Mayor Derrick Wood of Dumfries will host an interactive forum next week titled “A Conversation with Black Men about Being Black in 2020.” This event comes as the nation witnessed yet another tragic murder of a black man at the hands of a policeman, this time in Minneapolis, earlier this week. The two-night event will feature a host of black and brown community leaders as they address the following issues:

“Is it a crime to be black?”

“How do we institute a policy and change a system that was not designed for us?”

“What can we do with our anger and emotions?”

Among the participants will be:

Derrick Wood, Mayor of Dumfries

Raheel Sheikh, Small Business Owner in Manassas

Rev. Cozy Bailey, President of the PWC NAACP

The Honorable Michael T. Futrell, Delegate of Dumfries

Kenny Boddye, Prince William County Board of Supervisors, Occoquan District

The Honorable Victor S. Angry, Prince William County Board of Supervisors, Neabsco District. He is the first African American assigned as the Command Sergeant Major of the Army National Guard who became a Volunteer Firefighter with the Dale City Volunteer Fire Department, and later became the first African American elected to the Prince William County Board of Supervisors. 

Dr. Michael I. Otaigbe, adjunct professor of Economics and Sociology at Germanna College in Fredericksburg.

Derreck Smith, Corporate and Community Leader

Rev. Dr. Charles Arthur Lundy, Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Woodbridge

DJ Jordan, Community Leader in Fauquier County

The event will be hosted by PW Perspective Editor John Reid and will be broadcasted live at www.fb.com/derrickconsults on Monday June 1 and Tuesday June 2 from 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM during both nights.

Questions can be submitted prior to the forum at pwperspective@gmail.com by May 31. More updates will be made available as they are received.