New Orleans to Be the Site for the State of the Black World Conference

Press Release

The Institute of the Black World 21st Century, underthe leadership of veteran social and politicalactivist Dr. Ron Daniels, announced plans today toconvene the Second State of the Black World Conference(SOBWC) in New Orleans, November 19-23, 2008. Centered on the theme Return to the Source, RestoringFamily, Rebuilding Community, Renewing the Struggle, amajor goal of the conference is to focus national andinternational attention on New Orleans and the Gulf insupport of the right to return of evacuees/displacedpersons and their heroic struggle to reclaim andrebuild their homes and neighborhoods. Accordingly,the organizers of SOBWC hope to attract some 3,000people from Black communities across the United Statesand people of African descent communities in Canada,the Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe andAfrica.

Timed to occur after the historic presidentialelection of 2008, SOBWC will assess the outcome of theelection and discuss strategies for advancing aprogressive public policy agenda and privateinitiatives to empower the Black community no matterwho wins the White House. The program/schedule willinclude the Damu Smith Leadership Development andOrganizer Training Institute; A National/InternationalTown Hall Meeting; Katrina Policy Roundtables; aSpecial Session on Haiti; Pan African Policy Forum;Black Family Summit; a wide range of issue areaWorking Sessions: and, Intergenerational Dialogues.

Scores of national, regional and local civilrights/human rights, religious, labor and politicalleaders and activists are being invited to participatein the conference including Marc Morial,President/CEO, National Urban League; Kevin Powell,author, commentator and political activist; Rev. JesseL. Jackson, President, National Rainbow/PushCoalition; Susan Taylor, former Editorial Director,Essence Magazine; Rev. Al Sharpton, President,National Action Network; Dr. Iva Carruthers, GeneralSecretary, Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference; KimberlyCrenshaw, Columbia and UCLA Law Professor; RolandMartin, CNN Analyst; Makani Themba-Nixon, ExecutiveDirector, Praxis Project; Dr. Cornel West; Bev Smith,National Radio Talk Show Host;

Haki Madhubuti, author, poet and DistinguishedProfessor; Melanie Campbell, President, NationalCoalition for Black Civic Participation; SoniaSanchez, internationally acclaimed author and poet;and, Danny Glover, actor and humanitarian. SOBWC will also present a Leadership Award toMichael Baisdan for his galvanizing work on the Jena 6Case and a Lifetime Achievement Award to Rev. JeremiahWright for his courageous and visionary leadership asan apostle of liberation theology. Rick Adams,Co-Convener, West PA Black Political Assembly, isChairman of the National Planning Committee; KimberleyRichards, Peoples Institute for Survival and Beyond,is Co-Chairperson; and, Larry Hayes, NationalAssociation of Black Social Workers, is the NewOrleans Liaison.

For further Information call: 888.774.2921 or emailsobwc@ibw21.orghttp://www.stateoftheblackworld.org