National Conference of Black Mayors, with over 500 African American Member Mayors, hold 30th Annual Convention in Philadelphia. Mayor John Street hosting convention.
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) March 29, 2004--A majority of this nations 535 African American mayors will be in Philadelphia during April 28th through May 1st for the 30th Annual Meeting of the National Conference of Black Mayors, Inc. (NCBM); and a virtual whos who" in American politics has been invited to address the mayors. The theme of this years annual event is Entering a Fourth Decade: A Call to Leadership." Most of the convention events will take place at the Loews Hotel. An exciting schedule of convention activities will include the Black Women Mayors Caucus workshop and luncheon, general sessions, workshops, and a Town Hall Meeting.
NCBM President, Mayor Harvey Johnson of Jackson, Mississippi, stated that Our mayors are in the midst of many complex and serious problematic situations that face our cities – large and small: economic development; infrastructure needs; access to health care, energy and the environment; transportation policy as well as better housing and improved education. Our annual meetings and seminars give our member mayors the opportunity to work together seeking new solutions to problems that will safeguard our cities and towns and help our people."
This prestigious conference will bring mayors, White House officials, members of Congress and other national dignitaries to Philadelphia to discuss concerns that face the nations cities," said Mayor John F. Street, who is hosting the conference. This type of gathering is important as it allows mayors to share ideas and strategies about how our cities are solving problems and how we are addressing issues ranging from the environment to technology and providing security as ‘first-responders. It also provides mayors the opportunity to discuss these issues with federal officials and experts from the corporate sector."
This 30th Anniversary Convention is expected to attract mayors from throughout the country including Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin; Memphis Mayor W. W. Herenton; Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick; New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin; and Columbus (Ohio) Mayor Michael Coleman. Several hundred mayors representing small and medium-sized American cities will also be in attendance at the conference including Mayor Shirley Gibson of Miami Gardens, (a new Florida city incorporated in 2003), and Mayor James Garner of Hempstead, New York, who is also the President of the U. S. Conference of Mayors.
Keynote speakers on the conference agenda include Reverend Ann Lightner-Fuller, Pastor of the Mt. Calvary A.M.E. Church in Towson, MD, speaking at the Mayors Prayer Breakfast; Acting HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson and Department of the Interior Gale Norton who will speak at the Plenary and General Sessions, respectively. Honorees include Reverend C. T. Vivian, a legendary civil rights leader, who is the recipient of the Fannie Lou Hamer Award and Mike Espy, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, who receives the Presidents Award. The Tribute to a Black American Award will be presented posthumously to Maynard Jackson, former mayor of Atlanta (GA) and to Wellington E. Webb, former mayor of Denver, CO and past president of NCBM.
Democratic nominee Senator John Kerry as well as President George W. Bush, have been invited to speak to the convention.
American Urban Radio will broadcast The Bev Smith Show from the convention for the second year; and T V One will telecast several features from the lineup of convention activities. T V One and Comcast, presenting convention sponsors, join NCBM as a media sponsor and will offer support to NCBM throughout the year. TV One is the new channel targeting African American adults which has been added to the lineup of Comcasts expanded basic package.
The National Conference of Black Mayors, Inc. (NCBM) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) service organization which provides management and technical assistance to the member mayors and articulates the memberships concerns on national policy issues. A voluntary Board of Directors, comprised of mayors, who set organizational policy, governs NCBM.
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For further information, contact:
Bunnie Jackson-Ransom:404-505-8188
(404-226-8000 – cell)
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