HOUSTON�"Agenda 2000: Equality and Power for the new Millennium" was the theme for the Urban League�s national convention held here Aug. 5-11. According to Hugh B. Price, president of the National Urban League, Houston was chosen as the site for the convention because of its assault against anti-affirmative action.

In 1997, the voters of Houston voted down an assault against affirmative action and elected the city�s first Black mayor, Lee Brown. Mr. Price also noted the city has managed to keep peace with its many diverse ethnic groups.

"Houston is a beacon of inclusion and hope," said Mr. Price. "We�re sympathetic with what the Houston leadership is trying to do."

More than 5,000 Urban League delegates from its 115 affiliates in 35 states attended the week-long gathering. According to Sylvia K. Brooks, president of the local Houston chapter, at issue for this conference was housing, education and instilling a sense of achievement in young children. She used sports as an example, stating that young Black children dream of being a player on a team. They never dream of owning or managing a football or baseball team. "We must change the mindset of our young children," Ms. Brooks said.

The convention courted presidential candidates and some of the biggest names in national politics. Al Gore, Texas Governor George W. Bush, and former New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley all addressed the convention. Referring to all three presidential hopefuls� attendance at the convention, Mr. Price said, "It shows the respect they have for our organization and what we�ve stood for over the last 89 years."

George W. Bush took a beating in the press recently for passing up invitations to address the National Council of La Raza in Houston in July, as well as passing on the chances to speak at the annual meetings of the League of United Latin American Citizens and the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials.

"It will be a new day for the African-American community when the Latino community passes it in sheer size, and that�s going to happen," said Mr. Price. "The challenge is to coalesce with Latinos and other communities around the issues that we all care about. We�re all on the same page. We�ve got to work together to consolidate our strength."

Other convention participants included NAACP president Kweisi Mfume, Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Houston). The three spoke at a workshop on Black Political Power in the Next Millennium.

A big problem Rev. Jackson sees is the growing influence of money in political campaigns, noting the considerable amount of money Gov. Bush has in his campaign. "It is vulgar. What we need to do is make that level of fundraising illegal," Rev. Jackson said.

The panel also discussed whether the Democratic Party is the best political option for Blacks and whether the growing number of Hispanics in America would weaken Black people�s political power. The conclusive theory was that the change would only help the two groups to work together and form a stronger voice for minorities in the U.S.

Mr. Mfume said, "Our politics are the same, that is, to find a way to build coalitions one on top of the other and break down barriers, and to do that without apology."

Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, defense attorney Johnnie Cochran, Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Timoney and Houston Mayor Lee P. Brown, who once headed the police departments in Houston, Atlanta and New York City, paneled a workshop on "Police and People of Color: Can�t we all just get along?"

Racial profiling (the process of police stopping people without reason because they fit a certain racial profile) was a topic of concern for panelists.

"If you had in any city of this country a Black mayor, including Houston, that allowed Black police to racially profile whites, you�d have emergency sessions of Congress," stated Rev. Sharpton. "It�s driving while Black and brown and Asian. It�s walking while Black, it�s jogging while Black, it�s shopping while Black, it�s living Black," said Mr. Cochran. "When you�re targeted based upon your race, that affects everyone," he added.