National Conference of Black Mayors holds 24th annual convention in New Orleans

Jet, May 25, 1998

The National Conference of Black Mayors (NCBM) ended its 24th Annual Convention in New Orleans with more than 200 of the nation's 426 Black mayors in attendance.

The conference was hosted by New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial. Keynote speaker for the opening session of the four-day event was Vice President Al Gore, who addressed the 2,000 conventioneers who attended the confab on this year's theme: "Taking the Moral High Ground: A Blueprint for Affirmative Action."

"The most diverse administration in history is one of the most successful in history-and that's not in spite of our diversity; it's because of it!" the vice president said. "So don't tell me diversity comes with a cost; diversity comes with a huge premium! That's why we must stay committed to equal opportunity and to affirmative efforts to ensure it."

Accompanying the vice president were Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater and Agriculture Secretary Daniel Glickman.

Gore, NCBM President Emanuel Cleaver, mayor of Kansas City, MO, said, during his press conference address to the convention attendees and guests:

"Affirmative Action is not a program of preferential treatment for minorities...It does not precipitate reverse discrimination. The truth about affirmative action is that it is a remedy for decades of institutional racism...It seeks to level the playing field for all participants."

In addition to workshops and exhibits, convention activities included award presentations.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo, who also addressed the convention, was presented the President's Award; Children's Defense Fund President Marian Wright Edelman was recipient of the Fannie Lou Hamer Award; and Ernest Green, who was among the historic "Little Rock Nine" who integrated Central High School in Little Rock, AR, was recipient of the Tribute to a Black American Award.

Officers elected during the convention included East St. Louis, IL, Mayor Gordon D. Bush as president; Denver Mayor Wellington E. Webb, first vice president; Prichard, AL, Mayor Jesse M. Norwood, second vice president; Arcadia, OK, Mayor Marilyn Murrell, third vice president; Prairie View, TX, Mayor Ronald Leverett, treasurer; and Bastrop, LA, Mayor Clarence W. Hawkins, secretary.