Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. to Present the Second Annual Public Interest Lecture Series at Northern Illinois University College of Law

October 18, 2005

DeKalb— Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., founder and president of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, will address the Northern Illinois University College of Law as part of the Marla Dickerson Public Interest Lecture Series. The lecture will be given on Thursday, October 20, 2005, at 4:00 p.m. in Altgeld Hall in DeKalb. Reverend Jackson will be the second speaker in this series that began in 2004. According to NIU Law Dean LeRoy Pernell, Rev. Jackson’s presence signifies the importance that NIU Law places on examining the critical issue of voting rights in the United States. “There is intense interest in the NIU Law community in supporting voting empowerment,” says Pernell. Rev. Jackson’s lecture will center on the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Key provisions in the Act are set to expire in 2007. Reverend Jackson’s remarks will be aimed at insuring that such sections are reauthorized in order to protect voters from discrimination at the ballot box.

Rev. Jackson is one of America’s foremost civil rights, religious and political figures. Over the past forty years he has played a pivotal role in virtually every movement for peace, civil rights, gender equality, and economic and social justice. In August of this year, Rev. Jackson and the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition organized the Keep the Vote Alive: Pro Democracy March and Rally, attracting 15,000 supporters to Atlanta, including prominent civil rights leaders, politicians, and celebrities.

“NIU Law is pleased to have one of the most pivotal figures of our time lecture at our school,” says Dean Pernell. “He’s been the voice of conscious on human rights for the nation for several decades.”

Funded by a donation from the Dickerson Family, the Marla Dickerson Public Interest Lecture Series was established to bring distinguished speakers to the Northern Illinois University College of Law to discuss current issues relating to public interest and appropriately honor the spirit of Marla Dickerson. Marla is a former NIU Law student who tragically died in a plane crash in 1994 during her second year of law school. Marla was determined to use her legal education in public interest.

Please RSVP to Melody Mitchell at (815) 753-1027 or mmitchell@niu.edu. This event is free and open to the public.

Note to the media: If you would like to speak with Rev. Jackson prior to the lecture, please contact Melody Mitchell at (815) 753-1027 or mmitchell@niu.edu by Wednesday, October 19, 2005.

 
 
For more information, contact:
Melody Mitchell
Director, Alumni Events & Public Relations
815/753-9655l