U.S. Rep Clyburn/Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Host Social Media Forum w/ Shawn Williams & other Leading African American Social Media Strategiests

The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF), chaired by House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, will debut Digital Fusion – CBCF 2.0 at a first-of-its-kind forum of the leading African American social media strategists called Black Power 2.0 – Social Media and Digital Content Mobilizing the Masses. The convening will address opportunities to engage communities through social media increasing rates of Internet adoption by the African American community.

When:

2:00-5:30 p.m. September 24th, 2009

Where:

Room 146A

Washington Convention Center

801 Mount Vernon Pl NW

Washington, DC 20003

Why:

54 percent of the African American community is not online. Underserved communities are excluded from opportunities to access job applications, health care information or financial services. Black Power 2.0 will feature the nation’s elite African American social media experts at the cutting edge of digital movement.

A special session, “The World as We See It: Recreating Communities with Public Purpose Content,” will feature Rey Ramsey, CEO of One Economy, and award-winning director and producer, Robert Townsend. They will address the role of public-purpose media—online content that engages, informs and facilitates action—in stimulating demand for broadband among those who need its resources most. Townsend produces and directs Diary of a Single Mom, a ground-breaking online Web series that chronicles the lives of three single mothers trying get ahead despite obstacles that all single parents face.

Interviews:

Diary of a Single Mom Cast Members present at the session include:

* Monica Calhoun (“Sister Act II,” “Love and Basketball”),
* Janice Lynde (“Six Feet Under,” “General Hospital”)
* Valery Ortiz (“South of Nowhere,” “Date Movie”)
* Richard Roundtree (“Se7en,” “Shaft”)
* Billy Dee Williams (“Star Wars,” “Lady Sings the Blues”)
* Leon (“Cool Runnings,” “Waiting to Exhale,” “The Temptations”)

Participants:

Majority Whip James E. Clyburn, U.S. House of Representatives*

Donna Brazile, Principal, Brazile & Associates*

Farai Chideya, Founder, Popandpolitics.com; Power to Pen Media Group (Moderator)

Robert Townsend, Actor/Director/Producer, Diary of a Single Mom

Rey Ramsey, CEO, One Economy Corporation; Founding BBOC Member

Donna Byrd, Publisher, The Root at WashingtonPost.com

Eric Easter, Vice President Digital & Entertainment, Johnson Publishing/Ebony Jet

Gina McCauley, Founder, Blogging While Brown, What About Our Daughters, Michelle Obama Watch

Carmen Dixon-Rosenzweig, Founder, All About Race; Editor, AOL Black Voices

Angela Conyers-Benton, Founder, Black Web 2.0

Shawn Williams, Editor, DallasSouthNews.org

Gary Mack, CEO, Dacodo

James Andrews, Co-Founder, EveryWhere

Navarrow Wright, Founder, Global Grind

Kristal High, Founding Co-Chair, Innovation Generation Broadband Policy Summit