[Chronicle]

April 27, 1995
Vol. 14, No. 16

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    Forum: 'Has Affirmative Action Gone Too Far?'

    Deval Patrick to discuss topic with students 8 p.m. May 9 Deval Patrick, assistant attorney general for civil rights in the U.S. Justice Department, will discuss affirmative action with a panel of University students in the fifth annual Alchon Memorial Forum, "Has Affirmative Action Gone Too Far?" The forum will begin at 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, in Mandel Hall. Sponsored by the College, the event is free and open to the public.

    Patrick is originally from Chicago's South Side, where he attended elementary and junior high schools on the edge of the Robert Taylor public-housing project. Through the recommendation of a teacher, he then attended Milton Academy in Massachusetts on a scholarship from the Boston-based group A Better Chance. He received his B.A. in 1978 and his J.D. in 1982 from Harvard. He then clerked for Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

    After his clerkship, Patrick joined the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund as a staff attorney, and in 1986, he joined the Boston law firm of Hill & Barlow. He was appointed assistant attorney general in 1994.

    Achievements to date under Patrick's tenure include a landmark public-accommodations settlement with Denny's restaurants, the defense of challenges to congressional districts under the Voting Rights Act, groundbreaking educational and enforcement efforts under the Americans With Disabilities Act, expansion of the fair-lending program and the first successful criminal prosecution under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

    For more information on the forum, call 702-7134.