American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity will Honor Congressional Black Caucus Chair G.K. Butterfield at its 42nd National Conference and Annual Meeting
Washington, DC (PRWEB) February 22, 2016 -- Representative G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, will be honored during the 42nd National Conference and Annual Meeting of the American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity (AAAED). The conference will be held on June 8 – 10, 2016 at the Sheraton Tyson’s Hotel in Vienna, VA near Washington, DC. The Awards Reception will be held on Capitol Hill on June 9, 2016. At the event, Chairman Butterfield will receive the association’s highest honor, the “Drum Major for Justice” Award. “We are delighted to honor this tireless advocate for equal opportunity and justice,” said AAAED President Marshall Rose.
Throughout his life, Rep. Butterfield has believed in the importance of equality of opportunity.
After graduating from Charles H. Darden High School in Wilson, North Carolina, Congressman Butterfield earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Sociology from North Carolina Central University (NCCU). During his time at NCCU, Congressman Butterfield was active in organizing voter registration drives in Durham. After the enactment of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, Butterfield organized a student march from the State Capital in Raleigh to the Wilson County Courthouse to dramatize the importance of voter registration. At the conclusion of the march, Congressman Butterfield registered to vote for the first time.
Rep. Butterfield went on to graduate from North Carolina Central School of Law and to practice civil rights law across eastern North Carolina representing mostly low-income clients who needed legal services. He also focused on protecting civil rights, winning several voting rights cases that earned him the reputation of a principled litigator. Butterfield’s litigation work helped to preserve the ability of several African American communities to elect candidates of their choice to public office. He later became a Superior Court judge and was appointed to the North Carolina Supreme Court by Governor Mike Easley in 2001.
In 2004 Rep. Butterfield retired from the bench and was elected to the U.S. Congress. He currently serves on the influential House Energy and Commerce Committee. In November 2014, Congressman Butterfield was unanimously elected Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) for the 114th Congress. As a member of the CBC, Congressman Butterfield has focused on promoting anti-poverty programs, expanding economic development and job creation, protecting voting rights, advocating for the appointment of African Americans to judgeships and senior Administration positions, and increasing diversity in leadership positions in corporate America. He has been an outspoken member of the CBC since his election in 2004.
Don't miss this opportunity to celebrate the outstanding career of this legendary leader at the AAAED 42nd National Conference and Annual Meeting. For more information about the conference and the Awards ceremony, go to: http://www.aaaedconference.org.
Founded in 1974 as the American Association for Affirmative Action (AAAA), AAAED is a national not-for-profit association of professionals working in the areas of equal opportunity, compliance and diversity. AAAED has more than 40 years of leadership in providing professional training to members, enabling them to be more successful and productive in their careers. It also promotes understanding and advocacy of affirmative action and other equal opportunity laws to enhance the tenets of access, inclusion and equality in employment, economic and educational opportunities. ###
Shirley J. Wilcher, American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity, http://www.aaaed.org, +1 (240) 893-9475, [email protected]
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