Institute of the Black World Declares War on the "War on Drugs"

Drug Policy Analysts and Advocates to Focus on Devastating Impact on Black Communities

Rev. Jesse L. Jackson to Keynote Forum on Alternatives to a Failed Strategy

IBW to Call for Army of Advocates and Organizers to End the War on Drugs

NEW YORK, June 15, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Under the leadership of Dr. Ron Daniels, the Institute of the Black World 21^st Century (IBW) is mounting an initiative to galvanize support to end the "War on Drugs" which was launched 40 years ago by President Richard M. Nixon. The goal of the War on Drugs was to halt the trafficking of illegal drugs in the U.S. But, Dr. Daniels and many drug policy reform advocates believe it has had a destructive impact on Black communities across the nation. Dr. Daniels states, "Black communities have been a primary target for selective policing practices that have resulted in the mass incarceration of millions of Black people. Families have been disrupted and communities devastated by a racially biased policy."

Against the backdrop of the 40^th Anniversary of the War on Drugs, IBW,  in conjunction with the Black Family Summit,  is convening a major Forum June 17, 12:00 Noon – 3:00 PM at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The Forum will focus on the Theme: Declaring War on the "War on Drugs:" Creating Just and Humane Alternatives to a Failed Strategy. Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, President of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, has agreed to be the Keynote Speaker. Other speakers and Panelists will include: Dr. Elsie Scott, President, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc; Congressman John Conyers, Jr, Ranking Member, House Judiciary Committee; Rev. Dr. Frank Tucker, Chairman, Greater Washington, D.C.  Area Black Leadership Commission on AIDS; Sanho Tree, Fellow and Director, Drug Policy Project, Institute for Policy Studies; Deborah Small, Director, Breaking the Chains: Communities of Color and the War on Drugs; Judge Arthur Burnett, Director, African American Drug Policy Coalition; Jasmine Tyler, Deputy Director of National Affairs, Drug Policy Alliance; Robert Rooks, NAACP Criminal Justice Director, and Neill Franklin, Executive Director, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. In his concluding remarks, Dr. Ron Daniels will issue a call to recruit an army of advocates and organizers to end the war on drugs!  Attorney Nkechi Taifa, Senior Policy Analyst, Open Society Institute, will serve as Moderator.

SOURCE Institute of the Black World