IOWA'S BROWN AND BLACK FORUM OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCES 2004 DEBATE FOR DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES, JANUARY 11TH, 2004.
PRIMETIME DEBATE WILL BE BROADCAST NATIONWIDE ON MSNBC AND FOCUS ON CANDIDATES' POSITIONS ON DIVERSITY AND MINORITY ISSUES IN AMERICA.
DES MOINES, IA - Dec 16, 2003 - The Iowa Brown and Black Forum's co-chairs Mary Campos and Iowa State Rep. Wayne Ford (D-Des Moines) are proud to announce that national cable network MSNBC will again cover the Brown and Black Forum on January 11th, 2004 8-10 p.m. ET/7-9 p.m. CT. The debate, organized by the Iowa Brown and Black Presidential Forum - a non-partisan minority issues organization, will focus on where the candidates stand on issues concerning voters of all ethnicities. The debate will be telecast live on MSNBC from the Polk County Convention Center in Des Moines, Iowa.
The Forum will also be available on tape delayed broadcast on C-SPAN, MBC (Major Broadcasting Company), and throughout Iowa on Iowa Public Television.
"The Brown and Black Forum is an accumulation of the hopes and dreams of the Latino population, continuing the legacy of Cesar Chavez," said Campos, one of Iowa's leading Latino community leaders. "Latinos are now the number one minority in America. We as Latinos feel that we will be playing a very important role in the future of the government and the policies of the United States."
"I am proud that the Iowa Caucus will be held on the observance of Martin Luther King's birthday," said Ford. "The Brown and Black Democratic Presidential Forum will help educate many Americans regarding the importance of voting. It's fitting that the Forum will coincide with the Iowa Caucus - the nation's first litmus test since 2000's Presidential election."
Candidates who have already accepted the invitation to debate include: U.S. Amb. Carol Moseley Braun (Ill.), Vermont governor Howard Dean, Sen. John Edwards (N.C.), Rep. Dick Gephardt (Mo.), Sen. John Kerry (Mass.), Sen. Joe Lieberman (Conn.), Rep. Dennis Kucinich (Ohio) and Rev. Al Sharpton.
The 2004 Brown and Black Forum will feature a distinguished panel that will be posing questions to the candidates. The panel members are prominent attorney and CEO and Chairman of Major Broadcast Cable Company Willie Gary, New Mexico Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron, University of Texas Political Science Professor Dr. Gregory G. Rocha PhD., and Joshua Fahiym Ratcliffe, Lifestyle/Culture Editor of The Source Magazine.
The 2004 Forum will also feature a diverse list of panels, seminars and workshops during the days leading up to and following the event. The panels and seminars will focus on a wide variety of issues affecting minorities in Iowa and throughout the nation. Research, statistics, and analysis will be readily available at all of the workshops. All confirmed Presidential candidates have been invited. In addition, all media are invited to any and all of the events. Please find the complete list of activities attached.
The Iowa Brown and Black Forum has been a staple of the Iowa Caucuses since its inception in 1984 and is recognized as one of the oldest minority presidential debates in America. The Iowa Brown and Black Presidential Forum is a non-partisan group that was founded by Co-Chairs Mary Campos, a prominent member of the Des Moines Latino community and Wayne Ford, a four-term Iowa State Representative, in 1984. Rep. Ford is also the founder and director of Urban Dreams, a United Way Agency, located in Des Moines, Iowa. Since 1988, The Brown & Black Presidential Forum has been a non-partisan program under Urban Dreams, recently though Project V.O.T.E. (Voter's Opportunity Through Education). This is the fifth Brown and Black debate since 1984. MSNBC first telecast the Brown and Black Presidential Forum in 2000, with Democratic candidates Al Gore and Bill Bradley.
"This is an important opportunity for the Democratic candidates to clarify their positions on issues important to people of color," said Erik Sorenson, President and General Manager, MSNBC. "MSNBC is proud to co-host this event with Brown and Black Forum, to deliver this forum live to viewers of all backgrounds."
MSNBC anchor and NBC's Weekend Today co-host Lester Holt and Telemundo anchor Maria Celeste Arrarás will co-host the forum. Mark Lukasiewciz is the executive producer of the Brown-Black Presidential Forum on MSNBC.
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