[Archived] Student Forum Planned on Race and Culture

City Press Release


	City of Alexandria, Virginia Office of the City Manager Alexandria City Hall 301 King Street, Suite 3500 Alexandria, Virginia 22314-3211 www.alexandriava.gov Telephone: 703.838.4300 Fax : 703.838.6343

For Immediate Release
November 19, 2004
PIO 281.04/bg

Alexandria City Council, Alexandria City Public Schools,
And Alexandria Interfaith Association Sponsor
Student Forum on Race and Culture

The Alexandria City Council, the Alexandria City School Board, and the Alexandria Interfaith Association will sponsor the fourth Student Forum on Race and Culture on Thursday, Dec. 9, from 10 am to 1 pm at the Charles Houston Recreational Center, 905 Wythe St.

Student representatives from T.C. Williams High School, George Washington and Francis C. Hammond Middle Schools, Minnie Howard Ninth Grade Center, Secondary Training and Education Program, Saint Stephen's and Saint Agnes, Bishop Ireton, and Episcopal High Schools will participate. Jodie Rubenstein, and Jarreau Williams of T.C. Williams will serve as dialogue facilitators. Student volunteers in grades 8-12 are taking part in planning the event, and identifying racial and cultural topics facing the Alexandria community.

"Public and private school students are providing an opportunity for a significant segment of the city's student population to be a part of Alexandria's effort to foster positive racial and cultural relations," said Elbert Ransom, Jr., President of REACH, Incorporated, the firm that is charged with the coordination of the Forum. The Forum is a part of a series of school-wide programs and projects designed to foster better understanding and communication across racial and cultural lines.

There are 56 languages spoken and 84 countries represented among the City's 11,167 public school students, and according to the 2000 U.S. Census, Alexandria ranked first in the Nation among jurisdictions having the most diverse population.

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