Black leaders seek plan to unify, uplift community

More than 200 Omahans met Saturday at Salem Baptist Church to consider ways to strengthen the black community.

The planning session, called the African-American Empowerment Forum and Summit, included black pastors, business leaders, health professionals, teachers and others.

The goal of the group is to write a covenant, or agreement, and strategic plan for the community.

"We have resources, organizations, ideas, visions and much more," said written material distributed at the event. "What we don't have is unity and a strategic plan to lift up the collective body."

Salem Baptist is at 3131 Lake St.

Among the topics discussed were education, business, health, families, politics, crime prevention and the arts.

Participants in a panel discussion included Omaha Police Chief Thomas Warren, Douglas County Commissioner Chris Rodgers and Dr. Richard Brown, chief executive officer of the Charles Drew Health Center.

Rodgers encouraged members of the black community to vote and to organize as a political force.

"They say that bad people are put in office by good people who don't vote," he said.