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Welcome to the 40th Anniversary Celebration of the Congressional Black Caucus |
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ou
are invited to participate in the celebration
of the 40th anniversary of the Congressional Black
Caucus. Howard University and the Congressional
Black Caucus Foundation will host a symposium
on April 5th at the Ira Aldridge Theater. During this day of reflection and exploration,
the CBCF and Howard University will publicly
revisit the Caucus' struggles and triumphs.
In four separate panels, former
and current caucus members and political scholars
will retrace the CBC's journey from 1971 to
present. |
Seating is limited. For detailed information,
see below. |
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TIME
AND VENUE: |
DESCRIPTION: |
PANELISTS
AND PRESENTERS: |
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Continental
Breakfast
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9:00
a.m. - 9:30 a.m.
Ira Aldridge Theater
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Rep.
Donald Payne, chair of
the Congressional Black Caucus
Foundation, has represented New
Jersey's 10th congressional district
since 1989. |
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Sidney
A. Ribeau, Ph.D., has
served as the 16th president
of Howard University since 2008. |
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9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.
Ira Aldridge Theater
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Panel
1: The CBC from the Beginning (1970-1979)
In
1870, Joseph Rainey of South Carolina
became the first African American directly
elected to Congress. Others soon followed
from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana,
Mississippi, North Carolina and Virginia,
but it would be 100 years until their
numbers in Congress would become politically
significant. In 1971, the 13 U.S.
representatives established the Congressional
Black Caucus. During the 1970s, they
established the organization's goals
and principles. They stressed key
priorities that held the American
government accountable to all Americans,
including the creation of an alternative
budget, full employment and civil
rights enforcement. |
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Del. Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy, a founding member of the CBC, served as the delegate from the District of Columbia in Congress from 1971 to 1991. |
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Mr. Ofield Dukes helped organize the first Congressional Black Caucus dinner in 1971 and worked closely with the CBC from its founding through his public relations firm, Ofield Dukes & Associates. |
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Rep. John Conyers, Jr., a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus, has represented the 14th congressional district of Michigan since 1965.
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Rep. Charles B. Rangel, a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus and former CBC chair, has represented New York's 15th congressional district since 1971. |
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Mae
King, Ph.D., is a professor
in the Department of Political
Science at Howard University and a longtime observer of the
Congressional Black Caucus.
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Moderator: |
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Dr. Edna Greene Medford, Ph.D., is a professor and chair of the Department of History at Howard University |
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11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Ira Aldridge Theater
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Panel
2: The Reagan Years (1980 to 1989)
The
1980s were a tumultuous period. The
country was in a recession. Inflation
and interest rates stood at double
digits. Poverty rates rose from 13
percent to 15 percent in the first
three years, and the CBC faced, if
not a hostile White House, certainly
not a friendly one. Economic opportunity
and parity were the group's major priorities.
CBC members played key roles in protecting
African-American interests at home
as well as passing anti-apartheid
legislation that ultimately led to
a free South Africa. There was also
a trend of coalition building among
the caucuses in Congress to further
legislative efforts.
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Rep.
William Gray, represented
Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional
district from 1978 until his
resignation in 1991. |
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Dorothy Jackson is a former director of the Congressional Black Caucus and has held a variety of senior government positions including serving as legislative council and chief of staff to several members of Congress. |
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Kurt
Schmoke, former mayor
of Baltimore, is dean of the
Howard University School of
Law. |
Moderator: |
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Oneshia S. Herring, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Fellow.
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2:15 p.m. - 3: 30 p.m.
Ira Aldridge Theater
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Panel
3: Representing the Conscience of
the Congress (1990 to 1999)
The
1990s were dominated by rapid, dramatic
change -- the rise of the Internet,
the release and eventual presidency
of Nelson Mandela, increased globalization
and expanding international terrorism.
Partly due to redistricting from the
1990 Census, the CBC membership grew,
but more importantly it became more
diverse. Members represented not only
the northern and urban United States,
but also southern, rural and suburban
areas. Additionally, a greater number
of women were elected to Congress,
including the nation's first African-American
woman senator.
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3:45 pm. - 5:00 p.m.
Ira Aldridge Theater
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Panel
4: The CBC and the New Millennium
(2000 to Present)
With
the tragedy of 9/11, two major wars,
deepening economic disparities and
the heightened pace of international
terrorism, CBC members faced challenges
on all fronts at the turn of the century. The 2008 election placed the first
African American in the White House
and swept a number of CBC members
into congressional leadership positions
as the Democratic Party regained
control of the House of Representatives
and the Senate. Their ascension, however,
was short-lived as Republicans won
back the House in 2010 and narrowed
the Democrats' margins in the Senate. Members explore the recent past with
an eye toward the future.
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Rep. James Clyburn has represented
South California's 6th congressional
district since 1993.
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Rep.
Yvette Clarke has represented
New York's 11th congressional
district since 2006. |
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Daryl
Harris, Ph.D., is a
professor and chair of the Department
of Political Science at Howard
University.
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Moderator:
Joe Leonard, Ph.D., assistant secretary for
Civil Rights in the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. |
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5:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Ira Aldridge Theater
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Rep.
Emanuel Cleaver, chair
of the Congressional Black Caucus,
has represented Missouri's 5th
congressional district since
2005. Invited* |
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Barbara
L. J. Griffin, Ph.D.,
is vice president for Student
Affairs at Howard University. |
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Reception
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*Due to possible schedule conflicts, panelist may change. Please recheck this site in the future for updates.
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