Congressiona Black
Caucus honors past
and ne Leaders"
NNP)' Ne Serviee
Congresswoman CarCiss Collin (D-Chicago), Vir­
gini Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, California As embly
Spe ker Willie L. Brown Jr., and South African Leader
Nelon Rolihiahla Mandela (in absentia) were ,among the
top ten di tingui hed service award recipients at the his­
toric 20th Annual Legi lative Weekend of the 24-member
Congres ion I Black C ucu • September 26-30 in
W hington. D.C. .
The five day conference of political work hop. com­
munity i sue forums. congressional forum on capitol
hill. luncheon, b nquets and reception attract some
20,000 p rticipant and representatives of local and na­
tional organizations.
Il opened with a gala tribute to three retiring member'
of Congress. Rep. George C. Crockett (Detroit). �aller
E. Fauntroy (D.C.) and Augustu Hawkins (Lo Angeles)
and closed with the awards banquet.
Other award re c ipi e nts included Wa hington
entrepreneur Kent Amo ; retiring United Negro College
Fund president Christopher Edley. Sr .• New Yor fo ter
parent "Mother" Clara McHale Br�de; Oakland 8ct�vist
athaniel Everett; mu. ician and film producer QUincy
Jone ; Nigerian bu inc . man and philanthropist Chief
Ba horun M.K.O. Abinla and the late Mi s issippi voting
rights leader. Fannie Lou Hamer. who was honored po t­
humously.
ACTIVI� T ALSO RANGEl) from the event's annual
Prayer Breakfa t and fashion shows to health e sions,
sport: reviews and a jazz Sy�po iu!,,�co�c rt:,Gen.
Colin Powel, chairman of the JOint ,Chlel� 01 Stall. was
honored at a pedal session on, veterans aff'ai rs hut CBC
members led a delegation to the U.S. Capitol tep to
protest budget cuts in domestic program as military
pending increa e ..
More than fifty panel di cussion were held on uch
topic a Pension Fund • Educat�ona) Te ti�g. Race and
En ironment. Endangered Af rican Ameri can Male,
Coalition Building. Challenging Racism and Big(�try.
Black Elected Official Forum. Minority Farm Lcuisla­
tion. Cultural Diversity. Jails. Prio. ns anti Dru ,�. PO�I­
rive Black Male-Female Relation 'hip� anti Sen,'! In'
Racism and Sexism in the Media.
Scs ion' attracting the greatest interest included dis­
cu sions on African American Reparations and Harra -
ment of African American Elected anti Appointed
Officials. Black elected official across the nation are
being haras ed and driven out of off�ce ,hy tactics of
government admini trators and the media, Imlla� to te�h­
niqucs u 'cd during the 1 60s recon trucuon �e�lod alter
the civi I war aid uch paneli t a Rep. William Clay
(D-Mo) and Rep. Mervyn Dymnally (D-Cal i�"): .
The 1990 theme. "Memories of the Past- VI Ion ot the
Future" commemorated th 20 year that have pas sed
mce the inception of the Congre . ional Blac Caucus hy
13 African American member 01 Congress.
W Iter F untroy
Rep. ugu tu F. Hawkin
orn
I
What does the CSC
weekend get us?
WASIlINGTON, D.C.
Before the end of September
1990, Black America's most
glittering social event will
have come here and gone.
most likely with nothing but
piles of chicken bones to
how for the time' that was
spent.
Each year. the last week in
September brings most Black
mayors, state senators. cor­
porate vice presidents, legi -
lative aid and thousands of
other middle-class African­
Americans. with expense ac­
counts. to the nation's capital
for the 5-day Congressional
Black Caucus Legislative
Week-End.
Before their departure
from D.C,. the attendees. our
e teem talented tenth. will
have indulged in a most vul­
gar display M Black
America's proclivity to party
and dance at the expen e of
productive work. and have il­
lustrated our ongoing lack of
fi cal re ponsihility in social
spending,
Just because our leading
Blacks 11 ke to "t hrow-down ",
i not to .ay that 'there is any­
thing wrong with the purpose.
or intent. of the Black Caucus
Week-End.
• OCTOBER 7·13, 19
MICHIGAN CITIZE
PAGE3
Black leader hip in Am rica.
The conference addr s es
a range of idea and po itic
that, if applied. could help
African-Americans lift our­
selves up by our own ef orts,
even in the ti me allot d to
this generation.
But after 20 year of BC
. '.
