NAN’s 2024 Convention Schedule
You are invited to join us for NAN’s annual National Convention, Wednesday, April 10-13, 2024.
This year’s event marks the organization’s 33th anniversary.
Some of the nation’s key civil rights leaders, elected officials, clergy, grassroots organizers, and social justice activists will participate in National Action Network’s annual convention from April 10-13.
TUESDAY, APRIL 9th
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm CHAPTER LEADER RECEPTION
House of Justice | 106 W. 145th St, New York, NY
8:00 am – 3:00 pm REGISTRATION Back Lobby – 1st Floor
9:00 am – 9:45 am RIBBON CUTTING & OPENING REMARKS
Metropolitan West – 2nd Floor
Rev. Al Sharpton, President & Founder, Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson,
Chairman, National Board of Directors, and Elected Officials
9:45 am – 10:00 am FIRESIDE PLENARY
Metropolitan East – 2nd Floor
The Honorable Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador, United Nations
and Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder & President, National Action Network
10:00 am – 11:00 am FIRESIDE CHAT:
Metropolitan East – 2nd Floor
Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg and Rev. Al Sharpton, President & Founder, National Action Network
11:00 am – 11:15 am PLENARY ADDRESS
Metropolitan East – 2nd Floor
The Honorable Phil Murphy, Governor, New Jersey
11:15 am – 11:30 am PLENARY ADDRESS
Metropolitan East – 2nd Floor
The Honorable Denis R. McDonough, Secretary, U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs
11:30 am – 12:15 pm BREAK
12:15 pm – 12:45 pm FIRESIDE PLENARY
Metropolitan East – 2nd Floor
The Honorable Wes Moore, Governor, Maryland
and Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder & President, National Action Network
1:15 pm – 2:15 pmGEORGE FLOYD JUSTICE IN POLICING ACT PANEL
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Opening Remarks:
The Honorable Karen Bass, U.S. House of Representatives, (CA-37)
Moderator:
Benjamin Crump, Esq., Attorney, Ben Crump Law, PLLC
Panelists:
Chief C.J. Davis, Immediate Past President, National Organization Black Law Enforcement Executives, (NOBLE)
Jerika L. Richardson, Senior Vice President, Equitable Justice, and Strategic Initiatives,
National Urban League
Dr. Tecoy Porter, President NAN Sacramento Chapter, Senior Pastor, Genesis Church, Sacramento
2:15 pm – 3:30 pmDRIVING ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE UTILIZATION OF ASSET MANAGERS
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Opening Remarks:
Secretary Janet Yellen, Treasury
Moderator:
Rev. Al Sharpton/Robert Raben, Founder & President The Raben Group
Panelists:
Tom DiNapoli, Comptroller, New York State
Scott Stringer, Comptroller, New York City
John Rogers, Ariel Investments, Chairman, Co-CEO & Chief Investment Officer
Robert F. Smith, Founder & Chairman, Vista Equity Partners
Paul Viera, CEO, Earnest Partners
3:30 pm – 5:00 pmVOTER SUPPRESSION IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Moderator:
Rev. Charles Williams, Michigan State Director NAN, Pastor, King Solomon Baptist Church
Panelists:
Dr. Jeanine Abrams McLean, Vice President, Fair Count
LaTosha Brown, Co-Founder, Black Voters Matter
Marcia Johnson-Blanco, Co-Director, Voting Rights Project, Lawyers Committee
Marcia McCoy, President NAN Cleveland, OH
Myrna Pérez, Director, Voting Rights & ElectionsProgram, Brennan Center
Rev. Charles Williams, Michigan State Director NAN, Pastor, King Solomon Baptist Church
5:00 pm – 6:00 pmBREAK
6:00 pmKEEPERS OF THE DREAM PROGRAM
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Host:
Rev. Al Sharpton
Honorees:
Rev. Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker Policy Award – Stacey Abrams, Founder, Fair Fight Action
President’s Award – Kizzmekia S. Corbett, PhD, Research Fellow, NIH | NIAID| Vaccine Research Center
Friend’s Award – Carole King, Singer, Songwriter, Author, & Environmentalist
