My Administration is dedicated to ensuring that federal agencies treat all our citizens fairly, and the settlement in the Pigford case reflects that commitment. I applaud Secretary Vilsack for his efforts to modernize operations at the USDA, as well as the work of the Justice Department in bringing these long-ignored claims of African American farmers to a rightful conclusion. I look forward to a swift resolution to this issue, so that the families affected can move on with their lives.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

The settlement agreement reached today, which is contingent on appropriation by Congress, will provide a total of $1.25 billion to African American farmers who alleged that they suffered racial discrimination in USDA farm loan programs.  The settlement sets up a non-judicial claims process through which individual farmers may demonstrate their entitlement to cash damages awards and debt relief.

“Thank you all for having me here today. Thank you to Michael Sorrell for that introduction and for his work at Paul Quinn College, and my thanks as well to Michael Lomax for his incredible dedication as President of the UNCF.

As United States Trade Representative, I spend my time working to tear down barriers to trade and open new markets to American goods, services, and intellectual property.

Just last week I traveled to Singapore for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and then to Beijing for meetings with Chinese leaders. I joined the President in pursuing increased economic engagement across the Pacific, creating new opportunities for Americans to do business with some of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Because we know that when Americans do business with the world, that can generate jobs here at home.

We are laying a strong foundation for trade, but the world is changing rapidly, and the expertise necessary to succeed is changing with it. For America to compete in the global economy, American workers need to have the skills to meet the ever-changing needs of the world’s population.

Whether it’s developing new energy resources or marketing new health care solutions, today’s problems require inventive answers. And the competitive edge will go to whichever country develops forward-looking products and ideas. In today’s world, it’s not enough just to have the best minds – to be competitive in the global economy we need the best-educated minds.

Take a look at the educational advances of the 20th century: from free public schooling to the GI bill, America opened the doors of learning wider to each successive generation. And each new class of graduates built new businesses, invented new tools, and helped to make America a world leader in manufacturing, commerce, and trade.

President Obama knows that our economic future hinges on how we educate our students today. And he is committed to helping every American student receive a quality education. Because the bottom line is, diplomas and degrees are still the tickets to success.

That’s true for individuals, and it’s also true for countries. The nations with the best talent have an advantage in the global marketplace, and that advantage shows up in the numbers. According to one of the most respected studies of student performance worldwide, countries like Canada and Korea are doing a better job of equipping their students to meet the needs of the 21st century. And the gap between the best educated nations and American students is estimated to cost the United States more than a trillion dollars a year.

So President Obama has issued a call to action. He knows that we must equip students with more than just the basics – in today’s economy, they need advanced knowledge. And that means a college education.

To that end, the President has set an ambitious goal. He wants the United States to produce a higher percentage of college graduates than any other country in the world by the end of the next decade.

Right now, only about 40% of Americans hold a college degree. To reach President Obama’s goal, we need to help millions more students graduate from college. That won’t be easy. To succeed, we need partners like the UNCF – organizations with the resources and the drive to help students navigate the challenges of higher education. The effects of education are so dramatic, we simply can’t afford not to educate a single child.

That fact has not changed in 200 years. We all recognize the wisdom of an education, but somehow, we are still aren’t getting the job done. Too many of our students aren’t even making it through high school, much less going to college. They are falling behind and dropping out. In some schools, less than half of the African-American students who enter as freshman will graduate as seniors. We have to do more to get these kids through school.

And we can’t stop at their high school graduation. The unemployment rate for individuals with a bachelor’s degree is half that for those with only a high-school diploma. College-educated workers aren’t just more likely to find a job; they’re more likely to hold higher-paying, higher-quality jobs.

That’s why organizations like UNCF are so critical. Historically black colleges and universities have been a path to higher paying jobs and better lives for generations of young students.

Both of my parents attended a historically black university. Their education was the foundation of my family’s success, and the starting point of everything I have achieved. Even today, historically black colleges and universities grant about one in every five degrees handed to an African-American student.

