Martin Luther King III to Keynote MLK Convocation

Florida A&M University (FAMU) will host its annual Martin Luther King Convocation on Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 10:10 a.m. in the Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium. This year’s keynote speaker is Martin Luther King III, son of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

As the oldest son of the late Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King III is carrying the torch lit by both of his parents into the 21st century. His dedication to creating and implementing strategic nonviolent action to rid the world of social, political and economic injustice has propelled him to the forefront as one of the nation’s most ardent advocates for the poor, the oppressed and the disillusioned.

In 1986, King was elected to political office as an at-large representative of more than 700,000 residents of Fulton County, Ga. His tenure on the Board of Commissioners was marked by strong ethics legislation, purification of the county’s natural water resources, legislation regulating minority business participation in public contracting and stringent hazardous waste disposal requirements.

King is committed to the personal and educational development of youth and has initiated several programs throughout the years to support and nurture young people. Among them are the King Summer Intern Program designed to provide employment opportunities for high school students; Hoops for Health – a charity basketball game held to increase public awareness of newborns suffering the affects of substance abuse; and A Call to Manhood – an annual event designed to unite young African-American males with positive adult role models. One of King’s ongoing collaborations is with the annual Kindness and Justice Challenge sponsored by Do Something, Inc.

In the 1980’s, King was incarcerated for protesting against injustices in South Africa and for the release of freedom fighter Nelson Mandela. Throughout the 1990s, King continued the fight for justice by addressing the moral and political dilemmas of Haiti, Nigeria, Australia, and Sierra Leone. He has led protests against the biased digital divide in the field of technology and has spoken to the United Nations on behalf of individuals living with the challenges of AIDS. In the spring of 2001, King hosted a series on the Wisdom Network cable channel titled “The Wisdom of Dreams.” The programs highlighted stories of individuals who were able to achieve extraordinary feats by steadfastly pursuing their dreams.

In 2003, King co-sponsored the 40th Anniversary of the historic March On Washington with human rights organizations from across the country. His experiences as a committed son of the civil rights movement give him a unique perspective concerning critical problems facing our nation and world. In 2006 King founded the organization called Realizing the Dream and conducted a four-month long listening and learning tour on poverty in America. The program focus is three fold: economic development, youth leadership development, and nonviolence education, training and technical assistance programs.

King received his bachelor of arts degree in political science from Morehouse College, and is the recipient of numerous awards and several honorary degrees. In addition to being the president and chief executive officer of The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center in Atlanta, Ga., King is married to Arndrea Waters King and they are the proud parents of a young daughter, Yolanda Renee.

Joshua Green, from Redlands Calif., was the 2nd place winner for a presentation on his research and extension experience in South Africa at the Professional Agricultural Worker’s Conference (PAWC) at Tuskegee University.

Green is a senior international agriculture and business major at Florida A&M University (FAMU) in the College of Engineering Sciences, Technology and Agriculture (CESTA).

As a participant in the College’s Research and Extension Scholars Program, Green is mentored under the FAMU Center for International Agriculture Trade, with Harriett Paul as his adviser. Green was able to experience a research internship through the international agriculture development with the FAMU Farmer-to-Farmer (Ftf) program in Alice, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The Center funded the internship with a purpose to assist historically disadvantaged farmers in South Africa.

The five-week internship with the University of Fort Hare (UFH) Agripark Cooperative provided an opportunity for Green to conduct a multipurpose General Household Survey (GHS) in Eastern Cape on a total of 20 small-scale farmers in the region. Ten farmers are working with the Agripark Cooperative, and the other ten are non-Agripark farmers from the region. Green collected information for the study, which will be used by the FtF Program to obtain a comprehensive profile on the farming households in order to gain a better understanding of how to improve their economic condition.

About the PAWC presentation, Green, 22, said, “Among thirty student presenters from around the country, I was able to successfully present my paper and place in the top percentile. My paper and presentation allowed me to place second! I feel I did a superb job and I look forward to many opportunities such as this one.”

His oral presentation at PAWC was titled, “Research and Service Learning in South Africa,” and is the culmination of the field study and data analysis in South Africa. The presentation was written under the supervision of Center faculty, staff and international partners.

For more information, contact the FAMU Office of International Agricultural Programs at (850) 599-8867.

Three Florida A&M University (FAMU) College of Law students are working with Jim Kallinger, Florida’s Chief Child Advocate, to compose a proposed bill that, if it were to become law, would require parents of children in state custody to pay child support to the State of Florida.