Cultural Impact Award – Scott Mills, President, BET Networks
Michael A. Hardy, Esq. Award for National Action Network Service – Deyman Byam, Director, National Field Operations & Special Events, National Action Network
Chairman’s Award – Rashida Jones, President, MSNBC
THURSDAY, APRIL 15th
7:30 am – 9:00 amCHAPTER DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP
Empire Ballroom – 2nd Floor
8:30 am – 9:30 amNAN BOARD MEETING
Central Park West Ballroom – 2nd Floor
10:00 am – 10:15 amPLENARY ADDRESSES
10:15 am – 11:15 amMEDIA PANEL
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Moderator:
Kendis Gibson, MSNBC Anchor
Panelists:
Kurt Bardella, Contributor, LA Times & USA Today
Charles Blow, New York Times Op Ed Columnist
Dr. Ben Chavis, President and CEO, NNPA
Michele Ghee, CEO, Ebony & JET Magazine
Ira Rosen, Author, Former Senior Producer, CBS News 60 Minutes
April Ryan, White House Correspondent, TheGrio
Mara Schiavocampo, Host “Run Tell This” Podcast & Correspondent, The Dr. Oz Show
Kat Stafford, National Investigative Race Writer- Associated Press
Cheryl Wills, Host of In Focus with Cheryl Wills, NY1
11:15 am – 12:30 amDOUBLE STANDARD OF JUSTICE
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Moderator:
David Johns, Executive Director, National Black Justice Coalition
Panelists:
Alphonso David, President, The Humans Rights Campaign
Imani Rupert-Gordon, Executive Director, National Center for Lesbian Rights
Kierra Johnson, Executive Director, National LGBTQ Task Force
Rev. Magora Kennedy, Member, NAN LGBTQ Committee
12:30 pm – 1:30 pmBREAK
1:30 pm – 2:30 pmWOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT & NETWORKING EVENT
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Co-Chairs:
Rev. Al Sharpton & Tanya Lombard & Michelle Ebanks
Honorees:
Sindy Benavides, CEO, League of United Latin American Citizens
Erica Ford, Co-Founder, LIFE Camp, Inc
Madalene Mielke, President & CEO, Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies
Rachel Noerdlinger, Partner, Mercury
Holly Robinson Peete, Actress & Co-Founder, HollyRod Foundation
Hon. Stacey E. Plaskett, Congresswoman, U.S. Virgin Islands
MC Lyte, Grammy-nominated American rapper, DJ, Actress, & Entrepreneur
2:35 pm – 3:35 pmDAUGHTERS OF THE MOVEMENT PANEL
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Moderator:
Brittany Packnett Cunningham, Activist, Host of Undistracted Podcast, MSNBC Contributor
Panelists:
Gina Belafonte, Daughter of Harry Belafonte
Suzanne Kay, Daughter of Diahann Carroll
Stacy Lynch, Daughter of Bill Lynch
Dr. Hasna Muhammad, Daughter of Ossie Davis & Ruby Dee
Ilyasah Shabazz, Daughter of Malcolm X & Betty Shabazz
Dominique Sharpton, Daughter of Rev. Al Sharpton
Keisha Sutton-James, Granddaughter of Hon. Percy Sutton
3:35 pm – 4:45 pmSPECIAL LEGAL NIGHT PANEL ADDRESSING CHALLENGES IN POLICE MISCONDUCT CASES
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Featuring:
With Michael A. Hardy, ESQ, NAN General Counsel, Executive Vice President, & guests
4:45 pm – 5:30 pmENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE & HEALTHCARE IN THE WAKE OF COVID
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Moderator:
Rev. Ron Sailor, Southeast Regional Director, National Action Network
Panelists:
Dr. Jamal H. Bryant, Senior Pastor, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Atlanta, GA
Dr. Calvin O. Butts, Senior Pastor, Abyssinian Baptist Church, New York, NY
Dr. R. B. Holmes, President, NAN Tallahassee Chapter, Senior Pastor Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, Tallahassee, FL
Dr. Nancy Messonnier, Director, National Center for Immunization, and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control
Dr. Elizabeth (Eli) Painter, Vaccine Task Force, COVID-19 response, Centers for Disease Control
Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, Skinner Leadership Institute, Washington D.C.
