National Urban League chooses New Orleans for 2012 conference

By Zoe Sullivan
The Louisiana Weekly

“Papa’s coming home” the comment from former Mayor Marc H. Morial sparked a hearty laugh from the small, but elegant crowd gathered at the Hyatt Regency on Thursday afternoon. “I’m bringing 10,000 of my best friends with me to eat some gumbo, spend some money and enjoy New Orleans,” Morial promised the crowd, eliciting spattered applause. Mark Romig, the Chief Executive Officer of the New Or­leans Tourism and Marketing Corp­oration, introduced Morial and told the assembly that the three-day event should bring over $25 million into the city.

The group listened to the announcement that the National Urban League, an anti-poverty and civil rights organization, will hold its annual conference in New Orleans this year. From July 25 to July 28, the League, which Morial has run for more than eight years, will organize a series of events focusing on “employment, education and economic challenges,” according to a press release from the Urban League of Greater New Orleans (ULGNO), the local chapter of the national organization.

“We have a purpose with a party,” Morial told the crowd as he explained that the conference’s plenary sessions and panel discussions would be focused on identifying solutions to the challenges facing urban America. So while people can enjoy the culture and leisure activities that New Orleans offers, they also have a clear reason for being here that goes beyond pleasure.

One strategy that Morial outlined to introduce conference attendees to the city is a “night on the town,” which will help people try some of the city’s plethora of restaurants. The other side of this entails involving New Orleanians in the conference activities. The press release highlighted several happenings that will be open to the public. These include a career fair that will match job seekers with employers and offer assistance with resume writing. Another occasion for local entrepreneurs will be a small business summit that will provide a forum for pitching business ideas. The “pitch contest” winner will receive a financial award to help materialize the idea.

Along with these activities, Morial told the crowd that the National Urban League always invites the two main political parties’ presidential candidates to address the conference. This would give the candidates an opportunity to share their strategies for working with and improving life in urban America.

The president of the ULGNO’s board of directors, Dottie Reese, told The Louisiana Weekly that she and the local co-organizers “expect [the conference] to be one of the largest in recent years for the National Urban League.” Reese also invited community members to attend events, volunteer, and participate in the panel discussion and other sessions scheduled during the conference.

Nolan Rollins, ULGNO Presi­dent and CEO, added that choosing to locate the event in New Orleans in an election year is significant. “This is one of over 100 places in the nation that the national office could have chosen.” Rollins acknowledged that Morial’s ties to New Orleans and position at the helm of the National Urban League helped with the decision, but he said that the positive image that the New Orleans chapter has developed in recent years was another factor. “What we’ve done here locally is really built this organization in a way that, multi-culturally, across the realm, really see us as a go-to organization.”

This article originally published in the February 27, 2012 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.