WASHINGTON, April 29 /U.S. Newswire/ -- On April 20, 2005 the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, with generous assistance from the AT&T Foundation, hosted a town hall meeting on "Rising African American Leaders: Challenges for a New Generation." Moderated by Washington, D.C. radio personality Joe Madison, the discussion focused on how today's challenges differ from those confronted by African American leaders in the years immediately following the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. While there was general agreement that things have improved significantly, there also was agreement that racism still permeates our institutions and that rising African American leaders confront greater and more complex challenges than their white counterparts. The panelists included:

-- Artur Davis (D-Ala.), Member of Congress

-- Jennette Bradley (R-Ohio), State Treasurer, Ohio

-- Glenn Ivey (D-Md.), State's Attorney, Prince George's County, MD

-- Susan Chapman, senior vice president, Citigroup Realty Services

-- Lydia Mallett, vice president for Diversity, Tyco International

-- Xavier Williams, vice president, Sales Management, AT&T

-- Eddie Williams, president Emeritus, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

-- Dennis Dowdell, executive director, Institute for Leadership Development & Research, Executive Leadership Council

Broadcast quality audio from that briefing is now available on the Joint Center's website at http://www.jointcenter.org/news1/NewsDetail.php?recordID=26 in Real Player and Windows Media formats. It will be posted for 30 days and may be used without restriction.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, conducts research and analyses on public policy issues of concern to African Americans and other minorities, promotes their involvement in the governance process, and operates programs that create coalitions within minority, business, and other diverse communities. For more information, visit http://www.jointcenter.org.

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