7:00 pm – 7:45 pmINSPIRATIONAL FIRESIDE CHAT
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Moderator:
Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder & President, National Action Network
Featuring:
Dr. Hakim J. Lucas, President & CEO, Virginia Union University
Dr. Lakeesha Walrond, President, New York Theological Seminary
CHURCH FROM AN ACADEMIC PERSPECTIVE LIVE
FRIDAY, APRIL 16th
7:30 am – 8:45 amCHAPTER DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP
Empire Ballroom – 2nd Floor
9:00 am – 10:00 amINCREASING DIVERSITY IN CORPORATE STRATEGY: TAKING CONTROL OF THE CONVERSATION
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Moderator:
Hope Knight, President & CEO, Greater Jamaica Development Corporation
Panelists:
Kevin Jones, Chief Strategy & Legal Officer, Genting Americas East
Paula Peebles, Vice President of the Philadelphia Human Relations Council, President, NAN Philadelphia Chapter
Rev. Nelson Rivers, VP Religious Affairs & External Relations-NAN, Pastor, Charity Missionary Baptist Church, North Charleston, SC
Michelle Stoddart, VP of Community Development, Genting Americas East
10:00 am – 11:00 amRACE, CRIME, & PUNISHMENT
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Moderator:
Victor Pate, NY Statewide Organizer, Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement
Panelists:
Jennifer Eubanks, Retired Social Worker, Augusta GA County Jail
Dr. Willie Dwayne Francois III, Program Director, Master of Professional Studies Program, Sing Sing Prison
Rev. Jonathan Moseley, NAN Western Regional Director
Dr. Harold Trulear, Associate Professor of Applied Theology, Howard University School of Divinity
Ali Winters, DSW, LCSW, Professor – Tennessee State University
11:00 am – 12:00 pmBROADBAND ACCESS: THE CIVIL RIGHT WE CAN’T AFFORT TO LOSE
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Plenary Remarks:
The Honorable Geoffrey Starks, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Moderator:
Rev. Steffie Bartley, NAN Northeast Regional Director & President, NAN Newark Tech World
Panelists:
Robert Bush, President, NAN Las Vegas Chapter
Michele Cober, Director of External Affairs, Verizon
Kemah Dennis-Morial, Director of Public Affairs, AT&T
Tyeisha Jackson, Coordinator of NAN Newark Tech World
Camille Joseph-Goldman, Group Vice President, Government Affairs, Charter,
& Board Member, National Board of Directors, National Action Network
Derrick Law, President of NetTarius Technology Solution
Keary Rosen, Director, Form Design Studio & Lab, Express Newark
Antonio Williams, Executive Director of External Affairs, Comcast
12:00 pm – 1:00 pmREVEREND DR. WILLIAM A. JONES MEMORIAL EVENT
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Hosted by:
Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, Chairman, National Board of Directors, National Action Network
Performance:
TBD (Possibly pulled from a past event)
Honorees:
Reverend Dr. David Jefferson, Sr., Esq, Pastor, Metropolitan Baptist Church,
and Board Member, National Board of Directors, National Action Network
The Honorable Suzan Johnson Cook, Former Ambassador, International Religious Freedom
Bishop Noel Jones, Senior Pastor, City of Refuge Church
Rev. Otis Moss III, Pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ
Dr. LaKeesha Walrond, President, New York Theological Seminary (NYTS)
1:00 pm – 2:00 pmBREAK
2:00 pm – 3:00 pmTHE ENDURING POWER & RELEVANCE OF THE BLACK CHURCH
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Moderator:
Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, Chairman, National Board of Directors, National Action Network
Panelists:
Dr. Jamal H. Bryant, Pastor, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, Atlanta, GA
Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes, Pastor, Double Love Experience, Brooklyn, NY
Bishop J. Drew Sheard, Presiding Bishop & Chief Apostle, Church of God in Christ
Dr. Joseph Evans, Dean, Morehouse School of Religion, Atlanta, GA
Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III, Senior Pastor, Friendship West Baptist Church
Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, Presiding Bishop 10thDistrict,
African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church
Dr. Yolanda Pierce, Dean, Howard University School of Divinity, Washington, DC
3:00 pm – 4:30 pmTHE BILLION DOLLAR CAPITAL LANDSCAPE FOR BLACK BUSINESSES
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Opening Remarks:
Secretary Gina Raimondo, Commerce
One on One Ariel Investments Project Black:
