Explorations in Black Leadership
Annual Series Features Amiri Baraka And Vernon Jordan

September 6, 2002-- The Explorations in Black Leadership fall 2002 series at the University of Virginia will include talks by civil rights activists, authors and business leaders.

Co-sponsored by U.Va.’s Institute for Public History and the Darden School of Graduate Business Administration, the aim of the three-year-old project is to preserve lessons in leadership for future generations. Julian Bond, a U.Va. history professor, is scheduled to introduce each speaker.

The series of four University-wide public discussions will begin Tuesday, Sept. 24. All are free and open to the public.

The series schedule includes:

• Amiri Baraka, playwright and poet. A revolutionary activist during the 1960s, Baraka became nationally prominent after the production of his award-winning play, “Dutchman.” Although he retired in 1999, after 20 years of teaching in the Department of Africana Studies at SUNY-Stony Brook, he continues to write and publish, and frequently speaks at colleges and universities. Sept. 24, 8 p.m., The Rotunda.

• Vernon Jordan, civil rights activist, attorney and political insider. With Annette Gordon-Reed, author and associate professor at New York University Law School. Jordan is a former president of the National Urban League and former executive director of the United Negro College Fund. Considered one of the most powerful lawyers in America, Jordan has long been a Washington power broker and served as an adviser to former President Bill Clinton.

After reading Gordon-Reed’s acclaimed book, “Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson: An American Controversy,” Jordan asked her to write the story of his life. Gordon-Reed will introduce Jordan and talk about how she approached the writing of “Vernon Can Read.” Oct. 9, 8 p.m., Old Cabell Hall.

• Lucius Theus, retired Air Force major general and one of the Tuskegee Airmen, an elite group of 450 black pilots. Theus retired from the Air Force in 1979 as director of accounting and finance and currently is director of Civic Affairs for Allied Corp. Oct. 29, 8 p.m., The Rotunda.

• J. T. (Ted) Childs, child and family advocate. As a young man, Childs was assistant to Benjamin Hooks, former NAACP director. More recently he was an adviser to the White House Working Group on Child Care. Childs is vice president for Workforce Diversity at IBM. Nov. 12, 8 p.m., The Rotunda.

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For more information, call Liam Buckley at the Institute for Public History at (434) 924-6945.

Media contact: Katherine Jackson, (434) 924-3629

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Contact the Office of University Relations at (434) 924-7116. Television reporters should contact the TV News Office at (434) 924-7550.

SOURCE: U.Va. News Services

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