We need to support their work, and I know you are. Your focus on increasing graduation rates and closing the achievement gap is paving the way for their success. That is good for minority students, and it’s good for all of America. Closing the racial achievement gap between white and minority students could increase this country’s productivity by hundreds of billions of dollars and vastly increase the pool of trained minds available to American businesses.

Employers will pay a premium for skilled, educated workers who can better help them to succeed. And when American companies outshine their competitors in the global marketplace, that creates additional jobs and opportunities here at home.

Ninety-five percent of the world’s consumers live outside of America. Our future is going to depend upon our ability to sell our goods, services, and intellectual property to those customers. And we’re going to have to compete for their business. Because countries around the world have set their sights on global consumers.

Nations on the cutting edge of creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship – in other words, nations with a highly educated, highly skilled work force – will be the world’s export leaders.

With that urgency in mind, President Obama devoted $100 billion in stimulus funds to education, including $31 billion dedicated to improving college access. That money is the single biggest investment in student aid since the GI bill. And it is an investment for a more prosperous future.

Next year, students will have access to billions of dollars in new grants, loans, and assistance. It is estimated that more than 14 million students will use this assistance to pay for college. And as this organization knows, even a little money can go a long way toward helping a college student earn their cap and gown.

President Obama is also supporting new efforts to ensure that students who start college actually finish. Right now, almost half of all college freshmen fail to earn a degree within six years. For poor and minority students, that percentage is even higher.

When we arm students with the knowledge to succeed, that enriches us all. Every degree conferred enhances America’s prospects for the future. President Obama has said that our commitment to education, “will determine not just whether our children have the chance to fulfill their God-given potential…but whether we as a nation will remain, in the 21st century, the kind of global economic leader that we were in the 20th.”

Now, we have a lot of work to do, but we’re certainly not starting from scratch. Historically black colleges and universities like your members have educated premier minds from Thurgood Marshall and Langston Hughes to Spike Lee and Barbara Jordan. And American universities across the board are among the best in the world.

That educational excellence has paid dividends to us all. According to World Bank data, America’s per capita income is over 40 percent higher than the average in other high income countries around the world. In part, that difference can be attributed to a long-time focus on. And it shows the vast promise of renewing and reinvigorating that focus.

It will take all of us doing everything we can do. The first building on Paul Quinn College’s campus was constructed through a “ten cents a brick” campaign; little by little, the community gave what they could toward the dream of an education. And in 1944, Dr. Frederick Patterson, President of Tuskegee University, brought the UNCF into existence through an “appeal to the national conscience.”

Our nation needs to train every American mind to take advantage of the incredible opportunities that exist in the 21st century. We need to help today’s students dream big, and then we need to give them the tools to realize their dreams. Because America needs their dreams, their skills, their inventions, and their innovations to continue to thrive in the global economy. And we need a strong and healthy UNCF to help them along the way.

Thank you all for your work on behalf of America’s college students. I look forward to hearing more from all of you about how we can work together to help the next generation succeed.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At a ceremony with Harry E. Johnson, Sr., President of the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc., Christine King Ferris, sister to Martin Luther King Jr.; EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson and members of the Black and Hispanic Caucuses, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today signed a permit allowing construction of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial on the National Mall.

“Dr. King is one of America’s greatest heroes - a Nobel Peace Prize winner who inspired America to live up to the meaning of its creed of freedom, justice and opportunity for all people,” said Secretary Salazar. “It is fitting and appropriate that we honor Dr. King’s extraordinary life and legacy with a memorial here on the National Mall, alongside the timeless landmarks of American democracy and freedom. May this sacred ground help us draw strength from Dr. King’s courage, dedication and sacrifice, and inspire us to always seek a more perfect union.”

“I am excited to move forward with construction and share that we are in the home stretch of the fundraising campaign to build this national memorial to Dr. King,” said Harry E. Johnson, Sr., President of the Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. “I call on all Americans to participate in our Build the Dream: Countdown to Completion phase of the fundraising campaign by donating $1 or more to become a part of history.”

Now that Secretary Salazar has signed a construction permit, the non-profit Washington, DC Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc. can proceed with construction of the memorial. The new memorial will be situated adjacent to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and in a direct line between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials. Dr. King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream Speech” at the Lincoln Memorial in August, 1963.

