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Black Leaders Gather in New Orleans to Discuss Policy Agenda
New York, NY (BlackNews.com) - Fresh off the historic victory of Senator Barack Obama as the first African American to win the White House, Black leaders will gather in New Orleans November 19-23 for the State of the Black World Conference (SOBWC) to explore ways to seize the opportunity to advance policies critical to the Black community, labor, the middle class and poor people. Convened by the New York-based Institute of the Black World 21st Century under the leadership of veteran scholar-activist Dr. Ron Daniels, SOBWC will be the first major gathering of African Americans after the election. As such, organizers view the conference as a veritable post-election political convention where an agenda of priority public policy proposals will be developed to present to participants who will be asked to return to their home districts to mobilize/organize for change.
"We're excited to be able to utter the words President-Elect Barack Obama," Dr. Ron Daniels commented, "but we must work to create and advance a progressive agenda to fulfill the aspirations of millions of people, including an unparalleled number of African Americans who marched on ballot boxes to achieve this milestone victory." A number of Black leaders have observed that the crises afflicting New Orleans, before and after Katrina, is a metaphor for the conditions facing Black communities across America. Concurring with this view, Dr. Daniels said, "We must not make the mistake of believing that the new President will be able to resolve these crises without a powerful grassroots movement to promote our agenda. This is very much in keeping with Barack Obama's position that change comes from the bottom up."
Building on a process began by Rev. Jesse Jackson at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition's Convention this summer, Dr. Daniels has tapped Dr. Ronald Walters, Professor of Government and Politics, University of Maryland, and a team of scholars to develop a succinct series of priority proposals to comprise the agenda. The need for a holistic urban policy to rebuild New Orleans, rebuild America's cities and generate jobs; improving the quality of public education; combating the epidemic of gun violence devastating inner-cities communities; ending the explosive growth of the prison-jail industrial complex; and, expanding labor rights to improve the quality of life for workers and the middle class will be key focal points of the agenda. Instead of developing new initiatives, Dr. Walters is expected to recommend that bills which address these issues which are already in the Congressional legislative pipeline be highlighted, e.g., the Employee Choice Act. Proposals on policy toward Africa and the Caribbean will also be recommended. The policy agenda will initially be discussed at the National Town Hall Meeting, November 20, 7:00 PM at the Ernest Morial Convention Center, the first public function of the Conference.
Commenting on the potential impact of the agenda, Dr. Daniels observed, "While the agenda developed at SOBWC will emanate from Black concerns, ultimately its enactment will be beneficial to American society as a whole. In the spirit of Obama's campaign, moving forward, it's about building a new progressive movement to create a more just and humane society for every excluded, marginalized and disadvantaged constituency in this country."
Moderated by Bev Smith, Host of the Bev Smith Show/American Urban Radio Networks and Charles Ogletree, Harvard Law School Jesse Climenko Professor of Law, the National Town Hall Meeting will include: Marc Morial, President/CEO National Urban League; Rev. Al Sharpton, President, National Action Network (NAN); Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, President, National Rainbow/PUSH Coalition; Dr. Julianne Malveaux, President, Bennett College for Women; Dr. Elsie Scott, President/CEO, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation: Dr. Iva E. Carruthers, General Secretary, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc.; Attorney Faya Rose Sanders, Founder, Voting Rights Museum, Selma, Alabama; Dr. E. Faye Williams, President, National Congress of Black Women. Dr. Ronald Walters, will also be part of the Panel. Benjamin Jealous, the new President/CEO, NAACP, has been invited to be a Panelist as well.
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, Leader of the Nation of Islam is also confirmed to be the Keynote Speaker for the concluding session of the conference, Sunday, November 23, 9:30 AM at the Convention Center.
With enthusiasm at a fever pitch because of the election of Barack Obama to the office of President, SOBWC is expected to attract the who's who of Black America as speakers, workshop presenters as well as hundreds of grassroots/community based activists and leaders. Congressman John Conyers, Dean of the Congressional Black Caucus; Detroit Councilwoman JoAnn Watson; New York Councilman Charles Barron; Susan Taylor, former Editorial Director, Essence Magazine; Jim Clingman, author of Blackonomics and Convener of the Back to Black Movement; Makani Themba-Nixon, Executive Director, Praxis Project; Dr. Maulana Karenga, Creator of Kwanzaa, Professor of Africana Studies, California State University at Long Beach; Haki Madhubuti, author, poet and Distinguished Professor, Chicago State University; Sonia Sanchez, internationally acclaimed author and poet; Danny Glover, actor and humanitarian; George Fraser, President/CEO, FraserNet; Hip Hop pioneers Grand Master Mele Mel and Kool Moe Dee; Hip Hop Journalist Davey D; Fox News Commentator Marc Lamont Hill, Fox News Correspondent; Malika Sanders, Twenty-First Century Leadership Foundation; Bakari Kitwana, author/cultural critic; Monifa Akinwole Bandele, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement; Melanie Campbell, Executive Director, National Coalition of Black Civic Participation; and, Dr. Kimberly Ellis, scholar/activist/artist are among the broad cross-section of leaders who will participate in the conference.
About Dr. Ron Daniels, President, IBW
Dr. Ron Daniels is a Distinguished Lecturer at York College, City University of New York. He is a former Executive Director of the National Rainbow Coalition and served as Southern Regional Coordinator and Deputy Campaign Manager for Rev. Jesse Jackson's 1988 presidential campaign. Dr. Daniels was an independent candidate for President in 1992. From 1993 - 2005, he served as Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights. A frequent guest on local and national media outlets, Dr. Daniels hosts An Hour with Professor Ron Daniels on WWRL 1600 AM and Night Talk of WBAI, 99.5 FM in New York.
SOBWC Planning Committee
Rick Adams, Co-Convener, West PA Black Political Assembly, is Chairman of the National Planning Committee; Kimberley Richards, People's Institute for Survival and Beyond, is Co-Chairperson. Larry Hayes, National Association of Black Social Workers and Walter Umrani, Millions More Movement, are the Liaisons in New Orleans.
For further Information call: 888-774-2921 or 917-686-0854
Email: sobwc@ibw21.org
CONTACT:
State of the Black World Conference
888-774-2921 or 917-686-0854
sobwc@ibw21.org
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