Providence- Community Leaders and Educators will address racial and ethnic disparities in Rhode Island education at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration of the Civil Rights Roundtable to be held Sunday, January 17, 4:00p.m. -6:30 p.m. at the University of Rhode Island Feinstein campus, 80 Washington Street in Providence.

On Dr. Kings weekend, Deputy Commissioner of Education, David Abbott; Elaine Budish, Kids Count RI; Monica Teixiera, Southern New England School of Law; and Dr. Kenneth Wong, Brown Universitys Educational Alliance, will discuss the challenges facing RI urban schools compared to suburban schools. Public education reformist Angus Davis, noted in a Providence Journal article that Getting a quality education shouldnt be determined by what zip code you were born in, and this event will address solutions to that problem.

The program will open with the Roundtables policy and legislative agenda and close with music from the Prism of Praise Community Gospel Choir Ensemble, followed by a reception featuring light refreshments and a birthday cake for Dr. King.

The Rhode Island Civil Rights Roundtable is a coalition established in 1998 by the RI NAACP and RICJ, comprised of over 30 organizations dedicated to collaboration, communication, and networking to ensure the protection of a full spectrum of civil rights for all residents of Rhode Island.

For information, contact Dr. Toby Ayers, Rhode Island for Community & Justice, 401-467-1717 x 102.

Return