see also: in February 2004:   CBP Border Patrol Agents Arrest Wanted Fugitives on Northern Border   CBP Delays Implementation of the Term "Shipper"   CBP Border Patrol Seizes Over 900 Pounds of Cocaine Valued at over $31 Million   CBP Border Patrol Seizes Over 5,000 Pounds of Marijuana   CBP Border Patrol Agents Thwart Human Trafficking Operation   CBP Border Patrol Agents Seize Over $1.5 Million in Cocaine ...more on cbp.gov:   CBP News Releases   Press Officers

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Washington, D.C. - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of the Special Assistant to the Commissioner (EEO), U.S. Agency for International Development, Office of Equal Opportunity Programs, and U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Civil Rights will jointly host Black History Month with Emmy nominated actor, director, and producer Tim Reid as the keynote speaker.

Douglas M. Browning, Deputy Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, will provide welcoming remarks at the joint agency celebration. The program will be held on Thursday, February 19, 2004, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m., in the Department of Commerce auditorium.

Tim Reid is a native of Northern Virginia (Norfolk), and has starred in a number of popular television series, including, "WKRP in Cincinnati," "Simon and Simon," "Snoops," "Frank's Place" and "Sister Sister." He co-sponsors a scholarship at Norfolk State University for students majoring in drama-theatre. He also speaks throughout the country to students at local colleges regarding their career goals, role model responsibilities, and the entertainment industry for African Americans.

Reid is currently the Senior Executive Supervising Producer for TV One. He is co-founder and president of New Millennium Studios (NMS) in Petersburg, Va. His efforts and generosity have been honored by many organizations. In 1991, he was inducted in the National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame. In 1996, he received a Doctor of Humane Letters from Norfolk State University. In 1998, he was named "Virginian of the Year" by the Virginia Press Association.

February is Black History Month. This year's theme is "Brown vs. Board of Education (50th Anniversary)." In 1952, the Brown case was brought before the U.S. Supreme Court as one of five identical cases from various parts of the country, representing 200 plaintiffs. Thurgood Marshall, the then Chief Counsel for the NAACP's Legal Defense and Educational Fund, with assistance from lawyers from the Howard University School of Law, argued and won the case before the U.S. Supreme Court. A unanimous Supreme Court found it unconstitutional to separate children in public school based only on race. The decision was a major turning point in American History.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is an agency within the Department of Homeland Security that unifies U.S. Customs, Immigration, and Agriculture Inspectors and the U.S. Border Patrol Agents.