Kevin Powell presents Nat’l Black Male Conference HILL HARPER, DR. MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, and Others Gather in Brooklyn for Historic Event Brooklyn, NY – KEVIN POWELL (long-time activist, prolific writer, acclaimed public speaker, and widely considered one of America’s most important voices in these early years of the 21st century), in conjunction with The Sharland Norris Group, presents “Black and Male in America: A 3-Day National Conference” from Friday, June 15 to Sunday, June 17, 2007, in downtown Brooklyn. Internationally respected scholar and author DR. MICHAEL ERIC DYSON; actor HILL HARPER (of CSI: New York; best-selling author of Letters to a Young Brother; JEFF JOHNSON (popular BET correspondent and personality); BYRON HURT (anti-sexist activist and award-winning filmmaker of PBS’ Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes); ED LOVER (legendary hip hop, pop culture, multimedia personality, and host of Power 105.1’s The Ed Lover Show); and many others are just a few of the speakers confirmed to attend. The massive gathering is an extension of and a follow-up to the highly acclaimed “State of Black Men Townhall Meetings and Workshops,” a 10-city national tour presented by Powell in 2004. The purpose of this year’s conference is to bring together “activists, community workers, educators, scholars, policymakers, artists, athletes, writers, mental health and social workers, spiritual leaders, coaches, fathers, mothers, and all who are concerned about the fate of the Black male, to discuss issues and remedies for the improvement of Black males’ lives,” says Powell. Black and Male in America (a/k/a BAMIA) is free to the public (only Saturday afternoon workshops are reserved for Black males only). All events take place at Hanson Place Central United Methodist Church and Hanson Place Seventh-Day Adventist Church (both located downtown Brooklyn; details attached). For general info, email contact@blackandmaleinamerica.org, visit www.blackandmaleinamerica.org or call 718.390.3520. For complete conference schedule, list of speakers, and venue details, see attached materials Conference Highlights At-A-Glance Friday, June 15 – Open to All Keynote address by KEVIN POWELL “State of Black Males” Townhall Meeting facilitated by ED LOVER, legendary hip hop, pop culture, multimedia personality, and host of Power 105.1’s “The Ed Lover Show” Special award ceremony honoring WILLIAM BELL (father of SEAN BELL, the unarmed young Black man killed by New York City Police Department officers November 2006) and other men of the African Diaspora who live or work in the metro area. Saturday, June 16 – For Black Males Only Empowerment workshops from 10 am until 6 pm Saturday, June 16 – Open to All HIPHOP, MANHOOD, AND MENTORING, A PUBLIC CONVERSATION featuring HILL HARPER at 7:30 PM Sunday, June 17 – Open to All A special Father’s Day program featuring special opening remarks by JEFF JOHNSON, BET News Correspondent; CEO, Truth Is Power; and Founder of www.mynation.com and www.jeffsnation.com Panel discussion on fathering and parenting in the African American community featuring fathers and fatherhood advocates. Special closing remarks on Fatherhood, Manhood, and Mentoring by DR. MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, internationally acclaimed scholar; writer; political, social and cultural critic; media commentator; Best-selling author of numerous books, including his latest title, Know What I Mean? Reflections on Hip Hop; Avalon Professor in the Humanities at University of Pennsylvania; host of nationally syndicated radio show The Michael Dyson Show; Ordained Baptist minister Relevance and Topics of the Conference According to Powell and fellow participants, the timeliness of BAMIA is obvious: “Given all the statistics, the brain trusts, the summits, articles, essays, and reports; and given the current national dialogue around hiphop and its effects on young America (particularly young Black males), we feel that we need to do something that speaks to these myriad of concerns and that offers a template and a clearinghouse for basic, proactive solutions.” The topics of BAMIA are far ranging. They include spirituality; education; popular culture, economics; politics and policy; the criminal justice system; physical health; mental wellness, and violence in our communities. When asked in what ways this conference will build upon similar work in the field, Kevin offers “Firstly and as in 2004, we’ve decided that rather than holding the conference at a hotel or conference center, we will have it directly in the heart of a community typical of most urban American settings where so many Black males are facing the many challenges previously mentioned. In that regard, we have engaged two Black churches: Hanson Place Central United Methodist Church and Hanson Place Seventh-Day Adventist Church, as the venues. Our aim, across the board, is to create a model for how our Black male discussions and remedies should look going forward.” He adds, “Secondly, we will web cast and podcast all the information gleaned during the three days. We will also launch a major website, www.blackandmaleinamerican.org. It is designed to be a comprehensive, multimedia Internet destination for any information relevant to Black male development. It will be interactive and will serve as a clearinghouse of information for Black males, or those interested in the work, challenges, and lives of Black males. The site will include essays, articles, and scholarly writings; a regular blog section; a listing of resources nationwide for Black males in the areas of health and healthcare, mentoring programs, educational and job training opportunities, legal assistance, and other areas; and models of success that can be duplicated. Finally, as a continuation of event, we are collaborating with a number of health and wellness specialists and groups to produce ‘THE BLACK MALE HANDBOOK: A Blueprint for Physical, Mental, and Spiritual Health and Wellness.’ In November 2007, there will be 100,000 copies of the handbook distributed in nontraditional ways: at Black churches, Black barbershops, Black college campuses, and via the street teams so prevalent these days in the entertainment industry. Our goal is to ultimately get at least one million copies of this handbook on the streets of America.” BAMIA is sponsored by (others pending): The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Health Policy Institute’s Child Welfare Initiative, supported generously by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; The Phelps Stokes Fund; The Ford Foundation; The Twenty-First Century Foundation; Blue Ridge Foundation New York; The Office of City Councilwoman Leticia James; OBRM: other & beyond real men—http://otherbeyondrealmen.blogspot.com/; Brooklyn College ERIS (Empowerment, Recruitment, Investment, and Support) Program, in conjunction with Dr. George Cunningham, Chair, the Africana Studies Department of Brooklyn College; Power 105.1 radio; rolling out UrbanStyle Weekly; Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.-Wall Street Chapter; Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.; New York State Conference of the N.A.A.C.P.; The Office of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz; Ghana’s Gigs; 100 Black Men, Inc. (New York chapter); Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA); allhiphop.com; BLACKNJ.com; Village Builders Concepts, Inc.; Presenters of the Black Male Development Symposium (BMDS) at Arcadia University (Philadelphia, PA); Empower Today’s Youth; PersaudBrothers; C.DeVone Events; and GRAE Enterprises. Less