For Immediate Release
March 15, 2004

Contact: Petra Tuomi, Public Affairs, 212-854-7907

A Journey to Africa - Symposium and Multi-Media Exhibition
Highlights Barnard Students and Faculty Mission to South
Africa's Hazardous Vanadium Mines

New York, NY- Research on the health hazards and
environmental pollution of vanadium mining in South Africa
will be presented on March 25 by Barnard Professors Diane
Dittrick and Timothy Halpin-Healy and Barnard student
scholars, who traveled to the small mining town of Brits,
north of Johannesburg, in 2003 to study the dangers of this
practice.

The trip was spearheaded by Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo, a
Barnard alumna, who was the whistle-blower on the dangers of
vanadium mining while serving on the Gore Mbeki Commission,
which provided U.S. assistance to the then-new South African
government, headed by President Nelson Mandela.
Coleman-Adebayo, who was later dismissed from her position
in the Gore-Mbeki Commission for voicing her concerns about
the unsafe mining practices and the involvement of U.S.
companies, won the largest-ever settlement against the U.S.
government for discrimination. She is still employed at the
U.S. EPA as a Senior Policy Analyst in the Office of the
Administrator.

A Journey to South Africa, a symposium and a multi-media
exhibition, hosted by Coleman-Adebayo, will feature a taped
message against the unsafe vanadium mining practices from
actor and activist Danny Glover, who is producing a film
about Coleman-Adebayo's life. Barnard's mission was
documented by a South African film company and the
screenwriter of Glover's film. The event will take place at
6 p.m. in the Altschul Atrium of Altschul Hall, and is free
and open to the public.

"Barnard students and faculty who traveled to South Africa
are the foot soldiers and researchers against the corporate
greed and crimes in Brits. This is the first time that
student scholars have visited and conducted
multi-disciplinary research on this problem reflecting
socio-economic, environmental, and political implications,"
said Coleman-Adebayo.

Barnard students on the mission included: Hayley Holness
'05, Alexandra Severino '05, Kendra Tappin '05, and
Alexandria Wright '05.

"I never knew how immersed I would become in this project
when I was first asked to be one of the faculty mentors for
this trip. The symposium that I have produced will showcase
the research of our students, honor the vanadium mine
workers and their families, and acknowledge their pain and
suffering. A special feature of the exhibition will be a
video "Failure Is Not an Option: The Plight of Vanadium Mine
Workers in South Africa," drawn from the footage shot at the
USA/SA Environmental Collaboration Conference we attended,"
said Professor Dittrick.

The goal of the group was to study the impact of vanadium on
the miners, their families, and on the surrounding community
in Brits, as well as to promote awareness of the hazards of
vanadium mining in order to bring scientific, medical, and
legal solutions to mobilize support for the victims.

According to Coleman-Adebayo, the United States is the
primary beneficiary of South African vanadium. VAMETCO, one
of the three largest mining companies in South Africa, is
owned by Strategic Minerals Corporation, a subsidiary of
Union Carbide. Vanadium is a low-cost steel strengthener
which is highly toxic when mined. South Africa, the only
producer in Africa, produces over 17,000 tons yearly of this
metal element extracted from ore. It is used in many
manufacturing industries from automobile, medical, military,
to household appliances. Vanadium mining is one of the only
industries of Brits, thus forcing the impoverished mining
families to choose between the life-threatening mining and
unemployment.

"We need to let the world know about the horrors of vanadium
mining against the poor citizens of Brits," said
Coleman-Adebayo. "The effects of vanadium poisoning are
devastating: within the first 3-4 months of exposure, male
victims experience sexual dysfunction; within a year or two,
serious organ failures of kidneys and liver will follow. The
poison sufferers bleed from their eyes, ears and genitals.
Many suffer from asthma, chronic bronchitis, and other
pulmonary ailments. Vanadium miners are rarely provided with
masks, gloves, or protective gear by the companies. Due to
this, the miners bring the contamination home to their wives
and children on their clothes, hair and under their nails."

While in South Africa, the group attended a
multi-disciplinary conference, Capacity Building Workshop on
Occupational Health and Elimination of Toxic Chemicals
Within Our Communities: The Hazards and Health Issues of
Mining Vanadium, conducted research, and met with the
families of vanadium victims.

In 2002, Coleman-Adebayo, President of the No Fear Coalition
and No Fear Institute, led a task force to pass H.R. 169
(the No Fear Bill) in the U.S. Senate, which required that
government agencies be found liable for discrimination
against race, sex, or disability. The No Fear Institute now
monitors the implementation of the No Fear Bill, the first
civil rights law of the 21st century and supports the
humanitarian project in South Africa. In order to make the
Barnard trip possible, Coleman-Adebayo worked with Jacob
Ngakane, former Congress of South African Trade Unions
organizer, who had initially asked for her help during her
tenure on the Gore-Mbeki Commission, in reporting about the
human rights violations against the vanadium miners.
Physicist Halpin-Healy said "The South Africa trip was an
opportunity to see a young nation and its extraordinary
people emerging, with success and vision, from a moment of
great historical transition. The Symposium will permit the
Barnard women who journeyed there, newly informed about ANC
politics, the socioeconomic exigencies of 19th century
African mines, as well as the legacy of Apartheid, to share
with our community back home this life-transforming
experience."

The funding for the trip was put together by Vivian Taylor,
Associate Dean of Studies, who worked closely with
Coleman-Adebayo on the development and implementation of the
travel plan. The trip was made possible through the support
of the Barnard Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program
of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and The GE Foundation.

"Marsha presented a unique opportunity for the student
scholars to both experience and integrate activism and
scholarship. She has been a great mentor for the students
and it has been inspirational for all of us to work with
someone with such a high level of social consciousness,"
said Taylor.