Public Interest Organizations announce Intense Lobbying for Integrity Legislation at the Sixth Annual Washington Whistleblower Week and Civil & Human Rights Conference on Capitol Hill. MSNBC Host Dylan Ratigan will moderate a panel of Whistleblower as they decry Obama's War on Whistleblowers. Pacifica Radio Network will attend and broadcast this historic event hosted by the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees and the ACORN 8.

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(Washington, D.C.) - The USDA Coalition of Minority Employees (http://www.agcoaliation.org) and watchdog group ACORN 8 (http://www.acorn8.com) united with 40 national and international coalitions of good government, open government, civil rights and human rights groups as well as hundreds of individual Occupy Wall Street protesters from across the country, announce an assembly at the Washington DC Capitol to be held May 20-22, 2012. We are proud to announce that MSNBC Host Dylan Ratigan has agreed to moderate and the PACIFICA Radio Network has committed to broadcast the historic event this year.

Over the last six years members from the Make it Safe Coalition (MISC) have arranged an assembly of whistleblowers in Washington, DC each year for an annual conference originally known as Washington Whistleblower's Week. The USDA Coalition of Minority Employees will co-host this year's Whistleblower Summit--Civil & Human Rights Conference , in Washington, DC.  The Coalition has been very active at the US Department of Agriculture since 1994, regarding their continued widespread racism, sexism, reprisal, intimidation, sexual assault, hostile work environment, and other abuses against USDA employees and minority farmers.

The week's events will include an Opening Plenary, New Media Panel Discussion, No FEAR Anniversary Reception, Civil and Human Rights Roundtable, Book Signing, Movie Night, Citizen's Tribunal, Press Conference, Peace & Justice Demonstration, Congressional Lobby Day, Solidarity Dinner and much, much, more. Featured speakers will include some of the following:

Charles "Chuck" Grassley, U.S. Senate (R-IA)

Tom Devine, Legal Director, Government Accountability Project

Stephen Kohn, President, National Whistleblower Center

Arlene Englehart, Executive Director, Pacificia Foundation

Marcel Reid, Board of Directors, Pacifica Foundation

Lawrence Lucas, President, USDA Coalition of Minority Employees

Michael McCray, Co-chair, International Association of Whistleblowers

Reverend Walter Fauntroy, Founder, No FEAR Institute

Marsha Coleman Adebayo, Co-chair, No FEAR Coalition

Margret Flowers, Chair, National Occupation of Washington (NOW)

The week's events are designed to highlight the contributions of whistleblowers and to promote Civil and Human Rights activism. The public interest watchdog coalitions view the week as an opportunity to build on the momentum created by OccupyEPA, Filibuster for Justice, Washington Whistleblower Week and to protect the truth-tellers who risk their careers to challenge abuses of the public trust. During the week, speakers will include some of the best-known whistleblowers and advocates in US history.

"Presidential candidates have taken notice of the movement. When in private practice as a young lawyer, Barack Obama represented coalition member Janet Chandler, contributing to a pivotal Supreme Court whistleblower victory," states Michael McCray, Co-chair of the International Association of Whistleblowers and Author of ACORN 8--Race, Power & Politics. "Unfortunately, the Obama Administration has been so harsh on these first amendment champions that many activists have decried the Obama War on Whistleblowers."

"Whistleblowing is patriotic, and the people demand protection. This must be the critical issue of this pivotal election year" declared Lawrence Lucas, President of the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees. "With the exception of a few hold-outs in the White House, everyone agrees that government accountability is a good idea. These events will help show the nation that the public demands these reforms and enthusiastically supports Congress' efforts to enact stronger whistleblower protections."

To launch this year's activities on Monday, May 20, the coalitions for will hold a series of panels beginning at 9:00 a.m. in the Senate office building. The panels are designed to highlight congressional efforts to enhance whistleblower protections and other oversight initiatives.

All sessions will be open to the public. Independent Publisher, American Banner Books is hosting a book signing and movie night on Tuesday, May 21 at Bus Boy's & Poets at 14^th and U Street NW, which will feature a panel of distinguished whistleblowers and their advocates. Other events open to the public include a Whistleblower Movie night and a gala reception commemorating the 10^th Anniversary of the passage of the No FEAR Act, the first civil rights legislation of the 21^st century.

Previous speakers from prior year's events included Tom Devine of the Government Accountability Project (GAP), Steven Kohn of the National Whistleblower Center (NWBC), Rev. Fauntroy of the No FEAR coalition. Senator Grassley was awarded a lifetime achievement award.  Mr. Devine and Mr. Wigand jointly testified before Congressional chairwoman Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), and the House Subcommittee on Workforce. We urge the public, the media and the Congress to support these important events.

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Authors Website: http://www.WhistleBlowerSummit.com

Authors Bio:

Michael McCray is a public interest advocate who combats racism and corruption in the government and other institutions which deprive individuals of their basic civil rights, human rights and constitutional liberties. McCray is co-chair of the International Association of Whistleblowers (IAW), and a National Board Member for Federally Employed Women Legal Education Fund (FEW/LEF). McCray is the Author of ACORN 8: RACE, POWER & POLITICS--Memoirs of an ACORN Whistleblower; and he also hosts "The Fifth Estate" on Pacifica Radio, the only show made by whistleblowers--about whistleblowers.