New York, N.Y. - May 31, 2007 - Democratic presidential contenders Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton are the first of a field of presidential candidates invited from both political parties to confirm that they will speak at the National Urban League's 97th annual conference in St. Louis, Mo., from July 25 through July 28, NUL President Marc Morial announced today.

Sen. Obama, followed 12 hours later by Sen. Clinton, was the first to accept the league's invitation to appear at one of the conference's presidential candidate forums scheduled for July 27. The league is awaiting confirmation from the rest of the field of contenders from both sides of the aisle.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has also confirmed that he will be attending the conference, with plans to speak at a leadership luncheon on July 25, the day of the conference's kickoff.

We are delighted that two of the 2008 presidential campaign's most promising candidates have agreed to take valuable time out of their schedules to address the Urban League movement about what they plan to do to help bridge the economic divide between communities of color and mainstream America, said Morial. Their acceptance of our invitation speaks volumes about their commitment to issues facing minorities nationwide. It is our hope that the rest of the field will rise to their challenge and join us in St. Louis in late July.

The 4-day conference, entitled You, Your Money, Your Future, is expected to draw over 10,000 attendees from across the nation to the America's Center in St. Louis. It will feature over 80 dynamic speakers and experts in four plenary sessions and 18 workshops, including two presidential candidate forums - one for the Democrats and one for the Republicans - scheduled for the morning of July 27. It will also include a panel discussion assessing whether the black vote will be taken for granted, a town hall addressing The Black Male Crisis, and a family prayer breakfast, among other events.

The event's plenary sessions will precede a wide array of workshops - including ones on leadership and career development, wealth accumulation, entrepreneurship, financial education and health and wellness.

For more information, contact Ricky Clemons at 212-558-5371.

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