New York — Rev. Al Sharpton announced today
former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) will join the field of presidential
candidates speaking at this year’s National Action Network (NAN)
Convention in New York next week. The full schedule of
plenaries, panels, and workshops can be found here: https://
NAN’s Annual Convention is historically one of
the largest civil rights conferences in the country and will address
the pressing political issues facing Black and Brown communities 2019.
In addition, it will be the largest single gathering
of presidential hopefuls before the Democratic debates this summer –
with all but three declared candidates scheduled to address convention
attendees.
“Donald Trump has injected a lot of noise into
American politics,” said Rev. Al Sharpton, president and founder of
NAN. “Our annual convention exists to cut through the noise and focus on
the issues and policies that truly affect Black
America and the civil rights community by inviting local and national
politicians and leaders to help foster policy discussions that lead to
innovative solutions.”
With plenaries and panel appearances from
nearly a dozen presidential contenders, the convention will be an
essential forerunner to the 2020 Democratic presidential debates as the
candidates make their case to the African American
community – a critical constituency that has consistently carried the
party on its back in recent elections. Presidential contenders
addressing the convention will include Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT),
Kamala Harris (D-CA), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Cory Booker
(D-NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mayor Pete
Buttigieg (D-IN), former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
(D-TX), Rep. John Delaney (D-MD), and entrepreneur Andrew Yang.
Appearances from Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH),
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Eric Holder, Stacey Abrams,
Valerie Jarrett, and Tom Perez round out the impressive list of national
political figures that will appear at the convention.
“NAN has mobilized Black voters at every level
of the democratic process for decades now,” said Ebonie Riley, NAN’s DC
Bureau Chief. “Politicians have historically ignored issues that
resonate with the black community. Our annual convention
has always been an opportunity to hold national leaders accountable to a
black specific agenda. Our convention continues to serve as the
foremost place for presidential candidates to discuss the policies that
directly affect black voters.”
The convention will feature panels, plenaries,
and workshops dedicated to dissecting the most pressing political
issues of our time, including social justice and economic equality,
immigrant rights, diversity, and the media, women’s
empowerment and leadership, and consumer privacy and its impacts on
communities of color. Each panel will feature a diverse array of
political leaders, commentators, academics, clergy, and corporate
leaders.
As in previous years, this year’s convention
will feature NAN’s Keepers of the Dream Awards, honoring the leaders and
luminaries that have shown their dedication and commitment to upholding
the legacy and vision of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. Honorees will be announced in the coming weeks.
Founded in the spirit and legacy of the Rev.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., NAN is one of the foremost civil rights
organizations in the country and has already hosted a series of
influential events this year featuring leading 2020 presidential
contenders. The NAN Annual Convention will take place over April 3-6 at
the Sheraton Times Square.
Source: Mercury
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