UMD, BSU to Announce Social Justice Alliance in the name of 1st Lt. Richard Collins III

BOWIE, Md., & COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Bowie State University (BSU), in collaboration with the University of Maryland (UMD), will announce a Social Justice Alliance on Thursday, October 1. The Alliance is created to honor the legacy of BSU alumnus 1st Lt. Richard Collins III and promote social justice on their respective campuses.

The two universities and the Collins family will be joined by Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy to commemorate the launch of the Alliance, and mark the significance of the day as the 2nd Lt. Richard Collins III law goes into effect in the state of Maryland. Richard Collins III was posthumously promoted to first lieutenant by the Secretary of the Army earlier this month.

WHO:

Aminta H. Breaux, President, Bowie State University
Darryll J. Pines, President, University of Maryland
Richard and Dawn Collins, Parents of 1st Lt. Richard Collins III
Aisha N. Braveboy, State's Attorney, Prince George's County, Maryland
Alliance coordinators, students and faculty

WHEN:

Thursday, October 1, 2020

12:30 p.m. – virtual launch event
Hear from BSU and UMD presidents, faculty and students about the BSU-UMD Social Justice Alliance. Remarks will be made by BSU President Breaux; UMD President Pines; Charles Adams, associate professor, Bowie State University; Zita Nunes, associate professor, University of Maryland; Kimetta Hairston, associate professor, Bowie State University; Georgina Dodge, vice president for Diversity and Inclusion, University of Maryland; Rashawn Ray, associate professor, University of Maryland and board member, 2nd Lt. Richard Collins III Foundation; Derrick Hinton, Bowie State University student; and Zahrah Siddiqi, University of Maryland student, and State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy.

1:30 p.m. – virtual press conference with media Q&A
Join Presidents Breaux and Pines, Mr. and Mrs. Collins, and State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy for remarks and a question and answer session on the BSU-UMD Social Justice Alliance and the 2nd Lt. Richard Collins III law.

WHERE:

Virtual launch event: The virtual launch event will be live-streamed from the BSU-UMD Social Justice Alliance webpage.
Virtual press conference: Media must RSVP to mediainfo@umd.edu by Wednesday, September 30 to receive a Zoom link and passcode to the virtual press conference.

Media should reach out to mediainfo@umd.edu with any questions about the virtual event and/or press conference.

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About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business, and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu.

About the University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park is the state's flagship university and one of the nation's preeminent public research universities. A global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation, the university is home to more than 40,000 students,10,000 faculty and staff, and 297 academic programs. As one of the nation’s top producers of Fulbright scholars, its faculty includes two Nobel laureates, three Pulitzer Prize winners and 58 members of the national academies. The institution has a $2.1 billion operating budget and secures more than $1 billion annually in research funding together with the University of Maryland, Baltimore. For more information about the University of Maryland, College Park, visit www.umd.edu.

About the 2nd Lt. Richard Collins III Foundation
In the early hours of May 20, 2017, two days after his commissioning as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army and just before his long-anticipated graduation from Bowie State University, Richard W. Collins III was murdered by a follower of the Alt Reich Nation white supremacist group. His parents established the foundation that bears his name to advocate for social and civic justice for all people. Through scholarship and education, the 2nd Lt. Richard W. Collins, III Foundation works to build young leaders thru education and civic engagement that embodies Richard’s character seeking to build a better informed and more tolerant America. Visit www.2ndltrwc3.org.