'State of the Black Union' draws thousands to Va.

HAMPTON, Va. -- Beneath an oak tree on the campus of what is now Hampton University, historians say, Virginia blacks heard a reading of the Emancipation Proclamation and began to dream of a better life.

On Saturday, more than 8,000 people returned to the historically black university to chart how far they have come. They gathered for the "State of the Black Union," an annual traveling town hall that is considered a barometer for black America's ills.

This year's conference coincides with the 400th anniversary of the nation's first permanent English settlement, Jamestown. Africans arriving in Virginia in the years following that milestone in American history faced enslavement and entrenched racism.

Today's black Americans grapple with political apathy, limited business strength and a lack of motivation, a panel of black leaders said Saturday.

"We need a big idea that unifies us all," said U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, the nation's first Muslim congressman. Ellison was on the panel that included the Rev. Al Sharpton and former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, the nation's first elected black governor.

During the discussion, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama announced his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. The announcement drew mixed reactions from the panelists, with some questioning why Obama has drawn such strong support from whites. Others said it was irrelevant to the conference's goals.

"Quite frankly it's too early to talk about a presidential campaign," Wilder said. "What we should be doing is talking about what we do in our own home."

The auditorium was packed with people, many waving their arms and clapping as the speakers tackled tough topics.

Some, like Renita Seabrook, a professor at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore campus, considered the forum an important planning session for addressing issues like education.

"So many of our black boys have been expelled" from schools, she said. "We've got to get a handle on the reason why."

Jamichael Heathington, 17, of Chattanooga, Tenn., said he wants to create a youth program to dissuade teens from the drugs and violence after he finishes college.

He came to the conference for some pointers, calling the event "a lifetime experience to gain perspective (and) to listen to some of the brightest leaders of America."