The 16th Annual Wall Street Project Economic Summit (WSP) will take place January 30 – February 1, 2013 at The Roosevelt Hotel, 45 East 45th Street, New York, NY, 10017. WSP will honor notable people in law, politics, music and entertainment such as famed attorney Willie E. Gary, music legend Berry Gordy and former New York Governor David Paterson.
“We are proud to present our honorees this year as they have set the foundation and raised the bar for our economic success,” says Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, founder and president of the RainbowPUSH Coalition and organizer of the WSP. “This year, we are expanding the opportunity for access to capital, industry and technology. As we reach the pinnacle of political achievement, we realize that we still have a great deal to accomplish. The Summit will assist us in those efforts by providing participants with information and the resources needed to restore confidence and financial stability.”
WSP will honor and pay tribute to the legendary Berry Gordy to at the Gala Fundraising Reception, Thur., Jan. 31, at 7:30 p.m., taking place in the Grand Ballroom of the Roosevelt Hotel. Gordy is the founder of Motown Records, the hit-making enterprise birthed in Detroit, Michigan, that nurtured the careers of Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5, and many other music greats. Guests will be treated to a preview of the upcoming Broadway production “MOTOWN: the Musical” during the annual gala fundraising reception honoring Gordy, who wrote the book for the show. Singer and actress Dionne Warwick and actor, singer and comedian Jamie Foxx will pay special tribute to Gordy.
Willie E. Gary and former New York Governor David Paterson will be honored Thurs., Jan. 31, 12:30 p.m. ET at the Access to Capital Luncheon. Gov. Paterson was the youngest state senator in New York history and the first African American governor of New York. Attorney Gary is a motivational speaker and cable television executive who over the years has won large suits against corporate giants like Disneyland and Anheuser-Busch. He has won more than 150 multi-million dollar lawsuits. U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton will be the keynote speaker; with Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter providing remarks. Multi-Grammy award winning artists Mary Mary will give a special performance during the Access to Capital Luncheon sponsored by WE tv. A docu-series about the lives of Erica and Tina Campbell, better known as the singing duo Mary Mary, airs on WE tv, a cable network dedicated to featuring original stories for and about modern women who are taking charge of their life, their family and their household.
“As a network that produces several television shows featuring positive African American role models, we are particularly delighted to participate in the 16th Annual Wall Street Economic Summit,” said Kim Martin, President of WE tv. “We are proud of what Mary Mary represents to this community and are pleased to support the Summit’s important agenda.”
This year’s summit, “Wall Street to Main Street: Economic Parity – The Struggle Continues…” focuses on access to capital, career development and labor. The Wall Street Economic Summit brings together the nation’s leaders from politics to corporations to entrepreneurs – all to discuss the need for economic parity and concerns unique to men and women of African American, Hispanic and diverse cultures.
