A Motivational Alger Adams Dinner

"Your transcript is your passport."

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

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

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

Horace D. Allen

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

### 2/3/10/tmw

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-SXU-

FOR MORE INFORMATION

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lincoln University to Honor Founders

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

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

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

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

Keep Your Lamps Burning

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

George Foreman

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Her Story: Margo Humphrey. Lithographs and Works on Paper

surveys the career of the renowned printmaker Margo Humphrey. Works representing more than 40 years of the artist’s practice will be on view from February 4 through March 12, 2010 at the David C. Driskell Center for the Study of the Visual Arts and Culture of African Americans and the African Diaspora at the University of Maryland. Her Story was jointly curated by the Center’s Executive Director, Dr. Robert E. Steele, and curator, Dr. Adrienne L. Childs. On Thursday, February 4 between 5:00 and 7:00pm the Driskell Center will present the public opening of the exhibition and a discussion between Margo Humphrey and Dr. Childs. These events will be held at the Driskell Center’s gallery, 1207 Cole Student Activities Building, at the University of Maryland.

The works presented highlight more than 45 years of artistry by one of America’s most unique talents. Margo Humphrey’s bold, expressive use of color and freedom of form defy the two dimensionality of the printmaking medium, creating a body of work that is engaging, exuberant and alive.

The Last Bar-B-Que, 1987. Lithograph

Through personal narrative Humphrey takes the viewer on a voyage of self-discovery that chronicles her life, loves, family, fears, joys and more. Although often intimate and idiosyncratic, Humphrey’s personal stories can be linked to the political dynamics of the feminist art movement that emerged in the 1970s during her early years of development as an artist and printmaker.

Her lithographs The Last Bar-B-Que (1987) and The History of Her Life Written Across Her Face (1991) have become iconic images in American visual culture, demonstrating her ability to capture aspects of a larger African American cultural experience through personal memory, confessional, and a unique symbolic language.

Her Story features works on paper in a variety of media including lithography, monoprint, woodcut, etching and drawing. This array of works demonstrates the extraordinary skill Humphrey developed as one of the earliest African American female artists to distinguish herself as a lithographer in a highly technical, male dominated profession. She eventually produced prints at some of the most important printmaking ateliers in the Nation including Tamarind Institute, The Rutgers Center for Innovative Print and Paper (now the Brodsky Center for Innovative Editions) and Bob Blackburn Printmaking Workshop

Born in Oakland, California in 1942, Margo Humphrey was an artist from birth. She went to public schools in Oakland and graduated from California College of Arts and Crafts (now California College of the Arts) with a BA. She received an MFA from Stanford University in 1974 and taught art at University of California Santa Cruz from 1974 to 1982. Humphrey is currently a professor of Art in the Department of Art at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she has been since 1989. Humphrey’s works have been exhibited internationally in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa; she has held grants from the Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation. Her works are in the Museum of Modern Art, The Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum, among many others. Humphrey lives in Hyattsville, Maryland where she continues to work.

The illustrated monograph Margo Humphrey, by Adrienne L. Childs, Volume VII in the David C. Driskell Series of African American Art, will be available for sale. Published by Pomegranate Communications, Inc. independently of the exhibition, the book presents over 45 color palates from the artists early experiments in abstraction to groundbreaking lithographs in her signature “sophisticated naïve” style. The text includes a foreword by David C. Driskell and a text by Adrienne L. Childs that considers the memories and events that have inspired her powerful body of work.

Her Story is one part of a year of programming by the David C. Driskell Center that celebrates the contributions and significance of African American women artists. The year will culminate in two special events, Autobiography/Performance/Identity: A Symposium on African American and African Diasporan Women in the Visual Arts, March 5 and 6, co-sponsored by the University of Maryland University College and the Ninth Annual Distinguished Lecture in the Visual Arts in Honor of David C. Driskell featuring Elizabeth Catlett on April 15, 2010.

