Cincinnati prepares for NAACP convention

The city of Cincinnati is preparing to greet thousands of conventioneers, a swarm of media, a handful of protesters, and two very different presidential candidates when the NAACP convention comes to town this weekend.

With the first black nominee of a major political party running for president this year, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will hold its 99th annual convention in a state that is likely to be a pivotal battleground in the fall presidential election.

Following the theme of the convention, "Power, Justice, Freedom, Vote," the organization will welcome both presidential candidates next week to speak to the group. Senator Barack Obama will speak on Monday, July 14 and Senator John McCain will speak on Wednesday, July 16.

More than 8,000 NAACP members, delegates and visitors are expected to file into the Duke Energy Center in Cincinnati starting this weekend, and the city's African American mayor wants to make a good impression. "We will be rolling out the red carpet to ensure that visitors have a world class experience that they will not soon forget," Mayor Mark Mallory said in a press release.

At least one local resident has been waiting for this event since the NAACP was founded. Mozelle Flowers, a 99-year-old Cincinnati resident, was born the same year in which the civil rights organization was started, according to a news report on WLWT TV. The granddaughter of a freed slave, Flowers grew up with Rosa Parks in Alabama, but she really wants to attend the NAACP convention and meet Barack Obama.

As with any social justice gathering of this size, there may also be detractors at the event. Pastor Clenard Childress of the Life Education and Resource Network in Georgia says he plans to protest the convention to highlight what he calls the NAACP's "continual supporting of the abortion agenda."

But gone are the days when Cincinnati was boycotted after the 2001 riots. The city booked no ethnic gatherings between 2001 and 2004, but since then it has hosted 25 major multicultural events, according to the local media.

Next week's activities include a black women's health symposium, a prayer breakfast, a youth concert, a college debate moderated by CNN anchor T.J. Holmes, a screening of the NAACP Image Award-winning film "The Great Debaters," and a gospel extravaganza featuring Dottie Peoples, Donnie McClurkin and Dr. Bobby Jones.

The convention will also include a special performance by R&B singer Regina Belle, and appearances by author E. Lynn Harris, comedienne Mo'Nique and TV chef G. Garvin. NAACP board chairman Julian Bond and NAACP president-elect Benjamin Jealous will also speak at the convention.

"As we approach the next century of social justice activism, we remain empowered and committed to a progressive agenda that demands fairness and prosperity for all," said convention planning committee chair Roslyn Brock. Brock said the convention's offerings "underscore the point that we all must be engaged in that effort and that the NAACP has a place for everyone and every lifestyle."

The NAACP convention will take place July 12-17, just months ahead of the organization's centennial celebration, scheduled for Feb. 12, 2009. Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization.