PageA9
Februaiy 13. 2008
B lack H istory M onth
African Americans in Congress
New book
explores black
political clout
T he D em ocratic recapture o f
C ongress and the record num ber o f
African A m ericans there - includ­
ing the chairs o f the W ays and
M eans, Judiciary and H om eland
Security com m ittees - signals a
resurgence of black political clout
on C apitol Hill this year.
But for m ost o f the nation's his­
tory, that level o f influence was
sadly absent, as a new book. A fri­
can A m ericans in C ongress: A
D ocum entary History illustrates.
In 1869, Louisiana new spaper
editor J. W illis M enard becam e the
first African A m erican to claim a
H ouse seat in a special election
m arred by intim idation and harass­
ment o f black voters.
In arguing his case, M enard be­
cam e the first African A m erican to
speak on the H ouse floor, where he
said, "I do not expect nor do I ask
that there shall be any favor shown
me on account o f my race or the
form er condition o f that race." But
the H ouse rejected his claim.
T he following year, it took three
days o f debate before the Senate
agreed to sw ear in the first black
senator. Republican Hiram Revels
o f M ississippi, who ironically filled
the seat o f formerConfederate Presi­
dent Jefferson Davis. Dem ocrats
couched their opposition largely in
irrelevant constitutional term s, but
their w ords dem onstrated that rac­
ism was the implicit, and sometimes
explicit, basis for
opposition.
A fter Rev els de­
livered his maiden
s p e e c h , a p ro -
D em ocratic New
York newspaper la­
beled it “the first
speech ever deliv­
ered by the lineal
descendant o f an
o ra n g -o u ta n g in
C o ngress.”
A nd w hen he
traveled betw een
W ashington and hom e, he was
forced to ride in the segregated
section of M ississippi River steam ­
b oats.
D u rin g R e c o n stru c tio n , the
South sent a string o f A frican
A m ericans to Congress, but they
w ielded little influence, individu­
ally orcollecti vely. There were never
enough at any one tim e to consti­
tute an effective voting bloc, and
none stayed long enough to accu­
m ulate m eaningful seniority.
In 1880. Blanche Bruce o f M is­
sissippi, the second black senator,
Hiram Revels of Mississippi was the first black to serve in the
U.S. Senate.
did chair the Senate select com m it­
tee investigating the collapse of
the F reedm an’s Savings and Trust
Co., but he served only a single
term, and no other African A m eri­
can w ould chair a standing com m it­
tee until 1949.
Bleak years follow ed Recon­
struction, with disenfranchisem ent
o f b la c k v o te rs
across the South,
violence and fraud
directed at those
w ho dared try to
v o te an d g e rry ­
m a n d e rin g th a t
d estro y ed black-
m ajority districts.
On Jan. 29,1901,
the sole remaining
A frican American
in Congress, Rep.
G eorge W hite of
N o rth C a ro lin a ,
delivered his valedictory speech.
“ 1 w ant to enter a plea for the
colored man, the colored woman,
the colored boy and the colored
girl," W hite said. "T his is perhaps
the N egroes' tem porary farewell to
the A m erican Congress, but let me
say, phoenix-like, he will rise up
some day and com e again.”
Yet it w ould take alm ost three
more decades before an African
A merican w ould serve. That would
be O scar D ePriest. an Illinois Re­
publican.
W h en
P re s id e n t H e rb e rt
H oover's wife invited D ePriest’s
wife to a W hite House tea for co n ­
g ressio n al sp o u ses, a n atio n al
firestorm ignited. The Texas legis­
lature even passed a resolution re­
buking the First Lady and declaring
that "w e bow our heads in shame
and regret.”
In 1934, DePriest chai lenged seg­
regation of the Capitol restaurant,
declaring, “If we allow segregation
and the denial o f constitutional
rights under the dom e of the C api­
tol, where in G o d 's name will we get
them ?”
His plea fell on d eaf ears. The
restaurant remained off-lim its to
blacks until at least 1948.
It was the Civil Rights Act o f
1964, the Voting Rights Act o f 1965,
a series o f Suprem e Court rulings
and the civil rights m ovement that
propelled major transform ation in
the com plexion o f Congress,
Rep. Adam Clayton Powell Jr.,
D-N. Y., chaired the Education and
LaborCom m ittee, shepherding key
leg islatio n for P resid en ts John
K ennedy and Lyndon Johnson,
until his ethical breaches cost him
that post.
In 1966, for the first tim e since
Reconstruction, a black candidate
won a Senate seat. He was Edward
Brooke, a m oderate Republican
from M assachusetts. In 1971, the
Congressional Black Caucus was
officially born as a nonpartisan or­
ganization.
----- 1 P iuh
h
S ponsor |-----------
REMEMBER.
CELEBRATE.
PRESERVE.
BANK OF THE WEST IS PROUD TO CELEBRATE
BLACK HISTORY MONTH AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF
AFRICAN AMERICANS THROUGH HISTORY.
Different perspectives generate fresh ideas. That’s why at
Bank of the West, we value diversity and equal opportunity
for all our employees. Year after year, we continue to grow
stronger thanks to our unique blend of people. After all, in
today's competitive banking environment, it is our employees
with innovative ideas who keep us a step ahead of the rest.
______ BANKTImWEST______ I
www.bankofthewest.com
© 2008 Bank of the West. Member FDIC.
ARE YOU?
Save Your History, Museum Urges
continued
from A7
also at risk," he said.
"It’s the kind o f thingthat earlier
generations treasured, but as fam i­
lies m ove around, I thought we
better do this, not in term s o f what
we collect, but w hat we can pre­
serve," Bunch said.
Bunch said som e items exam ­
ined during the "African American
Treasures" events might eventu­
ally get into the m useum 's collec­
tion. But he also w ants people with
historical item s — if no one in the
family is interested in caring for
them — to consider donating them
to local libraries, museums and in­
stitutions where they could become
part of a research collection.
"This is a process that is really
about helping people to remember,
trying to get people to realize that
their story is history," Bunch said.
NWCC is presently recruiting for a Senior Recruiter in
the Portland area. The senior recruiter will have primary
responsibility for recruiting students into NWCC programs.
Applicants should have excellent communications skills, be
self-motivated, and have basic database and computer skills.
The Senior Recruiter will do outreach to businesses, agencies,
individuals and schools. Applicants should have some
familiarity with the construction industry. Bachelor's degree
and sales experience preferred.
ARMY STRONG:
The Army prepares you to be your best. That includes
expert training in any of over 150 careers. Learn about
the unmatched training, job experience and career
foundation you will get as a Soldier in the Army. Call:
(503) 284-4005
The Senior Recruiter is a full-time position with full benefits
and competitive salary plus bonus.
or stop by the Rose City Army Recruiting Station at
Contact Guy Crawford, NWCC Human Resource Director with
inquiries at 503-256-7300.
1317 NE Broadway St.
Portland, OR 97232
For more information about NWCC go to www.NWC0C.com
I