John Conyers, Patricia Rouse and Soledad O???Brien to be Honored by Nation???s Largest Civil Rights Coalition
The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) today announced that it will honor Representative John Conyers, D. Mich., Enterprise Community Partners’ Patricia Rouse, and Emmy award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien at its annual Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award Dinner on May 14.
LCCR President Wade Henderson said of the 2008 awardees:
“As the Leadership Conference continues to press for inclusion in protecting civil and human rights, we recognize this year three remarkable individuals for their dedication to public service in the cause of equality. These three individuals epitomize the legacy of concern for liberty, justice, and equality under the law that characterized the life of Hubert H. Humphrey Jr., the former vice president, senator, and civil rights pioneer.”
Henderson noted that 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, a cornerstone of civil rights legislation. “Representative Conyers’ advocacy for the Act and its amendments, Patricia Rouse’s unflagging efforts to support fair housing, and Soledad O’Brien’s pivotal role in telling the stories of Katrina’s homeless make these honors all the more fitting. We have much further to go on the road to housing equality, and our honorees are among those who are leading the way.”
LCCR’s 32nd annual dinner will bring together a who’s who of the social justice community – national civil and human rights leaders, members of Congress, executive branch officials, business leaders, educators, and the next generation of civil and human rights advocates.
Past recipients of the Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights honor have included President Bill Clinton, veteran and disability advocate Tammy Duckworth, historian John Hope Franklin, labor leader Dolores Huerta, civil rights icon Julian Bond, journalists Tom Joyner and Ellen Goodman, as well as elected leaders Ted Kennedy, Barbara Jordan, John Lewis, and Connie Morella..
Proceeds from the dinner help to fund LCCR’s bipartisan efforts to enact and enforce meaningful civil rights protections for all Americans.
The awards dinner, the nation’s largest gathering of the civil and human rights community, will be held at the Hilton Washington. Ticket and sponsorship information are available at www.civilrights.org or by calling 202 263-2857.
About the 2008 Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award Honorees:
JOHN CONYERS, JR., D. Mich.
Representative John Conyers has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1964, representing Michigan’s 14th District. He is currently Chairman of the pivotal House Judiciary Committee. A leader throughout our nation’s civil rights struggles and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Rep. Conyers has been a relentless voice for equality and equal opportunity. He has fought to protect working families, ensure equal pay for women and minorities, increase the minimum wage, address hate crimes and violence against women, and promote meaningful enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. He has been a leading spokesman for voting rights and co-authored legislation to end discriminatory election practices. A champion of health care reform, he is leading the fight to ensure that every American, regardless of income, employment status, or race, has access to quality, affordable health care. The Leadership Conference is proud to honor John Conyers’ more than four decades of leadership in advancing civil and human rights.
PATRICIA ROUSE
Patricia Rouse co-founded the Enterprise Foundation with her late husband, James Rouse. She currently serves as vice-president and secretary of the organization, now known as Enterprise Community Partners. Ms. Rouse has been a tireless advocate for fair and affordable housing, paving the way for countless low-income families to move from poverty to the mainstream of American life. She was appointed by President George H.W. Bush to serve on the Commission on National and Community Service, has been a board member of the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing, and served on many Maryland and national boards of organizations dedicated to equality and opportunity in housing. In the spirit of the Leadership Conference, she is a coalition builder, forging strong partnerships with diverse stakeholders to protect the poor, working class families, the homeless, the elderly, and those displaced by natural disasters. The civil rights coalition is pleased to honor Patricia Rouse for advancing equality to its fullest measure.
SOLEDAD O’BRIEN
Soledad O’Brien is an anchor and special correspondent for CNN’s Special Investigations Unit, delivering in-depth reports on current events and showing the human face of those affected by critical social and economic developments. Her highly acclaimed documentary of Martin Luther King offered fresh investigative insights regarding his writings and his life’s work. Ms. O’Brien has been lauded for sharing with America the personal stories of people caught up in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the related housing shortage; the tsunami in Southeast Asia; and the contested vote counts of 2004. As CNN’s point person during President George W. Bush’s visit to Mexico, she delivered a series of eye-opening reports on the conditions that are fueling the immigration crisis. Ms. O’Brien is the recipient of a number of awards for journalism and humanitarianism and this spring is slated to receive Morehouse School of Medicine’s first “Soledad O’Brien Freedom’s Voice Award” for her role as a catalyst for social change. Her objective and far-reaching coverage of topical issues has contributed to the dialogue over countless civil and human rights issues, and the Leadership Conference is proud to recognize her for raising the voices of those at the margins of society.