Marc H. Morial issues call to action at National Urban League's 2004 conference in Detroit

Jet, August 23, 2004

"Empowerment: Building on the Civil Rights Movement" was the theme of the National Urban League's recent annual conference in Detroit.

Marc H. Morial, National Urban League (NUL) president and CEO, opened the conference with a keynote address titled "A Time for Renewal." He challenged members to empower themselves and their communities--time to close the gaps in equality, health care, housing and education.

The Detroit Urban League, under the leadership of N. Charles Anderson and conference chairperson G. Richard Wagoner, Jr., chairman and CEO, General Motors Corporation, served as host.

Conference highlights were speeches from President George Bush and Democratic Presidential Nominee Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. Other speakers included Rod Paige, Education Secretary; Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, founder & president Rainbow/PUSH Coalition; Kwame Kilpatrick, mayor of Detroit; Ann Fudge, chairman and CEO, Young & Rubicam, Cathy Hughes, founder Radio One; Donna Brazile, Democratic strategist and the Reverend Al Sharpton, founder National Action Network.

The Conference also featured its inaugural Women of Power Luncheon which will annually recognize outstanding women in the areas of civil rights, entertainment/news, entrepreneurship, corporate responsibility, politics, local leadership and justice. This year's honorees were Linda Johnson Rice, president and CEO, Johnson Publishing Company, Inc. (entertainment/ news); Rosa Parks, civil rights heroine (civil rights); Cathy L. Hughes, founder Radio One (entrepreneurship); Myrtle S. Potter, president of commercial operations for Genentech, Inc. (corporate responsibility); Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick of Michigan (politics); Ella Bully-Cummings, chief of the Detroit Police Department (local leadership); and Kamala D. Harris, district attorney, Office of the San Francisco D.A. (justice).

Michelle Morial, anchorwoman for CBS News and BET, welcomed the honorees and served as mistress of ceremonies for the luncheon which was attended by more than 2,000 guests. Morial is the wife of NUL President Marc H. Morial.

Special sessions were held on Empowering the Black Male along with a National Education Summit on the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education and a Unity '04 Rock the Vote Hip Hop Voter Empowerment Rally. Strategic vision forums addressed closing the achievement gap, best diversity practices, health disparities, America's workforce crisis and reinvestment for urban communities.

Other conference highlights were seminars and workshops held for the NULITES (National Urban League Incentives to Excel and Succeed) Youth Summit at Wayne State University, and the National Urban League Youth Professionals Training Ground: A Next Generation Leadership Development Seminar.

More than 10,000 attendees visited the new empowerment exhibits zones that featured health, education, employment, homeownership and technology. A record of 4,000-plus attendees registered for the conference, marking the largest annual gathering of the Urban League movement. Entertainment included performances by recording artists Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and Ashford and Simpson and featured nationally syndicated Tom Joyner's Sky Show.

Detroiters U.S. Rep. John Conyers, Judge Damon Keith and Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick also were honored over the course of the five-day convention which was held at Detroit's Cobo Center.

The National Urban League is among the nation's largest civil rights and community based organizations. With over 100 affiliates in 35 states, the National Urban League serves 2 million people in the African American and urban communities nationwide.