April 11, 2003

Local businessmen to be honored with Africa Peace Award

Local publisher William H. Lee and attorney John Burris will be honored with 2003 Africa Peace Awards at a dinner and dance to be held at 6 p.m., Saturday, May 3 at the Country Club Events Center, 2600 Watt Avenue, in Sacramento.

The award ceremony will be held at the conclusion the 12th annual Africa/Diaspora Conference, May 1-3, sponsored by the California State University, Sacramento Center for African Peace Conflict Resolution and the CSUS Pan African Studies Program. The popular local band Mumbo Gumbo will provide entertainment and KXTV-Channel 10 reporter Karen Massie will emcee the event.

Lee, a leader in the Sacramento business community and a member of the CSUS Advisory Board, will receive the 2003 Peace Education Award for his outstanding leadership in building bridges among the African community through his weekly newspaper, The Sacramento Observer.

Burris will receive the 2003 Peace and Justice Award in recognition of his distinguished service and championship of civil rights, especially for people of African descent. Burris is a prominent civil rights attorney specializing in police misconduct cases and is frequently tapped as an expert legal analyst on national television programs.

For more information, please contact CSUS professor Ernest Uwazie at (916) 278-6282. Media assistance is available by contact the CSUS public affairs office at (916) 278-6156. Tickets are available at the CSUS Box Office at (916) 278-4323 or at www.tickets.com.

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