The David C. Driskell Center celebrates the legacy of David C. Driskell – Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Art, Artist, Art Historian, Collector and Curator – by preserving the rich heritage of African American visual art and culture. The Driskell Center is committed to preserving, documenting and presenting African American art, as well as replenishing and expanding the field of African American art. This exhibition is supported, in part, by a special fund from the Office of the President at the University of Maryland, and a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.

All exhibitions and events at the David C. Driskell Center are free and open to the public. The facility is wheelchair accessible. The Driskell Center Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 11:00am to 4:00pm with extended hours on Wednesday until 6:00pm. The Driskell Center observes all University of Maryland closings including snow days and holidays. For further information regarding this exhibition and future activities at the Driskell Center, please call 301.314.2615 or visit www.driskellcenter.umd.edu.

NEWS RELEASE, Date: January 21, 2010. Contact: Ms. Dorit Yaron. Title: Deputy Director. Phone: 301.405.6835. Email: dyaron@umd.edu

Depressed African American dads less likely to spend time with kids

Treating depression may be an important means to help dads play a more active and positive role in their kids’ lives.

African-American fathers who do not live with their sons and who suffer from depression are less likely to spend time with them, according to a University of
Michigan study.

Dads who don’t live with their children can still have a positive impact in their kids’ lives however, and treating their depression could help them play a more active and positive role in their lives, says U-M pediatrician R. Neal Davis, M.D., a fellow with the Child Health Evaluation and Research unit and a lead author in the study which appeared in the December issue of Pediatrics.

Davis and his colleagues analyzed data for 345 participants in the Fathers and Sons program, which is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The program is for pre-teen boys and African-American fathers who did not live with their children.

The program’s goal is to prevent unhealthy behaviors in adolescent boys by increasing positive involvement with their fathers. Data collected from those participants found that 36 percent of fathers in the program suffered from moderate depression and 11 percent had severe depression.

Researchers found that fathers with depressive symptoms were up to three times more likely to report lower levels of contact with their preteen sons. They also had less closeness, less monitoring of activities and higher conflict in relationships with their sons.

The findings are significant because children who don’t have positive father involvement are at higher risk of mental health conditions, such as depression, and unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, alcohol use, drug use, sexual activity, and not taking recommended medicines.

"Addressing paternal depressive symptoms may lead to increased support and protection for many children and adolescents at increased risk for adverse health and health behaviors," Davis says.

In the last few years, many responsible fatherhood programs have been established in communities around the United States. These programs should include efforts to identify and follow up on fathers’ depressive symptoms, he adds.

Because African American fathers who do not live with their sons can still have a positive impact on them, health care providers should recognize that and try to understand factors that influence their involvement, such as depressive symptoms, he adds.

Additional authors: Cleopatra Howard Caldwell, PhD, Sarah J. Clark, MPH, Matthew M. Davis, MD, MAPP, all of the University of Michigan

Journal reference: DOI: 10.1542/peds.2009-0718

January 20, 2010 Media contact: Margarita Bauza. E-mail: mbauza@med.umich.edu Phone: 734-764-2220

Civil Rights Pioneer Diane Nash to Speak Feb. 4 at Ohio Wesleyan University

Nash Spearheaded Nashville Sit-In Efforts in 1960, Contributed to 1963 March on Washington.

DELAWARE, OH – In 1960, 21-year-old Diane Nash and other Nashville residents quietly began to challenge the exclusionary racial policy of the city’s downtown lunch counters. February marks the 50th anniversary of their now-legendary sit-ins, which elevated the struggle for racial equality to a new level and set the stage for the civil rights crusade of the 1960s.

Nash will speak at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 4 in the Benes Rooms of Ohio Wesleyan University’s Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave., Delaware. Her presentation, “The Civil Rights Movement: A Fifty-Year Perspective,” will include time for audience questions, and is free and open to the public. Her presentation kicks off the university’s commemoration of Black History Month.

