Register now for Dec. 7-10 summit
The NAACP, in a continuing effort to identify black leaders of the future, will host the second annual Leadership 500 Summit December 7 in Destin, Fla.
Five hundred black professionals between 30 and 50 years old are invited to attend the conference to set a progressive agenda for the 21st century. The conference theme is Leadership by Design: Ensuring Our Legacy.
“This is the NAACP’s recruitment opportunity to engage, network with and develop a new group of civil rights advocates,” said Roslyn Brock, vice chairman of the NAACP Board of Directors.
“The organization will be 100 years old in three years. We need to retool and reenergize the membership in general and the leadership in particular to address the present-day civil rights agenda.”
Brock, the youngest vice chairman of the board and the first female to hold that position, conceived of the summit to increase the cadre of young black leaders in America and to encourage more black professionals to become socially and politically active as the NAACP approaches its centennial birthday in 2009.
Julian Bond, chairman, NAACP Board of Directors, said: “Leadership 500 gives the NAACP a chance to reach out to young professionals and gives them a chance to reach out to the NAACP. We badly need each other if we are to meet today’s challenges.”
“As I have maintained from day one of my administration, increasing membership among young adults and building a larger endowment are two of my primary goals,” said NAACP President & CEO Bruce S. Gordon.
“Roslyn is to be congratulated for starting the leadership summit. This is a great opportunity for young professionals who sit on the sidelines and complain that we are not doing anything to address their concerns.”
Last year’s summit attracted several hundred professionals and entrepreneurs in the areas of health, religion, politics, law, media, entertainment, economic development and education who were interested in shaping the future direction of social justice advocacy efforts in the nation.
The conference will be held Dec. 7 – Dec.10. To register, go to www.naacp.org and click upcoming events. Proceeds from the conference will help fund the 2009 NAACP centennial celebration. The summit agenda includes a series of speeches, workshops, a town hall meeting and a golf outing.