Attorney General Curtis Hill announced today that he will participate in an Oct. 6 forum sponsored by the Indiana Drug Enforcement Association with Dr. Benjamin Chavis Jr. and Indiana government and law enforcement leaders about systemic racism in America and how equality can be achieved.

At the forum, Attorney General Hill will take part in a fireside chat with Dr. Chavis, who is the President and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, the National Director of the 1995 Million Man March, a former executive director and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and a former assistant to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

A longtime civil rights leader, Dr. Chavis received international recognition in 1971 as the leader of the Wilmington Ten, when he was wrongfully convicted of committing arson and received the longest sentence of all those involved before winning his appeal in 1980.

“We have reached a pivotal point in our nation’s history when it comes to issues of race and justice. The very future of America is at stake,” Attorney General Hill said. “We must pave a path forward toward racial reconciliation or risk a fall backward into a ruinous fate of discord and division. We must come together and build a bridge for positive change to save lives and promote justice. I am personally committed to this effort and will continue working for as long as it takes, seeking truth, justice and healing for our nation.”

U.S. Rep. Andre Carson (7th District), Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, Indiana Rep. John Bartlett and Fort Wayne United Director Iric Headley will be special guests at the forum. Dr. Chavis will also moderate an exclusive panel of law enforcement officers. The panelists are:

• Randal Taylor, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Chief

• Douglas G. Carter, Indiana State Police Superintendent

• Bernard A. Carter, Lake County Prosecutor

• William Owensby, President of the Indiana State Fraternal Order of Police

• Oscar Martinez Jr., Lake County Sheriff

• Lynda R. Williams, President of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives

The forum is scheduled to take place from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. ET on Oct. 6, and Hoosiers are encouraged to watch as the discussion is live-streamed on the HeroZona Foundation Facebook page. This event is a collaborative effort among law enforcement, government, businesses and community leaders, with support from the Hyatt Regency Indianapolis, Indianapolis Recorder, AMP Harris Productions and the National Newspaper Publishers Association.

“This event is timely and strategically important not only for the city of Indianapolis and the state Indiana, but for the entire nation,” Dr. Chavis said. “It is an opportune time to discuss how to further improve relations between policy-makers, law enforcement and the communities in which they serve.”

The forum is in partnership with the HeroZona Foundation, an Arizona-based nonprofit organization that empowers heroes in the community through entrepreneurship, employment and education. The group works with veterans, first responders and those that bring social good to future generations and underserved communities. The foundation’s mission is to create opportunities for the brave men and women who serve their country, and community, every day.

“The time is at hand to have those crucial, sometimes uncomfortable conversations about the ills of our society,” said Lynda R. Williams, President of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. “In order to correct our problems, we must first acknowledge that the problems exist.”