This week I’m covering the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference in DC. This is Day 2 (I will get Day 1 events up as soon as I can).
Today, there are about 100 different seminars focused on this year’s theme: Reinvent, Rebuild, Renew.
9:00 pm: Attended the 2nd Annual Sisterhood Congressional reception. This was an event sponsored by: Cong. Donna Edwards and Marcia Fudge. It was great catching up with Cong. Marcia Fudge – she’s an awesome lady.
They had a great DJ who kept the place jumping.
6:00 pm; Attended the AFLAC reception for the Georgia delegation. AFLAC put on a first class event. Lots of state reps showed up, Al Williams, Mickey Stephens, Coach Williams, Calvin Smyre, Billy Mitchell, Valencia Seay, and others. Five of our six congressmen were present…ooh let’s take a guess at which congressman didn’t make an appearance. Yeah, that was way too easy – Mr. Marshall (I’m a D In Name Only).
This guy shows up to hang with the Dems…but not Marshall. Yea, what’s up with that. Cong. Lynn Westmoreland:
and if there was any doubt why we love Cong. John Lewis, just hear him speak…speak about how to build beloved community.
4:00 pm: Man I was out the door for the day…until I ran into Cong. Hank Johnson who politely asked “hey are you coming to my forum?”…and now I’m at Cong. Johnson’s forum.
Here is Cong. Hank Johnson discussing why attending the CBCF conference is important.
4:10 pm: OMG Cong. John Conyers is here. Yes, he’s not lost. And Mr. P-Funk George Clinton is here. Some funky politics are about to happen.
2:00 pm: Web 2.0 and Social Media
This seminar opened with Donna Brazile (yes, thee Ms. Brazile) discussing the importantance of broadband to Black communities especially rural communities.
2:20 pm: Actor Robert Townsend is talking about moving the internets forward by offering not only entertainment but information and training where everyone can learn. He has a venture called www.pic.tv which offers a websiode called the “Diary of the Single Mom”. Great cast: Billy Dee Williams, Leon, Monica Calhoun, Valeria Ortiz.
2:39 pm: Lordy bee, the entire cast is here. Leon, is here – get your hustle on. and Richard Roundtree. and Billy Dee Williams. ooooohhhh.
2:56 pm: Cong. Clyburn says that the new economy can’t leave out the Black children who live in rural America who are currently disconnected from the internet. Says that healthcare reform has to include healthcare IT in order to connect rural communities together.
Second panel: our very own Midfulton Democrat, but now all grown up, Donna Byrd is a panelist. The panel is discussing why blogging is important to the African American community.
3:05 pm:Gina McCauley, founder of www.bloggingwhilebrown.org – an idea that helped shift the blogging community to social justice issues. Did a blogging bootcamp that involved activism and introduced folks into blogging on African American issues. Says that blogging can be a stepping stone for people. The key is adoption of the technology. It shouldn’t matter what technology you are using – just get in the game. Social Media is the gateway to the internet.
Must break technology down for people to un derstand. Bloggers are “human search engines” that filter the many layers of information.
Carmen Dixon-Rosenzweig: Doesn’t believe that Democratic legislators, especially on capitol Hill, are using social media tools very well. Believes that an effective use of social media can break down hierarcheries.
Technology is just the tool, but relationships are the key to making social media work. (If only candidates would realize this before they start a Twitter account. If only…)
Earlier this afternoon:
Folks I ran into:
Attorney General Thurbert Baker talks about why it is important to attend the CBCF conference:
The Rev. Al Sharpton
This morning I’m at the National Town Hall Meeting:Economic Recovery and Opportunity
8:45 am: Speaker Pelosi spoke to the crowd. Encouraged the crowd to get engaged in the health care reform debate because getting a robust public option passed is critical. She also spoke about the need for green energy and the need for environmental justice (i.e. making sure all the plants don’t end up in poor minority communities.
9:00 – Congressional Black Caucus Chair – Cong. Barbara Lee (D-CA) said the Congressional Black Caucus is the “conscience of the Congress”.
9:02 am: greetings from Simone-Marie Meeks – chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation spouses – (I’m assuming that she’s the wife of the chair of the CBCF Cong. Kendrick Meeks). Oh Jules they are having a “runway for the everyday fashion” show – fashion for everybody.
9:06 am: Dr. Elsie Scott – CBCF President and CEO – thanking everyone who helped planned the conference. She’s introducing all the CBCF Fellows. Lots of smart young whippersnappers who will rule DC in a few short years.
9:14 am: Cong. Chaka Fattah (D-PA) and Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) – the co-chairs of the conference – introducing the moderators: Renee Chenault-Fattah and Ed Gordon (formerly of BET news). The question is whether the economic recovery will include those neighborhoods that have been hardest hit. There are 2 panels: Panel 1 – Corporatre/Non Profit Leaders / Panel 2: Executive Branch/Congressional Leadership
Panel 1: John Hope Bryant (Operation HOPE, Inc.), George Burrell (PRWT Services), Johnathan Rodgers (TV One), Julianne Maalveaux (Bennet College for Women), L. Londell McMillan (Dewey and LeBoeuf), Carole Brown (Siebert Brandford Shank & Co.), Harvey Lawrence (Brownsville Community Development Corporation)
The main question is how will financial literacy move our communities out of this recession:
Burrell: says that we must circulate the knowledge in order to get out of this recession. Must help each other.
Rodgers: said that the “digital divide” is no longer. The problem is getting folks to watch financial literacy programs. Really? Hmmmmm…I’m guessing not.
Burrell: disagrees with Rodgers. Says the problem is that the media has dumb downed the financial literacy message. Says the message needs to be reframed and reshaped so that next generation is focused.
Maalveaux: says an educated African-American is a dangerous thing to America and HBCU’s are on the frontline of educating Black children. But HBCUs need funding because they are doing the “Lord’s work”.
OK I moved on to the “Gullah Geechee Cultural” workshop. That’s my people. Gotta go represent.
The lead speaker happens to be a close family friend of my aunt Verta Mae Groversnor. Emory Campbell is talking about the cultural and on the Gullah Geechee’s reliance on solitude mediation, the speech patterns, foods, the language, the family, and the land. Believes that we must preserve the family and the land because it is a part of the West African tradition. When families live together on the same land then they can pass on traditions. Brings about a kinship that needs to be preserved.
Park Service guy says that they are working to preserve the culture. Hey now, First Lady Michelle Obama’s people are of the Gullah/Geechee heritage. Check that out!
Park Service guy says that for the last 10 yrs he has been working to preserve the Gullah Geechee heritage and says all the things that he has learned he never learned in schools. Never was taught or heard about the cultural in any school books.
Congressman Clyburn (SC) just showed up…yeah!!! I’m dying laughing because Cong. Clyburn says that when Gullah folks are talking to each other their language changes into a different dialect that outsiders can’t understand. So true, so true! Cong. Clyburn says that he is fully committed to making sure the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor is fully funded. Cong. Clyburn said that he was sworn in 18 years ago into Congress using a Gullah bible – saweet!
This is gonna be a great day cause my favorite big cousin is in this seminar session with me. Yeah…that’s how Gullah/Geechee folks roll.
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