Diane Nash, a leader of the civil rights movement, will speak Feb. 4 at Ohio Wesleyan as part of the university’s celebration of Black History Month. Photo courtesy of Diane Nash

“Ms. Nash is a towering figure in the freedom struggle,” said history professor Michael Flamm, Ph.D., who is coordinating her Ohio Wesleyan visit. “She provides a personal and inspirational perspective that no textbook or lecture could. I hope everyone comes to hear her speak about her extraordinary life and her timely thoughts on civil rights and race relations in the 21st century.” In spring 1960, Nash publicly questioned Mayor Ben West about the morality of segregation, resulting in his pronouncement that Nashville’s lunch counters should be open to everyone. She then helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, through which she planned and publicized lunch counter sit-ins and “freedom rides” throughout the South. In 1962, while living in Mississippi, Nash was jailed for teaching African American children the techniques of direct nonviolent protest.

Her ideas and efforts were instrumental in 1963’s March on Washington, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Later, she helped to develop the strategy for the Selma, Ala., right-to-vote movement, which led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. For her efforts, Nash received a “Rosa Parks Award” from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, presented in 1965 by Dr. King himself.

Nash has earned countless additional honors throughout her lifetime, including a “Distinguished American Award” from the John F. Kennedy Library in 2003. Her work also has been discussed in books including “Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice” by Raymond Arsenault and “Freedom’s Daughters: A Juneteenth Story” by Lynne Olson.

In addition, Nash has appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” NBC’s “TODAY,” and in Spike Lee’s film “Four Little Girls.” She also has appeared in the award-winning documentary “A Force More Powerful” and the PBS series “Eyes on the Prize,” a 14-hour television documentary chronicling the American civil rights movement.

Nash’s Ohio Wesleyan visit is co-sponsored by the Department of History, Office of Multicultural Student Affairs, Student Union on Black Awareness, Sagan Fellows Fund, and Joseph and Edith Vogel Lecture Fund.

Ohio Wesleyan’s Black History Month commemoration also will include a Poetry Slam hosted by the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs. The poetry slam, free and open to the public, will be held at 7 p.m. Feb. 25 in the Bishop Café on the lower level of Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave., Delaware.

Ohio Wesleyan University is an undergraduate liberal arts college that transforms the lives of its students through a combination of rigorous academics, mentoring relationships, and real-world experiences. Featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” the private university’s 1,850 students come from 45 states and 39 countries.

Northwest commemorating Martin Luther King Day

Maryville, Mo. – Northwest’s Office of Intercultural Affairs will host a series of discussions on Monday, Jan. 18 to mark the national holiday honoring the birth of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

There will be no classes on Monday, and university offices will close in observance of Martin Luther King Day.

Beginning at 10 a.m. Monday in the J.W. Jones Student Union Living Room, students at the Intercultural Affairs office will be compiling care packages for area shelters. Students also be watching the documentary “A Great And Mighty Walk,” which chronicles the life and times of the African-American historian, scholar and activist John Henrik Clarke.

Dr. John Henrik Clarke

At 11:15 a.m., in the Student Union Ballroom, the students will lead discussions covering four topics – the academic achievement gap; sustainability; religion, radicalism and security; and poverty. Students will then brainstorm innovative solutions for each issue. Although King was born on Jan. 15, 1929, his birthday has been observed as a national holiday on the third Monday of each January since 1986.

King was a Baptist minister who helped lead the American civil rights movement during the 1950s and ’60s. He is remembered for leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott and helping found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

King’s efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, which dramatically raised public consciousness about civil rights and established King as a world figure. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn.

For more information about the Martin Luther King Day events, contact Ame Lambert, director of intercultural affairs, at 660.562.1517 or lambert@nwmissouri.edu.

For more information, please contact: Mark Hornickel Media Relations Specialist
E-mail: mhorn@nwmissouri.edu Phone: 660.562.1704, Fax: 660.562.1900. Northwest Missouri State University, 215 Administration Building. 800 University Drive, Maryville, MO 64468.

Lawyer Who Argued Against Brown Had No Regrets

The outcome of Brown v. Board of Education cemented the American government’s condemnation of institutionalized segregation. How, then, could a man argue on behalf of a state that made “separate but equal” a matter of official policy, even as he himself acknowledged that the tide of public morality was flowing away from it? How could he reconcile his personal disgust with segregation with the task of defending its enabler? How could he sleep?

