Civil Rights
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Congressional Black Caucus Champions Issues Concerning Minorities Forty-three-member organization considered among most powerful in Washington By Michelle Austein Washington -- In 1969, 13 African-American members of the U.S. House of Representatives saw a need to unite in order to draw attention to issues that concerned African Americans and other minorities. Today, the group they founded, the Congressional Black Caucus, is considered by many political experts to be among the most powerful organizations in Washington. The 43-member Congressional Black Caucus, representing a multitude of regions, officially is nonpartisan although it is currently composed entirely of Democrats, 42 of whom are from the House of Representatives (two are nonvoting delegates from the District of Columbia and the U.S Virgin Islands) and one from the Senate. Representative Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, a Democrat from Michigan and chair of the caucus, said in a December 2006 press conference that the group, in the 35 years since its inception, has been the “conscience of the United States House of Representatives.” The original founding members, forming what was then a Democratic select (special) committee, believed they could be more powerful if they spoke with a single voice. According to the Congressional Black Caucus Web site, the group's goal was to “promote the public welfare through legislation designed to meet the needs of millions of neglected citizens.” The organization changed its name to the Congressional Black Caucus in 1971. Today, the caucus seeks to represent the interests of minorities by drafting legislation on issues important to these groups, working with African-American leaders in local governments and providing services to their constituents. It works closely with other minority caucuses, including the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. Along with the domestic political, social and economic issues the organization works on, the caucus has been active in international affairs as well. It led many of the United States’ calls for South Africa to end its apartheid system. In 1986, the caucus played an influential role in getting Congress to pass a bill placing economic sanctions on that nation to press for the end of apartheid. Today, the caucus continues to speak out against human rights violations throughout the world, particularly in the Darfur region of Sudan. “The Congressional Black Caucus have been in the forefront of the declaration of genocide in Darfur and pushing the United States government and those countries around the world to be more active in trying to end the genocide,” said caucus member Congressman Donald Payne, a Democrat from New Jersey, in the December 2006 press conference. The group has worked to end human rights abuses in the Sudanese region by meeting with influential leaders from the African Union and China who have been involved with the issue, as well as with U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan Andrew Natsios. Congressional Black Caucus members were among those arrested protesting outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington in May 2006, while trying to draw attention to the issue. (See related article.) In the 110th Congress, Congressional Black Caucus members head more than 25 committees and subcommittees. Among those being led by caucus members are the House Judiciary Committee, the House Ways and Means Committee, the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Administration Committee. Because of this, a majority of legislation, which is reviewed through committees, will be under the purview of at least one Congressional Black Caucus member. There are about 200 caucuses -- informal groups based on shared interests on an issue -- in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The term “caucus” refers to both the group and the meeting it holds. (See related article.) For more information, see The U.S. Congress. (USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov) |