The Democratic Black Caucus of Florida will kick off its 34th Annual Conference on April 1st at the Rosen Centre Hotel, 9840 International Drive, Orlando, Florida 32819. The conference will take place April 1-3, 2016.
“This is the year for strategic planning with the stakeholders of our community about the importance of legislating and voting,” said Henry Crespo Sr., president of the DBCF. “The theme this year is ‘Speak to Our Issues,’ and it is significant and critical, because the candidates seeking our votes must address our issues.”
The keynote speaker at the DBCF Conference is the Honorable Mayor of the City of Newark, Ras Baraka. Mayor Baraka is the son of the late Amiri Baraka, the famous poet, playwright, and political activist. Mayor Baraka was also an activist at Howard University, a high school principal, a leader in America’s New Urban Agenda and helped to create a resurgence of business in downtown Newark.
Keynote Breakfast speaker, Denise Rolark Barnes, who is the Chairwomen of the National Newspaper and Publishers Association, will also inspire the attendees at the conference. After graduating from Howard University Law School, based out of Washington D.C., she took over as publisher of the Washington Informer in 1994.
The Democratic Black Caucus will also feature lunch speaker Tommy Ford, actor from the hit series “Martin,” “NY Undercover,” and the movie “Harlem Nights”, who will share some entertainment stories and celebrity humor.
There are around 18 chapters statewide and the Democratic Black Caucus of Florida, which according to its press release is affectionately called the “The Soul of Party,” represents over 1.2 Million black voters registered as Democrats in Florida (or approximately 30% of the Florida Democratic Party as a whole). The DBCF was established in1983, formed to unite and increase the political power for Black Democrats who were unnoticed and under-served in the state.
