NEW YORK, Sept. 12 LCCRUL-awards-gala
Honorees to be Lauded for Diversity and Equal Rights Accomplishments During Black-Tie Anniversary Gala and Higginbotham Award Dinner
NEW YORK, Sept. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (LCCRUL) will celebrate "45 Years in the Relentless Pursuit of Justice" with an Annual Gala Celebration & Higginbotham Award Dinner in New York on September 15, 2008. The Lawyers' Committee, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination, will celebrate its storied history and accomplishments while also recognizing three outstanding honorees who truly exemplify the Lawyers' Committee's core objective of obtaining equal opportunity under the law for minorities by addressing factors that contribute to racial justice and economic opportunity.
"Forty-five years following Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic "I Have a Dream" speech and 45 years following our founding, America still has a long road to tread in achieving racial and social equality," said Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Executive Director Barbara R. Arnwine. "Very troubling problems continue to plague our society such as the alarming rate of foreclosures devastating low-income and minority communities and countless instances of discrimination nationally and internationally in the areas of housing, fair lending, community development, employment, voting, education and environmental justice."
"We are extremely grateful to our generous sponsors for their unyielding support in advancing President John F. Kennedy's vision and to fight for those facing the scourge of racial, social and economic injustice in our society. We are especially appreciative of our lead sponsor, UPS, a former A. Leon Higginbotham Corporate Leadership Award honoree recognized for their outstanding diversity efforts, for their support in the amount of $100,000. Our special thanks to our dear friends Reuben Mark and Andrew Hendry at the Colgate-Palmolive Company for their help in making our 45th Anniversary Dinner a tremendous success," Arnwine continued.
During the black-tie event (6:30 p.m. reception; 7:30 p.m. dinner) at the Grand Hyatt New York, located at Park Avenue at Grand Central Station (42nd and Lexington Avenue), the following illustrious honorees will be recognized:
Earl G. Graves Sr. -- A. Leon Higginbotham Lifetime Achievement Award
Earl G. Graves, founder and publisher of BLACK ENTERPRISE magazine and a nationally recognized authority on black business development, will be honored for his pioneering work in advancing Black executive leadership, fostering Black business development and mentoring countless young entrepreneurs. Among his many accomplishments, Graves was named one of the 10 most outstanding minority businessmen in the country by the President of the United States and received the National Award of Excellence in recognition of his achievements in minority business enterprise. Fortune magazine named him one of the 50 most powerful and influential African Americans in corporate America. In 2007, Graves was inducted into the U.S. Business Hall of Fame.
The prestigious Higginbotham award is named in memory of Chief Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr., a civil rights advocate, author and federal appeals court judge. Mr. Higginbotham was the first African American judge to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern Division of Pennsylvania. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995. His countless achievements include appointment by President Kennedy as the first African American to serve on the Federal Trade Commission and authoring the acclaimed, In the Matter of Color: Race and the American Legal Process, a study of the treatment of race in the colonial American legal system.
Fredrick M. Nicholas -- Lloyd N. Cutler lifetime Achievement Award
Fred M. Nicholas, an attorney specializing in real estate development and leases, is being recognized for his trailblazing efforts of founding the largest pro bono public interest law firm in the world, Public Counsel. He is president of The Hapsmith Company, a real estate development firm with interests in Northern and Southern California, Washington State and Washington, D.C. Nicholas serves on the Board of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and is a director of the ACLU Foundation where he received the Equal Justice Advocacy Award in 2005.
Mary D. Lindsay -- George N. Lindsay Fellowship
Mary Lindsay is a tireless advocate for women's rights and social equality and the founder of Americans for UNFPA, an international agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and opportunity. She has served on the Boards of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Pathfinder International and the Columbia School of Nursing. In 1998, Mrs. Lindsay and family helped to establish the George N. Lindsay Civil Rights Legal Fellowship to provide an opportunity for recent law school graduates to gain hands-on experience in civil rights advocacy with the Lawyers' Committee.
George Lindsay exemplified the private bar's commitment to equal justice. A presiding partner with Debevoise & Plimpton LLC, Lindsay served the Lawyers' Committee with dedication and eloquence for over a quarter of a century. As co-chair from 1969-1971, he helped to establish a Lawyers' Committee office in Cairo, Illinois in response to racial violence by white supremacists and he worked tirelessly to see the end of apartheid as chair of the Committee's South Africa Project Advisory Committee. He spoke frequently in support of the Lawyers' Committee's voting rights work, encouraging a more active role in public policy advocacy, particularly on behalf of people living in poverty. He worked energetically himself and used his enormous intellect and enthusiasm to inspire many to join the important work of LCCRUL.
This year's Gala and Higginbotham dinner has raised over $2 million. Profits will support the Lawyers' Committee's mission to serve as an advocate for underrepresented communities. For more information about the 45th Anniversary Gala and Higginbotham Award Dinner, this year's honorees, and a full listing of sponsors, please visit www.lawyerscommitte.org.
The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (LCCRUL), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The principal mission of the Lawyers' Committee is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice under law, particularly in the areas of housing, community development, employment, voting, education and environmental justice. For more information about the LCCRUL, visit www.lawyerscommittee.org.
SOURCE Lawyers' Committee For Civil Rights Under Law
