The 2009 Economic Empowerment Tour (EET) and Restore Our Homes (ROH) Rescue Fairs is a two pronged multi-city event connecting people with real tools and resources that will help improve their financial situation on all fronts – from landing a better-paying job to avoiding foreclosure.

The EET will offer workshops and a resource and career fair coupled with a ROH Rescue Fair providing in depth counseling to those in or facing foreclosure and housing counseling to produce informed homebuyers and savvy consumers of financial products.

There will be three joint EET/ROH events* and five stand alone ROH rescue fairs June 2009 – December 2009. Cities include:

- Dallas, TX (June 13, 2009) ROH WITH EET*
- Union City/Essex, NJ (June 27, 2009 TBC) ROH
- Portsmouth/Norfolk, VA (July 13, 2009 TBC) ROH
- Louisville, KT (September 19, 2009 TBC) ROH WITH EET*
- Broward County/Ft. Lauderdale, FL (September 28, 2009 TBC) ROH
- St. Louis, MO (October 24, 2009 TBC) ROH WITH EET*
- Atlanta, GA (November 16, 2009 TBC) ROH
- Knoxville, TN (December 7, 2009 TBC)ROH

The Career & Resource Fair will provide actionable information to attendees interested in employment, personal finances, home ownership, entrepreneurship and education/job training. Exhibitors will include banks, homeownership organizations, educational institutions/job training programs, entrepreneurship/small business resources and others who will be available to cover topics ranging from understanding credit to how to manage home mortgage loans to securing employment, upgrading education and job skills and entrepreneurship.

The home retention effort will provide financial counsel from trusted experts, one-on-one foreclosure sessions and workshops such as Foreclosure 101, Crisis Budgeting and How to Avoid Loan Fraud.

“The need for economic empowerment is not exclusive to the African American community. Americans of all walks of life, colors, religions and economic background are feeling the pinch of the ever-widening gap between the haves and have-nots in this nation,” said Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League. “In light of this competitive yet uncertain global economy, we owe it to future generations to stand as role models of economic empowerment, especially during these times, and encourage them to prepare themselves for a more prosperous future.”

The Economic Empowerment Tour and Restore Our Homes Reescue Fairs are also designed to provoke U.S. decision-makers to put the issue of economic inequality on the national agenda.

“The final challenge our community faces in achieving equality in the United States is improving our bottom line. We need to equip ourselves with the tools and skills needed to raise our standard of living and close the economic divide existing between us and mainstream America,” he added.