I have a personal interest in Puerto Rico, as my Borther-in-law's father was Governor there for many years, so I will be sure to catch the following City Club Forum. But, with the tides of change in Latin America in general, and the role of the Puerto Rican community in NEO's future, this seems an especially important subject for all those interested in this region.

Ramos has written extensively on the constitutional and political relationship between the U.S. and Puerto Rico, including the influential book The Legal Construction of Identity: The Judicial and Social Legacy of American Colonialism in Puerto Rico.

As a lawyer Ramos has dedicated his professional life mostly to public interest litigation and providing services to low-income clients through the Puerto Rico Legal Services Corporation, Legal Project of the Inter-Regional Council for the Defense of Haitian Refugees, and Legal Aid Clinic of the University of Puerto Rico. He has been president of the board of directors of the Puerto Rican Institute for Civil Rights and secretary of the board of the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of Penal Reform International.

In 2006, Ramos was awarded the Deborah L. Rhode Award, granted by the American Association of Law Schools, for outstanding work in the promotion of access to justice from a position in legal education. He is currently vice president and secretary of the General Council of the University of Puerto Rico Press, vice president of the World Society of Mixed Jurisdiction Jurists, and a member of the Program Committee of the International Association of Law Schools.

This Forum is in partnership with the Cuyahoga Community College and the United Church of Christ.

—Dr. Efrén Rivera Ramos, dean and professor of law at the University of Puerto Rico School of Law, will be speaking on relations between the United States and Puerto Rico at noon on Friday, November 17, 2006, at The City Club of Cleveland.

 Tickets for this City Club Friday Forum are $18 for members and $30 for non-members. Lunch is included. Reservations are required at least 24 hours in advance of the event. They can be purchased by calling The City Club at 216.621.0082 or visiting the website at www.cityclub.org.

 Established in 1912 to encourage new ideas and a free exchange of thought, The City Club of Cleveland is the oldest continuous free speech forum in the country, renowned for its tradition of debate and discussion. The City Club’s mission is to inform, educate and inspire citizens by presenting significant ideas and providing opportunities for dialogue in a collegial setting.

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