Less than two months before the November mid-term elections that could determine whether Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives, Democrats will hold a crucial African-American summit in Detroit this week to begin mobilizing millions of black voters.

Black members of the Democratic National Committee will convene at the Marriott at the Renaissance Center in Detroit Friday through Sunday to "advance the Democratic vision for a new direction for America" and begin their national get-out-the-vote campaign.

Ron Walters, a political science professor at the University of Maryland, told BlackAmericaWeb.com the black electorate could play a significant role in November by helping to elect a number of black candidates nationwide. But black voter turnout, he said, will be critical.

"We are excited that the DNC's Black Caucus is bringing the summit to Detroit," DNC Chairman Howard Dean and DNC Black Caucus Chair Virgie Rollins said in a joint statement.

"This event promises to be a valuable opportunity to network and organize with prominent African-American leaders and rank-and-file Democrats from around the country," they said. "Summit participants will discuss the need for an urban agenda and critical issues such as voting rights, minimum wage, jobs, economic opportunity, social justice, health care and getting out the vote."

Featured speakers during the summit include Rep. John Conyers, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks-Kilpatrick, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, Rev. Jesse Jackson, chair of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, and Rev. Al Sharpton of National Action Network.

This year, in addition to boost the DNC’s efforts, a number of black organizations all across the country are working to ensure that black folks are registered to vote.

From now until Election Day, for example, a national campaign called "End the Blackout" is drawing attention to voting rights irregularities that impact black Americans.

"It’s a disgrace that American citizens are still being turned away from the polls," SEIU Director of Community Strength Wyatt Closs, organizer of the campaign, told BlackAmericaWeb.com.

Closs added that a documentary entitled "American Blackout," which explores voter disenfranchisement, is also being shown in 25 cities and at selected Magic Johnson Theaters around the country. Organizers say they hope to distribute DVD’s of the film to black folks in churches, beauty and barber shops and living rooms across the country.

In "American Blackout," filmmaker Ian Inaba investigates the 2000 election recount in Florida and also examines the 2002 election that resulted in defeat for Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.). the film, which premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, won awards at Sundance and at the Cleveland International Film Festival.

The film features interviews with McKinney, Conyers, Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (D-Ohio), former U.S. Civil Rights Commission member Christopher Edley, BBC journalist Greg Palast and Van Jones, executive director of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights in Oakland, California.

"This film speaks to hard-working everyday citizens, including our members who work in public service sectors as nurses, janitors, security officers, corrections officers and child care workers," Closs said. "These industries are heavily represented by African-Americans."

"This film," Closs said, "is about making sure working-class people, minorities, our young hip-hop generation and our old school players have a voice in improving lives of their families and determining a better future for themselves and the community as a whole."

In 2004, many black Democrats insisted there were widespread voting irregularities in Ohio, arguing that voter intimidation and suppression tactics by Republicans prevented many ballots by black voters from being counted.

The timing of "American Blackout," some political observers say, is significant.

In a front-page story this week, The Washington Post reported that since the Florida recount battle in 2000, a repeat of the Election Day catastrophe could occur in many cities across the nation, starting with the November 7 election.

In Maryland last week, a series of technical problems and human error resulted in long lines at the polls and delays in votes being counted.

"In the Nov. 7 election, more than 80 percent of voters will use electronic voting machines, and a third of all precincts this year are using the technology for the first time," the Post reported. "Some worry that voting problems could cast a Florida-style shadow over this fall's midterm elections."

"We could see that control of Congress is going to be decided by races in recount situations that might not be determined for several weeks," Paul S. DeGregorio, chairman of the federal Election Assistance Commission, told the Post.

In November, there are many black political candidates across the country who are vying for congressional, senate and gubernatorial seats.

According to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, there are 31 black Democratic party nominees and seven black Republican party nominees challenging each other in the 2006 elections.

In Minnesota, a black Democrat is on the verge of making history.

After defeating two opponents in the primary election, Keith Ellison is heading towards the November general election to possibly become the first black congressman from Minnesota and the first Muslim congressman in the nation's history. Ellison will face two opponents in November.

Ellison, who was also involved with the Million Man March, was one of three blacks among 265 members of the University of Minnesota Law School's class of 1990.

"My perspective was a tunnel vision," Ellison told the Post. "I was mostly concerned about the welfare of the African-American community." In interviews on the campaign trail, Ellison told the paper that his attraction to Islam in the 1980s "had a political angle to it, a reaction against status quo politics."

There are several national races in November that political analysts are watching closely:

• In Massachusetts, Democrat Deval Patrick, a former Justice Department official under Bill Clinton, is running for governor of Massachusetts against Republican Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey. Patrick, who won the Democratic primary election September 19, is trying to become the first black governor of Massachusetts and the second black governor in the nation.
• In Tennessee, Democratic U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. is running for the U.S. Senate against Republican Bob Corker. Ford hopes to become only the fourth black candidate elected to the U.S. Senate since Reconstruction.
• In Georgia, Democrat Henry "Hank" Johnson -- who upset Rep. Cynthia McKinney in Georgia’s 4th congressional District -- will face Republican Catherine Davis.
• In Louisiana’s Second congressional District, incumbent Rep. William Jefferson -- who is embroiled in a federal bribery investigation -- is being challenged by Republican Joe Lavigne. Some political observers told BlackAmericaWeb.com that it is likely Jefferson will not be re-elected to The House of Representatives, and some Democrats say privately that Jefferson should step down. Jefferson is Louisiana’s only black congressman and the November elections come at a time when black Katrina survivors need focused leadership in Washington today perhaps more than ever before.
• In Ohio, Republican Ken Blackwell, the secretary of state, is facing Democrat Ted Strickland for Governor of Ohio. If successful, Blackwell would become Ohio’s first black governor.
• In Pennsylvania, incumbent Democrat Ed Rendell is being challenged by NFL Hall of Fame football great Lynn Swann for governor of Pennsylvania. Swann, a Republican, is trying to become Pennsylvania’s first black governor.
• In Maryland’s high-profile U.S. Senate race, Democratic Rep. Ben Cardin will face Republican Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele.

Republicans are hoping that Steele, Blackwell and Swann will show that their party can field three successful black candidates for national offices.

Walters said all three black Republicans will likely lose their respective races. But Tara Wall, a senior advisor for the Republican National Committee, told BlackAmericaWeb.com that all three black GOP candidates have a legitimate shot to win.

According to Bositis, some political analysts are predicting that Democrats could regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives in November.

Three members of the Congressional Black Caucus would become chairmen of full House committees. Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) would become chair of the powerful Ways and Means committee; Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) would become chair of the Judiciary committee, and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) would become chair of the Homeland Security committee.

"If the Democrats were to gain control of the House," Bositis wrote in his study, "it would have profound consequences for the Congressional Black Caucus and would dramatically increase the power of African-American legislators."