Print this pageDate: Wed, 20 Apr 94 16:02:26 EDT
Congressional Black Caucus, 103rd Congress 1993 - 1994
Kweisi Mfume
Chairman
Cardiss Collins
Vice Chairman
Alcee Hastings
Vice Chairman
Barbara-Rose Collins
Treasurer
William Jefferson
Secretary
Eddie Bernice Johnson
CBC Whip
Members
Committee Assignments
Staff Contacts
H2-344 The Ford Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 226-7790
HISTORY AND BACKGROUND
The Congressional Black Caucus was formed in 1970 when the 13 Black Members of the U.S.House of Representatives joined together to strengthen their efforts to address the legislative concerns of Black and minority citizens. African American Representatives had increased in number from six in 1966 to nine, following the 1969 elections. Those Members believed that a Black Caucus in Congress, speaking with a single voice, would provide political influence and visibility far beyond their numbers.
The Caucus received its first national recognition when its Members met with former President Richard Nixon in March, 1971 and presented to him a list of 60 recommendations for governmental action on domestic and foreign issues. The President's response, considered inadequate by the Caucus, further strengthened their efforts to work together in Congress.
Today, there are 40 Black Members of Congress, 10 women and 30 men representing many of the largest and most populated urban centers in this country, together with some of the most expansive and rural Congressional districts in the nation. These Members, now as in the past, have been called upon to work as advocates for America's varied constituent interests - developing an ever-expanding legislative agenda - as well as addressing the concerns of their own particular districts. Additionally, the '92 elections yielded the second African American Senator of this century and the first African American woman-Carol Moseley Braun.
The visions and goals of the original 13 Members, "to promote the public welfare through legislation designed to meet the needs of millions of neglected citizens," have been reaffirmed through the legislative and political successes of the Caucus. The CBC is involved in legislative initiatives ranging from full employment to welfare reform, South African apartheid and international human rights, from minority business development to expanded educational opportunity. Most noteworthy is the CBC Alternative budget which the Caucus has produced for the past 13 years. Historically, the CBC Alternative Budget policies depart significantly from Administration Budget recommendations as the Caucus seeks to preserve a national commitment to fair treatment for urban and rural America, the elderly, students, small businessmen and women, middle and low income wage earners, the economically disadvantaged and a new world order. CBC Members introduced more than 400 individual bills in the 102nd Congress and cosponsored an unprecedented 11,000 legislative measures.
In the twenty-three years since its founding, Caucus Members have been successful in rising to strategic positions on House Committees to affect needed changes in federal policies. Today a CBC Member holds the office of Chief Deputy Whip of the House of Representatives, three African Americans chair full House standing committees, and fifteen Caucus Members hold Subcommittee Chairmanships. Democrat and Republican, they are the "conscience of the Congress."
Amelia L. Parker
Executive Director
BLACK MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
With the convening of the 103rd Congress, a total of 90 Black Americans has bee elected to the Congress in the of this nation: 4 in the Senate and 86 in the House. The following is a list of Black members, their parties, states, and years of service. In addition these 90, John W. Menard (R-LA), won a disputed election in 1868 but was not permitted to take his seat in Congress.
