CNBC gathers to confront ongoing impact of COVID-19, health challenges, and threats to social justice and education

Gathering of Black Clergy to Address Continued Impacts of COVID-19, Health Barriers, Threats to Social Justice, and Education

The Conference of National Black Churches (CNBC) will convene its highly anticipated Annual National Consultation in Orlando, Florida from December 12^th through 14^th. This year’s theme, Coming out of Darkness, Finding Light: The Black Church Responding to the Continuing Pain of the Pandemic, reflects the pivotal moment in which we find ourselves as public health, social justice, and civil rights are under continued attack.

This gathering of Black clergy follows a year in which public health emergency declarations around the COVID-19 pandemic began to expire.  Followed by an uptick in cases, CNBC and other organizations continue to work not only to address the virus but also the many comorbidities that disproportionately impact Black Americans. Speakers this year will include Dr. Mandy Cohen, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of the National Action Network; and Jasmine Burney-Clark, Founder and Consulting Director of Equal Ground, a community-based organization dedicated to educating the new electorate on voting and elections.

“Having our Consultation in the heart of Florida, where many of our Congregants are seeing their civil and health rights under relentless attack, has never been so important,” said Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, Chairman of the Conference of National Black Churches (CNBC). “This three-day event will continue to be an opportunity for Black faith leaders to gather, assess the state of the Black Church, and discuss how we continue to advance social justice. Such a gathering is essential as Black Americans here in Florida and throughout the nation live under threats of violent hatred, COVID-19 and other illnesses, and efforts to take away our history or our right to vote.”

CNBC leadership will put public health at the center of this year’s Consultation – beyond the urgent matter of COVID-19. Panel discussions, workshops, and screenings will allow participants to appreciate fully  the total picture of their health, risk factors, black maternal health and comorbidities such as prostate and colorectal cancers, heart disease and diabetes. CNBC will bring resources to Black clergy that they can then pass onto their congregations to ensure they reclaim both their individual and collective health.

CDC Director Cohen will deliver a keynote address at noon Wednesday after touring the Consultation’s Healing & Hope Health and Resource Pavilion . Rev. Sharpton will challenge the Black Church with  a mandate for voter participation later that evening at the Leadership Recognition Dinner, which this year will launch CNBC’s 2024 voter engagement initiative. Equal Ground will present on the  State of Florida, as voting and other civil rights continue to be under threat for Black residents.

CNBC has consistently stepped in to safeguard the wellbeing of Black communities struggling with the physical, mental, and financial toll of the pandemic while protecting against current surges. By hosting its Annual Consultation in Florida, CNBC underscores the critical importance of their presence in a state that has emerged as a focal point in the conversation around civil rights.

The Annual Consultation is a powerful platform for the discussion and advancement of the most pressing social, political, and economic issues that impact Black communities nationwide. This year’s Consultation promises to be a dynamic gathering to champion issues including public policy, voting rights, mental health, economic equity, maternal health, gun violence, criminal justice, and education. Click here to register for CNBC’s 2023 Annual National Consultation or visit www.thecnbc.net.  

WHO:

1. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, Chairman, CNBC
2. Jacqui Burton, President, CNBC
3. Senior Bishop Adam Jefferson Richardson, African Methodist Episcopal Church
4. Senior Bishop Kenneth Monroe, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
5. Senior Bishop Lawrence L. Reddick, III, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
6. Presiding Bishop & Chief Apostle J. Drew Sheard, Church of God in Christ
7. Dr. Jerry Young, President, National Baptist Convention USA, Inc
8. Rev. David Peoples, President, Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc

WHEN:

Tuesday, December 12, 2023 – Thursday, December 14, 2023

WHERE:

Rosen Shingle Creek

9939 Universal Boulevard

Orlando, FL 32819

About The Conference of National Black Churches:

The Conference of National Black Churches (CNBC) is the premiere public policy and social justice expression of the Black ecclesiastical denominations comprising CNBC in America. CNBC is comprised of the national leadership of the largest historically Black denominations in America: The African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AMEZ), Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME), Church of God in Christ, Inc. (COGIC), National Baptist Convention of America USA, Inc (NBCUSA) and the Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC); representing more than 80% of African American Christians across this nation with a combined membership of over 25 million people and 31,000 congregations.