Black Leaders to Assess Impact of a “Disastrous” Election

November 14, 2024 town hall meeting will discuss the way forward for Black America

Dr. Ron Daniels, President of the New York based Institute of the Black World 21^st Century (IBW) announced today that some of Black America’s most influential leaders will gather in Washington, D.C. Thursday, November 14^th at the historic New York Avenue Presbyterian Church for a National/International Town Hall Meeting to discuss the impact of the 2024 Presidential election on the state of Black America and the Pan African World. The Town Hall will take place in the wake of the shocking re-election of Donald J. Trump to a second term as President.

The assembly of leaders who will lead the discussion include: Marc Morial, President/CEO, National Urban League; Dr. Julianne Malveaux, Educator, Author, Political Economist; Melanie L. Campbell; President/CEO, National Coalition of Black Civic Participation; Rev. Shavon Arline-Bradley, President/CEO, National Council of Negro Women; Hilary Shelton, Senior Vice-President, Governance and Policy, NAACP; Jennifer Jones Austin, Esq., CEO, Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies; Dr. George Fraser, President/CEO, FraserNet; Mel Foote, President/CEO, Constituency for Africa; Rev. Graylan Hagler, Senior Advisor, Fellowship for Reconciliation, USA; Maurice Mitchell, National Director, Working Families Party; Dr. Melina Abdullah, National Director,   Black Lives Matter Grassroots; and, Robin Rue Simmons, Founder/Executive Director, FirstRepair.

Marc Morial has been designated to tee-up the discussion because of the role the National Urban has assumed in preparing and presenting the highly anticipated Annual State of Black America Report. Panelists are expected to offer analysis of factors contributing to a stunning and devastating outcome in terms of the sweeping nature of Trump’s victory, discuss the impact of the election on policies of vital importance to Black America, Africa and the Caribbean and exchange ideas on strategies and tactics necessary to protect and advance the interests and aspirations of Black people in a hostile political environment. Participants in the audience will also be asked to contribute to the discussion. The Program will also include a Tribute to Mary Frances Berry, the longtime Chairperson of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and a special update on the crisis in Haiti by Jocelyn McCalla, Senior Policy Advisor for the Haitian American Foundation for Democracy.

Dr. Ron Daniels indicated that this initial Town Hall Meeting is the first major gathering of what will be numerous forums and meetings across the country in the weeks and months ahead to devise a blueprint for resistance and transformational change. “It’s time for an all-out mobilization to counter the negative forces that want to turn back the clock on Black progress. But ‘we are not going back.’ What’s good for Black America is good for America. A more perfection union is not possible without full freedom and justice for African Americans,” he concluded.

The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, which is located at 1313 New York Avenue, N.W. in Washington, DC, is nationally and world renowned because President Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass both attended the Church and occasionally addressed the congregation. The Town Hall Meeting is scheduled to begin promptly at 6:30 PM. Dr. Jatali Bellanton, Neuropsychologist/Angel Investor , will serve as the MC for the Town Hall Meeting and Dr. Daniels will Moderate the Panel Discussion. The event will be live streamed at www.ibw21.org

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