On Wednesday, June 3, 2009, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi welcomed the member organizations of the Black Leadership Forum (BLF) to her office at the Capitol to discuss the developments in new legislation pertaining to health care, education, environmental justice, jobs and energy. House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC), Congressional Black Caucus Chair Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) joined Speaker Pelosi to form a Congressional panel that fielded direct questions from the BLF members.
In a press briefing before the meeting, Speaker Pelosi stressed the interconnection among the issues and the importance of addressing the concerns of the CBC and its constituents. “Legislation on health care has to be about removing disparities and making sure that it is relevant to the lives of every American,” she said. “We really must go forward in a way that lifts them up and this meeting will be in furtherance of reaching that goal.”
In his remarks before the press, BLF Chairman Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League and former mayor of New Orleans, pledged that BLF would work closely with the Congressional leaders by offering input and support. “Our communities are hurting. The unemployment rate that the Department of Labor will report tomorrow will be at 9 percent or higher. In communities of color, that number is probably close to 15 or 16 percent. It’s affecting our families, it’s affecting our children, it’s affecting our old and our young,” he said. “This is a time of great challenge.”
Among the fifty (50) organizations that comprise the Forum, the National Conference of Black Mayors was present, represented by Board Member Mayor Eugene Grant of Seat Pleasant, Md. He also serves as President of the NCBM Maryland State Chapter.
Operation Hope Senior Vice President Jena Roscoe requested that Congress consider passing legislation to fund financial literacy training in poor urban areas. Financial literacy training was presented as a key component to fixing the economic crisis as it relates to predatory lending. In response, Rep. Scott pledged to work with the members of the BLF to find innovative ways to implement financial literacy training across the country.
National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education President Dr. Lezli Baskerville requested that Congress work with the White House to rescind the recent decision to end a two-year program that provided direct funding to federally recognized HBCUs, totaling $85 million in funding that equated to less than $1 million per school. Rep. Scott committed himself to work with BLF to assist HBCUs in applying for grants, research programs and other Federal programs that have the potential to provide direct funding that would exceed the $85 million that was lost by allowing this time-limited program to sunset.
Rainbow Push Coalition President Reverend Jesse Jackson submitted a request that the Federal government provide loans to students at a rate of less than one percent. By providing low-cost loans, students that suffer a disadvantage will not be saddled with school debt as they complete college and enter the workforce, which would allow more of their income to be reinvested into their communities. This request was acknowledged by the Speaker.
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies stated that the energy bill must include provisions specifically addressing low income minority communities. The entire BLF was in agreement that the cap and trade portions in the energy bill must include provisions that protect poor disadvantaged communities.
Speaker Pelosi acknowledging that all of the requests would be taken into consideration and thanked the participants for their presence.
“This meeting presented a valuable opportunity for dialogue that can contribute to the effective development of federal policy,” Mayor Grant acknowledged after the meeting. “The inclusion of locally elected officials, such as myself and my fellow member mayors of NCBM, is essential in this discussion because ultimately these policies are implemented on the local level. Critical work is ahead for all of us to meet the needs of the people we were elected to serve,” he concluded.
