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Subscribe] FinalCall.com News - Refer This Page National News PUSHing for a more perfect union - from Selma, to the White House, to Africa CHICAGO (FinalCall.com) - The Rainbow Push Coalition and the Citizenship Education Fund hosted their 2008 annual conference, themed “A More Perfect Union—From Freedom to Equality: Equanomics” here June 28 to July 2. This year’s conference took on added significance with the successful presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama as it marks the 20th anniversary of Rev. Jesse Jackson’s historic 1988 run for the White House. Rev. Jackson’s 1984 and 1988 campaigns were the first serious bids by a Black man for the presidency of the United States. “Obama’s candidacy is a direct line to many others that came before him, particularly the candidacy of Rev. Jessie Louis Jackson, and that indeed is a victory for the civil rights movement,” said Dr. Ron Daniels, founder and CEO of the Institute of the Black World. Rev. Jackson reflected on his involvement in the struggle for social justice and the legacy of the struggle—which is ongoing—that will be passed on to future generations. “Well, God has blessed me to serve a long time,” Rev. Jackson told The Final Call. “And I’m still opening doors and knocking down barriers for oncoming generations. Our struggle continues to advance against great odds,” said the civil rights leader. Rev. Jackson noted that on August 28, 1955 Emmett Till was lynched. On the same date in 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the “I Have A Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C., and on August 28, 2008 in Denver, Sen. Obama will become the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. “One sees the line of progress and I am gratified by our progress in spite of the difficulties,” he added. The five-day conference brought together politicians, spiritual leaders, community and labor organizers, educators, and journalists, from all across the country to celebrate the many accomplishments of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, as well as to map out political and economic strategies for the future. Throughout the conference, experts led panel discussions ranging from the world food crisis to the use of technology in the modern civil rights movement and the role of the Black church in the 21st century. There was a town-hall meeting about the home foreclosure crisis severely impacting Black communities across America, and other workshop topics such as “The Journey from Selma to the White House” and the “Silence the Violence Campaign” which specifically focused on strategies directed at the youth. Participants took advantage of free health screenings testing cholesterol levels, blood pressure, body mass index, and HIV status. On June 29, joined by New Mexico’s Gov. Bill Richardson, the first Latino to run for president of the United States, Rev. Jackson launched the “100 Day People’s Platform” which is an action plan for the next U.S. president. “Whether Democratic of Republican, the next president needs to address these issues,” said Rev. Jackson. “This is a non-partisan agenda that’s about people’s needs, not politics, coming from the people,” he said. Susan Taylor, editor emerita of Essence Magazine was the keynote speaker for the Women’s Luncheon on June 30. Judge Greg Mathis, chairman of the PUSH Excel educational outreach program and host of the nationally syndicated “Judge Mathis Show” delivered a sobering message to parents. It is much easier to take the time to travel a few blocks to take your child to school instead of having to travel hundreds of miles to see them in prison. Rev. Otis Moss III of Trinity United Church of Christ, delivered the keynote at the “One Thousand Churches Connected” luncheon on July 1. A highlight of the conference was the session “Africa: The Last Economic Frontier and the Role of the Diaspora.” The forum was moderated by Emira Woods, director of Foreign Policy In Focus at the Washington D.C., based Institute for Policy Studies. “As of December 2007 Africa surpassed the Middle East as a supplier of U.S. oil,” said Ms. Woods, whose African roots are in Liberia. “Twenty-four percent of the oil that comes to the U.S. now comes from the continent of Africa,” she added. For American born Blacks, Ms. Woods suggested establishing dual citizenship in Ghana, and physically traveling to the continent to see the realities of life there. She cited the “heightened and strategic importance of Africa” in the global economy as just one of many reasons why Blacks in America should re-establish ties. The former president of Nigeria, President Olusegun Obasanjo, delivered remarks at the forum. Weighing in on the American presidential election, the African Union and the conflict in Zimbabwe, Pres. Obasanjo said the complex issues are not being conveyed by what is “drummed up in the international media.” “The full story of Zimbabwe has to be taken back to the Lancaster House Agreement,” said Pres. Obasanjo. “I believe that my senior brother and friend, Robert Mugabe, needs to more moderate the way he handles the affairs of Zimbabwe, and I am very happy to hear that the African Union has now made a political statement that a government of national unity should be established in Zimbabwe. I think that would be in the best interests of all of the people of Zimbabwe.” Mr. Obasanjo served as Nigeria’s president from 1999 to 2007. With 140 million people, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, and the eighth most populous country in the world. Pres. Obasanjo told The Final Call that if Sen. Obama is elected president, “It will be good for America, it will be good for Africa, it will be good for the whole world,” because it will signify a collective effort to remove racial, economic and social barriers. Speakers encouraged American-born Blacks to use their financial resources to invest in Africa, and their educational resources to help build. “We are all from one family and the problems we face confront all of us,” said the Hon. Welile A.W. Nhlapo, ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to the U.S. “The largest and most affluent members of the African diaspora live in the United States. This is an indisputable fact,” he added. “The African continent has been looked upon (only) as a place of political strife, hunger, wars and poverty,” said James Kimonyo, ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to the U.S. “Though we have seen Africans in America advocating for the African cause, we still face a lot of challenges,” he added. Dr. Ayesha Hakeem, executive director of African Connections, Ghana Ltd., encouraged others to follow her example by establishing business ties in Africa. “We are uniquely poised and situated to make a difference. Live your dream, and make Africa a part of that dream.”
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