WASHINGTON (August 31, 2011) – Acclaimed public intellectual and author Michael Eric Dyson, CNN anchor and alumna Fredricka Whitfield and actor Isaiah Washington have been added to the list of panelists who will address “Beyond the Stereotypes: Academics, Athletics, Character and Black Male Achievement,” a presidential symposium held at Cramton Auditorium on the Howard University campus from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 8.

The daylong Black Male Achievement symposium is part of the inaugural AT&T Nation’s Football Classic™, organized by Events DC. A morning session will open the symposium with a panel that features: Dyson, Whitfield and the presidents of Howard University and Morehouse College, Sidney A. Ribeau, Ph.D., and Robert M. Franklin, Ph.D., respectively. Fitzgerald Hill, Ph.D., president of Arkansas Baptist College, will also participate.

The opening session will be followed by panels devoted to in-depth discussions of issues related to Black male achievement. The titles of the sessions follow:

Shattering Myths and Breaking Barriers:
The State of Black Men in the United States The discussion will feature scholars who have published research on Black male achievement.

Student Voices
Student leaders from Howard University and Morehouse College share their perspectives on the higher education experience of Black males.

Redefining Black Male Masculinity in Athletics, Arts and Academics
Scholars, sports columnists and cultural artists expose stereotypes about Black males and their roles in athletics, the sports industry and entertainment

Other notable participants include Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, a Howard alumnus and Howard Board Member; John S. Wilson, Ph.D., executive director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities; Jason Reid, Washington Post sports columnist; and noted filmmaker/director Seith Mann, Morehouse alumnus.

“The symposium is designed to reaffirm the positive image of Black men,” said Ivory A. Toldson, Ph.D., associate professor of counseling psychology at Howard and a lead organizer of the symposium. “The effort will unite Historically Black Colleges and Universities, civic leaders, college students, and national scholars in a unique effort to advance a national agenda to empower Black men and uplift Black community values.”

The Black Male Achievement Symposium furthers academic work underway at both Howard University and Morehouse College. The Howard Black Male Initiative seeks to increase HBCU attendance among African-American and African Diaspora males. At Morehouse, the Morehouse Male Initiative (MMI) seeks to further the institution’s goal of becoming a clearinghouse of information regarding African-American males.

About the Nation’s Football Classic™
The Nation's Football Classic™ is a black college football game held annually at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. This year, the game features Howard University against Morehouse College. Organized by Events DC, the Nation's Football Classic™ was created to celebrate the passion and tradition of the college football experience, recognize the history of service to others by the students, faculty and alumni of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, highlight the unity of African American culture, and honor the heritage and excellence of these proud institutions. Tickets for the T&T Nation’s Football Classic™ are on sale at Ticketmaster.com, the Howard University Box Office at Cramton Auditorium and the Morehouse College Bookstore.
Seats are priced at $15, $25, $40, $50 and $60.

NFC website: www.NationsFootballClassic.com
NFC Twitter: @nationsclassic
NFC Facebook: www.Facebook.com/NationsFootballClassic
Howard University website: www.howard.edu

About Howard University
Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Founded in 1867, students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. Since 1998, the University has produced two Rhodes
Scholars, two Truman Scholars, a Marshall Scholar, 21 Fulbright Scholars and 11 Pickering Fellows. Howard also produces more on campus African-American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, call 202-238-
2330, or visit the University’s Web site at www.howard.edu

About Morehouse College
As the nation’s largest, private liberal arts college for men, Morehouse College was recently recognized as the number one liberal arts college in the nation by Washington Monthly; one of 45 “Best Buy” schools for 2011 by the Fiske Guide to Colleges; one of the nation’s Most Grueling Colleges in 2010 by The Huffington Post; the number three HBCU in the nation for 2011 by U.S. News and World Report; and as one of American’s Best Colleges for three consecutive years by Forbes magazine.