CNN contributor and WVON-AM morning host Roland Martin will speak on the socioeconomic issues of race and education April 18 at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

His lecture, "Race and Education in the 21st Century," is sponsored by UIC's Great Cities Institute and will be at 5:30 p.m. at the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum Residents' Dining Hall, 800 S. Halsted St.

"Children must know that dropping out isn't the answer. Refusing to 'speak good English' isn't the way to a better future," Martin wrote in a recent column. "Your school system may not have the best teachers or the top-of-the-line computers and books, but when you put the passion and desire of parents into action, there is no doubt our children will have a bright future -- and only an education can make that possible."

Martin is a nationally syndicated columnist. Last month, CNN announced he would contribute to several current programs and would be featured in new programming concepts.

He has appeared on CNN's "Paula Zahn Now," "Anderson Cooper 360," and "Lou Dobbs Tonight," and on MSNBC, Fox News, Court TV, BET Nightly News, BBC News, National Public Radio, The Word Network and America's Black Forum.

He previously served as executive director of the Chicago Defender and as an editor of Savoy Magazine, the Houston Defender, the Dallas Weekly and BlackAmericaWeb.com.

Martin received a regional Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television News Directors, several first-place awards from the Dallas-Fort Worth Association of Black Communicators, two citations
from the National Associated Press Managing Editors Conference, the top sports reporting award in 1997 from the National Association of Black Journalists, and honors from the Houston Press Club.

His books on race, social justice and the media include "Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith," and "Speak, Brother? A Black Man's View of America."

His lecture is part of the Great Cities Institute's Vernon D. Jarrett Senior Fellow Program, established by the Vernon D. Jarrett Foundation. In keeping with Jarrett?s contribution to open discussion of urban
issues, the program offers a lecture series in which public intellectuals share their analysis of current issues. For reservations, please call (312) 996-8700.

UIC ranks among the nation's top 50 universities in federal research funding and is Chicago's largest university with 25,000 students, 12,000 faculty and staff, 15 colleges and the state's major public medical center. A hallmark of the campus is the Great Cities Commitment, through which UIC faculty, students and staff engage with community, corporate, foundation and government partners in hundreds of programs to improve the quality of life in metropolitan areas around the world. For more information about UIC, please visit http://www.uic.edu

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