Washington, DC | March 7, 2007 | The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) is pleased to announce that Hilary O. Shelton, Director of the Washington Bureau of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), will accept ADC‘s annual ‘Excellence in Advocacy Award.‘ Shelton will be recognized during the Civil Rights Awards Luncheon on Saturday June 9, 2007, at the ADC Annual National Convention.
The Saturday luncheon has traditionally served as the primary forum where convention attendees learn about the issues affecting their rights and the steps their government, and civil rights organizations, are taking to address civil rights, civil liberties, and immigrants rights in a constructive and effective approach. Previous recipients of the ADC Excellence in Advocacy Award have included the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), the Asian American Justice Center (AAJC), and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC).
On a regular basis, ADC staff work with Shelton on crucial civil rights legislation. In the 110th Congress, ADC and the NAACP are working together to pass the End Racial Profiling Act, Hate Crimes legislation, and the Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act. ADC‘s work for Arab-American civil rights follows in the footsteps of other Americans who championed the equality of rights for all persons. For almost a century, the NAACP has fought to eliminate racial hatred and racial discrimination and to ensure that all men and women are created equal. The NAACP, the nation‘s oldest civil rights organization, has changed America‘s history. Despite violence, intimidation and hostile government policies, the NAACP and its grass-roots membership persevered.
The ADC Convention, which marks ADC‘s 27 years of dedication to civil and human rights, will take place June 8-10, 2007, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel located at: 2500 Calvert Street NW, Washington, DC 20008. This year‘s convention, “Toward a More Perfect Union,” will continue the legacy of the largest annual gathering of Arab Americans in our nation‘s capital. The room rate is $159/night for single or double occupancy. Those planning to attend are requested to reserve hotel rooms early via the following link and using the ADC group code 12400607815:
http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel/WashingtonDCShoreham.aspx
More details on the ADC Convention schedule and registration information to follow soon.
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ON HILARY SHELTON
Hilary 0. Shelton, presently serves as Director to the NAACP‘s Washington Bureau. The Washington Bureau is the Federal legislative and national public policy division of the over 500,000- member, 2,200-membership unit, national civil rights organization. In this capacity, Hilary is responsible for advocating the federal public policy issue agenda of the oldest, largest, and most widely recognized civil rights organization in the United States to the U.S. Government. Hilary‘s government affairs portfolio includes crucial issues such as affirmative action, equal employment protection, access to quality education, stopping gun violence, ending racial profiling, abolition of the death penalty, access to comprehensive healthcare, voting rights protection, federal sentencing reform and a host of civil rights enforcement, expansion and protection issues.
Prior to serving as director to the NAACP Washington Bureau, Hilary served in the position of Federal Liaison/Assistant Director to the Government Affairs Department of The College Fund/UNCF, also known as The United Negro College Fund in Washington, D.C. In this capacity, Hilary worked with Senate and House Members of the U.S. Congress, Federal Agencies and Departments, college and university presidents and faculty members, as well as the White House and various government agencies to secure the survival, growth and educational programming excellence of the 40 private historically black colleges and universities throughout the United States.
Prior to working for The College Fund/UNCF, Hilary served as the Federal Policy Program Director to the 8.5 million-member United Methodist Churches‘ social justice advocacy agency, The General Board of Church & Society. In this capacity, Hilary advocated for the national and international United Methodist Churches‘ public policy agenda affecting a wide range of civil rights and civil liberties issues including preserving equal opportunity programs such as affirmative action, securing equal high quality public education for all Americans, guaranteeing greater access to higher education and strengthening our nation‘s historically Black colleges and universities, abolition of the death penalty, reforming the criminal justice system, voting rights protection and expansion, gun control and a host of other social justice policy concerns.
Hilary serves on a number of national boards of directors including, The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, The Center for Democratic Renewal, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and the Congressional Black Caucus Institute among many others.
Playing an integral role in the crafting and final passage of such crucial federal legislation as the Civil Rights Act of 1991, Hilary was also instrumental in ushering through to passage, The Civil Rights Restoration Act, The Violence Against Women Act, The Hate Crimes Statistics Act, The Native American Free Exercise of Religion Act, The National Voter Registration Act, The National Assault Weapons Ban, The Brady Handgun Law, Reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act, the Help America Vote Act and many other crucial laws and policy measures affecting the quality of our lives and equality in our society.
Hilary has humbly received a number of awards and recognitions for his unwavering dedication to the mission and goals of the NAACP. Among the many awards to which he is most grateful for receiving, Mr. Shelton is the proud recipient of the National NAACP Medgar W. Evers Award for Excellence, the highest honor bestowed upon a national professional staff member of the NAACP for Outstanding Service, Sincere Dedication and Commitment to the Mission of the NAACP, as well as the Congressional Black Caucus‘ Chairman‘s Award In Recognition and Appreciation for Dedication, Leadership and Commitment to Advancing the Cause of Civil Rights for All Americans.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, to a family of 6 brothers and sisters, Hilary holds degrees in political science, communications, and legal studies from Howard University in Washington, D.C., the University of Missouri in St. Louis, and Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts, respectively.
Hilary presently lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife Paula Young Shelton and their three sons, masters Caleb Wesley, Aaron Joshua, and Noah Ottis Young Shelton.