SENATE
Hiram R. Revels (R-MS) 1870 - 1871
Blanche K. Bruce (R-MS) 1875 - 1881
Edward W. Brooke (R-MA) 1967 - 1979
Carol Moseley-Braun (D-IL) 1993
HOUSE
Joseph H. Rainey (R-SC) 1870 - 1879
Jefferson F. Long (R-GA) 1870 - 1871
Robert B. Elliott (R-SC) 1871 - 1874
Robert C. DeLarge (R-SC) 1871 - 1873
Benjamin S. Turner (R-AL) 1871 - 1873
Josiah T. Walls (R-FL) 1871 - 1873
Richard H. Caine (R-SC) 1873 - 1875; 1877 - 1879
John R. Lynch (R-MI) 1873 - 1877; 1882 - 1883
James T. Rapier (R-AL) 1873 - 1875
Alonzo J. Ransier (R-SC) 1873 - 1875
Jeremiah Haralson (R-AL) 1875 - 1877
John A. Hyman (R-NC) 1875 - 1877
Charles E. Nash (R-LA) 1875 - 1877
Robert Smalls (R-SC) 1875 - 1879
James E. O'Hara (R-NC) 1883 - 1887
Henry P. Cheatham (R-NC) 1889 - 1893
John M. Langston (R-VA) 1890 - 1891
Thomas E. Miller (R-SC) 1890 - 1891
George W. Murray (R-SC) 1893 - 1895; 1896 - 1897
George W. White (R-NC) 1897 - 1901
Oscar DePriest (R-IL) 1929 - 1935
Arthur W. Mitchell (D-IL) 1935 - 1943
William L. Dawson (D-IL) 1943 - 1970
Adam C. Powell, Jr. (D-NY) 1945 - 1967; 1969 - 1971
Charles C. Diggs, Jr. (D-MI) 1955 - 1980
Robert N.C. Nix (D-PA) 1958 - 1978
Augustus F. Hawkins (D-CA) 1963 - 1990
John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) 1965 -
William L. Clay (D-MO) 1969 -
Louis Stokes (D-OH) 1969 -
Shirley Chisholm (D-NY) 1969 - 1982
George W. Collins (D-IL) 1970 - 1972
Ronald V. Dellums (D-CA) 1971 -
Ralph H. Metcalfe (D-IL) 1971 - 1978
Parren H. Mitchell (D-MD) 1971 - 1986
Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) 1971 -
Walter E. Fauntroy (D-DC) Delegate 1971 - 1990
Yvonne B. Burke (D-CA) 1973 - 1979
Cardiss Collins (D-IL) 1973 -
Barbara C. Jordan (D-TX) 1973 - 1978
Andrew Young (D-GA) 1973 - 1977
Harold E. Ford (D-TN) 1975 -
Julian C. Dixon (D-CA) 1979 -
William H. Gray, III (D-PA) 1979 - 1991
Mickey Leland (D-TX) 1979 - 1989
Melvin Evans (R-VI) Delegate 1979 - 1980
Bennett McVey Steward (D-IL) 1979 - 1980
George W. Crockett (D-MI) 1980 - 1990
Mervyn M. Dymally (D-CA) 1981 - 1992
Gus Savage (D-IL) 1981 - 1992
Harold Washington (D-IL) 1981 - 1983
Katie Hall (D-IN) 1982 - 1984
Major Owens (D-NY) 1983 -
Edolphus Towns (D-NY) 1983 -
Alan Wheat (D-MO) 1983 -
Charles Hayes (D-IL) 1983 - 1992
Alton R. Waldon, Jr. (D-NY) 1986 - 1987
Mike Espy (D-MS) 1987 - 1993
Floyd Flake (D-NY) 1987 -
John Lewis (D-GA) 1987 -
Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) 1987 -
Donald M. Payne (D-NJ) 1989 -
Craig A. Washington (D-TX) 1989 -
Barbara-Rose Collins (D-MI) 1991 -
Gary Franks (R-CT) 1991 -
Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) Delegate 1991 -
William Jefferson (D-LA) 1991 -
Maxine Waters (D-CA) 1991 -
Lucien Blackwell (D-PA) 1991 -
Eva Clayton (D-NC) 1992 -
Sanford Bishop (D-GA) 1993 -
Corrine Brown (D-FL) 1993 -
Jim Clyburn (D-SC) 1993 -
Cleo Fields (D-LA) 1993 -
Alcee Hastings (D-FL) 1993 -
Earl Hilliard (D-AL) 1993 -
Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) 1993 -
Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) 1993 -
Carrie Meek (D-FL) 1993 -
Mel Reynolds (D-IL) 1993 -
Bobby Rush (D-IL) 1993 -
Bobby Scott (D-VA) 1993 -
Walter Tucher (D-CA) 1993 -
Mel Watt (D-NC) 1993 -
Albert Wynn (D-MD) 1993 -
Bennie Thompson (D-MS) 1993 -
103rd CONGRESS CBC OFFICERS
HON. KWEISI MFUME
Chairman
Democrat (7th District - MD)
