President Obama And Thousands Of Visitors Expected At NAACP Convention
By Cherri Gregg
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- The NAACP Convention will begin here in Philadelphia in just a few days and it is expected to attract thousands, including President Barack Obama.
The 106th annual convention is expected to unite thousands of activists on the issues of Voting Rights, Criminal Justice Reform, Economic Opportunity, Health Equity and Education Equality.
President Obama is expected to discuss some of the issues of civil and human rights communities of color face. "We are in fact making plans, employing strategies, engaging in campaigns to not only make the news, but make history," says NAACP President Cornell Brooks. "I believe that we are in the midst of a civil rights movement now."
Brooks says the purpose of the convention is push the conversation forward on how to deal with some of the tough issues facing communities of color following Ferguson, Baltimore and Charleston.
"We will be discussing, deliberating, organization around the making of American history-- that's what the NAACP does," Brooks says.
President Barack Obama will speak on Tuesday at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Federal lawmakers, CEOs, entertainers, authors and more will also be in attendance for workshops, planning sessions, and much more.
The convention runs July 11 through 15th at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.