'Freedom Weekend X' Shines National Spotlight On Detroit
DETROIT (WWJ) - Freedom Weekend X is set to be a weekend of "Edu-tainment" with a full roster of activities. Freedom Weekend will be held from August 18-20, 2011 at the Motor City Casino Hotel and Convention Center.
Rev. Dr. Wendell Anthony, Founder and Chairman of Freedom Institute, said this year's event promises to be the best Freedom Weekend yet, with something for every member of the family to enjoy.
"Our motto for Freedom Weekend is that it will provide education for the head and entertainment for the soul," Monica Anthony, Executive Director of Freedom Institute, said in a release. "We want to make sure that Freedom Weekend creates unique and special programming that has an impact on the community."
The weekend begins on Thursday, with a national conversation among religious leaders that will focus on how to create and implement an urban initiative in communities such as Detroit in light of recent congressional budget cuts. Following will be a "Job Market Braintrust," a discussion focused on jobs as Detroit is a major gateway to the freight industry.
Friday begins with a discussion about the "Future of Labor in the US," followed by a senior wellness day and a power economics luncheon.
An off site event Friday will be the "Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!" career expo, with employers and educational institutions seeking to help job seekers start on a career path. The career expo will feature workshops on professional development and a computer cafe to apply online for jobs. The expo will take place at the Fellowship Chapel, located at 7707 W. Outer Drive in Detroit.
Saturday kicks off with a three-mile health walk, followed by the Floyd M. Washington Jr. Career Day and Youth Summit. The summit will feature workshops geared towards helping young people (ages 13-21) start the school year off right. Also featured Saturday, a seminar about "Re-Tooling Detroit's Urban Landscape."
The event will wrap up with a national town hall meeting titled: "Education, Education, Education: If It Ain't About the Children, Get Out the Way."
Besides the ticketed events, Freedom Weekend is free and open to the public. Register at www.freeinst.org. For more information, call 313-347-2834.