2419 Rayburn H.O.B.
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-4741
Committee Assignments:
COMMITTEE ON BANKING, FINANCE AND URBAN AFFAIRS
Subcommittee on Housing and Community Development
Subcommittee on Financial Institutions Supervision
COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS
Chairman, Subcommittee on Minority Enterprise, Financial and Urban Development
Subcommittee on Procurement, Taxation, and Tourism
COMMITTEE ON STANDARDS OF OFFICIAL CONDUCT
JOINT ECONOMIC COMMITTEE
CBC Seniority Ranking 14
Staff Contact: Tammy Hawley, AA
Executive Assistant/Appointments: Nancy McCormick
DISTRICT OFFICE:
3000 Druid Park Drive 1825 Woodlawn Drive
Baltimore, Maryland 21215 Suite 106
Baltimore, Maryland 21215
(301) 367-1900
District Contact: Ruth Simms
NBC News says KWEISI MFUME (Kwah-EE-see Oom-FOO-may) "personifies the coming of age of the Congressional Black Caucus," and the Baltimore Sun and Business Week describe Congressman Mfume as "a key player on Capitol Hill." Mfume is the elected Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus for the 103rd Congress; at 40 members, the largest Black Caucus in the history of that legislative body.
Mfume represents Maryland's 7th Congressional District where he draws on the political insight, issue expertise and concern for his constituents that he developed as a two-term member of the Baltimore City Council and as a member of the Maryland State Central Committee.
A four-term Member of Congress, Congressman Mfume is kept busy with broad committee obligations. The Maryland lawmaker serves on the Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs Committee and the Small Business Committee; where he Chairs the Subcommittee on Minority Enterprise, Finance and Urban Development. His subcommittee assignments include Housing and Community Development, Financial Institutions Supervision, and he serves on the Joint Economic Committee as well as the Ethics Committee.
During his tenure in the House of Representatives, Congressman Mfume authored the Minority Business Development Act, and the Minority Contracting and Employment Amendments to the Financial Institutions Reform and Recovery Act. In addition, Representative Mfume has consistently supported landmark minority business and civil rights legislation. He successfully co-sponsored the Americans With Disabilities Act. He was instrumental in the successful codification of the Minority Bank Deposit Program. He co-authored the Civil Rights Acts of 1991, and he amended the act to extend protection to U.S. citizens employed by U.S. companies abroad. He has also strengthened the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and amended the Community Reinvestment Act in the interest of minority financial institutions. Congressman Mfume is the sponsor of legislative initiatives banning assault weapons and establishing stalking as a federal crime.
Congressman Mfume, a former first Vice-Chair and past treasurer of the Congressional Black Caucus, is a member of the Caucus for Women's Issues, the Congressional Arts Caucus, and the Federal Government Service Task Force. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Schomburg Commission for the Preservation of Black Culture, and is currently a member of the Board of Visitors for the United States Naval Academy, the Baltimore Museum of Art Board of Trustees and the Morgan State University Board of Regents. He is also an active member of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central Maryland, and Parents Anonymous of Maryland.
Congressman Mfume, whose adopted African name means "conquering son of kings," graduated magna cum laude from Morgan State University. He later joined that University's faculty as an adjunct professor, teaching courses in political science and communications. He earned his master's degree in Liberal Arts with a concentration in international studies and foreign relations from Johns Hopkins University.
Hailed by members of both parties as a solid and substantive leader, and recently honored by the NAACP with the Chairman's 1993 Leadership Award for Civil Rights, Congressman Mfume looks forward to a productive and historic term for the Congressional Black Caucus.
HON. CARDISS COLLINS
Vice Chairwoman
Democrat (7th District - IL)
2308 Rayburn HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-5006
Committee Assignments:
COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND COMMERCE
Chairwoman, Subcommittee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Competitiveness
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS, Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Legislation and Investigations
CBC Seniority Ranking 6
Staff Contact: Bud Myers, AA
Appointments Secretary: Gerri Houston
DISTRICT OFFICE:
230 South Dearborn Street, Room 3880
Chicago, Illinois 60604
(312) 353-5754
District Contact: Jim Garrett
Congresswoman Cardiss Collins, D-iL, the longest-serving African American woman in Congress, has been the representative for Illinois' Seventh Congressional District for over 20 years. Her leadership on important social, political, and economic issues has earned her the reputation of an effective policy maker and representative.