Utah Valley University History Professor David Wilson says there would be no regrets, no shame, no embarrassment. It was just a job. And Wilson would know, the assistant attorney general for the state of Kansas who argued on behalf of his employer before the United States Supreme Court in that fateful case, was Paul E. Wilson, his father.

Opinion in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 08/31/1951

“Of course he was happy to take the case,” David says from his office in UVU’s Liberal Arts building, surrounded by stacks of kitschy memorabilia and American history books. “It had nothing to do with segregation. It had to do with a 36-year-old lawyer who was something of a hayseed getting to argue in front of the Supreme Court.” One book chronicling the case called the elder Wilson, who went on to have a distinguished legal career and became a law professor at the University of Kansas as “by Eastern standards… a hayseed.” The characterization didn’t chafe Paul Wilson, though, as the arguments he gave before the highest court in the land were the first he had ever made in an appellate court after spending years operating a tiny, rural practice.

In 1998, not long before his death, Paul Wilson returned to the Supreme Court chambers to reminisce and relive the great case at the invitation of the Supreme Court Historical Society. His introduction at that event – from no less than Supreme Court Justice David Souter — painted a glowing picture of a man who, at the end of the day, was a consummate professional and dedicated litigator.

“What do we make of the lawyer who argued not the cause that history has made popular, but the cause that it has so signally marked as unpopular?” Souter asked.

The judge posited that such a lawyer would “reconcile his duty to put client’s best foot forward with his duty to serve the court” and have “respect for reasonableness and respect for truth.” “When judges dream,” he said, “they dream of lawyers who look at their job as Professor Wilson has described.”

That description, which Souter quoted from Wilson’s book on the case “A Time to Lose: Representing Kansas in Brown v. Board of Education,” describes Wilson’s duty to separate his personal feelings from his professional duty.

“As a human being applying personal standards of conscience and rationality, I felt that the position of the state of Kansas was indefensible,” Wilson wrote. “At the same time, I did not regard my personal view and bias as relevant. The issue was one of law. Brown afforded me an opportunity that few lawyers of my generation have enjoyed: The privilege of supplying info to the Supreme Court of the United States to be considered in deciding one of the most important cases in American judicial history.”

The younger Wilson said it was never an emotional stumbling block for him to grow up in the household of a man who was asked to defend segregation policies. He knew a father who was a member of the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and was the head of what David called one of the “more liberal” households in Kansas at the time.

“I really didn’t know much about it growing up,” David says. “I did know that he was active in Head Start programs and housing projects in Lawrence (Kan.) when there were civil rights questions.”

Instead of the case relegating him to infamy, it provided Wilson with the chance to rub shoulders with some of the era’s finest litigators, including South Carolina attorney and one-time presidential candidate John W. Davis, who acted as the lead attorney for the defense in the Brown lawsuit. In fact, when Wilson was inducted into the Supreme Court Bar, it was Davis who sponsored him.

Wilson only entered the high court once more – for his 1998 presentation – but his reflection on the importance of Brown v. Board of Education and his role in it crystallized later in his career. He clung to the “naïve belief that, in the long run, history is just,” and that his role was that of a lawyer doing his duty to represent his client in the light of the law. Nothing more, nothing less.

“That the court found the arguments of my adversaries more favorably than mine does not, in my view, reflect unfavorably on my character or the quality of my advocacy,” he wrote. “The lawyer takes his cases as they come to him. He creates neither the facts nor the law. His job is to see that the forum is right, the issues are properly drawn and that the court is fully and fairly informed as to his client’s view of the facts and his understanding of the law. I did those things as well as I could.” ###

January 14, 2010 For Immediate Release. For more information: David Wilson (801) 863-6916. University Marketing & Communications: Erin Spurgeon, (801) 863-6807
Written by: Alex Strickland (801) 863-6351

Farai Chideya to Speak at Scripps College In Celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

CLAREMONT, Calif. (January 15, 2010) — In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Farai Chideya, provocative author, broadcaster, and sociopolitical pundit, will speak at Scripps College on Tuesday, Jaunary 26, at 7:30 p.m. in Balch Auditorium. Her talk is part of the Alexa Fullerton Hampton Speaker Series: Voice and Vision. A book signing and reception will follow the event in the Hampton Living Room, Malott Commons. The event is free and open to the public.

