President Barack Obama will deliver the opening address at the 2012 National Urban League Conference, which commences on Wednesday, July 25, 2012, in New Orleans at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Organizers expect the biggest global leaders and innovators to be in attendance.
“We’re thrilled and proud to welcome the president to our annual conference for the third time,” Marc H. Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League said in a statement to press. “It has become a tradition for Presidents and major-party candidates to address the conference, not only to share their agenda for the nation, but also to hear ours.”
In 2004, both George W. Bush and John Kerry addressed the conference. In 2008, the conference attracted presidential hopefuls from both major parties: Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Mike Huckabee. In 2010, Education Secretary Arne Duncan used the platform to unveil the administration’s Equity Agenda.
Themed “Occupy the Vote: Educate, Employ and Empower the Nation,” this year’s conference includes workshops, panel discussions and policy sessions that address two hot-button issues on the Urban League’s agenda: unemployment and educational inequity. –yvette caslin