She was born September 24 1931 in St. Louis, Missouri, and moved to Detroit at the age of ten. She was graduated from the Detroit High School of Commerce and attended Northwestern University. She has received honorary degrees from Barber-Scotia College, Spelman College, and Winston-Salem State University. She also has received awards from both Loyola University and Roosevelt University in Chicago,as well as numerous other awards and commendations. In 1990, the Congressional BlacK Caucus presented Mrs. Collins with the William L. Dawson Award for Legislative Development in recognition of her legislative agenda and successes.
Congresswoman Collins began her career as a stenographer with the Illinois Department of Labor. She was later promoted to secretary with the Illinois Department of Revenue, then accountant, and eventually moved into the position of revenue auditor.
Mrs. Collins was first elected to Congress on June 5, 1973, in a special election to fill the seat left vacant by her husband, Congressman George W. Collins, who was killed in an airplane crash. In 1992, Mrs. Collins was reelected to her 10th term by an 81 percent margin.
A trailblazer, she was the first African-American woman to represent a Congressional district in the Midwest, the first woman and first African American to serve as Democratic Whip-at-Large. She was elected chair of the Congressional Black Caucus in the 96th Congress.
In 1991, she became the first woman, and first African-American to chair a subcommittee on the Committee on Energy and Commerce when she was named Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Competitiveness. In January, 1993, she was elected to serve a second term as chair of this subcommittee.
Mrs. Collins is also a member of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. She is the ranking Democratic member of the Government Operations Committee and a member of the Commitee's Legislative and National Issues subcommittee.
Her investigations of college sports resulted in increased pressure on colleges and universities to carry out the mandates of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which calls for equal opportunities for women athletes to participate in collegiate sports and to improve graduation rates of athletes.
Prodding from Mrs. Collins led to the NCM proposal to take steps that could lead to gender equity in sports, including a proposed certification program for Division I institutions that includes a component related to gender equity, and a commitment from the NCAA to put this issue on the front burner.
Congresswoman Collins has been a long-time advocate for universal health insurance. She cosponsored the Universal Health Care Act of 1991, and the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1991. She also authored legislation to create the Office on Minority Health in the National Institutes of Health.
In each of the past three years, the House has adopted Mrs. Collins' resolution designating October as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Mrs. Collins wrote the 1990 law which expanded Medicare coverage for screening mammography for millions of elderly and disabled women and sponsored the Medicaid Infant Mortality Act of 1991. She also sponsored legislation which expanded Medicaid coverage for PAP smears for early detection of cervical and uterine cancer.
She authored the Child Safety Protection Act of 1993, legislation requiring warning labels on dangerous toys and federal safety standards for bicycle helmets. She also wrote the Armored Car Industry Reciprocity Act of 1993 to allow armored car crew membes to lawfuly carry firearms for security of valuable goods during interstate transportation.
Investigations by Mrs. Collins into child care facilities and services offered to federal employees resulted in more than a three-fold increase in the number of child care centers for federal workers. Child care legislation developed by Mrs. Collins, together with other members of Congress, became law in 1990. The General Services Administration has since developed more than 65 child care centers.
As chair of the Government Activities and Transportation (GAT) Subcommittee from 1983 to 1991, Congresswoman Collins pushed groundbreahing laws controlling the transport of toxic materials and led the charge to provide safer and more secure air travel. Findings from an investigation led by Mrs. Collins of the nation's aviation security system led to adoption of the Aviation Security Improvement Act of 1990.
In 1987 Mrs. Collins launched an investigation of charges that Eastern Airlines failed to repair critical safety equipment on its planes. This led to an FAA "white glove" inspection of the airline, including an unprecedented financial review of Eastern's parent company, Texas Air Corp.
The serious maintenance practices identified by Congresswoman Collins led to the eventual indictment of Eastern Airlines and nine of its managers.
Congresswoman Collins' other legislative achievements on behalf of minorities and women include an amendment to the Airport and Airway Safety, Capacity and Expansion Act of 1987, which requires a 10 percent participation level in all airport concessions by disadvantaged business enterprises (minority and women owned businesses).
Mrs. Collins is a member of the Friendship Baptist Church of Chicago as well as the Alfred Street Baptist Churchof Alexandria, Virginia; the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); the Chicago Urban League; the LINKS; the Coalition of 100 Black Women; the Black Women's Agenda; the National Council of Negro Women; the Alpha Kappa Alpha and Alpha Gamma Phi Sororities; secretary of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues; and Vice Chairman, the Congressional Black Caucus.
