Presidential Candidates Set To Speak At National Urban League Conference In Indy

Nearly a dozen presidential candidates will be in Indianapolis this week for the National Urban League’s annual conference.

The civil rights organization’s theme for this year’s event is a focus on racial equality.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), and Mayor Pete Buttigieg are among the Democratic presidential candidates slated to speak at the National Urban League Conference.

League President Marc Morial says he wants to hear the candidates address what he calls some of America’s “stubborn problems.”

“How we ensure that every child is educated. The difficulties of the income and wealth gap between blacks and whites in America," Morial says. "I think that’s what our people want to hear about.”

But Morial says the candidates’ words at the conference aren’t the only thing they’ll be judged on.

“Have they been there on those issues over their career," Morial says. "Or is this just campaign rhetoric?”

This is the first time in 25 years the league will hold its conference in Indiana.