Congress passed Joint Resolutions in 1996 authorizing Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to establish a memorial honoring Dr. King to be built in Washington, D.C. The ceremonial groundbreaking took place on November 13, 2006, and the memorial is expected to be completed in 2011.

The design of the four-acre memorial includes the use of water, stone and trees to symbolize Dr. King’s call to America for justice, opportunity and hope for all people.

“Dr. King’s dream is America’s dream,” Salazar said. “This new memorial honoring him and his legacy will help us share this dream - and America’s story - with future generations.”

Dr. King, a Baptist minister, dedicated his life to promoting civil rights and opposing discrimination and segregation. He led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president.

In his “I Have a Dream” speech, he challenged the conscience of the nation to finally live up to the ideals upon which it was founded, helping to convince Congress to pass landmark laws, including the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

In 1964, he became the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end segregation and discrimination by peaceful protest and other non-violent means.

King was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004. Congress established Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a U.S. national holiday in 1986.

Chris Bridges a.k.a Ludacris is offering a refreshing image for an art form that has seemed to lose its way over the last decade.  This past weekend he made the circuit, promoting his foundation and asking for a new look at philanthropic leadership.  This 4 1/2 minute video is worth the time.

Good Look Luda.

• It was 1999. I was only 27 years old, but I was worn-down, weary and depressed. I was working full-time at a job that I despised and coming home to two kids, only one of which I gave birth to. One was a sweet toddler, and the other was my so-called husband. We’d just had another ferocious fight over the finances, and instead of paying his share of the bills, the man I’ll call “Marvin” pretended they didn’t exist, allowed things to get cut off or repossessed and thought he could smooth things over this time by leaving a bouquet of roses and a card waiting for me in the bedroom.

• I decided that it was no longer enough. The following year I filed for divorce. It was hard to be the one to accelerate my descent into becoming yet another tired statistic—that of a ‘black single mother’—but to spare my sanity, I had no other choice. I had a life to live and a child to raise.

• What did concern me, after getting the legalities handled, was keeping a stable household for my fragile, impressionable three-year-old. I needed to keep a roof over our heads, food on the table and childcare in place in order for me to work. I needed life to be as drama-free as possible to show him that parents could still love and care for him even from separate addresses, and most of all, I had to prove to him with my actions that instead of languishing as part of a couple, it was better for me to struggle on my own.

Read more at ChickTalkDallas.com

• What’s wrong with this picture? Um, the white girl in the middle has something to do with it. Earlier this month, Nikole Churchill,22, was chosen as 2009 Hampton University homecoming queen. Hampton U is historically black, and the main campus of 5,700 students has a  mostly black student body.

• Churchill wrote a letter to President Barack Obama claiming he could relate to the racism she was facing at the university. “I am hoping that perhaps you would be able to make an appearance to my campus, Hampton University, so that my fellow Hamptonians can stop focusing so much on the color of my skin and doubting my abilities to represent,” she wrote, “but rather be proud of the changes our nation is making toward accepting diversity.”

• So why shouldn’t Churchill win? She got accepted to the university. She paid tuition. Attended classes. She won fair and square. Complaining about her race now is a little like the pot calling the kettle black.

Top News

President Obama on Passage of Senate Finance Committee Health Care Bill – “A Critical Milestone”

“Today we reached a critical milestone in our effort to reform our health care system. After many months of thoughtful deliberation, the fifth and final committee responsible for health care reform has passed a proposal that has both Democratic and Republican support. This effort was made possible by the tireless efforts of Chairman Max Baucus and the other members of the Senate Finance Committee. It’s a product of vigorous debate and difficult negotiations.” VIDEO/TEXT

“Restoring a Sense of Responsibility from Wall Street to Washington”

The President pushed one of the core pillars of his vision of a new economic foundation back to the fore. Reforming our financial system and restoring common sense regulation and oversight is the only way to ensure that the economic catastrophe that began a year ago never returns. Having met just before [the White House event] with those suffering as a result of abuse, fraud, and deception at the hands of financial institutions, the need was never more evident. LINK

