For the last five years, I have been invited to attend Rev. Sharpton's, National Action Network's annual meeting, as a delegate, and this year it was their 25th Anniversary. The 17th annual convention is in New York from April 13-16 at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers, 811 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10019.
The meeting started with speeches by New York's: City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer, Mayor de Blasio, and Rev. Sharpton, followed by the ribbon cutting.
During the ceremony, The Mayor gave the Rev. a proclamation naming April, 13, 2016, National Action Network Day in the City of New York.
Then there was two Plenary Sessions with:
The Honorable Julian Castro, Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
The Honorable Thomas E. Perez, Secretary, U.S. Department of Labor
The main morning session was called:
2016: A transitional Election Year with Much at Stake
Opening Remarks: David Plouffe, Senior Vice President of Policy & Strategy, Uber
Moderator: Reverend Al Sharpton, President & Founder, National Action Network
Panelists:
Cornell Belcher, President, Brilliant Corners Research & Strategies
Tad Devine, Senior Advisor, Bernie Sanders Presidential Campaign
Reverend Omarsosa O. Manigault, Professor, School of Business at Howard University, member of Los Angeles Chapter of National Action Network, Trump Spokesperson
Lawrence O'Donnell, Host of MSNBC's 'The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell'
John Podesta, Chairman of 2016 Hillary Clinton Presidential Campaign
April Ryan, White House Correspondent for American Urban Radio Network
Angela Rye, CEO of IMPACT Strategies
Armstrong Williams, Founder and CEO of Graham Williams Group
The morning sessions ended with:
The Honorable Hillary Clinton, 2016 Presidential Candidate
Hillary Clinton sought to show that she understands the consequences of racial inequality. She preached the importance of combating racial inequality.
"Race still plays a significant role in determining who gets ahead in America and who gets left behind,” she said.
But she also dug into inequities beyond the hot topics of police brutality and mass incarceration, though she touched on those issues. She highlighted the elevated risk of asthma faced by African-American children and the disparate impact of lead poisoning on people of color. “What happened in Flint would never have happened in a wealthy suburb of Detroit,” she said, referring to the contamination of the largely black city's drinking water.
In New York, she leads her Democratic rival, Sen. Bernie Sanders, with black voters by 65% to 28%, according to a Tuesday Quinnipiac poll.
Rev. Sharpton has yet to endorse a Presidential candidate.
Sanders will speak at the convention’s midday session Thursday.
NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker
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