National Urban League conference may boost Olympic hopes

'SHOWCASE' | '09 session here just ahead of decision

After a 30-year hiatus, the National Urban League's annual conference will return to Chicago in 2009 -- a marquee event drawing 10,000 people that Mayor Daley hopes will showcase the city's diversity to the International Olympic Committee.

"This convention is really important to the history of Chicago because of the African-American community," Daley said. "It is important to the future of our city ... to show people how diverse we are."

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Urban League CEO Marc Morial says, the conference will help Chicago highlight its values and vision.
(AP file)

Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, said the conference July 29 to Aug. 1 at McCormick Place will send a message slightly more than two months before the IOC chooses a host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics from four finalists: Chicago, Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro.

"It's another opportunity for Chicago to showcase its values and its vision," Morial said.

The 2009 conference, the National Urban League's 99th, will honor Chicago's "central role" in the civil rights movement.