Remarks by President Obama on Winning the Nobel Peace Prize

“I am both surprised and deeply humbled by the decision of the Nobel Committee.  Let me be clear:  I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments, but rather as an affirmation of American leadership on behalf of aspirations held by people in all nations.” LINK

Navy Vessel Named for Civil Rights Activist

A U.S. Navy ship will be named in honor of late civil rights leader Medgar Evers.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus announced the honor Oct. 9 at Jackson State University in Jackson, Miss. The ship is a 700-foot ocean liner that will supply food and ammunition to other ships at sea.  LINK

HHS Unveils New Features on Flu.gov

Evaluation Guide, Flu Myths and Facts, Flu Essentials Flyers Among New Resources

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today unveiled several new resources on the federal government’s one-stop resource for flu information — www.flu.gov.  The Web site now features a new H1N1 Flu Self-Evaluation guide for adults 18 and older along with a new Flu Myths and Facts section, which provides the public with the latest and most accurate information about the flu.  LINK

Attorney General and Education Secretary Call for National Conversation on Values and Student Violence

U.S. Department of Justice to Release Study on Children’s Exposure to Violence

U.S. Department of Education to Provide $500,000 Grant to Help Fenger Community

Attorney General Eric Holder and Education Secretary Arne Duncan today joined with Chicago city officials to call for a national conversation on values to address youth violence in the wake of the fatal beating of a Chicago high school student. The announcement followed meetings with City officials, community leaders, students, and parents.  LINK

In Other News…

President Obama Nominates Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson for United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama nominated Judge Denny Chin for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson for a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Judge Chin currently serves as a U.S. District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York. Judge Thompson currently serves as an Associate Justice on the Rhode Island Superior Court. LINK

Attorney General Eric Holder Welcomes Thomas E. Perez as Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Eric Holder today welcomed the confirmation of Thomas E. Perez as the new Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Perez was confirmed today by the U.S. Senate.  LINK

A Small Town Doing Big Things for the Global Economy

Posted by Adolfo Carrión, Jr.

We believe that through regional collaboration we can bridge the urban-rural divide. We can invest in urban centers in a way that will benefit suburbs, exurbs, and rural communities, and vice versa. It does not have to, and can no longer be, a zero-sum game. Our fates are inextricably linked. As the Urban Tour (aka, the National Conversation on the Future of Cities and Metros) has continually demonstrated, smart regional plans succeed when there are strong public-private partnerships and everyone is brought to the table. LINK

U.S. Ambassador Susan E. Rice Delivers Lecture at Howard University

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan E. Rice delivered the Clarence Clyde Ferguson, Jr. Annual Lecture at the Howard University School of Law on Thursday, October 8, 2009, in the Moot Court Room.

Ambassador Rice’s lecture, titled “America and the UN in a New Era of Engagement” discussed the approach the Obama Administration has taken in using the United Nations to advance the administration’s foreign policy goals and to keep America safe. The lecture is in honor of Mr. Ferguson, who was Dean of Howard Law School from 1963 to 1969. His legacy at Howard University School of Law is well-known. In addition, Ferguson was a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs and United States Ambassador to Uganda. LINK

Obama Administration Releases New Data On Making Home Affordable Program,
Achieves Key Milestone Weeks Ahead of Schedule

Almost one month ahead of a November 1 benchmark set earlier this year, the U.S. Department of the Treasury and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a new milestone of more than 500,000 trial loan modifications in progress under the Making Home Affordable program.  LINK

Recovery Act Changes to SBA Loan Programs Sparked

September loan volume highest since August 2007

WASHINGTON – Changes under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to U.S. Small Business Administration loan programs led to a rebound in SBA-backed loans for small businesses and greater access to much-needed capital.  LINK

MBDA Allocates Nearly $1 Million to Minority Business Centers to Increase Minority Businesses’ Access to Recovery Act Contracting Opportunities

The U.S. Commerce Department’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) today allocated a total of $900,000 to seven minority business centers across the country to increase minority business access to American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) contracting opportunities.  LINK

