[NEohioPAL]Rasheryl McCreary on NPR's Tavis Smiley Show: May 17 at 1 pm

[Kimberly St. John-Stevenson]

Local Students Explore Impact of Desegregation with Original Play=20
"The Living Legacy: Impact of Brown v. Board of Education and Reed v. =
Rhodes"

Cleveland, OH - On May 17th, 2004, students from the Cleveland Municipal =
School District's Early College, under the guidance of actress/educator =
Rasheryl McCreary,  will mark the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board, =
the landmark school desegregation case, with their performance of =
"Voices Across The Crooked River," an original play.  The production and =
a corresponding panel discussion will take place at 5:00 p.m. at the =
Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in University Circle in Cleveland, Ohio. =
The event will be featured on National Public Radio's Tavis Smiley show =
Monday, May 17 at 1:00 pm.=20

"Voices Across the Crooked River" is a dynamic combination of poems, =
monologues, scenes, and other creative expressions that capture the =
personal experiences of Clevelanders impacted by school desegregation.  =
The piece was created by a diverse group of students under the direction =
of award-winning actress-educator, Rasheryl McCreary, Executive Director =
of The Living Legacy Project, Inc. The event is presented by The Living =
Legacy Project, Inc., in conjunction with The Western Reserve Historical =
Society. =20

The Brown lawsuit, which declared "separate but equal" education to be =
unconstitutional, led to massive resistance and 50 years of ongoing =
efforts toward racial balance in public schools nationwide.  Locally, =
Reed v. Rhodes sought the same outcome as Brown - an end to =
unconstitutional segregation that denied black students equal =
educational opportunities.=20

Through an intergenerational, oral history approach, students involved =
in this project studied the impact of these landmark desegregation cases =
and, equipped with training in oral history research techniques, =
conducted interviews with a variety of local citizens who lived through =
the era.  "Voices Across the Crooked River" reflects the memories, =
opinions, and personal experiences of those individuals and is meant to =
educate, awaken and inspire the community of Cleveland to engage in a =
dialogue about the history of desegregation in our city, and its =
lingering effects. =20

Following the performance, a panel discussion will include Michael =
Charney, Cleveland Teacher's Union; Peter Lawson Jones, Cuyahoga County =
Commissioner; Daniel J. McMullen, Partner, Calfee, Halter & Griswold =
LLP; and Steven A. Minter, Executive-In-Residence, Cleveland State =
University and other members of the Cleveland community.

The Living Legacy Project, Inc., founded in 1995 by award-winning =
actress/educator Rasheryl McCreary, is an innovative arts-based =
educational organization, whose mission is to transform the lives of =
individuals by having them examine their cultural histories.  The Living =
Legacy Project can be found on the web at www.livinglegacyproject.org =
<http://www.livinglegacyproject.org>.=20

Kimberly St. John-Stevenson
Sr. Account Executive=20
BrownFlynn Communications=20
5603 Wilson Mills Road
Highland Heights, OH  44143
440.484.0100
440.484.0101 fax
kimstj at brownflynn.com
www.brownflynn.com