Law professor to speak at stamp unveiling

University of New Mexico Dickason Professor of Law Sherri Burr will give a brief presentation on actress Hattie McDaniel's contributions to the film industry following the unveiling this Thursday of a new postage stamp in McDaniel’s honor. Omer Rogers of the United States Postal Service will unveil the 2006 African American History Month Heritage Stamp Feb. 16 during the Third Biennial Africana Studies Symposium at Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, Mo.

McDaniel, who worked behind the scenes to change Hollywood's view of minorities, appeared in more than 300 films and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1939 for her role in "Gone with the Wind."

Burr is a distinguished speaker at the symposium. She will deliver the annual Felice Hill Gaines Lecture on the topic "Race and Racism in the New Millennium: The Economic Impact of Unconscious Bias.” She will discuss discrimination she says is often present at an unconscious level in the light of legislation that outlawed discrimination.

Contact: Laurie Mellas, (505) 277-5915; e-mail: lmellas@unm.edu