This past week, the National Urban League held its 2007 Annual Conference in St. Louis. Among the more than 5,000 attendees at the four day event were African American leaders from all across the nation.

At one point during the conference, 2008 United States Presidential candidates addressed attendees. In the forum, each candidate had 20-­minutes to explain their vision for America and urban America to a packed house.

The Mayor of St. Louis was there, along with dozens of African-­American elected officials, hundreds of corporate executives and a myriad of press. Senator Barack Obama was on hand as a participant, as was Senator Hillary Clinton, former Senator John Edwards, and Congressman Dennis Kucinich. In fact, all that was missing were the Republicans: Not a single Republican candidate showed up, in spite of multiple, cordial and quite personal invitations.

The absence of any Republican candidate at this event was quite significant. Their absence reflects a powerful set of realities about the future of the Republican Party, the perceived strength of African Americans, and America itself.

With respect to the former, it is almost impossible to comprehend how a Republican candidate for President could have missed this venerable event. It was nothing less than an unparalleled opportunity to thoughtfully and professionally engage with African Americans on substantive issues.

But beyond the pragmatic reality is the strategic blunder the squandered opportunity represents for the Republican Party itself.

If Republicans cannot expeditiously connect to both African Americans and Latinos, the future of the party is in grave jeopardy. Indeed, without us the mathematics of winning national elections will soon be virtually impossible. Therefore, this was not simply a marginal or isolated miscalculation by a few candidates. It was the compounding of a party’s losing strategy and a prelude to an unmitigated disaster for Republicans.

With respect to African Americans, one must wonder how the perceptions regarding our limited influence could be conveyed any clearer. In skipping National Urban League Conference, the message from the Republican Party is that African Americans are unimportant and irrelevant to the quest for the White House and there is no need to meet and dialogue with African American leaders to discuss a vision about America.

African Americans and other minorities must not misinterpret the profound implications of such snubs. They must provide both the ultimate motivation for us to show­up in droves in the primaries and general election, and the impetus to promptly solidify ourpositions behind candidates who express an empathy and willingness to work with us on issues of concern for our communities.

To be clear, the intention is not to retroactively advise and counsel the Republican Party. But America’s inner cities, like the nation itself, are at a crossroads. Creative solutions and leadership to address urban America’s multitude of problems must be advanced with alacrity from both parties or America’s future is in serious jeopardy.

Moreover, Presidential candidates must be candidates for all of our people. They cannot simply be a “White”, “Black”, “Latino”, or “Asian” candidates, and they must never circumvent what they may perceive to be more complicated crowds. Regardless of party, the candidates must be ready, willing and able to boldly embrace this nation’s greatest strength – our diversity. So, when candidates receive a cordial invitation to share their vision with leaders of any ethnic group, taking a pass must be seen by all as unacceptable and incomprehensible.

Certainly it is still early in the race for the White House. But someone in the Republican camp needs to read the tea leaves more carefully. For what is now being signaled to minorities is anathema for the Republican Party. Whether by design or default, such messages of devaluation ring profoundly and abruptly with African Americans and other minorities, signaling that we are not even deemed worthy of the effort. And that is not only the wrong message for the Republican Party, it is also the wrong path for America.