She has one son and a granddaughter.
HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS
Vice Chairman
Democrat (23rd District - FL)
1039 Longworth H.O.B.
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-1313
Committee Assignments:
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Subcommittee on Europe and the Middle East
Subcommittee on Africa
MERCHANT MARINES AND FISHERIES
Subcommittee on Merchant Marine
Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Navigation
POST OFFICE AND CIVIL SERVICE
Subcommittee on O~lersight and Investigations
CBC Seniority Ranhing 28
Staff Contact: Trey Coleman, AA
Appointments Secretary: Tony Mobley
DISTRICT OFFICE:
2701 W. Oakland Parh Blvd.
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311
(305) 733-2800
District Contact: Art Kennedy
Alcee L. Hastings, a first term Congressman, is the first to represent Florida's newly formed District 23 which spans the seven counties of Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Hendry, Martin, St. Lucie, and Oheechobee in South Florida. He also served as Florida's first Blach federal judge, appointed by President Jimmy Carter in 1979.
Congressman Hastings serves on the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee and the Post Office and Civil Service Committee. His subcommittee assignments include Africa, Europe and the Middle East, Merchant Marine, Coast Guard and Navigation and Oversight and Investigations.
While serving in his first term Congressman Hastings has provided strong support for H.R. 5, "The Caesar Chavez Workplace Fairness Act, "which ensures worhing men and women of America the right to strike without fear of being fired or being "permanently replaced;" ensured the restoration of funds cut from the Medicare program because the cuts would have a harmful effect on senior citizens in District 23; secured funds for his congressional district for the repair and improvement of State Road 7 and Highway 27, and the installation of a median barrier on 1-95 in Palm Beach County; and chaired, at the request of fellow CBC member William Clay, an oversight hearing on racial discrimination at the National Institutes of Health.
Congressman Hastings currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, a position he is most honored to hold. He is also a member of the Congressional Arts Caucus, the Congressional Sunbelt Caucus, the Progressive Caucus, and the Human Rights Caucus.
Born in Altamonte Springs, Florida, Congressma Hastings attend Crooms Academy and later graduated from Fisk Univesity with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. He attended Howard University School of Law and received his )uris Doctor Degree from Florida A & M University in Tallahassee, Florida.
Throughout his distinguished civic career as an attorney, judge and civil rights activist, Congressman Hastings has championed the rights of minorities, women, and the elderly as these groups have come up against Florida's judicial system. An intrepid, eloquent and sometimes fiery speaker, Congressman Hastings intends to continue to use his oratorical, legal and political skills in support of what he considers to be relevant and significant legislative matters.
Congressman Hastings has been described as "one of the more colorful and more interesting members" of the Freshman class in the 103rd Congress. Having been indicted, tried by a jury of his peers, found innocent of charges, impeached by the Congress and then elected to join the very institution which impeached him-Congressman Hastings' story is one of the phoenix rising-unvengeful-from the ashes of impeachment, to stand triumphantly tall and proud.
HON. WILLIAM JEFFERSON
Secretary
Democrat (2nd District - LA)
428 Cannon H.O.B.
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-6636
Commiffee Assignments:
COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS
Subcommittee on Oversight
Subcommittee on Social Security
COMMITTEE ON THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Subcommittee on Fiscal Affairs and Health
Subcommittee on Government Operations and Metropolitan Affairs
CBC Senioritll Ranhing 20
Staff Contact: Lionel Collins, AA
Appointments Secretary: Kristin Spoerl
DISTRICT OFFICE:
The Hale Boggs Federal Building
501 Magazine Street, Suite 1012
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
(504) 589-2274
District Contact: Stephanie Edwards
Congressman William lennings Jefferson won re-election for his second term in the United States Congress as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the Second District of the State of Louisiana on November 3, 1992, and his colleagues have elected him to serve on the powerful and prestigious Committee on Ways and Means in the 103rd Congress.
As a member of the Committee on Ways and Means, Congressman Jefferson serves on the Subcommittee on Oversight and the Subcommittee on Social Security. In addition, he serves on the Committee on the District of Columbia where he serves on the Subcommittee on Fiscal Affairs and Health and the Subcommittee on Government Operations and Metropolitan Affairs.
