AREA COLLEGES UNITE FOR "DIALOGUE ON RACE" AT
MORGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

- Students To Tackle Issues Including the Politics of Race and Public Policy -

Baltimore area college students from Morgan State University, Coppin State College, Towson University and the University of Baltimore will gather on Morgan's campus to discuss contemporary issues involving race. The diverse group of students will assemble in a public forum to tackle such issues as racial profiling, affirmative action and how race can be a positive factor in many public policy decisions.

"I think admitting that race is used as a mediating factor in how foreign and domestic policy is determined is dismissed as 'nonsensical' or an exaggeration," says Dr. Raymond A. Winbush, director of the Institute for Urban Research at Morgan State, which is co-sponsoring the event with the One America Foundation of Washington, DC. "Denying its existence allows the policy makers to take a neutral stance on this hot-button issue."

For 25 years, Morgan's Institute for Urban Research has been conducting studies on substance abuse, AIDS, infant mortality, inner city youth and development, single parent families, adolescent pregnancy, economic development and mental health. Researchers at the Institute, in conjunction with the One America Foundation, are hopeful that student discussion of race and public policy issues will broaden their understanding of the challenges that they will be facing.

"In fifty years, there won't be a majority race in America and the sooner Americans realize the benefits of diversity, the stronger the country will become," says Dr. Ben Johnson, a former assistant to President Bill Clinton and director of the President's Initiative for One America.

The Dialogue on Race will take place over dinner on Thursday, May 8, 2003 beginning at 5:00 p.m. in the McKeldin Center Ballroom on the campus of Morgan State University.

"We hope that the students will learn that constructive dialogue about race can lead to more realistic approaches to public policy formation as they move into the workforce and complete their advanced studies," says Dr. Winbush. "Contemporary race issues present the greatest social challenges faced by Americans."

The One America Foundation (OAF) is an outgrowth of President Bill Clinton's Initiative for One America. In an ongoing effort to promote ethnic, racial and religious reconciliation, OAF provides financial support to, and consults with, organizations that hold dialogue and seminars on diversity. OAF also works to close the opportunity gaps by providing academic scholarships and computers to achieving students of all races who lack the resources to attend college. President Clinton serves as the honorary chairman of the foundation.

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a coeducational institution offering more than 60 academic programs leading to bachelor's degrees as well as programs at the master's and doctoral levels. As Maryland's public urban university, Morgan serves a multi-ethnic and multi-racial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information on Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.