Held in honor of Black History Month, the symposium will examine the state of the black condition, race relations and equality in the full context of the movement, from the passage of the 13^th Amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, from the Supreme Court’s 2014 decision to overturn a key provision in the Voting Rights Act to the recent killings of unarmed black men by police in Ferguson, MO and New York City and the resulting nationwide #BlackLivesMatter protests.

Hon. David Paterson, former Governor of New York State and current Distinguished Professor of Health Care and Public Policy at TouroCOM will moderate a panel with Kristen Clarke, Civil Rights Bureau Chief for the New York Attorney General’s Office, Michael Hardy, Executive Vice President & General Counsel for the National Action Network, and Howard Glickstein, Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law at the Touro Law Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center. Barbara Ross-Lee, Vice President of Health Sciences and Medical Affairs at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, the first African American woman to be appointed Dean of an American medical school, will give a special lecture.

Free and open to the public, the symposium will take place from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 12, 2015, at Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM) on 230 West 125th Street in Harlem. For the full program schedule, click here.

“Now, more than ever, as the civil rights movement is reignited, it is imperative that we reflect on the achievements and struggles of people of color in America,” said Dr. Lamar Miller, Dean Emeritus of Touro College Graduate School of Education (GSE). “Further, we must take this time to bring additive voices to the conversation and offer solutions for today’s ongoing race issues.”

Howard Glickstein, Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law at Touro Law Center served for a number of years as a staff attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Appeals and Research Section, where he helped draft the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He stated, “I am honored to participate in this symposium to share my past experiences and comment on the state of race relations and equality in today’s society. I am passionate about civil rights and look forward to an open and productive dialogue.”

The symposium is sponsored by the Touro College GSE, which is ranked #1 in New York State for awarding the most graduate education degrees to people of color, Harlem-based TouroCOM, and the Lander College Region II Equity Assistance Center, which provides services to school districts to address equity issues of race, sex and national origin affecting student achievement and opportunity. As part of its mission, Touro College places an emphasis on serving underserved communities and to increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in the fields of education, law and medicine, among others.

The Touro College and University System

Touro is a system of non-profit institutions of higher and professional education. Touro College was chartered in 1970 primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American and global community. Approximately 19,000 students are currently enrolled in its various schools and divisions. Touro College has branch campuses, locations and instructional sites in the New York area, as well as branch campuses and programs in Berlin, Jerusalem, Moscow, Paris, and Florida. Touro University California and its Nevada branch campus, as well as Touro College Los Angeles, Touro University Worldwide and New York Medical College are separately accredited institutions within the Touro College and University System. For further information on Touro College, please go to: http://www.touro.edu/media/.