U.S. Attorney's Office Presents Civil Rights and Hate Crimes Symposium
BIRMINGHAM – The U.S. Attorney's Office will present a Civil Rights and Hate Crimes Symposium Thursday to highlight the broad spectrum of civil rights protections as the country nears the 50th anniversary celebration of many historic events of the Civil Rights Movement, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance.
Wayne Flynt, Alabama historian and author, now editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Alabama, will be keynote speaker for the event. The topic of Flynt's address is: Evolving Civil Rights – The Past and Future.
The sessions of the symposium will provide an overview of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009; the Americans with Disabilities Act; the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act (USERRA); anti-bullying laws; and other civil rights laws and regulations.
Among the presenters Thursday is Albany County, Wyo., Sheriff David O'Malley. As a detective in the Laramie, Wyo., Police Department, O'Malley investigated the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard, a 21-year-old college student who was beaten to death because he was gay.
The symposium will be from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Harbert Center, 2019 Fourth Ave. North, Birmingham. Availability for media interviews with the U.S. attorney and other participants will be provided from 8:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. at the center.
The symposium is provided for law enforcement officers and the public. Attendance is free, but space is limited.
For more information, contact Peggy Sanford, 205-244-2020, peggy.sanford@usdoj.gov, or Lyndon Laster, 205-244-2092, Lyndon.laster@usdoj.gov.
The agenda by selecting the link below.
