For Immediate Release

Date:  January 24, 2006

BLOOMSBURG— A native of New Orleans will discuss the Civil Rights movement, its successes and failures during Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania’s Martin Luther King Jr. observance Monday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. in Carver Hall, Kenneth S. Gross Auditorium. The program is open to the public free of charge.

Ronald Dorris, professor at African American studies at Xavier University, New Orleans, will also share insight into political developments in the city following Hurricane Katrina and what those developments could mean for the rest of the U.S. 

Dorris is an author of poetry and short stories that highlight themes such as the South and African American history and culture. He received a bachelor’s degree from Xavier University and master’s degrees from Boston College and St. John’s College. Dorris earned his doctoral degree in American studies from Emory University.

The Jan. 30 program will open with dramatic readings from “And Still We Rise” by students from the Frederick Douglass Learning Community. The book by Miles Corwin focuses on the obstacles faced by 12 inner city students in Los Angeles.

Bloomsburg University is one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The university serves approximately 8,000 students and offers 65 bachelor’s, 18 master’s and one doctoral degree.