House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi Speaks March 4

SALISBURY, MD---U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi of California is this year’s speaker in the Paul S. Sarbanes Lecture Series. Pelosi is the first woman in American history to lead a major party in Congress. On Friday, March 4, at 11 a.m., the distinguished representative will join her Senate colleague and fellow Maryland native Paul Sarbanes on Salisbury University’s Holloway Hall stage to offer her thoughts on the state of today’s turbulent world. “9/11 and its aftermath, social security, health care, the environment: it’s hard to name a hot button in which issue today that Nancy Pelosi isn’t playing a significant role,” said Dr. Harry Basehart, co-director of SU’s Institute for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement (PACE). Along with Sarbanes, PACE co-sponsors the lecture series. “Maryland residents will be sure to recognize Pelosi’s family lineage,” Basehart said. “She is a D’Alesandro, whose father and brother both served as mayors of Baltimore. We are proud that one of the youngest of that distinguished family, Laura, is now a student at Salisbury University and in PACE’s new Presidential Citizen Scholar program.” Pelosi has been in the forefront of issues surrounding the terrorist attack on 9/11 and authored legislation to create the independent national commission to assess the overall performance of the federal government before, during and after the attacks. She also has been an advocate for the American family and a leader in increasing educational opportunity, protecting workers and promoting health care, including women's health. She was instrumental in creating a nationwide health tracking network to examine the links between environmental pollutants and chronic disease. The Paul S. Sarbanes Lecture Series is now in its fourth year at Salisbury University. Previous speakers have been Sarbanes, Senator Richard Lugar and Congressman John Lewis. The lecture is free and the public is invited. For more information, call PACE at 410-677-5045.