Former SCLC Education Director 
to speak at ASU on Jan. 21

Jonesboro, Ark., -- Activist Dr. Dorothy F. Cotton will be the keynote speaker at the Arkansas State University Martin Luther King Jr. Reception and Image Awards on Wednesday, Jan. 21.  The event takes place at 7:30 p.m. in the Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive, on the ASU campus.  
           
Dr. Cotton was the former education director for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and worked closely with Dr. King directing the Citizenship Education Program (CEP). The CEP provided training to empower disenfranchised citizens, developing local leadership in the South that prompted social change using nonviolent strategies. She accompanied Dr. King when he received the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway.  
           
Dr. Cotton also served as vice president for field operations for the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, where she was a senior trainer in nonviolence and empowerment for leadership.  She was director of student activities at Cornell University and served as the southeastern regional director of ACTION, the federal government’s agency for volunteer programs, under the Carter administration.
           
An international speaker, Dr. Cotton has worked with numerous organizations, schools and businesses on a variety of topics addressing women’s issues, race relations, nonviolence, multiculturalism, communication, personal and spiritual growth and human relations. 
         
Her special areas of focus include: nonviolence as a system of social change and leadership skill development.  She co-wrote a white paper called, “The New Citizenship” that resulted in two invitations to the White House to help explore strategies for government/citizenship partnership.  A powerful speaker and teacher, Dr. Cotton uses "songs of the movement" to tell the story.
           
Dr. Cotton has received numerous honors for her work, including honorary doctorates from the University of New England, Spelman College and the University of New Rochelle.  She holds a master’s degree in special education from Boston University. 
          
She is featured in the PBS documentary currently airing on AETN (Arkansas Educational Television Network) about Dr. King’s life entitled, “Citizen King.”
          
This event is sponsored by the ASU Student Government Association and the Student Activities Board.  
          
For more information, contact Jerrod Lockhart at 870-972-2034.

#  #  #