PRESS RELEASE

10/05/2006

African American Pro-life Organization Holds Summit For Life In Philadelphia
The largest Afro-American Pro-life organization in the country launches its first “Summit For Life" in the city of Philadelphia. It is only fitting that it begins here. The word Philadelphia means in the Greek "Those That Love The Womb." Nearly half of all African American babies in Philadelphia are aborted. In 2002 10,880 were born 9,259 were aborted.

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 5 /Christian Newswire/ -- Several prominent African American pro-life clergy and medical professionals will gather in the city of Philadelphia October 8th and 9th to mobilize and inform clergy and lay people on the increasing decimation and demoralization of the Black community by abortion.

We are all appalled by the statements made by Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson and Joseph Lowery at their Dallas pastors event. How can any Black leader say that abortion is irrelevant to the Afro-American community? Abortion is affecting Afro-Americans more than any other ethnic group in the country.

The Life Education And Resource Network, the largest African-American pro-life organization in the country, will have its Summit For Life at the Greater Exodus Baptist Church, where The Rev. Herb Lusk is the host pastor. Known as the praying tailback of the Philadelphia Eagles in the late 70s, Rev. Herb Lusk states, "It is time for these issues to come to the forefront of discussion in the Black community"

The Rev. Johnnie Hunter, Rev. Clenard H. Childress, Dr. Alveda King and Star Parker are among the presenters for this weekend's conference.

Rev. Clenard H. Childress, founder of Blackgenocide.org and Northeast director of LEARN says, "We are all appalled by the statements made by Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson and Joseph Lowery at their Dallas pastors event. How can any Black leader say that abortion is irrelevant to the Afro-American community? Abortion is affecting Afro-Americans more than any other ethnic group in the country."

A U.S. Census reports that Afro-Americans are below the birth replacement rate for the first time in US history. ht tp://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/ - refer to chart 77, for more information.

Rev Childress further states, "15 million Afro- Americans have been killed by abortion since 1973. That represents over a third of the present Afro- American population. Can 15 million Afro-American lives be irrelevant?"

"The Dream of Martin Luther King means nothing to a dead baby" says the Rev. Johnny Hunter. "We have failed to give our children the one thing Martin Luther King wanted most. The right to live out our dreams"

In August of 2004, in a survey sponsored by Pace University and Rock the Vote, 54% of all Americans declared themselves pro-life while just 44% said they supported legal abortion. However African-American voters took a pro-life position by a larger 59% to 42% margin.

Star Parker of the Coalition on Urban Renewal & Education, in a recent interview on Life For Today, stated that, "Moral relativism is dominating the minds of our community in epidemic proportions. This has led to the decline of marriage and the slaughter of our innocent."

Polls show Black Americans are increasingly supporting pro-life candidates in greater margins than before.

The Rev. Johnny Hunter, National director of LEARN and for-runner of the life movement in the Black community says, "There has been great inroads in the Afro-American community but there still is away to go. Having a gathering like this a few years ago was unheard of. Our efforts are beginning to pay off and that means more lives will be saved."

Dr. Alveda King recalls memories of her childhood home in Birmingham, Alabama. It was later bombed by those who hated civil rights activism of her family. King says that just as she and her family should have been comfortable and safe in their own home, so should an unborn child feel safe inside of her mother during pregnancy.