Staff Report
TUSKEGEE—Leaders from across Alabama, and the nation convened, August 9th and 10th, at the Tuskegee University Kellogg Center, and at the Tuskegee Municipal Complex, in a SAVE OURSELVES SUMMIT (SOS), for the purpose of getting a collective understanding of the challenges facing the black/minority community, and to forge a collective and effective response to these challenges.
Some of the topics included voting rights, education equality, jobs for the black community, black on black crime, and the upcoming 2014 elections in Alabama. Attending were leaders from 33 organizations, such as the New South Coalition, The Alabama Democratic Conference, the NAACP State Conference, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), The Alabama Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), The Nation of Islam, the Hispanic Interests Coalition of Alabama, The Alabama Education Association, 21st Century Youth Leadership Movement, The Alabama Conference of Black Mayors, The International Black Broadcasters Association, The Alabama Legislative Black Caucus, The World Conference of Mayors, Inc., and others.
Mayor Johnny Ford, who invited the leaders to historic Tuskegee, issued the following statement: “I wish to thank Senator Hank Sanders, and all of the other leaders for convening this important summit in Tuskegee, and I am very pleased that one of the resolutions that they adopted was in support of our Federal lawsuit, against Luther Strange, for violating our voting and economic rights by closing down VictoryLand, and causing our people to lose 2,300 jobs, and our community to lose millions for our schools, our government, and our charities. I am also pleased that the leaders attending the Summit also voted to organize a permanent Alliance, which will continue to function as a united voice for black and other minority issues in the State of Alabama.”
SOS will participate in the “March on Washington” this weekend, and will convene the next meeting in Birmingham on September 11th , immediately prior to the 50th Commemoration of the Civil Rights Struggle in Birmingham, September 12-14, 2013.