Farai Chideya has combined media, technology, and social justice during her 20-year career as an award-winning author and journalist. Most recently, she hosted News and Notes, a daily national program about African-American and African diaspora issues.

Farai Chideya

Chideya has received awards for her commentary, including a National Education Reporting Award, a North Star News Prize, and a special award from the National Gay and Lesbian Journalists Association for coverage of AIDS. Chideya has also been a correspondent for ABC News, anchored the prime-time program Pure Oxygen on the Oxygen women's channel, and also worked for CNN, BET, Fox, MSNBC, and Newsweek.

Chideya has written four books: Trust: Reaching the 100 Million Missing Voters; The Color of Our Future; Don't Believe the Hype: Fighting Cultural Misinformation About African Americans, and a novel, Kiss the Sky, which was an Essence Magazine book club selection for May 2009. Chideya was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, and graduated with a BA from Harvard University, magna cum laude, in 1990.

Chideya's talk takes place during the inaugural year of Scripps College's eighth president, Lori Bettison-Varga. This year, Scripps College has selected the theme "The Genius of Women." Throughout the 2009-10 academic year, guest speakers, writers, scientists, artists, and other thought leaders will engage students and faculty in discussions about the transformative power of genius, and how creative and intellectual genius are so essential in today's changing world, especially from women, for women.

For more information about the event, please contact the Malott Commons Office at Scripps College: (909) 607-9372, or visit the Web at: www.scrippscollege.edu.

The Alexa Fullerton Hampton Speaker Series – Voice and Vision was established through the generous bequest of Scripps College alumna Alexa Fullerton Hampton '42. The series brings a broad range of renowned presenters and artists to Scripps College each year to share their unique voice and vision, as well as to enlighten and inspire the audience — exposing them to new ideas and perspectives.

For Immediate Release, Media Contact at Scripps: (909) 621-8280 E-mail: mediarelations@scrippscollege.edu

Pitt to Host Jan. 19 Lecture by Mae Jemison, First African American Woman Astronaut to Travel in Space

Lecture is part of a weeklong series of events honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and sponsored by Pitt's Black Action Society

PITTSBURGH-American astronaut and physician Mae Jemison, most notably known as the first African American woman to travel in space, will be the featured speaker during a University of Pittsburgh Black Action Society (BAS) event titled “Dr. King's Legacy: A Call to Action.” The presentation-at 8:45 p.m. Jan. 19 in Room 120 of David Lawrence Hall, 3942 Forbes Ave., Oakland-will be part of a series of free Jan. 15-21 public events honoring the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. A meet-and-greet and question-and-answer session will be part of the evening's activities.

Mae Jemison

Becoming the first Black woman in space, aboard the shuttle Endeavor in 1992, was just one of Jemison's many accomplishments. Prior to joining NASA in 1987, she worked in the Los Angeles area as a general practitioner with the INA/Ross Loos Medical Group. She then spent more than two years as an Area Peace Corps medical officer in Sierra Leone and Liberia. On her return to Los Angeles, she worked as a general practitioner with CIGNA Health Plans of California.

Jemison was a NASA astronaut for six years. As the science mission specialist on the Endeavor flight, she conducted experiments in life and material sciences and was a coinvestigator on the bone cell research experiment flown on the mission.

After leaving NASA in 1993, Jemison founded The Jemison Group, Inc., a technology design and consulting firm, and the BioSentient Corporation, a medical technology firm. She also established and currently chairs The Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence and has directed the Jemison Institute for Advancing Technology in Developing Countries. She is an A.D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University and was a professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth College.

