WHAT:

Harvard University Law Professor Lani Guinier will speak about the civil rights movement and the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Los Angeles civil unrest when she delivers the Thurgood Marshall Lecture on Law and Human Rights.

WHO:

·Lani Guinier is the first African-American woman to become a tenured professor at Harvard Law School. She is co-author of the new book, “The Miner’s Canary,” which proposes a new way of looking at race in the United States.

·California State Assembly Speaker Herb J. Wesson, D-Los Angeles, will give opening remarks.

·Larry McCormick, KTLA-Channel 5 daily feature anchor and weekend news anchor, will be the master of ceremonies.

WHEN:

Media availability, 6–7 p.m.; lecture, 8 p.m., Monday, April 8.

WHERE:

UCLA’s Covel Commons, 200 DeNeve Dr.

BACKGROUND:

In 1993 President Bill Clinton nominated Lani Guinier to be the first African-American woman to head the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. Her name was later withdrawn without a confirmation hearing. The Marshall lecture celebrates the contributions of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, whose record of civil rights advocacy is inextricably linked to the African-American struggle for social and economic justice. It is also a fund-raising dinner for the center.

CONTACT:

Letisia Marquez, Office of Media Relations, (310) 825-2585.

PARKING:

Parking will be available in the Sunset Village lot, 200 DeNeve Dr. Please call for a parking reservation. Broadcast media trucks must park in the turnaround at Sproul Hall, 350 DeNeve Dr. (Do not park in the spaces marked for handicapped parking.)