Civil Rights Advocate Speaks at Lisbon High School

Summary

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On December 7, 2006, Lisbon High School was proud to have the honor of listening to speaker Thom Harnett at its second Academic Aspirations assembly of the 2006-2007 school year. Thom Harnett is currently the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Education and Enforcement in the office of the Attorney General. Students listened intently as Mr. Harnett described his work, his past and the present, about civil rights and what they mean, and about the failure that he sometimes feels. He says that "with every successful enforcement action, every time someone is punished for his or her wrong doings, a failure is represented, because someone somewhere was hurt and nothing can change that."

Mr. Harnett shared the civil rights movement started long ago. It surfaced with the actions of those such as Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy, all three who Mr. Harnett considers heroes. All three, he points out," were murdered for standing up for what they knew was right. Civil rights are the rights granted to each individual, regardless of your skin color, your race, your gender, your religion, your ancestral background, your physical and mental disabilities, or your sexual orientation."

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Extract

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Civil Rights Advocate Speaks at Lisbon High School

After graduating law school in 1980, Mr. Harnett wasn't sure what he wanted to do. But soon, he got involved with and wound up working for the Migrant Farm W...

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