1/7/98
Contact: William Smith, Office of Institutional Equity, (740) 593-2620

ATHENS, Ohio -- Former U.S. Attorney General for Civil Rights Deval L. Patrick will speak at Ohio University's Athens campus as part of the school's observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Patrick, now a partner in the Boston law firm of Day, Berry & Howard, will speak on "Civil Rights: The Importance of Perspective" at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15 in 194 Irvine Auditorium.

Patrick's speech falls on the actual anniversary of King's birth. There are no classes and university offices are closed Jan. 19, the federal observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Joe Burke, Ohio University's director of residence life and a member of its Martin Luther King Jr. Day committee, said he hopes the campus and area communities take this opportunity to hear Patrick's perspective.

"We need to constantly be reminded of Dr. King's work. We need to look at that work and decide what it means to us in the 1990s," Burke said. "Some of the problems that we face today may not be as blatant as they were at Dr. King's time, but it doesn't mean they are any less pressing."

After directing the Justice Department's civil rights division for most of President Clinton's first term, Patrick stepped down in January 1997 to spend more time with his family. During Patrick's tenure, lawsuits alleging racial discrimination by Denny's Restaurants and Texaco resulted in huge out-of-court settlements for the plaintiffs. In addition, a record 10 cases filed by the Justice Department against lending bias were followed by increases in loans to qualified minority borrowers.

The position Patrick held has been in the news -- both before and after he served. The previous nominee, Lani Guinier, withdrew from contention because of criticism of her writings about racial quotas. Clinton's nominee to replace Patrick, Bill Lann Lee, was appointed acting attorney general for civil rights in mid-December after the Senate Judiciary Committee threatened to block his nomination because of his support for affirmative action.

At Day, Berry & Howard, Patrick specializes in employment litigation, civil rights, government investigations and fair lending. Patrick graduated cum laude from Harvard and earned his law degree from Harvard Law School.

In another Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance on the Athens campus, the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity will hold its annual candlelight vigil on the college green at noon Jan. 19.