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NATIONAL COALITION TO ABOLISH THE DEATH PENALTY
PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT:
David Elliot, NCADP Communications Director
202-543-9577, ext. 16
cell phone: 202-607-7036
[email protected]
www.ncadp.org
920 Pennsylvania Ave. SE
Washington, D.C. 20003
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NCADP LAUNCHES SEVEN-STATE TOUR OF HISTORICALLY
BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ACROSS THE SOUTH
Aug. 24, 2004 - The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty
next week will embark on an seven-state tour of historically black
colleges and universities aimed at promoting student involvement in
civil and human rights issues as well as voter registration and turnout.
The tour, which will run from Labor Day Weekend through Thanksgiving,
will visit HBCUs during classic football games and homecoming events
and will provide a fun and educational mix of hip-hop culture, student
activism and education. The tour will visit North Carolina, Georgia,
Texas, Virginia, Florida, Tennessee, Louisiana and Washington, D.C.
"The tour comes at a time when the issue of race and the death penalty
is moving to the forefront of the debate over capital punishment in
the United States," said Jotaka Eadddy, NCADP's lead organizer.
"Human rights and the death penalty are issues that spark the interest
of today's generation of black college students. These students will
help influence determine the outcome of the November elections in
the short term and the death penalty over the longer haul. It is time
for our voices to be heard and it is time for our votes to be counted."
Eaddy added that the issue of the death penalty has gained prominence
in recent years. Courts and legislators have narrowed the circumstances
when the death penalty may be applied and the U.S. Supreme Court this
fall will examine the constitutionality of the juvenile death penalty,
which disproportionately affects people of color. In addition, 115
people have been freed from death row after new evidence of innocence
emerged.
The tour will include music, parties and educational panels featuring
experts on the death penalty, human rights and civil rights. Tour dates
include:
Sept. 2-4, North Carolina Central, Raleigh, North Carolina, "Aggie-Eagle
Classic."
Sept. 17-19, Atlanta University Center, Atlanta, Georgia, "March on AUC."
Sept. 30-Oct. 2, Paul Quinn College, Dallas, Texas, "State Fair Classic."
Oct. 14-16, Hampton University, "Battle of the Bay Classic."
Oct. 21-23, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Homecoming.
Oct. 28-30, Howard University, Washington, D.C., Homecoming
Nov. 4-6, Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee, Homecoming.
Nov. 25-27, Grambling University, New Orleans, "Bayou Classic."
NCADP has joined with BE Magazine in organizing the tour. BE Magazine is
distributed to 50,000 students at historically black colleges and
universities, and is written and produced by HBCU students.
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The National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty was founded
in 1976 and is the only fully-staffed national organization
devoted specifically to abolishing the death penalty. NCADP is
comprised of more than 100 local, state, national and international
affiliates.
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