FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 25, 2003
CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119

DRAKE UNIVERSITY, CITYVIEW TO HONOR ACTIVISTS OCT. 7

Drake University and Cityview, Central Iowa's "smart alternative," will honor six local activists on Oct. 7 as part of the Cityview Activists Project, a comprehensive community-service project designed to seek out and honor individuals who have worked tirelessly to achieve social change. Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino is a sponsor of the awards.

The local activists who will be honored are Rich Eychaner, civil and human rights; Chester "Chet" Guinn, peace; Haley Whitlatch, education and youth advocacy; Jo Hudson, environmental; Ila Plasencia, neighborhood and community; and Jonathan Narcisse, general advocacy.

The Central Iowa Activist Awards ceremony will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, at Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main, 26th Street and University Avenue. A reception will follow at Levitt Hall in Old Main. Both events are free and open to the public.
Charles Edwards, dean of Drake's College of Journalism and Mass Communication and College of Business and Public Administration, will moderate a panel discussion among the winners. Also speaking will be R. Dean Wright, the Ellis and Nelle Levitt professor of sociology at Drake, who will pay special tribute to activists who have died.

John Tinker, one of the plaintiffs in the landmark Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District U.S. Supreme Court case, will be a special guest. In 1965, 15-year-old Tinker and his sister, Mary Beth, 13, and Christopher Eckhardt, 16, wore black armbands to protest the Vietnam conflict. The high court decision firmly established that public school students did not "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gates."
Tinker is expected to speak on continuing challenges to the First Amendment.

The Cityview Activists Project and the Central Iowa Activist Awards represent a renewed commitment by the newspaper to its mission statement: "An agent of change raising social, moral and political issues to increase community awareness and action," said Connie Wimer, publisher of Cityview and president of Business Publications Corp. She said the project represents her staff's belief that lasting change can be achieved only when the level of dialogue is raised and that the alternative press in Central Iowa plays an invaluable role in exposing injustice and sowing the seeds of change.

Drake University President David Maxwell said Drake's participation in the project is consistent with the University's public role - to serve as the place where Central Iowa comes together to address issues of critical importance to the community. He also noted that "from an educational perspective, the project is a compelling message to our students that individuals can make a difference in guiding social change."

Support has also come from activist groups such as the National Conference for Community and Justice; the Iowa Public Interest Research Group; the Iowa Peace Network; the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Community Center of Central Iowa; and the American Friends Service Committees.

Leaders of those groups met with the Cityview editorial staff last month to help frame issues of importance and provide insight into why change is slow in coming and how important an individual voice can be in achieving it. They also served as judges for the Central Iowa Activist Awards.

BPC Editorial Director Beth Dalbey said the award winners have made significant contributions to peace and social justice issues.

"They're people who have made activism their life's calling, forced us to think about things that are unpleasant and questioned the status quo," Dalbey said. "Their work is frequently unpopular, almost always painstakingly slow and sometimes dangerous."

Wimer said the Central Iowa Activist Awards continue a proud tradition at BPC, which also publishes the Des Moines Business Record, DSM magazine, Intro magazine, the Book of Lists and several area development guides.

"The Cityview Activist Project joins a list of events honoring deserving people who often go too many years without proper recognition," Wimer said. "Business Publications Corp. also honors up-and-coming business and community leaders in its annual 'Forty Under 40' class, as well as 10 'Women of Influence.' I could not be more proud and excited to add Cityview's Central Iowa Activist Awards."