Denison University's Black Student Union will hold its sixth annual Million Man/Woman March Commemorative Rally on Thursday (Nov. 1). This year's program - The Second Reconstruction: Reaching Out to Empower Ourselves Economically - includes a silent march starting at 11:30 a.m. in front of Slayter Hall, the traditional rally on the Academic Quad, an "Independent Marketplace" and a "Start Your Own Business" information session during the afternoon, and a banquet in the evening.

Gloria Long-Groves, a Columbus native who now teaches at Wilmington College, will be the featured speaker at the noon rally on the plaza in front of Slayter Hall. Also speaking will be Denison students, faculty and staff members. A noted motivational speaker, Long-Groves has presented numerous workshops on such topics as "Violence Prevention: Strategies for Inner City Parents," "Spiritual Empowerment," and "SANKOFA: A Journey into African Consciousness."

A graduate of Kentucky State University, Long-Groves earned her master's degree in social work at the University of Louisville. Her SANKOFA workshops help students attending predominately white colleges to critically explore African/African-American history and traditions, promoting self-knowledge, racial pride and commitment. Long-Groves also has served as a special consultant to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections for more than 15 years.

The Independent Marketplace will run from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the second floor of Slayter Hall. An information session on Start Your Own Business also is planned during the afternoon.

The 5:30 p.m. banquet program in Huffman's Presidents Dining Room, features James E. Clingman, former editor of the Cincinnati Herald newspaper. Founder of the Greater Cincinnati African American Chamber of Commerce, he also served as its first executive director and president. He hosts the "Blackonomics" radio show and has authored the book,Economic Empowerment or Economic Enslavement - We Have a Choice. Clingman's economic empowerment doctrine stresses consumer education and alliances among African Americans. He serves as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Cincinnati, teaching "Black Entrepreneurship" in the African American studies department. Clingman will be available to sign copies of his book following the banquet.

Toni King, associate professor in the women's studies department at Denison, will facilitate a session titled "Enough Lip Service: What Are We Going to Do?" at 7:25 p.m., also in the Presidents Dining Room.

The events of the rally are being co-sponsored by: the offices of student affairs, campus and residential life, student activities, academic support, first-year program, women's programs, multicultural affairs, career services and the president's office. Also providing support for the day's events are the departments of black studies, sociology/anthropology and economics, the Denison Lecture Series, and the Student Activities Council.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

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Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

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(740) 587-8575