By Selena Stevens

Morris Dees, named Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 28, in UK's Singletary Center for the Arts Concert Hall.

March 5, 2002 (Lexington, Ky.) -- A canceled appearance by a lawyer who has dedicated his life to fighting discrimination and hate has been rescheduled. Morris Dees will speak at the University of Kentucky on March 28.

Dees, named Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Trial Lawyers for Public Justice, will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 28, in UK's Singletary Center for the Arts Concert Hall about key issues facing America following the tragedies on Sept. 11.

As a civil rights lawyer, Dees headed lawsuits against the Ku Klux Klan that led to the Klan's bankruptcy. Dees also has been involved in the imprisonment of numerous hate-crime perpetrators and is the founder and chief trial counsel for The Southern Poverty Law Center, which focuses heavily on lawsuits involving civil rights violations. Dees continues to use the center to help develop ideas for "Teaching Tolerance," an educational project aimed at educating young people about the importance of the civil rights movement. Dees' passion for civil rights and diversity grew from his youth.

The son of an Alabama farmer, he witnessed firsthand the painful consequences of prejudice and racial injustice. That passion has won him many honors. He has received the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Award from the National Education Association, the American Bar Association's Young Lawyers Distinguished Service Award and the American Civil Liberties Union's Roger Baldwin Award. Colleges and universities have recognized him with honorary degrees, and the University of Alabama gave him its Humanitarian Award in 1993.

He is the author of "A Season for Justice," his biography; "Hate on Trial: The Case Against America's Most Dangerous Neo-Nazi;" and "Gathering Storm: America's Militia Threat."

The UK Student Activities Board sponsors the free event, which is open to the public.