CHICAGO, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second year in a row, the Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc. (SDPC), the nation''s fastest growing ecumenical, social justice network, in partnership with the Greater New Orleans Clergy for Restorative Justice (GNOCRJ), is returning to the Gulf Coast region in an effort to shine light on the hurricane-ravaged city and those who still struggle for the most basic necessities, shelter, employment and adequate healthcare. The Proctor Conference is returning, in part, to demonstrate to the greater New Orleans community that the nation has not forgotten the region''s plight.
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The Proctor Conference will celebrate its 5th anniversary meeting in New Orleans beginning February 11th to 14th, Re-Awakening the Sleeping Giant: Mobilization for Prophetic Social Justice Ministry, to address concerns surrounding the city''s restoration and to examine public policies, emergency preparedness, healthcare and other issues affecting the African American church and community.
At least 1,000 noted African American ministers, leaders and politicians will attend the Conference including Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, activist Dorothy I. Height of the National Council of Negro Women, Nobel Peace Prize winning environmentalist Dr. Wangari Maathai, Cookie Johnson of the Magic Johnson Foundation and a number of national politicians and New Orleans city officials. A number of programs are planned and participants will take part in "Field Experiences" to engage in hands on work at sites such the Freedom School, Beecher Memorial Congregational United Church of Christ and the Amistad Research Center.
The Conference has released "the breach: Bearing Witness," a comprehensive report by the National Katrina Justice Commission (sponsored by SDPC), with introductory remarks by Sen. Barack Obama. The report includes 23 recommendations on the Gulf Coast restoration, highlights stories of those who were displaced, includes testimony from first responders, evacuees, political officials, Red Cross and FEMA, and sheds light on the public policy implications the hurricane has had on Homeland Security, poverty and race and class-based disparities.
WHO: Other presenters include national clergy, lay leaders, public officials and including: -- The Honorable Cynthia Willard-Lewis of New Orleans City Council -- The Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes, Jr., Senior Pastor, The Riverside Church, New York, New York -- The Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., Senior Pastor, Trinity United Church of Christ, Chicago, IL -- The Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr., Olivet Institutional Baptist Church, Cleveland, Ohio -- Dr. Obery M. Hendricks, Jr., professor and author of The Politics of Jesus, Montclair, NJ -- The Rev. Dr. Bernice Powell Jackson, North American President World Council of Churches, New Orleans, LA WHEN: February 11th - 14th, 2008 Worship Services held Monday, Feb. 11th at 6 p.m. and Tuesday, Feb. 12th at 7 p.m. are open to the public. See Proctor website for more details WHERE: Astor Crowne Plaza 739 Canal Street (at Bourbon and Canal Streets) New Orleans, LA 70130 (504) 962-0500
Source: Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference, Inc.