A Chicago native, Jemison entered Stanford University at the age of 16 and earned a BS degree in chemical engineering and fulfilled the requirements for a BA degree in African and Afro-American Studies; she went on to earn her MD at Cornell University Medical College. Among her awards and honors are election to the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine and induction into the National Medical Association Hall of Fame. She has been awarded a number of honorary doctorates, including Doctor of Humanities from Princeton University. Her book “Find Where the Wind Goes: Moments From My Life” (Scholastic Press, 2001), written for teenagers, features autobiographical anecdotes about growing up.

Other events in BAS' weeklong series include a Unity Brunch, an Interfaith Service, an oratory contest, and a citywide day of service. For more information about these events, visit www.news.pitt.edu/m/FMPro?-db=ma&-lay=a&-format=d.html&id=3939&-Find.

In addition to BAS, other Pitt sponsors are the Pitt Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, the Cross Cultural and Leadership Development Office (CCLD), Dean of Students Kathy Humphrey and the Division of Student Affairs, and the University of Pittsburgh Chaplaincies.

For more information, contact Jacquett C. Wade, coordinator of CCLD, at 412-648-7834. ### 1/15/10/amm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, Contact: Patricia Lomando White, 412-624-9101 (office); 412-215-9932 (cell) laer@pitt.edu

UGA professor studies link between stress, drug use vulnerability in African Americans

Athens, Ga. – University of Georgia counseling psychology professor Ezemenari M. Obasi believes that the interaction of the environment and one’s genetic makeup can increase drug use vulnerability in rural African Americans.

Obasi has received a two-year $471,683 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to conduct research that examines the link between stress and the risk of drug addiction among rural African Americans.

“African American drug use and abuse behaviors are often characterized by oversimplified models that are rooted in research studies that rarely include them,” said Obasi, a Fellow in UGA’s Institute of Behavioral Research and an assistant professor in the College of Education’s department of counseling and human development services.

Ezemenari M. Obasi, Ph.D.

There are a wide range of risk factors related to drug addiction, from personality traits, personal history and genetic disposition to environmental stressors, said Obasi. He questions whether those risk factors are universal, predictors of all people or group-specific.In this study, he will investigate the possibility that chronic stress is a risk factor experienced by African Americans. Such stressors experienced by African Americans residing in a rural community include low socioeconomic status, educational attainment and experiences of discrimination.Counter to popular beliefs, African Americans have a very low drug use rate in comparison to other ethnic groups.

Unfortunately, they tend to disproportionately suffer from the negative consequences associated with drug use—including cancers, organ failure, contraction of HIV/AIDS, diminished mental health and treatment in the criminal justice system.

The study will look at two main questions including whether one’s genetic makeup interacts with environmental variables to affect physiological responses to acute stress and whether stress dysregulation—the inability of the body to return to a normal state after it experiences stress—predicts drug-related attitudes, craving and history of drug use.

Participants will be recruited from rural counties throughout the state of Georgia.Some of the measured variables will include genotype, hormones, autonomic nervous system responses (heart rate variability and skin conductance), chronic environmental stressors, implicit drug-related cognitions, drug craving and drug use history.

The study will ultimately initiate a multidisciplinary program of research aimed at investigating the impact of the relationship between genetic makeup and environment on drug use vulnerability.According to Obasi, such research is needed in order to inform theory, research, prevention and intervention efforts aimed at the elimination of health disparities that disproportionately impact the African-American community.

The Hwemudua Alcohol and Health Disparities Laboratory, an experimental laboratory developed by Obasi and used to explore the biological, psychological and social pathways concerning the intersection of alcohol use/abuse and health disparities impacting Africans/African Americans residing in the United States, will serve as the setting for this research.

Obasi is working on a research team that was recently awarded a five-year, $5.9 million Core Center of Excellence grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to examine the ways genetic tendencies combine with family and community environments to predict drug use and abuse and risky sexual behavior among children, adolescents and young adults. The team is headed by Gene H. Brody, Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Child and Family Development in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

Obasi joined the UGA faculty in 2008.He received his Ph.D. in psychology from Ohio State University. ##

Writer: Genevieve di Leonardo, 706/542-5889, gedileon@uga.edu Contact: Ezemenari M. Obasi, 706/542-4792, obasi@uga.edu Jan 13, 2010, 14:57