WASHINGTON – The 10 Black members of the powerful House Finance Committee are still being applauded this week by the Black Press and Black leaders nationally for boldly boycotting a committee meeting in order to force a $4 billion allocation to bene
WASHINGTON – The 10 Black members of the powerful House Finance Committee are still being applauded this week by the Black Press and Black leaders nationally for boldly boycotting a committee meeting in order to force a $4 billion allocation to benefit the Black community.
They have told the National Newspaper Publishers Association News Service that they plan to escalate protests if lawmakers continue to ignore the suffering of their constituents, including advertising discrimination against Black newspapers.
“We’re out of the box, we’re full speed ahead and we are not going to sit back and watch our communities suffer in silence,” says U. S. Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., the ranking Congressional Black Caucus Member on the Committee, who led the Dec. 2 boycott.
“The 10 African American members of the Financial Services Committee have cooperated with the leadership, we have cooperated with the administration, we have supported the bail out and now we’re saying, what do we get for all of this cooperation? What are we delivering to our communities? And the answer is little or nothing,” Waters questioned.
Describing horrid conditions in their districts that clearly illustrate disparate suffering in the African American communities, members – in separate interviews -described what their constituents are dealing with and told why they must continue to act.
“Members of the Congressional Black Caucus are being bombarded with requests for assistance by minority businesses that have no capital,” Waters continued . “The banks won’t lend them any money. They’re either closing down or threatening to be closed down. The joblessness is off the scale.”
Joblessness, frustration, hopelessness – the sentiments are synonymous from state to state.
“They’re going through a tremendous, tremendous desperation effort,” said U.S. Rep. David Scott, D-Ga.. “Even if you look at all of your own newspapers, advertising dollars are not there. We sit here as congresspeople with tremendous leverage and power. It was so important for us to use that leverage.”
U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., CBC chair, is supportive of the Financial Services Committee’s stance and said in a statement following remarks by President Barack Obama on job creation and economic growth that, “President Obama’s speech was another sober reminder of the important work we must do to grow our economy and create jobs. While we agree with the president that support for small businesses, infrastructure investment and green jobs is essential, we also believe that much more needs to be done, particularly for those Americans who are hurting most.”
What the 10 Black members did was boycott the committee’s final vote on a broadsweeping financial overhaul bill. Instead, they were over at the White House trying to obtain greater funding for economic advances in the Black community.
The vote passed narrowly, but the CBC’s action effectively forced $4 billion to the table to go directly toward helping people keep their homes after they’ve lost their jobs.
In addition to the needs of Black businesses, homeowners and the jobless, a news release describing the boycott specifically cited the importance of spending federal advertising dollars with Black newspapers.
“Like other businesses, access to capital has been a challenge for this industry as well. With declining ad revenues, newspapers everywhere are struggling to survive,” the statement said.
Danny Bakewell, chairman of the 200- member NNPA, was credited by several members for helping to spark the protest by his firebrand lobbying around Capitol Hill.
Bakewell said he is delighted at the stance taken by the CBC, but much more must be done to recognize the power of the Black Press to the nation.
“We have been the backbone and the foundation on which America was built. And in this case, what we are realizing is that we continue to be the foundation on which many of these corporations make their profits and develop their brands throughout the country and we’re not going to continue to sit idly by and let them do that while the very fabric of our community is crumbling from within. We’re serving notice on General Motors, Ford, Toyota, and other automotive companies and the automotive industry that there will be no more business as usual.”
Bakewell and NNPA Foundation Chair Dorothy R. Leavell, as well as Mollie Belt, 2nd vice chair of NNPA and Michael House, NNPA marketing chairperson, have begun a series of meetings with corporations and have already made inroads.
“We’ve met with AT&T. They have been very receptive. They represent what we believe at this point we can say is a good corporate citizen,” Bakewell said. “We’re not asking for a bail out or a hand out, we’re asking for reciprocity and respect.”
Bakewell explained that the Black community, Black newspapers included, are being shortchanged for the dollars they spend with businesses and corporations.
In order to avoid legal ramifications, the committee agreed to target the money toward communities with the highest socio-economic impact rather than by race. That includes most of the CBC districts.
“The traditional role of a member of Congress before the economic downturn was to basically intervene with the federal government agencies on behalf of constituents, people didn’t get their VA checks or social security checks or they were needing help getting their travel documents or visas or passport,” says Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C. “But, disproportionately now, people are calling for grassroots, down in the community help. I need food, I need housing. I need to be protected from a foreclosure. I need assistance with mortgage modification, I need you to find me a job. Businesses are calling saying I can’t find any loans, I can’t get credit.”
They’re receiving the calls and e-mails everyday, says U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, DMinn.
“They say ‘when’s our turn?’” Ellison recounts. “‘We need real jobs programs. We need something to help small, minority businesses. We need to know that there is a vibrant, historic and very strong African American business community here in the United States and in my state of Minnesota.’ It really struck me that every single industry is being severely impacted.”
In New York City, Congressman Gregory Meeks says his district has been hit especially hard in homeownership.
The issues are hot buttons and pervasive.
“We’re dealing with so many contentious issues in Congress, to see people who are bold and unapologetic, you can’t do anything but respect it whether you agree or disagree philosophically, the boldness that comes with that stand can’t be overlooked,” said U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind. NNPA
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