by Eric Ture Muhammad

WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com)�Former U.S. President Bill Clinton Sept. 29 stood before a capacity audience during a gala of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Annual Legislative Conference at the Washington Convention Center and declared that the position of American Blacks and the leadership of the CBC is uniquely qualified to lead America and the world back to a more just, humane existence and away from war.

"The African American community should say, �hey, we�ve been on the receiving end of this deal. We�ve heard this story before and that is not the world that our ancestors died for us to make,� " he argued.

That story, Mr. Clinton said, is rooted in the enslavement of Blacks, racial-profiling and the disparate figures of Black incarceration. That story, he continued, is found in the lack of Black business ownership, poor education, joblessness, prejudice and terrorism under the name of wanton police violence and brutality. That story is still very much a part of the mission of the CBC, he said.

"Yes, we still got all of the differences that we had before Sept. 11, on so many of these policies. Yes, the Congressional Black Caucus will continue to fight for the things that you believe in. But, none of us in our lifetime will fight quite the same way again. � We have been reminded that our common humanity, our shared freedom and our common future; our little children no matter what their race or their gender, or their religion; that these things are what make America special," he said.

But even as he defined this as a moment for Blacks, he also urged the backing of the military initiatives of President Bush. It was a suggestion many CBC members discounted while appreciating the overall tone of Mr. Clinton�s message, which came at the close of the four-day, Sept. 26-29, confab and further echoed the sensibilities of Black lawmakers who have argued that this is not the time to sit down and be afraid.

"The one significant thing that he [Clinton] said is that [this nation] must look to African American leadership on these questions of hatred and discrimination that are at the core of this crisis," said Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy, a founding member of the CBC.

Since the assault on America much of the nation�s activities came to a grinding halt and the CBC conference was also in doubt. However, the decision was made to proceed with the event and aid in America�s return to normalcy. Priorities of the conference included the tenets of an all-inclusive America, election reform to make every vote count, securing a solid future for the nation�s children, the creation of wealth and fairness in Black communities and improving the health environment of those communities.

"We are so accustomed to functioning in an atmosphere of adversity that we felt it was important that we let people know we will stand," CBC Chairperson Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Tx.) told The Final Call. "We have learned to be that tenacious. We have always had various activities to interfere with us trying to reach our goals, so it is no different now except that we understand the loss of life.

"We understand the dedication of those volunteers who lost their lives trying to save others. We want to give attention to that. We also want to give some advice to those communities who are always the last to get information about what we know about how to perform and behave in an atmosphere like this," she said.

The conference attracted thousands of constituents and patrons in a time where transportation, travel and tourism is reportedly less than 20 percent of its normal activity across the country.

"We shifted the emphasis to be inclusive of the emotional trials that we are all going through now. We have been affected like every other human being and we are dealing with some of the depression ourselves. But we know that even with that, our responsibility is to stand and to keep moving forward," she said.

The Caucus gave its members the freedom to decide for themselves as to their level of participation over the four-day convention. Noticeably absent were Reps. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) and Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.), who were scheduled to hold braintrust sessions, respectively, on election reform and the counterintelligence program of the U.S. government.

Cointelpro, as the program led by the late FBI director J. Edgar Hoover was called, was designed to dismantle and destroy Black leadership and its organizations. Neither, Mr. Hastings nor Ms. McKinney�s staff would offer comment on their absence.

Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Calif.) told The Final Call that she did not participate in any of the CBC activities due to the effects the attack had on some of her constituents. Not only did her district have family members who were victims in the tragedies, but she had a host of Arab-American students who fled the United States in fear of their lives. She said she spent her time following up personally in an attempt to secure their return.

"This is a critical time, particularly when we are dealing with a very limited foreign policy where a president is bent on war," said Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the New York-based National Action Network and a conference participant. "I think it is a critical time for the CBC to take some real firm stands in terms of foreign policy and in terms of challenging this nation to expand on how it does business. This is why Black people sent them to Congress, to give a different view and different perspective, not to be the Black rubberstamp on white policies," he said.

Mr. Sharpton announced his intentions to travel to Israel and Palestine in late October to personally assess the issues of terrorism faced in that region so that the United States "can be more sensitive to what people are saying in the Middle East. If we understand that all of this policy that is being decided by others affect our lives, then we can have a global movement that will challenge the imbalance of our policies," he said.

"I think the more the United States deals with Africa will make for a more balanced policy," said Rep. Donald Payne (D-N.J.), head of the CBC Africa Task Force. "Africa has long been kept off the agenda, and I don�t think this administration, even before Sept. 11, is even focused on including Africa in this whole world debate. We see the heads of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Syria and western European being engaged, but we don�t see African leaders," he said.

"More importantly, we�ve got to look at the root causes of what caused the World Trade Center attack and the Pentagon attack," said Rep. Earl Hilliard (D-Ala.). "Until we settle those problems we will always be subject to attack, and I am speaking specifically to the Jewish and Palestinian problem.

"The Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims don�t know us except through the eyes of Israel. Those two people have been fighting for 2,000 years. We have got to communicate with them directly and we can�t go through anyone. We can�t let everyone broker us. If this conference doesn�t do anything else, we need to get to that discussion and where do we go from here," he said.

The CBC�s commitment to the nation�s children was exemplified via a town hall discussion hosted by Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Tx.) during the "Juvenile Justice and Children�s Mental Health" braintrust. An open floor discussion about the effects of Sept. 11 tragedies on children and how to offer balanced counseling and trauma treatments were explored.

"What can we say about losing six thousand plus individuals?," Rep. Jackson-Lee asked. "It is unspeakable. Instead of viewing this as six thousand persons, we should view this as one person dying six thousand times. Then we will begin to understand that each of them are human and a loved one to somebody.

"We also owe an understanding of the Islamic faith. We cannot compare the Islamic faith to terrorism or immigrants to terrorism. This may be a time we can look at these issues and be more informed fighters for justice," she said.

The braintrust sessions concluded with the CBC hosting a town hall session to discuss ways faith-based communities could assist Congress and each other in moving a nation forward and closer to God.

Participants included the Nation of Islam�s East Coast Regional Minister Abdul Khadir Muhammad, who presented each CBC member with audio and video tapes of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan�s Sept. 16 press conference on the attack on America, and Million Family Movement/Mobilization Director Min. Benjamin F. Muhammad.

Also in observance of the confab activities were Nation of Islam First Lady Mother Khadijah Farrakhan and daughter Maria Farrakhan.

"In spite of the nation�s tragedy, there is a recognition that we have to go on," commented conference participant the Rev. Danny Bakewell of the Los Angeles-based Brotherhood Crusade. "This conference gives us the opportunity to discuss how this tragedy is particularly affecting African Americans. As the saying goes, �when white folks get a cold, Blacks have pneumonia.� We have to look at how this tragedy is affecting us because that is our reality," he said.