During his first term, Congressman Jefferson served as Whip for the twenty-nine (29) first-term Democrat members of the 102nd Congress and Secretary of the Congressional Black Caucus. He served as a member of the Education and Labor Committee and the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee as well as on House/Senate Conference Committee on the 1993 Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, the Child Abuse Prevention Act, the Rehabilitation Reauthorization Act and the 1993 Neighborhood Schools Act.
In addition, Congressman Jefferson served on Leadership Task Forces on the Balanced Budget, Emergency Aid to Cities, Voter Registration and Legal Services. Congressman Jefferson is a lifelong resident of Louisiana, and is a graduate of Southern University and the Harvard University School of Law. After law school, Mr. Jefferson was appointed law clerk to the Honorable Alvin B. Rubin of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Thereafter, he served as legislative assistant to U.S. Senator J. Bennett Johnston.
Mr. Jefferson was a Captain in the United States Army as a member of the Judge Advocate General.
In 1976, Mr. Jefferson returned to New Orleans where he entered the private practice of law as the founding partner of Jefferson, Bryan and Gray. He specialized principally in litigation, municipal law, public finance and corporations and is rated "a.v." by Martindale-Hubbel, the highest rating accorded lawyers. For the legal services he provided to the community, he received the A.P. Tureaud Community Legal Services Award.
In 1987, Mr. Jefferson was elected to a third term in the Louisiana State Senate where he served on the State Bond Commission, the Senate Finance Committee and as Chairman of the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee.
As a State Senator, he was twice named "Legislator of the Year" by the prestigious Alliance for Good Government. He also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Urban League of Greater New Orleans, as a cooperating attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, and as Trustee of the Greater St. Stephen Baptist Church. He is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association and the District of Columbia Bar Association.
Congressman Jefferson and his wife, Andrea, are the parents of five children, four of whom attend New Orleans public schools. The fifth recently graduated from Ben Franklin High School and is now attending Harvard University as a member of the 1993-94 senior class.
HON. BARBARA-ROSE COLLINS
Treasurer
Democrat (15th District - Ml)
1108 Longworth H.O.B.
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-2261
Committee Assignments:
COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS
Subcommittee on Commerce, Consumer and Monetary Affairs
Subcommittee on Employment, Housing and Aviation
Subcommittee on Aviation
COMMITTEE ON POST OFFICE AND CIVIL SERVICE
Chairperson, Postal Operations and Services Committee
COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS AND TRANSPORTATION
Subcommittee on Aviation
Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight
CBC Seniority Ranking 17
Staff Contact: Miniard Culpepper, Chief of Staff
Appointments Secretary: Kim Williams
DISTRICT OFFICE:
1155 Brewery Park Road, Suite 353
Detroit, Michigan 48207
(313) 567-2233
District Contact: Priscilla Waters
Barbara-Rose Collins represents the 15th Congressional District of Michigan. Ms. Collins, a Democrat. won the November 1992 congressional race with 87 percent of the vote. She is currently serving her second term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Prior to state re-districting, she represented the 13th Congressional District of Michigan from January 1991-1992.
Congresswoman Collins was appointed Majority Whip-At-Large for the 103rd Congress. She is a member of the Post Office and Civil Service Committee and in 1993 became chairperson of the Postal Operations and Services Subcommittee. She also serves on the Public Worhs and Transportation Committee with assignments on the Aviation Subcommittee and the Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee; and the Government Operations Committee with assignments on the Commerce, Consumer and Monetary Affairs Subcommittee and the Employment, Housing, and Aviation Subcommittee.
Ms. Collins is a member of several Congressional organizations including: the Congressional Automotive Caucus, the Congressional Arts Caucus, the Congressional Blach Caucus, the Hispanic Caucus, the Northeast-Midwest Congressional Coalition, the Urban Caucus, Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues, Congressional Human Rights Caucus, the Steel Caucus, and the Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus.
Congresswoman Collins served on the Detroit City Council from 1982 to 1990. She served in the Michigan State House of Representatives from 1975-1981 and on the Region I Public School Board from 1971-1973.
