VCU Hosts Democracy & Inclusion Forum

By Mike Porter

Virginia Commonwealth University and Richmond Region 2007 will host 1,000 selected students, faculty members, community leaders and residents for a forum to discuss democracy and inclusion.

"The Forum on the Future of Democracy & Inclusion in the 21^st Century" will take place Thursday, April 19, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the VCUSiegelCenter. 

The forum is part of the "America's 400^th Anniversary" commemoration and is officially recognized by the Jamestown 400^th Federal Commission.  It is designed to promote an exchange of ideas and to encourage civic engagement in the public and private sector among a diverse group of students, leaders and residents.

The two keynote speakers are Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker, the subject of the Academy Award nominated documentary "Street Fight," and Richmond Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, the first elected African-American governor in American history.

The forum also features a "democracy café" to stimulate discussion and allow students and leaders to meet in small groups about regional issues that relate to democracy and inclusion. 

Participants from VCU will be joined by others from J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, John Tyler Community College, Randolph-Macon College, Virginia State University, Virginia Union University and the University of Richmond.