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Urban Planners, Katrina Survivors to Build Shared Vision at ACORN Community Forum on Rebuilding New Orleans

ACORN Rebuilding Alliance convenes in Baton Rouge Nov. 7-8th

Displaced New Orleans residents, representatives from AKSA (ACORN Katrina Survivors Association) and leading urban planners, architects, and affordable housing specialists will meet in Baton Rouge November 7-8th for the ACORN Community Forum on Rebuilding New Orleans, a two-day conference to develop rebuilding plans for New Orleans that speak to the needs and dreams of the city's low and moderate income residents.

Attendees plan to tour New Orleans neighborhoods on Monday, November 7th from 10am-5pm, The Conference itself will begin at 6pm that evening in Baton Rouge, and continue the morning of Tuesday, November 8th through 6pm.

Keynote Speakers will be:

Angela Glover Blackwell

Angela Glover Blackwell, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, PolicyLink, founded in 1999. A renowned community building activist and advocate, Blackwell served as senior vice president of the Rockefeller Foundation where she oversaw the Foundation's Domestic and Cultural divisions. Blackwell also developed Rockefeller's Building Democracy division, which focused on race and policy, and created the Next Generation Leadership program. A lawyer by training, she gained national recognition as founder of the Oakland (CA) Urban Strategies Council, where she pioneered new approaches to neighborhood revitalization. From 1977 to 1987, Blackwell was a partner at Public Advocates, a nationally known public interest law firm. She is the co-author of Searching for the Uncommon Common Ground: New Dimensions on Race in America published in 2002 by W.W. Norton & Co.

Dr. Silas Lee III, of Silas Lee & Associates, has served as a research analyst and strategist for a host of corporate, nonprofit, public sector, political, and legal clients. Assisted by a managing partner and two associates, the company has a combined 66 years of national and international experience. Dr. Lee has also assisted attorneys in measuring the attitudes of potential jurors for criminal and multi-million dollar civil cases. His polls and analyses have been cited in more than 300 publications worldwide, with numerous television and radio appearances.

While the Forum attendance remains limited to invited representatives, Katrina survivors are encouraged to contact the Baton Rouge ACORN to find out how they can participate. The entire event will be webcast and everyone is welcome to attend or sponsor a live webcast to tune in to the ongoing coversation.