Secretary Shinseki Announces $17 Million in Homeless Grants

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki has announced that 19 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico will share more than $17 million in grants to community groups to create 1,155 beds for homeless Veterans this year.  LINK

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Announces Administration Wide Effort to Combat Distracted Driving

WASHINGTON – At the conclusion of a two-day summit on distracted driving in Washington, D.C. today, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced a series of concrete actions the Obama Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) are taking to help put an end to distracted driving.  LINK

Energy Department Announces New Private Sector Partnership to Accelerate Renewable Energy Projects
U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced the Department of Energy (DOE) will provide up to $750 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to help accelerate the development of conventional renewable energy generation projects.  This funding will cover the cost of loan guarantees which could support as much as $4 to 8 billion in lending to eligible projects, and the Department will invite private sector participation to accelerate the financing of these renewable energy projects.  LINK

HUD ANNOUNCES $118 MILLION IN GRANTS TO PROTECT THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN FROM LEAD AND OTHER HOME HEALTH HAZARDS
Funding helps to make low-income housing safer and healthier

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is awarding more than $118 million in grants to 46 local projects to conduct a wide range of activities that include eliminating lead hazards in more than 9,000 homes; training workers in lead safety methods; increasing public awareness about childhood lead poisoning; and evaluating outreach on controlling housing-based hazards. The awards were announced by HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan yesterday at the Council on Foundations conference in San Antonio, Texas. Lead is a known toxin that can impair children’s development and have effects lasting into adulthood and other materials in the home can trigger allergic responses and asthma.  LINK

In Case You Missed It…

President Obama Addresses the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Phoenix Awards Dinner

President Obama – “Bringing hope and opportunity to places where they’re in short supply — that’s not easy.  It will take a focused and sustained effort to eradicate the structural inequalities in our communities — structural inequalities that make it difficult for children of color to make a success of their lives, no matter how smart or how driven or how talented they are.  That’s why we’re launching Promise Neighborhoods to build on Geoffrey Canada’s success in Harlem with a comprehensive approach to ending poverty by giving people the tools they need to pull themselves up.  That’s why I’ve created an Office of Urban Affairs to lift up our cities with a coordinated strategy to unleash their potential.  That’s why my administration — under the leadership of Attorney General Eric Holder — is serious about enforcing our civil rights laws and tearing down barriers to equal opportunity.” LINK

Things You Should Know…

· President Obama is scheduled to visit New Orleans and the Gulf Coast this week to see firsthand the status of the recovery efforts in the region.  LINK

· President Barack Obama is scheduled to join the Points of Light Institute and former President George H. W. Bush to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the vision of a thousand “Points of Light,” which catalyzed the modern volunteer service movement, by hosting a presidential forum on community service at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum at Texas A&M University. LINK

Stories of the Week

TheGrio.com - Interview with Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius

The Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius opened up to theGrio. David asks questions from our readers about everything from H1N1 vaccinations to health care reform and HIV rates in the black community.  LINK

Insight News (NNPA) - The cost of health inequality

The notion that national health care reform will actually reduce health-related spending is turning out to be a tough sell for many Americans.  Just ask President Obama.   But the experience of racial and ethnic minorities under our current health care system serves as object lesson on how reform that improves opportunities for good health can actually be good for the nation’s fiscal health, as well.  Currently, not everyone in the United States enjoys the same health opportunities.  Studies show that minority Americans experience poorer than average health outcomes from cradle to the grave.  They are much more likely to die as infants, have higher rates of diseases and disabilities, and have shorter life spans.  LINK

Washington Afro - Obama Bans Texting for Federal Employees

President Barack Obama has banned federal employees from texting behind the wheel while on the job, effective Oct. 1.  LINK

Insight News (NNPA) - President Obama extends Gulf Coast Rebuilding Office, pushes for improved long-term recovery following catastrophic disasters

Washington, D.C. – Signalling his continued commitment to Katrina-Rita recovery, President Barack Obama announced he will visit the Gulf Coast in mid-October and see first-hand the progress in the region.  President Obama also today signed an Executive Order extending the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Recovery and Rebuilding for six months.  The Office of the Gulf Coordinator was first established November 1, 2005.  LINK

