FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAYOR OF MAJOR U.S. CITY TO DISCUSS LEGACY AND CURRENT STATE OF POLITICS AT UNLV

WHO: Former Gary, Ind. Mayor Richard G. Hatcher and Cordell Stokes, son of late Cleveland Mayor Carl B. Stokes

DATE: Wednesday, April 30, 2008

TIME: 10 a.m. - 12 p.m.

LOCATION: Thomas & Mack Moot Court at UNLV

Former Gary, Ind. Mayor Richard G. Hatcher and Cordell Stokes, son of late Cleveland Mayor Carl B. Stokes, will discuss how the two made history 40 years ago as the first two black mayors of major American cities and share their thoughts on the state of black America, particularly in this historic presidential election year.

The panel discussion, to be held April 30 in the Thomas & Mack Moot Court at UNLV, will also include Gary Councilwoman Ragen Hatcher and UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law Dean John Valery White, who will serve as moderator.

Both elected in 1967, Richard Hatcher and Carl Stokes were the first two African-Americans to hold mayoral office in major U.S. cities. Having lived and worked through the Civil Rights Movement, these men encountered tremendous resistance during their campaigns and while in office.

Hatcher is currently the board chairman and president of the National Civil Rights Hall of Fame. During his unprecedented five-term run as mayor of Gary, Hatcher became a national spokesperson on civil rights issues, having served as campaign chairman for Jesse Jackson's two presidential runs in the 1980s.

Carl Stokes served as mayor of Cleveland from 1967 to 1971. In addition to his history-making tenure as mayor, Stokes became the first black anchorman to appear daily on WNBC, the network's flagship station in New York City.

The event is free and open to the public and is co-sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Diversity & Inclusion and the William S. Boyd School of Law. For more information, please contact Takiyah Beckett at (702) 895-5580.