Remarks on Third Day of Convention Will Highlight Need for Unity Among Civil Rights Community for Voting and Reproductive Rights Along with Fight Against Hate Crimes

New York, NY (March 23, 2023) – Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver the keynote address on the third day of the National Action Network (NAN) Annual Convention hosted by Rev. Al Sharpton in New York City.

“The entire National Action Network is ready to welcome Vice President Harris and members of the Administration to this year’s convention,” said Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of NAN. “We are gathering to galvanize our fight to protect democracy, so I’m excited to hear the remarks the Vice President will deliver. This will be a significant moment in a significant year, as we work together not only advance civil rights but preserve those that we fought to get in the first place.”

Vice President Harris’ participation reflects a strong collaboration with NAN. In 2021, she keynoted the NAN 30th Anniversary Triumph Awards in New York City. Earlier this year, the Vice President appeared alongside Rev. Sharpton at the funeral of Tyre Nichols after he was beaten to death by Memphis police officers.

The Vice President’s address will come as at least nine other members of the Biden-Harris Administration are set to speak over the first three days of the convention. Those include Secretaries Gina Raimondo, Pete Buttigieg, Alejandro N. Mayorkas, Denis R. McDonough, and Dr. Miguel Cardona; Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Representative to the United Nations; EPA Administrator Michael Regan; Ambassador Susan Rice, Domestic Policy Advisor and Director of the Domestic Policy Council; and Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke.

Panels, plenary addresses, and events will all be rooted in the need to empower Black Americans during this vital time. The convention will also feature entertainers Kerry Washington and Tyler Perry; the Mothers of the Movement; news figures Michelle Miller and Lawrence O’Donnell; business titans Robert F. Smith and Earvin “Magic” Johnson; and leaders of the Black Church, including Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, Chairman of NAN and the Conference of National Black Churches (CNBC).