CHICAGO�Despite media attention, a congressional report, and a class-action lawsuit, "nothing in the (U.S. Customs) agency has changed, and the agency is terminating Black women left and right," said senior Customs Inspector Cathy Harris of Atlanta May 13. She fears she will be next.

After going to internal affairs, the inspector general, the commissioner of Customs, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and even having been featured on television in Atlanta and throughout the Black press, Ms. Harris was finally vindicated in April.

The General Accounting Office (GAO), Congress� investigative watchdog, released a report confirming her allegations that Blacks were being illegally targeted and searched, still she does not believe the agency will change without continued public pressure. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin initiated the report.

According to the GAO, Black women were nine times more likely to be X-rayed after being hand searched than white women. Black women were strip searched by U.S. Customs agents more than any other American passengers returning from overseas travel, but were far less likely to be found with illegal contraband, a report released to Congress concluded.

Black women have been the victims of illegal pat downs, strip searches, X-rays, internal probing, monitored bowel movements, unlawful detentions, and targeted monitoring by drug sniffing dogs, especially while going through Customs in Chicago, Miami and Los Angeles airports.

Ms. Harris has started a national campaign to talk to the public, lobby Congress and get petitions signed for further investigation into how to protect Black travelers, and Customs agents who have spoken out about abuses and in turn have been abused by co-workers. "Many agents have had nervous breakdowns," said Ms. Harris.

Activist Rev. Al Sampson, of Fernwood United Methodist Church, who has backed Ms. Harris for the past two years, gave the 14-year veteran Customs inspector a "Mother of the Year" award April 13 for her efforts to expose illegal body searches.

"Black women now have the freedom to move around the world as international personalities. That�s intimidating to white men who are Customs agents. But our sisters are financially, educationally and culturally equipped to not tolerate it," said Rev. Sampson. "Black men are also tired of Black women being humiliated and violated."

Little reporting has been done on the "blatant and illegal personal practices by corrupt management officials" on Black, Hispanic and white Customs agents who refuse to participate in illegal harassment of Black female travelers, Ms. Harris said.

Ms. Harris, a single mother of two, started the Customs Employees Against Discrimination Association (CEADA), a nationwide coalition of agents who have suffered similar abuse, while trying to defend the rights of Black passengers.

"The passengers had an investigation, but not the employees. We want to provide congressional testimony. We want our day in Congress," said Ms. Harris.

Photo: Cathy Harris