Joint Center Conference To Examine Redistricting, Voting Rights And Minority Representation

5/13/2002

From: Liselle Yorke of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, 202-789-6366 or lyorke@jointcenter.org

News Advisory:

WHAT: The fate of majority-minority districts in the current round of redistricting is one of several issues that will be addressed at a forum, "Redistricting, 1992-2002: Voting Rights and Minority Representation," being hosted by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. Among the other topics to be discussed are racially polarized voting, effective representation and voting rights for minority citizens, and the legal and political issues affecting redistricting and voting rights. There will also be a tribute to the late Frank R. Parker, a civil rights lawyer who was actively involved in voting rights issues in Mississippi between 1968 and 1981. This forum is part of the Joint Center's multi-year project on voting rights sponsored by the Ford and Joyce Foundations.

WHO: Panel A: Legal and Political Issues David Bositis, Senior Research Associate, Joint Center Lisa Handley, Principal, Frontier International Electoral Consulting Anita Hodgkiss, Project Director-Voting Rights Project, Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law Laughlin McDonald, Director, Southern Regional Office, American Civil Liberties Foundation

Panel B: Black, Hispanic and Partisan Perspectives on Redistricting Jacqueline Berrien, Program Officer-Governance and Civil Society, Ford Foundation Leobardo F. Estrada, Professor, Department of Urban Planning, University of California at Los Angeles State Senator Robert Holmes (D-GA-053)/Director, Southern Center for Studies in Public Policy, Clark Atlanta University David Lublin, Professor, Department of Government, American University

Luncheon Speakers (12:30 p.m.) Christopher F. Edley, Jr., Co-Director, Civil Rights Project, Harvard University Law School Maria Echaveste, former White House Chief of Staff (President Clinton)

WHEN: Wednesday, May 22, 2002 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (Continental breakfast: 8:30 a.m.)

WHERE: The Mayflower Renaissance Hotel 1127 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, conducts research and analyses on public policy issues of concern to African Americans and other minorities, promotes their involvement in the governance process, and operates programs that create coalitions within the minority, business, and other diverse communities. For more information, visit http://www.jointcenter.org.