U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan will give remarks at the Summit on Preventing Youth Violence, hosted by the U.S. Department of Justice, on Monday, April 4, at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C. He will praise the work of six cities that have developed comprehensive plans to help reduce youth and gang violence, improve opportunities for youth, and encourage innovation at the local and federal levels. Representatives from each of the cities—Boston; Chicago; Detroit; Memphis; Salinas, Calif.; and San Jose, Calif.—will present their plans that incorporate multi-disciplinary partnerships, balanced approaches and data-driven strategies.
U.S. Department of Education’s Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Russlynn Ali also will participate in the summit. She will give closing remarks at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 5.
Other participants in the two-day summit taking place Monday-Tuesday, April 4-5, include Attorney General Eric Holder; Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, M.D.; Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy R. Gil Kerlikowske; mayors from each of the six cities; clergymen; representatives from the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention’s federal partners; members of Congress; and representatives of several foundations.
Last year at the direction of President Obama, the Departments of Justice and Education launched the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention, along with participating localities and other federal agencies. The Administration created the forum as a context for participating localities to share challenges and promising strategies with each other and to explore how federal agencies can better support local efforts. The six participating cities were selected based on need, geographic diversity, and willingness and capacity to engage. Along with the Departments of Justice and Education, other participating federal agencies include the Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Labor and the Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Note: Media planning to attend the event must present a government-issued photo ID (such as a driver’s license), as well as valid media credentials. Pre-set will be at 7:45 a.m. EDT. For additional details on media logistics, contact Starr Small, (202) 598-9457.