaries of expectation and reality. For more, go to: www.smokingdogsfilms.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE

The Institute of African American Affairs

The Institute of African American Affairs (IAAA) at New York University was founded in 1969 to research, document, and celebrate the cultural and intellectual production of Africa and its diaspora in the Atlantic world and beyond. IAAA is committed to the study of Blacks in modernity through concentrations in Pan-Africanism and Black Urban Studies.

NYU Skirball Center

The Jack H. Skirball Center for the Performing Arts is the premier venue for the presentation of cultural and performing arts events for New York University and lower Manhattan. Led by executive producer Jay Oliva (President Emeritus, NYU) and senior director Michael Harrington, the programs of the Skirball Center reflect NYU's mission as an international center of scholarship, defined by excellence and innovation and shaped by an intellectually rich and diverse environment. A vital aspect of the Center's mission is to build young adult audiences for the future of live performance. For more, go to: www.skirballcenter.nyu.edu.

Press Contact: James Devitt || (212) 998-6808

Florida Atlantic University to Host Multi Ethnic Literature of the United States Conference

BOCA RATON (March 21, 2011) – The department of English in Florida Atlantic University’s Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters will host the 25th Multi Ethnic Literature of the United States (MELUS) Conference from Thursday, April 7 through Sunday, April 10, at the Renaissance Hotel in Boca Raton. The conference will feature a variety of educational panels, roundtables, readings and plenary speakers, including Karla Holloway, Shirley Geok-Lin Lim and Gary Shteyngart. All events are free and open to the public.

The keynote literary readings by Gary Shteyngart and Shirley Geok-lin Lim will take place in the Coral Ballroom of the Renaissance Hotel on Friday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m. Manjunath Pendakur, dean of the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, will open the evening with welcoming remarks. Shteyngart, who teaches creative writing at Columbia University, will read from his new book, Super Sad True Love Story, which was named one of the top ten books of 2010 by Michiko Kakutani of the “New York Times.” Geok-lin Lim, professor of English at University of California, Santa Barbara, and winner of the American Book Award, will be reading from her book of poetry, Walking Backwards.

The keynote scholar, Karla Holloway, will be presenting her talk, “Bound by Law: The Literary Consequence of Constitutionally Conferred Equity,” on Saturday, April 9, at 11:30 a.m. FAU President Mary J. Saunders will give the welcoming remarks for this lecture. Holloway is the James B. Duke Professor of English at Duke University. She also holds appointments in the Law School, Women's Studies, and African and African American Studies. Holloway’s research and teaching interests focus on African American cultural studies, biocultural studies, gender, ethics and law.

Karla FC Holloway. James B. Duke Professor of English and Professor of Law, Office Location: 304 F Allen, Office Phone: (919) 684-8993. Email Address: karla.holloway@duke.edu

“This promises to be an especially intellectually stimulating conference, since it marks the first formal collaboration between MELUS and the United States Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies,” said Wenying Xu, chair of the department of English. “The presentations by members of both organizations will engender productive and lively debates over the intersections of multi-ethnic American and postcolonial world literatures.” Founded in 1973, MELUS’ mission is to expand the definition of American literature through the study and teaching of African American, Asian and Pacific American, Jewish American, U.S. Latino, Native American, and ethnically specific Euro-American literary works. MELUS has held a national conference annually every April at various sites across the country for the past 25 years. More than 250 people are expected to attend this year’s conference, and many of the activities will center on the event’s theme, “Ethnic Canons in Global Contexts.” The attendees come from a variety of academic institutions in the United States, as well as from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

For more information about MELUS and the program for this year’s conference, visit webspace.ship.edu/kmlong/melus/. -FAU-

About Florida Atlantic University:

Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. In commemoration of its origin, FAU is celebrating its 50th anniversary throughout 2011. Today, the University serves more than 28,000 undergraduate and graduate students on seven campuses and sites. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts & Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering & Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and theCharles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit: www.fau.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT: Polly Burks 561-297-2595, pburks@fau.edu.

