Press Release For Immediate Release
The Institute of the Black World 21st Century Addresses the War on Drugs is a War on Us
The Institute of the Black World 21ST Century (IBW) will convene a Town Hall Meeting to increase public awareness about the devastating impact of the "War on Drugs" on the Black community. This very significant meeting will be held at Pittsburgh Obama (Formerly Reizenstein School) 129 Denniston Ave (Across from Bakery Square, Penn Ave, next to Mellon Park) , Pittsburgh, PA. 15206, Friday, May 11, 2012, 6:00 pm (doors open at 5:30 pm).
Dr. Ron Daniels, President of the New York based Institute of the Black World 21ST Century (IBW), states President Richard M. Nixon launched the War on Drugs 41 years ago to halt the trafficking of illegal drugs in the U.S. Dr. Daniels states, "Black communities have been a primary target for selective policing practices that have resulted in the mass incarceration of millions of Black people. Families and communities have been disrupted and devastated by a racially biased policy, specifically, it has had a destructive impact on Black communities across the nation."
Working in conjunction with a local planning committee comprised of criminal justice and drug policy reform advocates, heads of community based organizations and faith leaders; IBW has assembled a stellar panel of speakers to address the disastrous effects of the War on Drugs on Black people. George Curry, Executive Director of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), who writes a weekly syndicated column for the NNPA, a federation of more than 200 African-American newspapers will serve as the Keynote Presenter for the event. Other speakers and panelists will include: Deborah Small Esq., Executive Director, Break the Chains: Communities of Color and the War on Drugs; Neill Franklin, Executive Director, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition; Reginald Good V. P. Pittsburgh Association of Black Social Workers , Marcia Sturdivant, Deputy Director Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Office of Children, Youth and Families and Bernadette Turner, Executive Director Addison Behavioral Care.
Also, individuals affected by the War on Drugs will offer testimonials about their experiences. Additionally, panelists will present alternatives including viewing drugs as a community health challenge rather than a criminal justice issue, and they will discuss whether drugs should be legalized to stop the violence and killing in Black communities. Attorney Nkechi Taifa, Senior Policy Analyst, Open Society Foundations, will be the Moderator/Facilitator for the conversation which will include comments, questions and answers from the audience.
Further, Dr. Daniels indicates that a major goal of the Town Hall Meeting is to encourage policy advocates and concerned citizens to work more closely together to end the War on Drugs and adopt more just and humane alternatives. Finally, IBW will convene a debriefing and strategy meeting Saturday, May 12th, to explore the formation of a criminal justice /drug policy reform collaborative which would meet periodically to discuss ways of effectively advancing an agenda for positive change.
Co-sponsoring the Town Hall Meeting is the National Council for Urban Peace and Justice, Addison Behavioral Care, Bethany House Academy, National Association of Black Social Workers Pittsburgh, Center for Family Excellence The Alleghenians, LTD, INC, and the Western Pennsylvania Black Political Assembly.
For further information or to arrange interviews contact: Tuarone Thomas, Events & Project Manager
412-731-2353 x 124 
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