News Release

N.C. NAACP president to address issues of social justice,
poverty, race at Tuesday (Jan. 17) event at School of Law

CHAPEL HILL – The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, the recently elected president of the North Carolina NAACP State Conference, will give a speech addressing issues of social justice, poverty and race at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law on Tuesday (Jan. 17).

The event, "A Conversation on Poverty and Segregation," will be held at noon in the school’s rotunda and is free to the public. Campus sponsors are the UNC Black Law Student Association, the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity and the Center for Civil Rights. John Edwards, the former U.S. senator and vice presidential candidate who directs UNC’s poverty center, will introduce Barber at the event.

Barber has been the pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, in Goldsboro since 1993; the congregation includes more than 400 members and 30 active ministries. In addition, he is the chairman of the Rebuilding Broken Places Community Development Corp., the host of two radio shows and the author of "Preaching Through Unexpected Pain."

He has given talks nationwide, at events including the National Convocation of Christian Churches and the National Black Ministers Retreat. In addition, he has served as executive director for the N.C. Human Relations Commission; Barber was appointed by then-Gov. James B. Hunt and enforced housing, employment discrimination and hate crime laws in his role as executive director.

In his work as a community activist, Barber has visited the White House to advocate for more resources to low-wealth communities, has spoken on behalf of educational advocates for increased funding for low-wealth schools, has led the Committee on Morality for the Hate Violence Church Bombing Task Force and has addressed the deaths of social justice workers in 1979 as a guest preacher for the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He organized a 2004 rally and radiothon to increase voting in North Carolina.

Born in Indianapolis, Barber grew up in Plymouth and graduated cum laude from N.C. Central University with a bachelor’s degree in public administration. He received his master of divinity degree from Duke Divinity School and his doctorate from Drew University in Madison, N.J.

Sunday (Jan. 15) marks the beginning of UNC’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Week, which will include poetry readings, song and dance, an oratorical contest, a memorial rally, talks and discussions. A detailed schedule of events and contact information is at www.unc.edu/diversity/mlk.

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Photo URL: http://www.unc.edu/news/pics/visiting/Rev.Barber.jpg

Event contact: Tracy Brown, (919) 843-2516
UNC News Services contacts: Deb Saine, (919) 962-8415 or deborah_saine@unc.edu; or Karen
Moon, (919) 962-8595 or karen_moon@unc.edu