Press Releases

NAN & Sharpton to Convene Summer Conference Highlighting Issues Ranging from Education to Same-Sex Marriage

NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK (NAN) & REV. AL SHARPTON TO CONVENE SUMMER CONFERENCE IN ATLANTA HIGHLIGHTING KEY ISSUES RANGING FROM EDUCATION, HEALTH CARE, BULLYING IN SCHOOLS, RACIAL PROFILING, SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, THE CENSUS, THE BLACK CHURCH & MORE, INCLUDING A SPECIAL DISCUSSION ON REV. SHARPTON’S NATIONALLY SYNDICATED RADIO SHOW WITH NEWT GINGRICH AND U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION ARNE DUNCAN ABOUT THE EDUCATION GAP

MAYOR SHIRLEY FRANKLIN, MARTIN LUTHER KING, III, BISHOP EDDIE LONG, JOHN SILVANUS WILSON, JR. ED. (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF WHITE HOUSE INITIATIVE ON HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES, & MANY OTHER LEADERS IN VARIOUS FIELDS TO BE FEATURED PARTICIPANTS

AUGUST 13-15 @ HYATT REGENCY ATLANTA

New York, NY (August 9, 2009) –Rev. Al Sharpton and NAN have announced they will hold their third annual Summer Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, from August 13-15 at the Hyatt Regency on Peachtree Street. The Conference will consist of three days of enlightening sessions that will address vital issues crucial to the community and today’s civil rights movement. On Friday, August 14th Rev. Al Sharpton will hold a special discussion on education on his nationally syndicated radio show with Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (Former Speaker Gingrich 1:05 p.m./Secretary Duncan 3:30 p.m./ listen live at www.sharptontalk.net).

Delegates at the Conference will join high profile clergy, government officials, activists, educators, business leaders, and young people. Among the participants include Mayor Shirley Franklin, Martin Luther King III, Bishop Eddie Long, Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan, Joshua Smith from the Atlanta Hawks, and many more.

Special plenary sessions have been carefully tailored to interest and address critical issues including, but not limited to, racial profiling, the gap in public education, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the health care debate, escalating teen violence, the criminal justice system, justice for Troy Davis, the state of media and the performance tax issue, and the future success of historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s), to name a few discussion items.

The Conference will feature events that target the interests of today’s youth. A Town Hall meeting with youth speaking out on critical issues will feature a panel of experts leading a discussion on such critical issues as peer pressure, bullying, gang violence, teen pregnancy, and substance abuse. The event will be co-hosted by hip-hop artist T.I.’s K.I.N.G. Foundation.

National Action Network Summer Conference marks a unique opportunity for participants to rub shoulders with an impressive array of political leaders, entertainers, clergy, and leading educators. Among the conference highlights will be Reverend Al Sharpton’s message the attendees during NAN ’s live radio broadcast and rally on Saturday, August 15th. Participation in the conference gives people a chance to be at the forefront of the civil rights movement for free. All sessions are open to the public.