Rev. Al Sharpton
Mellody Hobson
Panel Moderator:
Robert L. Greene, NAIC Billion Dollar Growth Initiative
Panelists:
Jim Reynolds, JLC Infrastructure, Founder, Chairman, & CEO
Ray Whiteman, Stellex Capital Management, Managing Partner
Tarrus Richardson, Founder & CEO of IMB Partners
4:30 pm – 5:30 pmROLE OF THE BLACK INTELLECTUAL IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Moderator:
Dr. Jamal Watson, Trinity Washington University
Panelists:
Dr. Keisha Blain, University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Glenda Glover, President, Tennessee State University
Dr. Peniel E. Joseph, University of Texas, Austin
Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, Boston University
Dr. Imani Perry, Princeton University
Dr. Cornel West, Union Theological Seminary
5:30 pm – 6:30 pmTHE NEW GENERATION OF ACTIVISM
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Opening Remarks:
Terrence Floyd, Brother of George Floyd
Brandon Williams, Nephew of George Floyd
Moderator:
Follyvi Dossa, NAN Youth Huddle Representative
Panelists:
Stevante Clark, Activist, Brother of Stephon Clark
Wisdom Cole, Interim Director, NAACP Youth & College Division
Ousmane Diallo, Youth Representative, NAN Youth Huddle
Chi Osse, Co-Founder, Warriors in the Garden
Ray Shackelford, President, National Urban League Young Professionals
Larry Smith, Organizer, Strategy for Black Lives
Kameron White, Vice-President, NAN Morehouse Chapter
Nia White, Co-Founder, Freedom March NYC
7:00 pm – 7:45 pmINSPIRATIONAL FIRESIDE CHAT CHURCH FROM A PROPHETIC PERSPECTIVE
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Moderator:
Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder & President, National Action Network
Panelists:
Bishop Noel Jones, Senior Pastor, City of Refuge Church
Archbishop E. Bernard Jordan, Pastor, Zoe Ministries
SATURDAY, APRIL 17TH – YOUTH & COLLEGE DAY
9:00 am – 11:00 amSATURDAY RALLY LIVE FROM THE SHERATON
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
10:00 am – 11:00 amMEASURING THE MOVEMENT
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Moderator:
Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President, National Action Network
Leaders:
Melanie Campbell, President & CEO, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, (NCBCP)
Wade Henderson, Interim President and CEO, The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights
Damon Hewitt, Acting President & Executive Director, Lawyers Committee on Civil Rights Under the Law
Derrick Johnson, President & CEO, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, (NAACP)
Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, Chair & National President, National Council of Negro Women
Marc Morial, President & CEO, National Urban League
12:30 pmOPENING CEREMONY AND YOUTH DAY AWARDS
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Opening Remarks:
Tylik McMillan, National Youth & College Director, National Action Network
Ashley Sharpton, Founder & Director, NAN Youth Huddle
• Youth and College “I Am Change” Collage Video
• HBCU Recognition/Panhellenic Stroll Video
Youth Activist of the Year:
Zyahna Bryant, Activist, Organizer
Rise Up Award:
Follyvi Dossa, NAN Youth Huddle Representative
Good Trouble Award:
Strategy for Black Lives
1:00 pm – 2:00 pmWHAT IS NOW FOR THE BLACK CHURCH & YOUNG PEOPLE
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Opening Remarks:
Rev. K.W. Tullos, President, California Baptist Convention & Vice President of the National Baptist Convention
Moderators:
Ashley Sharpton, Founder & Director, NAN Youth Huddle
Panelists:
Rev. Gregory Drumwright, Political Activist & Organizer of Justice 4 the Next Generation
Rev. Marissa Farrow, Activist and CEO, Brown by Marissa
Rev. Timiney Figueroa, Preacher, Singer
Rev. Stephen Greene, Social Justice Minister, The Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of NY
Rev. Jared Sawyer, Activist & Author
Rev. Nick Young, Princeton Theological Seminary
Tylik McMillan, Tech Fellow, National Director, Youth & College, National Action Network
2:00 pm – 3:00 pmBREAK
3:00 pm – 4:00 pmSOCIAL JUSTICE AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE IN CANNABIS
Metropolitan Ballroom – 2nd Floor
Moderators:
Tahir Johnson, Director of Social Equity & Inclusion, US Cannabis Council
Panelists:
Seun Adedeji, CEO, Elev8, Cannabis
Berner, CEO, Cookies
Wanda James, CEO, Simply Pure Dispensary
Melissa Moore, New York State Director, Drug Policy Alliance
Hope Wiseman, CEO, Mary and Main
4:30 pm – 5:00 pmCLOSING REMARKS