UNCF CEO Lomax to join Reps. Conyers and Jackson Lee to Unveil Bills to Reform Policing and Youth Incarceration

MEDIA ADVISORY

Media Contact:
Ashlei Stevens
UNCF Communications
202.810.0226
ashlei.stevens@uncf.org

 

WASHINGTON, DC—On Wednesday, July 22, 2015, UNCF President and CEO Dr. Michael L. Lomax will join House Judiciary Committee ranking member John Conyers, Jr., and Judiciary Crime Subcommittee ranking member Sheila Jackson Lee as they unveil a package of legislative proposals to reform policing and youth incarceration.

“Reps. Conyers and Jackson Lee have been stalwarts in their unyielding efforts to ensure that our criminal justice system is fair and that African Americans and other minorities are not victimized by inhumane treatment in our federal and state prison systems, and that our young people are more likely to be given second chances,” said Lomax. “We need to put far fewer young black men behind bars, and far more young black men behind desks—in classrooms and in their communities—to create Better Futures® for themselves and for us all. We owe these legislators our thanks, and we owe them an all-out campaign to pass their legislation to reform and improve how our youth are treated in the correctional system.”

WHO:

  • House Judiciary Committee ranking member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI)
  • House Judiciary Crime Subcommittee ranking member Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX)
  • Gregory Thomas, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives
  • Julie Stewart, president of Families Against Mandatory Minimums  Hillary Shelton, NAACP
  • Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF
  • Suzanne Bergeron, National Urban League
  • Paul Prestia, attorney for the family of Kalief Browder

WHAT:  Press conference to unveil bills to reform policing and youth incarceration

WHEN:  TODAY – Wednesday, July 22, 2015, at 11:45 a.m., EST

WHERE:  Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2237, Washington, DC

The press conference will be live-streamed.

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About UNCF
UNCF (the United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, supports and strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding 21 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at over 1,100 colleges and universities across the country. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, ‟A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”® Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Twitter at @UNCF.