Sharpton to speak at National Conference on the Black Family in America

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver the keynote address for the University of Louisville’s annual Dr. Joseph H. McMillan National Conference on the Black Family in America, March 6-8.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Project Progress (1963 – 1968), 50 Years of Progress and Struggle: Where Do We Go From Here?” The goal of the conference is to help families become more empowered, engaged and educated in order to maximize quality of life.

Sharpton will deliver the keynote address during the conference banquet, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. March 7. Sharpton is the founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN), a non-profit civil rights organization headquartered in Harlem, New York, with more than 60 chapters nationwide. He also hosts the MSNBC show “PoliticsNation,” where he analyzes the top political and social news.

Author and sociologist Joyce Ladner will speak during the conference’s closing luncheon, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. March. 8. Ladner is the author of seven books, including 1971’s “Tomorrow’s Tomorrow: The Study of the Black Woman,” a study of poor, black adolescent girls from St. Louis. She served as interim president of Howard University from 1994-95. She was also a senior fellow in the governmental studies program at the Brookings Institution from 1998-2003. She’s currently writing her memoir about coming of age during the civil rights movement.

All conference events will be at the Hilton Garden Inn, 2735 Crittenden Dr., near Belknap Campus. The cost to attend the full conference is $250. Tickets may also be purchased for individual events, including the talks by Sharpton and Ladner. Details and registration are online. Registration is open until the close of business March 3; no on-site registration will be available.

For more information about the conference, call 502-852-6656 or email bfc@louisville.edu.