Joint Center to Present Inaugural 'Louis E. Martin Great American' Award to Former President Jimmy Carter

4/8/2003

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

WASHINGTON, April 8 -- Former president Jimmy Carter will be honored for his lifelong struggle for human rights and equality with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies' inaugural "Louis E. Martin Great American" Award at its Annual Dinner on April 14. Named for one of the Joint Center's founders and first chairman of its board of governors, the award recognizes individuals who exemplify Martin's effectiveness as a change agent and a coalition builder across lines of race and ethnicity, and his unique combination of optimism, pragmatism, and resourcefulness in the public policy arena. The dinner begins at 7:30 p.m. in the International Ballroom of the Hilton Washington & Towers (1919 Connecticut Avenue, NW).

Audiocast available at noon on Tuesday, April 15, at http://www.jointcenter.org

The evening's other highlight is the keynote speech by Columbia University president Lee C. Bollinger. The former president of the University of Michigan played a critical role in affirmative action at the university and is a defendant along with the university in the two affirmative action cases pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.

"Because we focus on improving the socioeconomic status of African Americans and other groups, we have been interested in racial diversity in all institutions of civil society, particularly college campuses," Joint Center president Eddie N. Williams. "Mr. Bollinger's views on these issues, especially so soon after the Supreme Court oral arguments on April 1, will therefore be of particular interest to our audience."

Widely known as the "godfather of black politics," Louis E. Martin served as an advisor to Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Carter. He began as a crusading journalist in Detroit and Chicago in the 1930s and 1940s and was the editor of the Michigan Chronicle and editor-in-chief of the Chicago Defender. The alliances he forged during that period with black leaders throughout the country made him an invaluable asset to the White House at the height of the civil rights movement.

Preferring to remain behind the scenes, Martin played a crucial role in the appointment of significant firsts for African Americans: Thurgood Marshall to the Supreme Court, Andrew Brimmer to the Federal Reserve Board, and Robert Weaver as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to President Johnson. During his tenure with the Carter administration, Martin was instrumental in having more blacks appointed to federal judgeships than at any time previously.

Other dinner speakers include National Dinner Chair David W. Dorman, chairman and CEO, AT&T; General Dinner Committee Chair William L. Lucas, associate vice president for government affairs, PhRMA; and Eddie N. Williams, president and CEO, Joint Center.

For ticket information, contact the Joint Center's Annual Dinner office at 202-789-3545 or annualdinner@jointcenter.org. An audiocast of the dinner will be available from noon on Tuesday, April 15, on the Joint Center's website, http://www.jointcenter.org.

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.