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WIRE SERVICES
NEW ORLEANS (NNPA) – The 2008 State
of the Black Union (SOBU) weekend, the brainchild of author/journalist
Tavis Smiley, will commence in New Orleans February 22 and
23 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.
With the theme ''Reclaiming Our Democracy, Deciding Our
Future,'' this year's symposium will provide a national forum
for leading African American educators, social scientists,
business leaders and clergy to discuss economic empowerment,
the development and rebuilding of communities, as well as
continued support of communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
In addition to focusing on the role African Americans will
play in the 2008 elections, SOBU 2008 hopes to mobilize 1,000
volunteers to rebuild some of the poorest areas of New Orleans
more than two years after more than 80 percent of the city
was inundated with floodwaters.
Friday, Feb. 22, has been designated SOBU BUILDS 2008 Day
of Service. Volunteers will work at six simultaneous community
service projects in the Upper Ninth Ward, the Lower Ninth
Ward, Central City, Hollygrove, New Orleans East and Broadmoor.
SOBU Builds, in partnership with the office of Louisiana
Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, will mobilize volunteers with the
support of local community partners who are currently addressing
community needs. The sections selected for the projects represent
some of the worst hit areas of New Orleans.
While millions have been spent on these neighborhoods, there
continues to be a need for recovery in three key areas: housing,
education and recreation.
A listing of the six service projects follows:
- Project 1 - Build a Home: Volunteers will take hammers
and nails to help in the construction of a house.
- Project 2 - Beautify a City Park: Volunteers will clean
up, refurbish park benches, clean equipment and restore
landscaping.
- Project 3 - Build a Playground: In an effort to give
kids an opportunity to play; volunteers will assist in rebuilding
playgrounds.
- Project 4 - Demolish a Home: Volunteers will clear debris
from homes.
- Project 5 - Beautify a School Yard and Donate Books:
Volunteers will plant flowers and clean schoolyard areas
of debris.
- Project 6 - Build Shelves for Public Library and Donate
Books: Teams will collect and sort books.
On Saturday, Feb. 23, Smiley will host a conversation with
24 noted politicians, educators, social scientists, business
leaders and clergy on ''Reclaiming our Democracy, Deciding
our Future'' from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Ernest E. Morial
Convention Center and broadcast live on C-SPAN.
Participants at the 8 a.m. session will include Dr. C.S.
Gordon, Jr., New Orleans Mayor Clarence Ray Nagin, Xavier
University president Dr. Norman Francis, Michael Eric Dyson,
Pastor Melvin Jones, Arlene Holt Baker, Darron Boyce, Cornel
West, Susan E. Rice, Eddie Glaude, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton,
Naomi Churchill Earp and the Rev. Al Sharpton.
Among those slated to appear at the 1:30 p.m. session are
Bishop Paul S. Morton, Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu,
State Sen. Cleo Fields, Mayor Cory Booker, Nicole C. Lee,
Herreast Harrison, Robert Franklin, a Dillard University student
leader, Donna Brazile, Bishop T.D. Jakes, Angela Glover Blackwell,
National Urban League president Marc H. Morial, Michael Steele
and the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.
Participation in the service project and attendance at the
panel discussion is free and open to the public. Advanced
free registration is required at http://www.tavistalks.com.
All registered attendees will receive a DVD of Jonathan Demme's
documentary ''Right to Return: New Home Movies from the Lower
9th Ward.''
Smiley said, ''Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath provided
a portrait of disenfranchisement at its worst. The service
we will provide to so many still in need on Friday sets up
the conversation on Saturday on what leadership must look
like for the next four years. If we can bring everyday people
together to restore hope to this jewel city in a grassroots,
hands-on fashion; the body politic should at the very least
meet the people halfway and do its part. That is the true
intersection of love and service.''
SOBU 2008 sponsors and supporters include title sponsor
Wells-Fargo, national sponsors Wells-Fargo, Allstate Insurance
Company and ExxonMobil, media sponsor ''The Tom Joyner Morning
Show'' and community sponsors McDonald's and the AARP.
''Many Americans caught in the whirlwind of market forces
this year have experienced hardships with homeownership -
a dream that Wells Fargo is committed to fulfilling and sustaining,''
said Andre Brooks, head of Diverse Segments for Wells Fargo
Home Mortgage.
''This event provides a vital venue for discussion about
this issue with an important segment of our customers, including
thousands of customers we helped following Hurricane Katrina.
We are proud to sponsor this event for the third year in a
row,'' Brooks said. ''We are excited to roll up our sleeves,
once again, and to build a home that will benefit a New Orleans
family,'' Brooks added. ''A home is the foundation on which
a family's financial security is built, and we at Wells Fargo
are committed to helping all our customers achieve and maintain
that critical financial goal.''
Carol Sagers, Director, U.S. Marketing, and McDonald's USA
says, ''McDonald's continued commitment to the African American
community has been instrumental to the success of our corporation.
Through our sponsorship of the State of the Black Union, we
understand the importance of uniting some of the most recognized
intellectual minds to discuss issues affecting the African American
community. We will continue to create opportunities that speak
to our constant support of economic empowerment, academic
and professional achievement and community development,''
This story comes special to NNPA from the Louisiana Weekly. |
