TheLoop21.com

By: The Loop (Add to your loop)
Fri, 02/06/2009 - 12:07

The Loop is proud to announce that we have partnered with Tavis Smiley for the State of the Black Union.

The State of the Black Union (SOBU) is one of the most anticipated annual events for millions of blacks and will return to Los Angeles — the site of the first symposium — in celebration of its 10th anniversary on Feb. 28, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. 

Under the theme, “Making America As Good As Its Promise,” the symposium will capture the essence of what it has meant for African Americans to be enlightened, encouraged, and empowered by these solution-driven conversations over the years.

The symposium is free, but advance registration is required online at www.tavistalks.com. Smiley and attorney Raymond Brown will moderate the discussion that will also be broadcast on C-SPAN.

During the last decade, Americans have come to expect thoughtful, concrete discussions and debates from these symposiums, which have featured a diverse gathering of some of the nation’s most influential thinkers, entertainers and politicians. Leaders of color will take center stage to express their thoughts about some of the most important issues of the day and to inspire solutions.

For the 2009 symposium, Tavis Smiley Presents has woven the past and present by inviting panelists from the original symposium which was held on the campus of USC. Those panelists include Danny Glover, Nikki Giovanni, Na′im Akbar, Michael Eric Dyson, Lani Guinier, Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., Danny Bakewell, Sr., Jawanza Kunjufu, Les Brown,  Charles Ogletree, Randall Robinson, Al Sharpton, Iyanla Vanzant, Julianne Malveaux, Maxine Waters, Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Cornel West.

Other participants in this year’s forum include Arlene Holt Baker, Karen Bass, Peter Harvey, Van Jones, Erica Williams, Emilie Townes, and Marc Morial.

Given the current state of the economy, the fact that a new president will has taken residence in the White House and the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Smiley thinks this may be the most urgent conversation of the last decade.

“Rather than sit back and let things happen, we have to continue to be active, rather than reactive," Smiley said, "and to keep crucial issues such as education, healthcare, financial well-being, crime reduction, and the justice system on the front burner for African Americans.” 

In conjunction with the anniversary symposium, Simon and Schuster (Atria) will release Accountable: Making The Covenant Real. This third volume in the New York Times bestselling Covenant trilogy offers a pragmatic model for holding the new president and political leaders accountable for what they have promised or avoided but now must deliver. It also holds individuals and communities accountable for actions or inactions in keeping The Covenant agenda on track.

Held each February since 2000 during Black History Month, SOBU symposiums have followed the president’s State of the Union address to the nation, and often touched upon specific issues and themes.