23RD ANNUAL 100 BLACK MEN OF AMERICA CONFERENCE
[Atlanta, GA]– “Education on the Frontline” was the theme for the 23rd Annual Conference of the 100 Black Men of America, Inc. Global leaders, celebrities and business executives recently convened in New York City to raise over $2 million for education and mentoring programs for the international organization. More than 3,000 attendees participated in the five-day conference that drew notable political and corporate leaders. “We applaud the efforts of our 2009 partners and our host chapter for raising nearly $1 million in support for this year’s conference through our Big Apple Sponsors,” said Chairman of the 100 Black Men of America, Inc., Albert E. Dotson, Jr., Esq. Major 2009 Big Apple Sponsors included: Bloomberg Corporation, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield and News Corporation. More than 70 organizations comprised of corporations, foundations, educational institutions, and government agencies delivered monetary and in-kind resources in support of the 100’s mentoring initiatives. In 2009, long-time partners of the 100 Black Men of America invested over $1.5 million in support of this year’s conference, the list of leading contributors include such household names as: AARP, Aetna, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Bank of America, The Coca-Cola Company, Delta Air Lines, ExxonMobil, Georgia Pacific, MillerCoors, The Nielsen Company, Prudential Financial, State Farm Insurance, UPS, U.S. Army and Wal-Mart. "There is an enormous achievement and opportunity gap impacting African-American youth as it relates to grade level education and higher education opportunities. This year's record setting conference tackled these issues from a global perspective, finding solutions to educating our young men and women and directing our members to act and inspire others to act on the solutions discussed," said Dotson. “Programs are the life blood of the 100, and this year our partners and friends participated and invested resources at a level that lets us know our mission is resonating across the country, and around the world,” says CEO of the 100, John B. Hammond, III. This year’s historic event broke conference attendance records for members, spouses, youth and corporate partners; such participation, the 100 expects, will translate into record action throughout the global network of chapters. In addition to the generous support of corporate sponsors, a number of organizational partners made significant financial and intellectual capital investments by launching several multi-chapter, multi-year community-based programs during the conference to assist the 100 in implementing its expanded mission to mentor across a lifetime. Key partnership initiatives activated during this year’s annual conference include the following: · Bank of America Family Homeownership Initiative was launched at this year’s conference. The program will focus on (5) key markets (Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York) with a focus to promote homeownership within these markets through the various local chapter’s outreach activities. · Prudential Financial launched the Prudential /100 Financial Empowerment Series which is a program designed to encourage and empower the African-American community to become financially literate and economically self-sufficient. The program will be activated in the following markets: Sacramento, Tampa Bay, Knoxville, Kansas City, Tallahassee, Akron, Silicon Valley, Orlando, Cincinnati, Western Pennsylvania, Charleston, Columbia, Jacksonville, Atlanta, Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Houston, and San Francisco. · Aetna, Inc. renewed its Health & Wellness partnership by renewing its long term partnership continuing through the 2009 calendar year. The conference drew some of the world’s most influential figures including: U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, New York Governor David Paterson, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, The Honorable Douglas Wilder- the nation’s first African American governor since Reconstruction, former New York City Mayor David Dinkins. Additionally, the 100 awarded its prestigious leadership award to General William E. “Kip” Ward- the only active-duty, four-star African-American general. Additional attendees and presenters included: actress Vivica Fox, Warner Music Executive Kevin Liles, recording artist Maxwell, best-selling author Terry McMillan, Marc Morial-President of the National Urban League, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus of Essence Magazine Susan Taylor, Dr. John Jackson- President Schott Foundation for Public Education The 24th Annual Conference is scheduled June 16-20, 2010 at the Westin Diplomat in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. For more information on the 100 Black Men of America, Inc., or to view footage from this year’s conference, visit www.100blackmen.org. # # # About 100 Black Men of America, Inc.
