PEORIA, IL -- The Illinois NAACP state convention plays in Peoria on Oct. 30-31, and features national leaders as speakers. The important themes are environmental and social justice. From a press release:
President Aaron Mair of the Sierra Club and President/CEO Cornell Brooks of the NAACP will speak together at the Marriot-Pere Marquette Ballroom, beginning at 6:30 pm on Friday, October 30, 2015, as part of the annual Illinois NAACP conference. Together the two organizations represent nearly 1.5 million members organized within 2500 community organizations in all fifty states.
Both Brooks and Mair recently participated in Justice Summer, a march from Selma, Alabama to Washington D.C in support of a focused national advocacy agenda that protects the right of every American to a fair criminal justice system, uncorrupted and unfettered access to the ballot box, sustainable jobs with a living wage, and equitable public education.
The Saturday Evening Freedom Fund Banquet feature US Congressman Emanuel Cleaver D-Missouri. Congressman Cleaver is past Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and a long time advocate for equal employment opportunities for all people of color.
The Peoria NAACP is hosting the State Conference as part of its 100th year of existence in Peoria, where the struggle for social justice is far from over.
The Schedule: Registration takes place from 9 am - 5 pm on Friday, Oct. 30. There's a luncheon, afternoon workshops and panel discussions, and the 6:30 pm program with Brooks and Mair.
Registration continues on Saturday, Oct. 31, with 10:15 am workshops and panels on criminal justice and education/safe schools.
Workshops/panels continue at 1:30 pm to 4:45 pm, and include sessions on political action.
The Freedom Fund banquet begins with a social hour at 6 pm, and features speaker Cong. Cleaver of Kansas City, Mo. He is the Democratic Party co-chair on the US House Benghazi panel, and defended presidential candidate Hillary Clinton when she appeared at the Benghazi hearing Thursday, Oct. 22.
This is a fabulous conference, and the costs to attend are modest, $25 for the entire conference, $60 for the Saturday night banquet (but perhaps free if you don't sign up to eat?).
-- Elaine Hopkins
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