Kallinger, who is the director of the Governor’s Office of Adoption and Child Protection, has received a draft of the proposed legislation prepared by third-year law students Heather Barry, Keith Boykins and Julian Jackson-Fannin. The law students are legal interns with the FAMU Legal Clinic Program, and are supervised by adjunct professor Linda Rohrbaugh, clinic law instructor Eunice Caussade-Garcia, and clinic director and assistant professor Ann Marie Cavazos.

“The Governor’s Office has had a long-standing partnership with the FAMU College of Law and with the assistance of their professors and outstanding students, we are able to explore the efficacy of good public policy that would improve the well-being of Florida’s children,” said Kallinger.

The intent language in the bill states that the purpose is to defray some of the costs the State of Florida and taxpayers incur with the care and education of children in the foster care system. The proposal supports the state’s increased emphasis on adoption and child abuse prevention.

Kallinger's office was created in 2007 to establish a comprehensive statewide approach to the prevention of child abuse and neglect, the promotion of adoption, and the support of adoptive families. Introducing such legislation is directly in line with the goals of the Governor’s Office and the mission of the FAMU College of Law to serve the underserved.

“Through this proposal, our law students have once again demonstrated the real-world value of blending classroom theory with practical experience in our legal clinic program,” said LeRoy Pernell, dean of the FAMU College of Law.

Once a final draft of the proposed bill is agreed upon and a legislative sponsor is identified, Florida would be the first state to enact this type of legislation requiring financial support from the parents to the state in dependency cases, if it were to become law.

“The state is undertaking a burden of being the surrogate parent when a child is placed in foster care,” said Cavazos. “The objective is for children to be raised by their parents. However, when this responsibility is abdicated to the state, then parents should contribute to the expense of raising the child in order to prevent a pervasive incentive.”

The FAMU College of Law's Legal Clinic Program offers third-year law students an opportunity to serve traditionally underrepresented clients under the supervision of faculty, the bench and the bar. The clinical program offers a variety of in-house clinics and externships that allow students the opportunity to explore various career potentials and handle problems that arise from poverty, inequality, and other social ills.

“The opportunity to develop law students' education, creativity, and legislative advocacy skills while achieving a societal benefit demonstrates the unique capabilities of clinical education,” Cavazos said. “Therefore, in order to meet the demands of the marketplace, it is imperative that our students are afforded every opportunity to develop practical skills through “hands-on” training under the supervision of faculty who are licensed practitioners.”

Kallinger has previously worked with the FAMU College of Law Clinic students. In 2008, three College of Law students were recognized by Kallinger for their assistance in helping the state to implement reforms and ratify the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children.



The FAMU College of Law was founded in 1949 on the main campus in Tallahassee. After graduating 57 lawyers, the law school was closed by the state of Florida in 1968. The Florida Legislature voted to reopen the law school in 2000 and Orlando was selected as the location. The re-established FAMU College of Law opened its doors in 2002 and is now housed in a state-of-the-art facility in downtown Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood. The FAMU College of Law received full accreditation from the American Bar Association in July 2009, and is ranked number one in the nation for Diversity by U.S. News & World Report.

Florida A&M University (FAMU) will welcome one of the most renowned and influential voices of today, Maya Angelou, Wednesday, January 26, 2011 in the Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m.

Angelou will perform as part of the 2010-2011 FAMU Lyceum Series.

“We are so excited to have Ms. Angelou to be a part of our lyceum series,” said FAMU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Cynthia Hughes Harris. “She has been hailed as a global renaissance woman. I am confident that our faculty, staff, students, alumni and the Tallahassee community will be graced with wisdom that will leave them speechless.”

Angelou is a celebrated poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker and civil rights activist.

A trailblazer in film and television, Angelou wrote the screenplay and composed the score for the 1972 film Georgia, Georgia. Her script, the first by an African- American woman ever to be filmed, was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

She continues to appear on television and in films including the landmark television adaptation of Alex Haley’s Roots (1977) and John Singleton’s Poetic Justice (1993).

In 1996, she directed her first feature film, Down in the Delta. In 2008, she composed poetry for and narrated the award-winning documentary The Black Candle, directed by M.K. Asante.

Angelou has served on two presidential committees, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Arts in 2000, the Lincoln Medal in 2008, and has received three Grammy Awards. President Bill Clinton requested that she compose a poem to read at his inauguration in 1993.

Angelou has received more than 30 honorary degrees and is Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University.

The FAMU Lyceum Series has been a part of the FAMU tradition since the university’s early beginnings.

Throughout the history of the series, FAMU has enriched campus life and shared with the community the artists, performers and lecturers of the day.

Enhancing FAMU students’ exposure to culture is essential to the selection of performers. The campus is also committed to exposing the Tallahassee community to a variety of cultural experiences through the series.

