U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will give remarks at the National Action Network’s 15th annual convention on Wednesday, April 9, in New York City. He will deliver remarks during the convention’s Keepers of the Dream Awards Dinner. The convention honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and convenes influential national leaders in civil rights, government, labor, business, media, and the religious community.
Duncan will discuss the administration’s efforts to reduce racial disparities in the classroom and President Obama’s new initiative My Brother’s Keeper aimed at creating pathways to success for men and boys of color. The initiative will focus on using results and evidence to evaluate what works—and stop what doesn’t—to improve opportunities for at-risk youths, all within existing federal resources. Duncan also will highlight the Department’s recently released comprehensive Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), which addresses the disparities in educational opportunities among African Americans and other students of color.
The National Action Network is a not-for-profit civil rights organization founded by civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton. It addresses the social and economic injustice experienced by African Americans in the United States. Rev. Sharpton has called education reform the civil rights issue of the 21st century.