Urban League and SCLC Preparing for Upcoming Annual Conferences
Date: Tuesday, July 26, 2005
By: Sherrel Wheeler Stewart, BlackAmericaWeb.com
Leaders and members of two of the nation's most prominent civil rights organizations will gather this week in separate meetings to discuss strategies for dealing with age-old challenges in the black community -- voting rights, economic empowerment, poverty and civil rights.
In Washington, D.C., more than 3,000 people are expected for the 95th anniversary conference of the National Urban League July 27 - 31. And in Birmingham, Alabama, more than 8,000 people are expected to attend the annual conference of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, founded in 1957 by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
"In 1910, our focus was housing, education and job training," said Maudine Cooper, president and CEO of the Greater Washington Urban League. "We're still doing that."
The Urban League is increasing its efforts to reach young professionals who will support the organization with their skills and their money, Cooper said.
"There is no free lunch. Someone has paid," Cooper told BlackAmericaWeb.com.
In addition to the emphasis on young professionals, the Urban League conference at the Washington D.C. Conference Center will include an Empowerment Zone, with more than 100 corporations on hand to interview job applicants, banks offering assistance on financial management and agencies such as Freddie Mac discussing home ownership.
"Economic empowerment is the next frontier for civil rights," the Urban League's Ricky Clemons told BlackAmericaWeb.com. "Our most recent report on the State of Black America showed that 50 percent of African-Americans own their homes while 70 percent of whites own their homes."
"We know that homeownership is a key to building wealth in our community," he said.
Clemons projects that at least 10,000 people will go through the Empowerment Zone, which is free and open to the public.
Other events during the Urban League conference include:
* A session at 2:15 p.m. Thursday titled "The Black Male: Endangered Species or Hope for the Future?" including U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton of New York, U.S. Senator Rep. Danny Davis of Illinois, and author Kevin Powell.
* A civil rights roundtable discussion at 10:45 a.m. Friday featuring the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. of Raindow/PUSH Coalition; Dorothy Height, chairman emeritus and founder of the National Council of Negro Women; Lezli Baskerville, Esq., president and CEO of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education; John Bryant, founder, Operation HOPE; Melanie L. Campbell, executive director, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation; Theodore M. Shaw, Esq., director-counsel and president, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.; Kim Keenan, Esq., president, National Bar Association, and Senior Trial Attorney, Jack Olender & Associates; the Rev. Joseph E.A Lowery, co-founder and president emeritus, Southern Christian Leadership Conference; and Reg Weaver, president of National Education Association. Joe Leonard, executive director and chief operating officer of Black Leadership Forum, Inc., will lead the discussion.
In Birmingham, the SCLC will return to its old-time flavor, mixing its seminars with a bit of the gospel for its conference -- themed "SCLC: A New Day, A New Way" -- slated for various locations throughout the city from July 30 through Aug. 3.
The Mississippi Mass Choir is scheduled to give a free concert on Saturday night, and the Rev. William Shaw, president of the National Baptist Convention, is the guest speaker at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Christian Fellowship in Action Program.
"We were born out of the church," said SCLC president Charles Steele. "That is our strength." His goal as leader of the organization, he says, is bringing the entire civil rights community together to work toward common goals.
Steele took the helm of SCLC in November following bitter internal struggles that even caused one of the oldest supporters to drop his head in frustration.
Veteran SCLC official Fred Shuttlesworth, who marched along with Rev. King, told BlackAmericaWeb.com last year that the SCLC was dying and "only God can revive the dead."
Steele said this week that "God has resurrected the SCLC."
"When you look at where we've come from in the past nine months, you'll see we've made lots of progress," he told BlackAmericaWeb.com. "When I came in as president, the lights were out, phones were cut off, and there was no money in the bank. Today, all of our operation expenses are paid, and we haven't missed a pay day for our employees and consultants."
Because of the internal healing and because of the international focus the SCLC has developed, Steele said, he expects the conference in Birmingham to be one of the best the organization has ever had.
The annual confab will maintain its political bent, however, highlighted by a speech on Aug. 2 by Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean.
"SCLC is growing into an international organization, with the establishment of our conflict resolution centers around the world," Steele said. Centers have already been established in Israel and in Dayton, Ohio, he said. At least four additional centers are being planned for cities in the U.S. and in Africa.
"At home, we still must address the problems of racism. Blacks still are the most hated race of people in the country," he said. "Abroad, we know the world is looking to the SCLC for leadership in world peace. Because we are a direct action organization, SCLC can address these issues."
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Wednesday, July 27th 2005 at 12:36PM
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