Washington, DC - Congresswoman Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11, in partnership with the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), will host a conversation about contemporary civil rights issues during the 4^th Annual NPHC Greek Presidents Forum on Wednesday, September 18, 2013 at 1:30pm in the Capitol Visitor Center Auditorium. Panelists will discuss the Voting Rights Act, racial profiling, college access and affordability, and how the NPHC community will address the resulting inequity and injustice.

Activist and organizer, Marc Lamont Hill, will moderate the panel.  Dr. Hill founded My5th, a non-profit organization devoted to educating youth about their legal rights and responsibilities. He is also an award-winning writer, associate professor of education at Columbia University and columnist and editor-at-large for the Philadelphia Daily News. Dr. Hill provides regular commentary to CNN, Essence Magazine, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, NPR, New York Times and the Washington Post.

The Annual NPHC Greek Presidents Forum is attended by hundreds of guests who return to their communities energized and ready to mobilize. This year’s provocative dialogue is bound to spark participation in the next chapter of securing civil rights for all.

Who:  Marc Lamont Hill, PhD, Member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc

             W. Douglass Lyle, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

             Nicole Barrett, Deputy Director of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

             Randy Bates, Jr., Grand Polemarch of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. 

             Dr. Andrew Ray, Grand Basileus of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.

             Dr. Paulette Walker, National President of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

             Jonathan A. Mason, International President of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

             Bonita M. Herring, International Grand Basileus of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.

             Karl Price, International Grand Polaris of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc.

When: Wednesday, September 18, 2013

               1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.  

 

Doors open at 1:00 p.m.

Where:United States Capitol Visitor Center Auditorium

Why: Since January 2013, more than 80 restrictive voting bills have been introduced in 30 states, which disproportionally affect African Americans. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, numerous other states have active and pending restrictive laws.  A study of NYPD’s Stop and Frisk policy showed 84% of people stopped were African American or Latino. In states with Stand Your Ground laws, shootings ofAfrican Americans by Caucasians are much more likely to be found as justified than in states without these laws.  Changes in implementing the Parent PLUS loan system during recent academic years resulted in 28,000 Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCU) students not being able to pay for school.

 

For More Information:  Jazmyn Blockson

                                            CBC.intern1@mail.house.gov

                                            (202) 225-7032

 

* Interested news outlets must RSVP by 3 p.m. Tuesday, September 17, 2013*

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