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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 16, 1998

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The death rate for African American children suffering from asthma is seven times higher than for white children, and indoor air pollutants are one of the key factors in this equation. To address this dilemma, the National Education Association (NEA) will hold a forum on the relationship among asthma, poor indoor air quality and urban environments as part of its national meeting in New Orleans.

Indoor air quality in public schools will be the focus of just one of hundreds of workshops and community programs held during the 1998 NEA Annual Meeting. More than 10,000 NEA delegates will descend on the "Crescent City" from June 25 to July 6 to devote their attention to current education trends and concerns.

NEA Vice President Reg Weaver, one of the highest-ranking black union leaders in America, will lead the roster of guest speakers and celebrities participating in an array of events. The highlights include:

Sunday, June 28: The 1998 Joint Conference on Concerns of Minorities and Women will address a variety of educational, health, and social issues that disproportionately impact urban and minority communities. Topics will range from school safety and teen pregnancy to preparing minority students for careers in math and science. Overall, more than 80 workshops will be held over the two-day meeting.

Monday, June 29: Former Harlem Globetrotters TyRone Brown and Bruce Capers and StepAfrika! will entertain children at two local New Orleans clinics on Child Health Day. Child Health Day sponsors -- the New Orleans Department of Health and NEA -- will provide information on new low-cost health insurance for children, Medicaid, and preventive health care.

Tuesday, June 30: NEA Vice President Reg Weaver and award-winning Long Beach, California, English teacher Erin Gruwell will be keynote speakers at the annual Instructional Issues Conference. Weaver will outline ways NEA is meeting the myriad challenges facing public schools today, from the increasing diversity of students to the need for equal access to technology. Gruwell, recently spotlighted on ABC-TV's "Primetime-Live," is credited with single-handedly turning around the lives of her inner-city high school students.

Wednesday and Thursday, July 1-2: "Cosby" star Doug E. Doug, singer Howard Hewett, New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial, and Dr. Seuss' beloved The Cat in the Hat will participate in a New Orleans Green Eggs to Hamlet Read-In. Doug and Hewett are among the celebrity readers who are giving their time and best reading voices to the children of New Orleans as part of a reading celebration that is expected to reach more than a thousand area children. The read-in is the brainchild of the NEA's Emergency Commission on Urban Children, formed in 1996 to find better ways to meet the needs of inner-city children.

Saturday, July 4: NEA will salute 11 individuals for their contributions to the advancement of human and civil rights at the annual Human and Civil Rights Awards Dinner. The event regularly attracts more than 2,000 NEA members and guests. The awards are named in honor of outstanding human and civil rights pioneers, NEA activists and leaders in the fight against racism, sexism and discrimination in education.