Press Releases

Rev. Al Sharpton and National Action Network to Present “MEASURING THE MOVEMENT”

April 12, 2010, Washington, DC— On Saturday, April 14th at 11:00 a.m., Rev. Al Sharpton and National Action Network will hold the organization’s annual televised symposium taking place at Howard University entitled: “Measuring the Movement: Black Leaderships 12-Month Action Plan. The event is free and open to the public and will take place at Howard University at Cramton Auditorium. The historic event will be hosted by Reverend Al Sharpton, President & Founder of the National Action Network and will bring together for the first time Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin’s mother, Nicole Paultre Bell, the widow of Sean Bell, and Kadiatou Diallo, mother of Amadou Diallo. There will be a panel of experts that will include Melanie Campbell, Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, Inc. (NCBCP); Tamika D. Mallory, National Executive Director, National Action Network; Isaac Newton Farris, Jr., President & CEO, Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC); Wade Henderson, President, The Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, The Leadership Conference Education Fund; and E. Faye Williams, National Chair, National Congress of Black Women. The event is being taped for a TV One special that will air on Sunday, April 22.

The Measuring the Movement Forum is part of Rev. Al Sharpton and National Action Network’s annual national convention in Washington, DC taking place April 11-14 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The 4-day meeting is a who’s who in politics, civil rights, education, business, the church, Corporate America and much more. The four day event honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. consists of a series of plenary sessions, panels and special events. Featured Plenary speakers and special guests include: the Attorney General of the U.S. Eric Holder, Harvard University Professor Dr. Charles Ogletree, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan, David Gregory (NBC’s Meet the Press Moderator), U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and more.
Each year NAN hosts the national convention to bring together influential leaders in civil rights, government, business, media and within the church to focus on the issues most important in civil rights that year including voting rights, education, jobs, healthcare, youth violence and social justice.

The week after the convention, NAN will host its 14th Annual Keepers of the Dream Awards on Wednesday, April 18th, 2012 in New York City at Cipriani on Wall Street. The awards – given each year in April to mark the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s death — honor those who have continued to advocate for the principles for which Dr. King gave his life. The Keepers of the Dream awards are given by members of the civil rights community who have committed themselves to fairness and racial harmony. Among the honorees this year are: Denzel & Pauletta Washington, Karla Ballard, Chief of Strategic Development, Media and National Partnerships One Economy, Richard Parsons Chairman of Citigroup and the former Chairman and CEO of Time Warner, and Doug Morris CEO of Sony Music Entertainment. There will be special remarks by Bill Cosby.

Last year NAN’s 20th Anniversary Convention was highlighted by a keynote address by President Barack Obama, and in years before, NAN has featured Vice President Joseph Biden, President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and many others.

For Media inquiries: Rachel Noerdlinger – [email protected]. For More information and to register for media credentials: www.nationalactionnetwork.net