Prominent Black Church Leaders to Interview 2020 Presidential Candidates before 5,000 Black Millennials August 16-17 at Young Leaders Conference in Atlanta
ATLANTA, GA – The Black Church PAC and the Young Leaders Conference today announced an August 16 and 17 candidates’ forum, where Black church leaders will interview 2020 presidential candidates. The candidate interviews, which will occur before an audience of 5,000 Black millennials, will gauge the candidates’ plans for engaging and communicating with Black churchgoers, ensuring diversity among campaign staff, consultants and vendors and the campaigns’ efforts to engage Black voters around gun violence, mass incarceration, immigration and other key issues. The Black Church Presidential Candidate Conversation Series event is hosted by the Young Leaders Conference in partnership with The Black Church PAC.
At least five 2020 presidential candidates, including Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Senator Corey Booker (D-NJ), former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg have accepted our invitation to participate. They will join the Rev. Leah Daughtry and Pastor Michael McBride, co-founders of The Black Church PAC, for a discussion about the direction of our country and their vision for the future. Media interested in attending the forums must RSVP to Jennifer Farmer at jenniferr@spotlightpr.org or Heather Cabral at heather@westendstrategy.com by COB on Wednesday, August 14. Upon doing so, press credentials will be distributed, which are required to gain entry to the forums.
WHO:
- Pastor Michael McBride, Black Church PAC, LIVE FREE Campaign (Berkeley, CA)
- Pastor Leah Daughtry, The House of the Lord Church (Washington, D.C.); founding member of Black Church PAC
- Pastor Mark Moore, Jr., Founder of the Young Leaders Conference (Atlanta, GA)
- Pastor Traci Blackmon, Executive Minister of Justice & Witness Ministries, United Church of Christ (Ferguson, MO); founding member of Black Church PAC
- Grammy Award-Winning Producer and Pastor Warryn Campbell, California Worship Center (Hollywood, CA); founding member of Black Church PAC
- Pastor Jamal Bryant, New Birth Christian Church (Atlanta, GA); founding member of Black Church PAC
- Bishop Noel Jones, City of Refuge Church (Los Angeles, CA); founding member of Black Church PAC
WHEN:
Friday, August 16 from 12:15 p.m. to 1:20 p.m. – Candidate Conversations with Pastor Michael McBride and Pastor Leah Daughtry and Sen. Cory Booker, Julian Castro and Mayor Pete Buttigieg
Saturday, August 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Candidate Conversations with Pastor Leah Daughtry and Pastor Michael McBride and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders
WHERE: Georgia International Convention Center, 2000 Convention Center Concourse, Atlanta, GA (***Note: this will be streamed LIVE on social media***)
“The Black Church is a legacy institution for the Black community,” said the Rev. Michael McBride, Pastor of The Way Christian Center, chairman of the Black Church PAC, and national director for Faith in Action’s LIVE FREE Project. “We believe every serious presidential candidate must communicate to our communities a vision for the future that ends the unjust policies which lead to racism, gun violence, mass incarceration, and economic inequality. We are excited to host these candidates before an audience of prospective voters ahead of the 2020 elections.”
“In my many years of justice ministry and public service, we’ve never had this many presidential candidates running for President,” said the Rev. Leah Daughtry, Co-Founder of the Black Church PAC and Senior Minister-Elect of The House of the Lord Churches. “We believe a series of conversations with presidential candidates before black church audiences is critical. This level of dialogue will allow our communities to hear directly from candidates their vision for the future. The Black Church PAC was created as a vehicle to harness the political power of Black Churches across our many differences. We are blessed to partner with The Young Leaders Conference to kick off our first set of conversations!”
“Our vision for this conference has always been to facilitate transcendent connections across the depths and breadths of the church,” said Pastor Mark Moore, Jr., Conference Host and Founder of The Young Leaders Conference. “The partnership with The Black Church PAC is a highlight of this year’s conference. And to have confirmed that five presidential candidates will participate demonstrates the inherent power and potential of our black church millennials and the unique appeal of our gathering.”
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Contact: Jennifer Farmer, jenniferr@spotlightpr.org