President of Erase Racism, V. Elaine Gross, to Speak at Adelphi University on September 14, 2009

V. Elaine Gross

Garden City, NY
September 3, 2009

Adelphi University is pleased to welcome V. Elaine Gross, president of Erase Racism, as she leads a talk and Q&A session on "Race, Racism, and the Mortgage Crisis on Long Island." The event is the first in a series of three lectures to be presented this fall with the purpose of providing a foundation that will foster awareness of and student involvement with organizations such as Erase Racism and the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) to combat racial injustices in housing and mortgages. The lecture will take place on Monday, September 14, 2009, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Thomas Dixon Lovely Ballroom of the Ruth S. Harley University Center, 1 South Avenue, Garden City, NY. This event is sponsored by the on-campus social action group, ICAN Make Change, and is free and open to the public.

Along with her work as president of Erase Racism, Ms. Gross has held numerous leadership positions for groups devoted to social and economic equality. She previously served as vice president for programs at the Urban League, community relations director for the Lead Free Kids Project at Boston Health and Hospitals, deputy director of the Boston Housing Partnership, and founding executive director of Sustainable America, among others.

Ms. Gross obtained her M.S.W. in macro practice from Boston University in 1983, and has more than 30 years of practice specializing in ethnic equality issues.

Erase Racism was conceived in 2001 and is devoted to identifying and addressing structural and institutional racism in government as well as society. The organization seeks to promote social and economic equality, capacity-building for the identification and addressing of racial issues in other organizations, create a network of related agencies to advance and strengthen the mission, and raise awareness through seminars and assessments.

ICAN Make Change, the Adelphi Collaboration Project, involves multiple campus constituencies in a collaborative and interdisciplinary effort to educate, inspire, empower, and engage our Adelphi community through learning about, as well as taking part in, local and global actions to create the world we dream about. For a list of scheduled events for the fall, including the presentation and training sessions by ACORN to follow in this series, please visit http://events.adelphi.edu/ican2009/events.php.

For more information about this lecture and to submit questions for the Q & A session, please contact Associate Professor Deborah Little at 516.877.4113 or at little@adelphi.edu.

About Adelphi University: Adelphi University, chartered in 1896, was the first institution of higher education for the liberal arts and sciences on Long Island. Through its schools and programs—The College of Arts and Sciences, Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, Honors College, Ruth S. Ammon School of Education, University College, and the Schools of Business, Nursing, and Social Work—the co-educational university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as professional and educational programs for adults. Adelphi University currently enrolls nearly 8,500 students from 41 states and 63 foreign countries. With its main campus in Garden City and centers in Manhattan, Hauppauge, and Poughkeepsie, the University maintains a commitment to liberal studies in tandem with rigorous professional preparation and active citizenship.


Media Contact
For additional information, please contact:

Kali Chan Media Relations Director p - 516.877.4040 f - 516.877.3266 e - chan@adelphi.edu