Washington, DC -- Over the next week the public will be inundated with stories about the 40th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). In an effort to move beyond the hype of “just another anniversary celebration” and ensure that leaders and the public understand and act on the reauthorization of the VRA, the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) will bring together a diverse group of organizations for a nonpartisan symposium on the VRA. The symposium will be held Wednesday, August 10, 2005, 12 Noon – 3 pm at the National Council of Negro Women, 633 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.

NPR’s Juan Williams will moderate as leaders from political, civic, educational, and religious organizations discuss the reauthorization and restoration of the Voting Rights Act, D.C. representation in Congress, and how Supreme Court Nominations impact the VRA. There will be a book signing by Dr. Ronald Walters, author of “Freedom is Not Enough: Black Voters, Black Candidates, and American Presidential Politics.” The symposium is free and open to the public.

WHO: The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation’s (NCBCP) Voices of the Electorate (VOTE) Task Force. PARTICIPANTS INCLUDE:

Dr. Dorothy I. Height, Chair and President Emerita, NCNW
Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, President Emeritus, SCLC
Ken Mehlman, Republican National Committee *
Honorable John Conyers, U. S. House of Representatives *
Wade Henderson, Esq., Executive Director, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Rev. Jeff Johnson, Host, Cousin Jeff Chronicles, Black Entertainment Television
Joe Leonard, Ph.D., Executive Director, Black Leadership Forum
Theodore Shaw, Esq., Director-Counsel & President NAACP Legal Defense and Ed. Fund
Honorable Alesha Thomas Morgan, State Representative, Georgia House of Rep.
Hilary Shelton, Director, Washington Bureau NAACP *


WHAT: Third Annual VOTE Democracy Symposium and Awards Luncheon “Celebration of the Voting Rights Act of 1965”

WHEN: Wednesday, August 10, 2005 TIME: 12 Noon – 3 pm

WHERE: National Council of Negro Women, 633 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC

CONTACT: NCBCP at 202.659.4929



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* Invited