White House won't be at 'Black Forum'

WASHINGTON, March 19 (UPI) -- An academic forum on whether U.S. President Obama should have a "black agenda" will not include any participants from the White House, a spokeswoman says.

Talk show host and activist Tavis Smiley has invited heads of the NAACP and the National Urban League, along with black academics and leaders, to a forum at Chicago State University Saturday to talk over the question of whether the first black president of the United States is doing enough to address the concerns of African-Americans, The Washington Post reported Friday.

Smiley also invited Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to the president, who declined the invitation for herself and on behalf of all representatives of the White house.

Some members of the Congressional Black Caucus allege Obama is out of touch with, and hard to reach on issues that matter most to their constituents, the Post said.

The president has said he has crafted policies aimed at the big picture which would touch all citizens, thereby affecting blacks as well -- especially on unemployment, healthcare and good schools.

"I'm the president of the entire United States," he told American Urban Radio Networks in December. "What I can do is make sure that I am passing laws that help all people, particularly those who are most vulnerable and most in need. That, in turn, is going to help lift up the African American community."