Civil Rights Leader Rev. Dr. William Barber to Keynote 2017 Creating Change Conference

Philadelphia, PA, November 28, 2016—The National LGBTQ Task Force has announced that Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II will deliver the keynote address at the 2017 Creating Change Conference, the nation’s largest gathering for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) activists and allies. Barber, who serves as the President of the North Carolina NAACP and is best known for leading the “Moral Monday” movement, will speak in front of thousands of attendees on Thursday, January 19, 2017 at 8:00 p.m. at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown.

“We are facing a pivotal moment in the history of our nation—one where we must work even more closely together to defeat the opponents of progress. Dr. Barber is a leader who brings an amazing array of people together for change. We are very excited to hear his inspirational words as our keynote speaker at Creating Change 2017,” said Rea Carey, National LGBTQ Task Force Executive Director.

In 2013, Barber began organizing weekly “Moral Monday” protests at the North Carolina Capitol in Raleigh against Governor Pat McCrory and the legislature’s attempts to roll back major advances in civil rights, education, healthcare, and voting rights. The protests began with a small group of clergy and activists and grew to thousands the following months. The Moral Monday protests have since inspired similar movements in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and elsewhere, in response to lawmakers seeking to deny historically marginalized communities their basic rights, legal protections, and critical human services.

Since 1988, the Creating Change Conference has grown from 300 people to over 4,000 attendees. For more than a quarter century, the organization has trained over 60,000 activists and community leaders from across the country and elsewhere in the world. Previous conference keynote speakers include actress/activist Laverne Cox, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) President Thomas Saenz, former U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan, former NAACP President Ben Jealous, and Civil Rights icons Coretta Scott King and Dolores Huerta.

Register now to attend the conference.

For media credentials and press inquiries, please contact Jorge Amaro at jamaro@thetaskforce.org.