For Immediate Release: June 8, 1998
Further information: Tom McNaught (617) 514-1662
The John F. Kennedy Library and Museum and the Veterans Benefits Clearinghouse will host a candid discussion about race issues as part of “One America in the Twenty-First Century: The President’s Initiative on Race, “ on Monday, June 8, from 9:00 am to 11:30 am in the Stephen Smith Center at the Kennedy Library on Columbia Point, Boston.
Members of the media are invited to observe the roundtable discussion by 30-40 members of the greater Boston community who represent the area’s racial and ethnic diversity.
The One America Conversation will be moderated by William Leftwich, III, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Equal Opportunity.
The Kennedy Library discussion is the first One America Conversation to be held in Massachusetts.
On June 14, 1997, President Clinton announced One America in the 21st Century: The President’s Initiative on Race. Among its stated goals was “to have a diverse, democratic community in which Americans respect, even celebrate their differences, while embracing the shared values that unite them.” To reach that goal, the President has asked all Americans to join him in a national effort to deal openly and honestly with our racial differences. One of the central features of this program is a series of thoughtful discussions aimed at helping Americans understand the causes of racial tension and the steps communities might take to relieve them.
A report on the issues raised in the Kennedy Library discussion will be written for the White House. This information will be combined with data generated at similar gatherings throughout the country, and will be used in the preparation of President Clinton's Report to the American People, a blueprint for improving race relations in the 21st century.