U.S. Civil Rights Movement and Its Legacy in Minority Community Activism

September 7-18, 2004, Washington, DC, Indianapolis, Oklahoma City and Montgomery, Alabama
Contact: Washington Foreign Press Center Program Officer: George Newman
Telephone: 202-504-6308, Email: newmangp@state.gov

This tour was designed to encourage reporting on U.S. society and minority communities, including the role of Islam in America.  Eight journalists from six francophone African countries -- Senegal, Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast, Togo and Cameroon -- visited Washington, Indianapolis, Oklahoma City and Montgomery, Alabama.  They interviewed civic and religious leaders, including Mary Frances Berry, chair of the U.S. Civl Rights Commission; Dr. Sayyid Syeed, executive secretary of the Islamic Society of North America; and Philadelphia Councilwoman Marian Tasco, president of the National Balck Caucus of Local Elected Officials.  Among other interview subjects: state legislators in Indiana and Oklahoma; leaders of a successful inner-city action group in Indianapolis, Native American leaders in Oklahoma; and the head of the Rosa Parks Library and Museum in Montgomery.  An encounter with Hurrican Ivan in Montgomery added unscheduled excitement.