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FOR PRESS INQUIRIES, CONTACT:  Amy Susan (573) 751-1518
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  July 12, 2011

***MEDIA ADVISORY***
Student Winners to Receive MCHR Awards During
Bootheel Youth Showcase

The Missouri Commission on Human Rights (MCHR) announces winners of a poster and essay contest expressing the theme, “Fair Housing: Give Discrimination the Boot.”  This event is part of a Bootheel-focused public education campaign, the Show-Me Fair Housing Awareness Project, designed to increase awareness about fair housing rights under state and federal laws.

On the evening of July 13, MCHR will honor 12 contest winners, who will receive prizes in the amounts of $250 (first place), $125 (second place), and $50 (third place). The awards presentation kicks off the Lincoln University Extension Showcase, featuring talent and entertainment by local youths, which immediately follows the MCHR presentation.

The media is invited to attend this event.

WHAT:       Poster & Journalism Contest Winners Announcement

WHERE:    Clara Drinkwater Newnam Auditorium
                    Charleston High School campus
                    606 S. Thorn Street
                    Charleston, MO

WHEN:      Wednesday, July 13, 2011, at 5:30 p.m.

WHO:         Dr. Alisa Warren, Executive Director, MCHR; Brenda Robinson-Echols, Regional Coordinator, Lincoln University Extension (partner with MCHR in administering contests); and student contest winners from the Missouri Bootheel region

The contest and awareness campaign are made possible through an Education and Outreach Initiative grant awarded to the MCHR by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. MCHR is an independent commission housed in the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. It is responsible for enforcing the Missouri Human Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and places of public accommodation.

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