Human Rights activist Loretta J. Ross, founder and executive director of the Center for Human Rights Education (CHRE) in Atlanta, Ga., will be the keynote speaker on Jan. 15 at a DePaul University prayer breakfast and luncheon to celebrate the life and legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The breakfast, which is sponsored by the DePaul University Cultural Center, will be held at 7:30 a.m. in Munroe Hall, 2312 N. Clifton Ave., and the luncheon, which is co-sponsored by the Cultural Center and DePaul’s College of Law, at 11:30 a.m. at the DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd.

Ross, who is an expert on human rights, hate groups, bias crimes and women’s issues, founded CHRE in 1996 to teach grassroots human rights activists how to address social injustices in the United States. Prior to establishing CHRE, Ross served as the national program research director for the Atlanta-based Center for Democratic Renewal, a national non-profit clearinghouse for information on hate groups including the Ku Klux Klan and the neo-Nazi movement and bigoted violence.

Ross began her foray into activism as a women’s health advocate after her use of a birth control device, the Dalkon Shield, resulted in sterility. Following that personal tragedy, she became a vocal crusader for women’s health issues and human rights and was one of the first African American women to direct a rape crisis center.

As an unyielding champion of human rights, Ross directed projects investigating right-wing organizations in South Africa, the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazis. Under her direction, the Center for Democratic Renewal produced a monthly intelligence report on far right activities entitled “The Activist Update.”

Ross has testified on women’s health and human right issues before Congress, the United Nations and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. She currently serves on the board of directors for Pacifica Radio Foundation, the Foundation for African American Women, the SisterLove Women’s AIDS Project, the Independent Commission for Human Rights Education and the Fund for Southern Communities. She also is a political analyst for Pacifica News Service and has appeared on talk shows such as “Good Morning America,” “BET Lead Story,” “The Donahue Show” and “The Charlie Rose Show.”

At the breakfast, Ross will discuss how King was beginning to shift his focus from civil rights to human rights just before his death in 1968. She also will address what King would think of America’s human rights condition today. In his last sermon, King called on America to start a “human rights revolution.”

During her luncheon address, Ross will focus on the legal strategies for ensuring human rights in the United States.

Both events are free and open to the public, but reservations are required. Call 773/325-7759 for breakfast reservations and 312/773-362-8450 for reservations to the lunch event.

Note to editors: Reporters wishing to cover either speech by Loretta Ross should contact Valerie Phillips in Media Relations at 312/362-5039.