/24-7PressRelease/ - NEW YORK, NY, May 10, 2008 - The Institute of the Black World 21st Century, under the leadership of veteran social and political activist Dr. Ron Daniels, announced plans today to convene the Second State of the Black World Conference (SOBWC) in New Orleans, November 19-23, 2008. Centered on the theme Return to the Source, Restoring Family, Rebuilding Community, Renewing the Struggle, a major goal of the conference is to focus national and international attention on New Orleans and the Gulf in support of the right to return of evacuees/displaced persons and their heroic struggle to reclaim and rebuild their homes and neighborhoods. Accordingly, the organizers of SOBWC hope to attract some 3,000 people from Black communities across the United States and people of African descent communities in Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe and Africa.
Timed to occur after the historic presidential election of 2008, SOBWC will assess the outcome of the election and discuss strategies for advancing a progressive public policy agenda and private initiatives to empower the Black community no matter who wins the White House. The program/schedule will include the Damu Smith Leadership Development and Organizer Training Institute; A National/International Town Hall Meeting; Katrina Policy Roundtables; a Special Session on Haiti; Pan African Policy Forum; Black Family Summit; a wide range of issue area Working Sessions: and, Intergenerational Dialogues.
Scores of national, regional and local civil rights/human rights, religious, labor and political leaders and activists are being invited to participate in the conference including Marc Morial, President/CEO, National Urban League; Kevin Powell, author, commentator and political activist; Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, President, National Rainbow/Push Coalition; Susan Taylor, former Editorial Director, Essence Magazine; Rev. Al Sharpton, President, National Action Network; Dr. Iva Carruthers, General Secretary, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference; Kimberly Crenshaw, Columbia and UCLA Law Professor; Roland Martin, CNN Analyst; Makani Themba-Nixon, Executive Director, Praxis Project; Dr. Cornel West; Bev Smith, National Radio Talk Show Host; Haki Madhubuti, author, poet and Distinguished Professor; Melanie Campbell, President, National Coalition for Black Civic Participation; Sonia Sanchez, internationally acclaimed author and poet; and, Danny Glover, actor and humanitarian.
SOBWC will also present a Leadership Award to Michael Baisden for his galvanizing work on the Jena 6 Case and a Lifetime Achievement Award to Rev. Jeremiah Wright for his courageous and visionary leadership as an apostle of liberation theology.
Rick Adams, Co-Convener, West PA Black Political Assembly, is Chairman of the National Planning Committee; Kimberley Richards, Peoples Institute for Survival and Beyond, is Co-Chairperson; and, Larry Hayes, National Association of Black Social Workers, is the New Orleans Liaison.
For further Information call: 888.774.2921 or email sobwc@ibw21.org.
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