Last modified: Monday, February 6, 2006
Media Advisory: Renowned diversity expert to speak at Indiana University
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Elias Blake, a highly regarded expert on African American educational legal issues, will speak about diversity, affirmative action and other important educational issues on Thursday (Feb. 9) as part of the Indiana University School of Education's Black History month celebration.
When: Thursday, Feb. 9, 5 p.m.
Where: W.W. Wright Education Building auditorium
Informal reception: 4:30 p.m. in the atrium of the W.W. Wright Education Building
Blake, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Benjamin E. Mays National Educational Resource, worked tirelessly during the last 50 years to study and reverse inequities in the education received by minority students as they progress through their elementary and high school years to college. A champion of historically black universities and colleges, he has worked to promote educational equality through his roles as university president, university professor, expert witness before Congress and president of influential educational think tanks. He also served as a trustee on the governing board of several universities and educational organizations.
"Dr. Blake's greatest contribution is his writings, research and passion for access for black and minority students all over America," said Avin O. Chambliss Jr., a visiting professor in the School of Education and the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies. Chambliss, a nationally known civil rights attorney, has worked with Blake for more than 20 years on high-profile affirmative action and desegregation issues.
Blake holds a Ph.D. degree from the University of Illinois and has held a variety of academic and research positions, including president of Clark College in Atlanta. He has served as chairman of the National Advisory Committee on Blacks in Higher Education (U.S. Department of Education); chairman of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; and as an adviser to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
For more information, contact Chambliss, 812-856-8587and aochambl@indiana.edu, or Katrina Ladwig, 812-856-8005 and kwladwig@indiana.edu.
