Watch CBS News

NAACP Convention Coming To Baltimore This Summer

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore's Chapter of the NAACP sold Baltimore to the National Organization at last summer's convention in Las Vegas. The organization's 2017 Convention will now be held in Charm City.

"So we won it for 2017, and that's what this is all about, kicking it off and getting the word started," says Tessa Hill-Aston, President of the Baltimore chapter of the NAACP.

"It is one thing to get a convention here. It is another thing to have a great convention here," Mayor Catherine Pugh says.

This convention will bring 10,000 attendees to Baltimore, whose spending will generate a $10 million economic impact in the City, spreading from restaurants to hotels and city attractions.

One Baltimore landmark is poised to make the most of this convention, is the Reginald F. Lewis Museum.

"We are the repository of African American culture and we cannot only tell the history, we celebrate the triumphs of the African American spirit. So it'll be wonderful to have people come through the doors, and we can take them a thousand at a time," Wanda Draper, executive director of the Reginald Lewis Museum.

Conventions were canceled following the protests and riot that rocked Baltimore in 2015. But last year the Urban League met at the museum, and it's hoped the NAACP's convention will bring more.

"It's no question about it. We're going to have them here. It's a national icon in the convention industry. If we do well by them, they go back and tell the world Baltimore is a must-see destination," Al Hutchinson, CEO of Visit Baltimore says.

The convention will be held July 22-26, 2017.

Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.