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News & Events
Prominent
Civil Rights Attorney to Speak at NVC on Election
Day
For
Immediate Release
October
27, 2006
Contact:
Maureen Smith, Public Information Officer, Northwest
Vista College
210-348-2011
msmith@accd.edu
On
Tuesday, November 7, Northwest Vista College will
host Morris Dees, prominent civil rights attorney
and cofounder of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
During his presentation, "With Justice for All," Dees
will address how all Americans' commitment to justice
will determine the country's success in the next century
as the U.S. becomes more socially and economically
diverse. He will also discuss some of his cases, and
share how and why he became an attorney.
Dees'
appearance at Northwest Vista is part of a college-wide
fall theme promoting ethics.
"We
invited Morris Dees to our campus because we believe,
as a strong proponent of ethical behavior, he can
address these issues to our students," explains Dr.
Terry Goddard, assistant professor of history at Northwest
Vista College. "Dees has taken theory and put it into
action, working for the protection of those in our
community that are the target of hate. We hope his
presentation will spark open, honest dialogue about
the important social issues facing our country today."
In
his role as cofounder and chief trial counsel for
the Southern Poverty Law Center, Dees participates
in suing hate groups and mapping new directions for
the Center.
He
has received numerous awards in recognition of his
work at the Southern Poverty Law Center. Trial Lawyers
for Public Justice named him "Trial Lawyer of the
Year" in 1987, and he received the Martin Luther King
Jr. Memorial Award from the National Education Association
in 1990. The American Bar Association gave him its
Young Lawyers Distinguished Service Award, and the
American Civil Liberties Union honored Dees with its
Roger Baldwin Award. Colleges and universities have
recognized his accomplishments with honorary degrees,
and the University of Alabama gave Dees its Humanitarian
Award in 1993. In 2001, the National Education Association
selected him as a recipient of its Friend of Education
Award, its highest award, for his "exemplary contributions
to education, tolerance and civil rights."
Dees
is the author of the autobiography A Season for Justice
(Charles Scribner's Sons, 1991), Hate on Trial: The
Case Against America's Most Dangerous Neo-Nazi (Villard
Books, 1993), and Gathering Storm: America's Militia
Threat (HarperCollins, 1996).
The
presentation will be held at 11:00 a.m. in the Mountain
Laurel Hall Parking Lot. The event is free and open
to the public.
Photo
credit: Southern Poverty Law Center
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