The United Black Christian Clergy of Washington State invites the community to participate in this unique opportunity. The conference kick off activities will begin this Sun., Jan. 25th, 4:00 pm at New Hope Baptist Church, where they will honor Rev. Dr. Robert Jeffrey for his accomplishments addressing economic development in the Central Area.
On January 29th & 30th 2015, from 1pm – 5:30pm at Seattle Central College, room BE 1110, the organization will host the “A New Agenda” conference with the goal of Developing Black Seattle Through Business Investment. The conference will address the present urgent economic development crisis in the Black Community and bring together scholars; city and county agencies; leaders and members of our community; elected leaders; private firms and local business, to strategize solutions.
Around the country, agencies, communities and firms gather separately to consider how to best spend their resources. Rarely does a community gather to consider how to better help itself out of a crisis, while at the same time governmental agencies and private firms gather to consider how to best spend their resources in light of that community’s crisis. But Seattle is a rare city, rare in its innovation and in its responsiveness.
The conference will address the opportunity to do more, in appropriate ways. Mayor Ed Murray and Michael Ramos, Director of the Church Council of Greater Seattle, along with many other community leaders have endorsed this conference because of the report commissioned by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and The Boston Group. Mayor Murray will present information on increasing minority participation in city contracting; state officials will do the same regarding state contracts. National Consultant George Fraser will keynote as well.
For more information, please contact Rev. Lawrence (Ricky) Willis, UBCC President at (206) 854-1574 or Rev. Carl Livingston, SCC Professor at (206) 788-7799.
