The Mar-Saline Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is inviting area residents to participate in its State of African-Americans in Saline County roundtable discussion at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 26, in the community room of Wood and Huston Bank on the Marshall square.

Clyde Williams, president of the Saline County branch of the NAACP, said the event will have an abundance of speakers who are prepared to speak on a variety of subjects.

"We're going to have more than 50 African-American leaders in attendance from the fields of education, business, health and clergy invited to this forum to come together to discuss problems, progress and solutions to issues pertaining to people of color in Saline County."

Phesa Wright, an NAACP member and co-coordinator of the event, also invited area residents to come and share their respective ideas.

"We want to invite people to bring their ideas and solutions," she said. "We want to unite our community and provide solutions for a promising future."

Keith Ward, client services coordinator for Missouri Valley Community Action Agency, will also be in attendance as a moderator for the event.

"We're looking at making this a 'great minds' event," Ward said. "Small minds discuss people. Average minds discuss events and great minds discuss ideas."

Discussions will focus on progress that African-Americans have made in the county the past year, problems that exist in the county for African-Americans and ideas about actions that could lead to an increase in services and quality of life.

Documentation of the event by either audiotape or scribe will occur, with the hopes of making the information available in the near future through the NAACP Web site.

"With the information that is going to be obtained, we hope to combine with other businesses and organizations to strengthen the network," Williams said."

Contact Eric Coley at

marshallfaith@socket.net