And Finally…

The Obama Health Care Plan (in 4 minutes)

Learn the basic principles of President Obama’s health insurance reform plan as presented to Congress on September 9, 2009. LINK

User content will be anchored by travel video blogs and commentaries from author, filmmaker, television producer and world traveler, Nelson George, who will serve as the BlackAtlas.com travel expert at large. Unique travel content for the site is currently being collected at BlackAtlas.com. The site is scheduled to fully launch later this month.

“I love to experience new cities, new food and meet new people. I love the thrill of discovering black culture everywhere, and so many African Americans feel the same way I do,” said Nelson George. “I want to entice more people to hit the road by giving them a different, and hopefully fresh, angle on travel through BlackAtlas.com.”

Through blogs and discussion boards, users will be able to share travel stories, videos and photos and provide travel tips. They will also be able to rate or make recommendations of popular destinations and businesses, connect with other travelers with similar interests, answer questions based on their personal travel experiences and build travel itineraries based on user recommendations.

“We at American Airlines see BlackAtlas.com as an important connector, enabling an online community of travelers to share information about their favorite places for experiencing African-American and Black culture, food, music, literature, history and events across the globe,” said Roger Frizzell, American’s Vice President – Corporate Communications and Advertising.

“As we created the site, we also found a wealth of little-known facts about African-American and Black cultural and historical contributions in every corner of the world”, said McGhee Williams Ossee, Burrell Communications’ Co-CEO. “From a Jamaican restaurant in Milan to Santa Monica’s Ink Well Beach, there are uniquely African-American experiences enjoyed by travelers around the world. BlackAtlas.com is a forum that encourages travelers to share these stories and gives them the opportunity to better plan their next trip with a few key activities or places in mind.”

Site users will be able to share content across social networks, create profiles, rate content, save content to Favorites, create downloadable travel guides, contribute unique text, video or photos, and link to promotional fares on AA.com. Initial site content will be divided into destination/city-specific and category-specific information, such as travel tips, restaurants, nightlife, culture, arts and museums, historic sites, beauty and barber shops, and places of worship.

American Airlines developed BlackAtlas.com in partnership with Burrell Communications and Juxt Interactive.
For more information, please visit our electronic press kit at http://media.blackatlas.com.

The Navy announced today the newest Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo/ammunition ship (T-AKE) would be named USNS Medgar Evers. The announcement was made by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus during a Jackson State University speaking engagement in Mississippi.

Continuing the Lewis and Clark-class tradition of honoring legendary pioneers and explorers, the Navy’s newest underway replenishment ship recognizes civil rights activist Medgar Evers (1925-1963) who forever changed race relations in America. At a time when our country was wrestling to end segregation and racial injustice, Evers led efforts to secure the right to vote for all African Americans and to integrate public facilities, schools, and restaurants. On June 12, 1963, the Mississippi native was assassinated in the driveway of his home. Evers’ death prompted President John F. Kennedy to ask the Congress for a comprehensive civil rights bill.

Designated T-AKE 13, Medgar Evers will be the 13th ship of the class, and is being built by General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego. As a combat logistics force ship, Medgar Evers will help the Navy maintain a worldwide forward presence by delivering ammunition, food, fuel, and other dry cargo to U.S. and allied ships at sea.

As part of Military Sealift Command’s Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force, Medgar Evers will be designated as a United States Naval Ship (USNS) and will be crewed by 124 civil service mariners and 11 Navy sailors. The ship is designed to operate independently for extended periods at sea, can carry a helicopter, is 689 feet in length, has an overall beam of 106 feet, has a navigational draft of 30 feet, displaces approximately 42,000 tons, and is capable of reaching a speed of 20 knots using a single-shaft, diesel-electric propulsion system.

Additional information about the T-AKE class of ship is available on line at http://www.msc.navy.mil/factsheet/t-ake.htm. Media may direct queries to the Navy Office of Information at 703-697-5342.