Professor Jennifer Young Tait Dies

HOLLAND -- Dr. Jennifer Young Tait, a member of the Hope College English faculty since 2002, died Saturday (March 19) after suffering complications from premature childbirth.

The college has been advised that Professor Young began to feel unwell a few days ago. Her health began to deteriorate and she was taken to Grand Rapids for more advanced care. Her baby - Solomon - was delivered early and the college has been told that while he is small he is otherwise healthy and being care for at DeVos Children's Hospital.

"Jennifer Young was a fine teacher-scholar who modeled for students what it meant to find joy in learning. She was a wonderful mentor, a valued colleague, and a trusted friend. Her loss will be felt far beyond the confines of the English Department. Indeed, the entire Hope College community will miss her terribly," said Hope College Provost Richard Ray.

"Jennifer Young loved teaching, and she loved literature. I can't imagine a more joyful colleague, a more devoted professor, or a more promising scholar. I worked with her in Holland, Michigan, and in Liberia, West Africa; Jennifer was a star in whatever company she entered. She was my friend, and I will miss her terribly," said Dr. David Klooster, chair of the Department of English.

Jennifer Young Tait

Added colleague Dr. Julie Kipp, Professor of English: "Jennifer was a devoted scholar, who loved to do research, and who was always juggling multiple writing projects, including creative writing projects. She was a gifted teacher, who started classes off with musical jam sessions as a way to create good energy and always thanked students for their comments in discussion. She was an amazing wife, daughter, sister, aunt, niece, granddaughter, goddaughter, and friend. She believed in ghosts. She loved music, yoga, old jewelry, chocolate martinis (in moderation), and raptivist music. She was incredibly excited about becoming a mother." Hope College began its spring break on Friday so college officials have been communicating this news to faculty, staff and students by email.

The Hope College Class of 2008 named Dr. Young the recipient of the "Hope Outstanding Professor Educator" (H.O.P.E.) Award which is presented by the graduating class to the professor who they feel epitomizes the best qualities of the Hope College educator.

Young, who was an associate professor of English, was one of the first faculty members that the members of the the Class of 2008 encountered when they arrived on campus as freshmen in August of 2004. She co-delivered the address during that year's Opening Convocation, which marked the formal beginning of the academic year.

Her service to Hope College students has included serving on several campus committees and as a co-advisor to the Black Student Union student organization.

In 2009 she was appointed an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow to continue her scholarly work at the Huntington Memorial Library in San Marino, Calif. She recently had been awarded a New Directions Initiatives grant by the Great Lakes Colleges Association.

Prior to joining the Hope faculty she was a Preparing Future Faculty pre-doctoral teaching fellow during the 2002-03 school year, a program in which Hope participates with Howard University of Washington, D.C.

Her scholarly interests included early writers of the African Diaspora (pre-1865); African-American literature; jazz and hip-hop as literature; and creative writing. Her dissertation, which she completed in 2004, focused on the marketing from 1767 to 1865 of the poetry of Phillis Wheatley, who was kidnapped from Africa as a child and wrote as a slave in Boston, Mass.

Prior to coming to Hope, Dr. Young was a multicultural summer teaching fellow at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. She had also taught at Howard, as well as at Touro College and the Center for Worker Education in New York City.

In addition to her Ph.D. from Howard University, Dr. Young held a bachelor's degree from Douglass College of Rutgers University and a master's from City College of CUNY of New York City.

She is survived by her husband, Ralph Tait, of Holland and family in Indianapolis, Ind.

A funeral service will be held Friday, March 25, at 11 a.m. at the Grace Episcopal Church in Holland.

-30-

Hope College Office of Public Relations || 141 E. 12th St. || Holland, MI 49423 prelations@hope.edu || phone: 616.395.7860 || fax: 616.395.7991

Rosa Parks Middle School Targeted For Turnaround as Seventh ‘Priority School’

March 17, 2011 (Sacramento) – Rosa Parks Middle School has been named Sacramento’s seventh Superintendent’s Priority School, expanding SCUSD’s bold school improvement effort that is already seeing positive results on six other campuses, Superintendent Jonathan Raymond announced Thursday.

