CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS CONVENE NATIONAL
CONFERENCE ON VOTING RIGHTS ACT, July 26 in D.C.

Event to celebrate the 40 thanniversary of the Act and assess the state of minority voting rights, in light of the impending debate on renewal of the Act’s key provisions

Contact: Eilene Lifsey 202-833-9771

(Washington – July 14, 2005) The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund will convene a national conference to mark the 40 th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), one of the most effective civil rights laws ever passed by Congress. Elected officials, policymakers, community leaders and vast constituencies who compose the nation’s largest civil rights coalition will converge here for this historic conference. The day-long event will include a discussion of the importance of the VRA and its role in advancing equality of voting rights for all Americans and the need to ensure the continued vitality of the Act for years to come.

“At a time when our country has staked much of its international reputation on the promotion of multi-ethnic democracies across the globe, the importance of this conference cannot be overstated,” said Wade Henderson, LCCR executive director.

What: Past and Prologue: National Conference Commemorating the 40 th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965

When: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Where: Hyatt Regency Hotel
400 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC

.Who: Conference Participants include :

• The Honorable Judge Nathaniel R. Jones – Lunchtime Keynote Speaker

• Arturo Vargas, Executive Director, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO)

• Ted Shaw , Director-Counsel & President, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

• Karen Narasaki, Executive Director, National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium (NAPALC)

For more information on set up and media attendance or to obtain interviews with conference participants please contact 202-833-9771.

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