Week-Ends. the most oh IOU
evidence of Black leade hip
having been on Capitol �ill
are thou and' of empty
scotch bottl .• a . Ie of
chicken. bone and a ho t o.f
white merchants rushing to
the hank to dcpo it the 1/2
hillion dollars they receive
each ye,ar from CBC hotel
rentals. and scotch and chick­
en sales,
The CBC Week-End i the
most glaring evidence of a
two-decade-old saga of the
ineptne • mis-management.
and lack of accountability
and vi ion of our so-called
"leadership. "
The Black elected offi­
cials. corporate vp '.s in
charge of coon-counting. and
government employee ho
aue nd the Week-End
s pe n d 97 percent or t eir
bucks, not With the 70 percent
Black majority. hut ex­
c lu ively With th white­
owned b us i nc s c s that
op rate here with a minimum
of return to the community.
TilE POLITICAL net-
working.is ueeducation.and DURI G TIII� IS UE
legislative up-date activitie forums and legislative up-
made available to the 20.000 date cs ion. which only a
"homefolk." by the Congres- few of the people attend.
sional Black Caucu Founda- much r hc to r rc comes forth
tion during each September i regarding the problems and
a truly worthy mi 'ion. The sad plight of Black children.
Black-oriented national con- Iarnilics. cco nurruc vdc ve lup­
terence. attended hy the mo. t '. ment and hus i ncvx growth,
re co gnivcd names In Black But each year or the 'Be
America. could fa lually he se s ions after the sun goes
the thrust nc c de d t o w ar d down. and the ri rhtou rinbh
achieving capable. re pon- the wor hops. the re ve le rs
Iblc. efficient and effective come out to play and they
'pend little of their ocial
rime di cussing olution to
Bla k problems. or spending
any of their government, or
coriorate, expense money
wit ,the 23,000 Black busi­
nes es in the local area.
Instead, the hall of the
mos expensive hotels in the
city are crammed with
frolicking people wearing
Car in's late t tyles, drink­
ing top-shelf liquor brand.
eating hot Buffalo chicken
win s, handling out engraved
bus mess cards and mo tly
trying to "cop" members of
the oppo ite ex.
If the people back home.
really want progress. they
may want to have a Dutch
U n c I e" , s t a I k wit h • the i r
elected officials. government
burc.aucrats , and erstwhile
bour�eoi leaders. wh n they
return from the CBC Week­
End.
When the party-goers get
back to Memphi '. Phif ly and
Bakcrf'ie ld, Blacks in the e
area who are oncerned
abo t the lowly t tu of
them and their kinfolk hould
a� them." How many federal
programs did you hring back
to u "!". or "Did you et th
ton for further di cu ion
for I cal help?"; and "What
type of wealrhbuilding di -
cu on did you have that
will help more f us?"
WiTH � I'EOPLE on
the block c nfront our
elect d fficials , affirmative­
acti n corporate p r of'e s­
'ion I and government
pape -pushcr: through proper
use of th ballot. con. urn r
purc a crs anti direct intcrac­
u o ns they will et bc u e r
rcvul s from the.current group
of party people.
I
Black Women in the
Church History study
P A News Service
Temple University' Cen­
ter for African American Hi '­
tory and Culture has received
a $3)0.000 grant from the
Lilly Endowment to research
and write the nation' fir t
comprchen. ive histQry of
"Black Women in the Church.
1780-1970, "
Thi pioneering work will
trace the hi toric involve­
ment of African American
women in the development of
pri mari I y, but not excl u i ve-
'Iy. Prote tant and Catholic
churche .
"We will pI re ully
u h I. ue� d:> L Ie r Ie n
tatus of hlack women in the
church. a well a the hi tori­
cal truggl for ordination."
said' Dr. Bettye Collier-
Thoma. director of the Cen­
ter and project hi. torian.
During the three year 'rant
period. Dr. Co l li c r -Thom as
will al '0 conduct work .hops
for young people nd deliver
talk and pe e cne at
religiou and cholarly
event.
"TII"� HI'T RY F
African American
rei igl nl t� i very rich." Dr.
Collier-Thoma ald. "We ar
e pecially intere ted in h. r­
Ing thl information With
Black y uth and women and
with th neral puhllc,"
Th .11 C.no( wm n ;n .,
ha.ed in Indianap Ii. In­
diana. I a private charitahle
foundation thal . upport the
cau e 0 religion. education
and communit devel pment.
The Center for Afr i an
American HI. tory and ul­
tu e i one 01 the Unive rs uys
cro '-disciplinary' re .e arch
and training center. One of
it major purp �e� i t fo t r
advanced ch lar hip and re-
earch.
A a national re earch cen­
ter. it foucu� � upon the
development r re earch and
cholar hip in area of
Afri an Amcrlean hi t ryand
culfure. which hav r�ceived
little or nor all ntlon.
Th Cent r ill develop
d ta ha�e for thc �tudy of
a, p ·t� 01 I I 'an merl 'an
oClal. p( Iltl(.;al anti
economic hi tor . Durin' the
next five year. . a maJor locu�
o th ent r III he women.