As a Priority School, Rosa Parks will get extra resources and innovations to boost learning though improved teaching, engaging curriculum and strong family and community connections.

Superintendent Raymond created the Priority Schools program last spring to improve low-performing schools through the use of proven strategies for raising student achievement. Already, principals at the six original Priority Schools report better attendance, greater family participation, fewer suspensions and generally happier students, which they attribute to a better learning environment.

“Rosa Parks has tremendous potential to be the kind of campus where every student enjoys coming to class every day because they know they’re going to learn something meaningful that will help them achieve their dreams,” said Superintendent Raymond. “Our Priority Schools are great examples of what can happen when a determined principal, an energized faculty and a caring community get the support they need.”

Jonathan P. Raymond Superintendent, Sacramento City Unified School District 5735 - 47th Avenue Sacramento, CA 95824 (916) 643-9000

Superintendent Raymond took the first step in Rosa Parks’ turnaround on Wednesday by naming John Sloat Elementary School Principal Robert Sullivan to lead the middle school next year. Sullivan has a successful track record of improving student learning, narrowing achievement gaps and forging relationships with students, staff and parents. “It all starts with leadership and building a vision for this community,” Superintendent Raymond said. “I want our leaders to take risks for kids.” Sullivan began with SCUSD at age 17, when he landed a job as a custodian at Tahoe Elementary to help pay for college, eventually working his way up to instructional aide and then teacher. He was an assistant principal at John Still K-8 School until taking over as principal at John Sloat seven years ago. Under Sullivan’s tenure at John Sloat, student test scores have risen dramatically. The school improved its Academic Performance Index (API) base from 664 in 2005 to 761 in 2009 – a 97-point gain. John Sloat is ranked 9 out of 10 on the API scale when compared to similar schools. In 2005-06, 39.7 percent of students achieved proficiency on the California Standards Tests in math.

In 2009-10, that grew to 61.2 percent. In 2009-10, Hispanic student scores rose a remarkable 38 points.

Sullivan will remain at John Sloat for the rest of this school year. The district is now meeting with the John Sloat community to begin the process for finding his replacement.

The decision to include Rosa Parks in the Priority Schools program was made after weighing several factors, including student academic performance. The middle school, which serves about 475 students, dropped 33 points on the API scale last year. With an API of 624, it has the lowest student tests scores of any middle school in SCUSD. The school has also struggled to close achievement gaps. Scores for African American students plummeted 57 points last year; scores for students with disabilities fell 39 points. The school is in its fifth year of Program Improvement status.

Superintendent Raymond emphasized that funding for Rosa Parks’ addition to the Priority School program will come from so-called “categorical” funds – money from the federal government earmarked for high-poverty schools. At Rosa Parks, 100 percent of students qualify for a free or reduced-price lunch, the federal poverty threshold. Because the Priority Schools are funded categorically, Rosa Parks’ inclusion will have no effect on the district’s anticipated budget deficit of $22.35 million – the projected shortfall if current temporary taxes are not extended by voters.

The Superintendent’s Priority Schools Program is a centerpiece of SCUSD’s Strategic Plan 2010-2014: Putting Children First. As “incubators of innovation,” Priority Schools are piloting research-based, successful instructional strategies and curriculum to be replicated later on other SCUSD campuses. The district’s other Priority Schools are: Father Keith B. Kenny Elementary, Jedediah Smith Elementary, Oak Ridge Elementary, Will C. Wood Middle School, Fern Bacon Middle School and Hiram Johnson High School.

“Despite budget uncertainty and pink slips, we can’t take our eye off of what is most important – quality teaching and learning in our schools, particularly in our most needy communities,” Superintendent Raymond said. “Now is the time to focus on eliminating achievement gaps. Our students cannot wait.” # # #

For Immediate Release Contact: Gabe Ross (916) 643-9145 gabe-ross@scusd.edu