A new community coalition will be hosting its first conference Saturday in an effort to focus attention on the issues facing black men in Columbia.

Nathan Stephens, spokesman for The Black Men United Coalition, said the meeting, The State of Black Men in Columbia, will address the sense of discrimination he feels is pervasive in the community.

The coalition and the conference began taking shape after a November event sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta, a black sorority at MU. The meeting centered on black males and their role in the family and community.  more >>