Ticket prices are $50, $35, $25 and $10. For more information, contact the Office of Communications at (850) 599-3413.

President of CBS News and Sports Sean McManus announced today that CBS News is establishing the Harold Dow Professorship at the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication at Florida A&M University (FAMU), which is the first historically black university to have an accredited journalism program. The professorship is designed to enhance presentation skills for students interested in on-air positions in broadcast television and will begin in the 2011-2012 academic year.

CBS News is also implementing an array of initiatives to further promote diversity and excellence in journalism. Among the workplace programs CBS is putting into effect in 2011 are a new paid internship program, a professional development program and a discretionary award to be used by the president of CBS News to recognize truly outstanding contributions by News Division employees who promote excellence and diversity at CBS News.

"Through these initiatives in our workplace and with the aspiring young journalists at the distinguished Florida A&M University journalism program, CBS News is expanding its longstanding commitment to diversity, to industry excellence and to nurturing future generations of journalists," said McManus. "We also are extremely pleased that we are able to memorialize our colleague and dear friend, broadcasting legend Harold Dow, in this significant way."

"We are profoundly appreciative to have the CBS Harold Dow Professorship, which will immediately enhance the education of students committed to a career in broadcast journalism," said James Hawkins, dean of the FAMU School of Journalism and Graphic Communication. "This professorship speaks volumes about CBS's regard for journalism education and appreciation for Harold Dow, a gifted journalist whose work was nothing short of outstanding. It is our goal to produce journalists who will commit to the trusted standards of CBS and Harold Dow."

Dow had been a correspondent for 48 HOURS since 1990, after serving as a contributor to the broadcast since its premiere on Jan. 19, 1988. He was a contributor to the critically acclaimed 1986 documentary "48 Hours on Crack Street," which led to the creation of the single-topic weekly news magazine. Over the course of his distinguished career at the Network, Dow served as a correspondent for the CBS News magazine, STREET STORIES, and reported for the CBS EVENING NEWS, SUNDAY MORNING and the CBS News legal series, VERDICT. He also served as co-anchor on CBS News' NIGHTWATCH, prior to which he was a correspondent and reporter at CBS News' Los Angeles bureau.

"Harold was a celebrated journalist, a CBS colleague and a friend and mentor to me and to so many throughout his career," said CBS News senior producer Kim Godwin, a Florida A&M School of Journalism and Graphic Communication alumna and former faculty member. "I am proud of CBS's ongoing focus on excellence and diversity in our newsroom and in the industry as a whole, and so very gratified that the students at FAMU will benefit from this wonderful professorship established in celebration of Harold's extraordinary contributions and career."

A Day in the Life of a Graduate

This Day in the Life of Amari Jones, an environmental science graduate from Houston, Texas, is a special one. Jones will close one chapter in her story to soon begin another. This is a day in the life of a FAMU Graduate.... Class of 2010

Veteran Democratic political strategist Donna Brazile told more than 700 Florida A&M University (FAMU) fall graduates during FAMU’s Commencement Ceremony that they must struggle to reach their respective goals.

“It is a special day and I know you will be excited for tomorrow,” Brazile said. “There are barriers you are destined to break. Who here today will break new ground? Who here today will beat the odds and make FAMU proud? My secret is that we are meant to struggle. We grow by our struggles. We mature by how we handle adversity. FAMU has prepared you to go out there and conquer the world.”

Brazile, a New Orleans native, admitted that a lot has changed since her childhood.

“But it is not as different as you think it is,” she said. “We were young and restless, but we made noise. Agitation for change is the duty for youth. This is your mission. We owe our freedom to those who laid down their lives. It’s now your fight to secure the future for your children’s future and for your grandchildren’s future. It’s your moment—seize it. It’s your future—claim it.”

Markashia Jeter, who earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism, said graduation felt surreal to her.

“We worked so very hard throughout our four years at FAMU, and on Dec. 10, it all paid off,” said Jeter, an Atlanta, Ga. native. “FAMU taught me to be a preserver. I made sure my nephews were a part of the experience with me, and hopefully, it will encourage them to attend FAMU one day. Donna Brazile’s words were insightful. Brazile embodies wisdom and I’m glad she shared her story with us.”

FAMU President James H. Ammons presented Brazile with the President’s Award. He later encouraged the graduates to make their marks on the world.

“Go out and change the world,” said Ammons.

A Day in The Life of an Allied Health Student - Staying Fit

A day in the life of Sean Montford, a senior allied health student from Miami, Fla., can whip anyone into shape. This pro health student manages his classroom performance, alongside of assisting others in weight training and pre physical therapy. This is a day in the life... Staying healthy.