NEWS RELEASE

RATEPAYER ADVOCATE SEEMA M. SINGH HOSTS
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. CELEBRATION

RUTGERS UNIVERSITY LAW STUDENT HONORED WITH AWARD

Newark, NJ--- Ratepayer Advocate Seema M. Singh hosted a celebration and presented an honorary award to a civic-minded Rutgers University Law School student during a March 16, event that honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a monumental man who transformed the destiny of a people and the fate of a nation by leading the fight against racial oppression and towards social justice and equal opportunity.

It was the spirit of this man that illuminated the Newark, N.J., offices of the Division of the Ratepayer Advocate during “Tomorrow’s Leaders: Living Dr. King’s Dream Today,” an event to mark the Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Commission’s year-long celebration of the civil rights leader. The Ratepayer Advocate is a state agency which represents the interests of utility consumers in cases when New Jersey utilities seek changes in rates or services.

In her introductory address, Singh asserted:
“Dr. King’s prophetic commitment to service, equal opportunity and justice for all people --- without regard to gender, national origin, race or political view --- set the standard for this society,” said Singh, an American of Indian origin. She added: “Dr. King’s achievements were well known to us in India. His adherence to the teachings of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and his unflinching courage in the face of violence and repression made him a hero to me and my contemporaries.”

Keynote speaker, Rutgers Law Professor, Twila L. Perry (a New York resident), gave the following comments: “Before he died, Martin Luther King began to link his movements for racial and economic justice to the international context. He came out against the Vietnam War. Today, this country is at war again, a war that a large but diminishing number of Americans support,” said Perry.

“The challenge today is to work for peace in the world. Peace cannot be achieved only through military means. The achievement of peace ultimately has to be based on respect between people of different races, cultures and religious traditions. It has to be rooted in economic justice, and a compassion for human lives and human suffering.”

During the event, Singh gave Rutgers University law student, Elizabeth Harris of Ridgefield Park, NJ, the NJ Division of the Ratepayer Advocate’s “2005 Martin Luther King Jr. Leader Of Tomorrow Award” for her work towards promoting Dr. King’s legacy of promoting social justice and equal opportunity.

Singh said Harris, a third-year law student, was selected because her work in mentoring and tutoring minority students throughout her academic career, exemplified Dr. King’s ideals.
Harris’s involvement includes: the Brotherhood/sisterhood Sol organization in New York; Brainstorm after School Inc., in her capacity as a member of the Board of Directors; and as President of the Association of Black Law Students at the Rutgers School of Law, Newark.

In attendance at the event were Kenneth Padilla, assistant dean and director, Minority Student Program, Rutgers School of Law and Mildred Crump, Chair, Martin Luther King Jr., Commemorative Commission. Harris’s husband, Rahsaan Harris, her parents Mirtha and Roberto Rebull, sister Patricia Rebull and grandmother Mireya Perez, were among her family members who attended the commemorative event.

For more information, contact the Division of the Ratepayer Advocate at 973-648-2690.

The Division of the Ratepayer Advocate represents the interests of utility consumers and serves as an active participant in every case when New Jersey utilities seek changes in their rates or services. The Ratepayer Advocate also gives consumers a voice in setting long-range energy, water, and telecommunications policy that will affect the delivery of utility services well into the future. The Ratepayer Advocate website is http://www.rpa.state.nj.us

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