While serving on the Detroit City Council, Congresswoman Collins initiated city ordinances on South African divestiture, toxic waste cleanup, and single room occupancy (SRO) housing for the homeless. She served as Chairperson of the Task Force on Litter and cledn-up Detroit and the Task Force on Teenage Violence and Juvenile Crime. She was also a member of New Detroit's Minority Business Committee.
In the Michigan State Legislature, Ms. Collins served as Chairperson of the House Standing Committee on Urban Affairs and as Chairperson and founding member of the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus. In addition, she served as Vice-Chairperson of the Michigan Democratic Caucus and was vice-chairperson of the Public Health Committee.
Congresswoman Collins is a product of the Detroit Public School System and attended Wayne State University where she majored in Anthropology and Political Science.
Ms. Collins is an active member of the Shrine of the Blach Madonna, Pan-African Orthodox Christian Church. She enjoys playing the piano and harp, and listening to operatic and symphonic music. Her other hobbies include reading science fiction novels and portrait painting.
Congresswoman Collins was born April 13, 1939 in Detroit, Michigan. She has two children: Cynthia, married to Bruce Simpson, Sr.; and Christopher. She has four grandchildren: Bruce Jr., Amber Rose, Shaina Marie, and Kwame.
HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON
CBC Whip
Democrat (30th District - TX)
1721 Longworth H.O.B.
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-8885
Committee Assignments:
COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE AND TECHNOLOGY
Subcommittee on Science
Subcommittee on Technology, Environment 8 Aviation
COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS AND TRANSPORTATION
Subcommittee on Surface Transportation
Subcommittee on Investigation and Oversight
Subcommittee on Public Buildings and Grounds
CBC Seniority Ranking: 30
Staff Contact: Auria Styles
Appointments Secretary: Jean Washow
DISTRICT OFFICE:
2515 McKinney Avenue #1565
Dallas, TX 75201
(214) 922-8885
District Contact: Lisa Hembry
Congresswoman Eddie Bernice lohnson represents the 30th Congressional District of Texas consisting of portions of Dallas, Collin, and Tarrant counties. The District comprises major portions of the city of Dallas, including the central business and arts districts. >From 1972 to 1976, she was a three-term Member of the Texas State House of Representatives. In 1976, she resigned her post to accept an appointment by President Jimmy Carter to the post of Regional Director of the Department of Health and Education and Welfare. The department has since been renamed Health and Human Services, and Department of Education.
In 1986, Johnson won a decisive victory to the Texas State Senate. Her political triumphs earned her the distinction of being the first Black woman ever elected to the Texas House of Representatives, the first Black woman ever elected to the Texas House representing Dallas county, and the first woman in the history of the state to chair a major House committee. Subsequently, she was re-elected to a second Senate term prior to her successful 1992 bid to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Currently, in her first term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Johnson was elected Congressional Blach Caucus Whip. She also serves on the Science, Space, and Technology committee and the committee on Public Works and Transportation.
Before being elected to public office, Johnson earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and a Masters degree in Public Administration from Texas Christian and Southern Methodist Universities respectively. She was also Chief Psychiatric Nurse at Veteran's Administration Hospital and a Registered Nurse at St. Paul Hospital in Dallas. Congresswoman Johnson is the only member of the U.S. Congress who is a Registered Nurse.
Johnson is the founder of Eddie Bernice Johnson and Associates, a business consulting firm. Under her leadership, the company was selected as one of eleven minority and women-owned businesses to be located in the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
As a business professional, Johnson was a consultant to Sammons Corporation, a multi-business management firm, and was Vice President of the Visiting Nurse Association of Dallas.
In 1992, an astounding 74% first-term general election victory to Congress prompted the Dallas Morning News to describe her as, ". . . tough, shrewd and unswervingly devoted to her principles." Congresswoman Johnson is the only woman in the 30-member Texas House delegation and the first Blach woman Representative from Texas since former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan represented Houston in the 70's.
Despite her successful career in public service, Johnson is widely known and respected for her commitment to creating a positive economic and civic environment of her native Texas. In recognition of her dedication and service to education and the community, Johnson has been awarded six Honorary Doctoral degrees from colleges and universities throughout Texas.
Congresswoman Johnson has one son, Kirh, and two grandchildren, Kirk Jr., and David. She holds numerous honors distinctions, and memberships both local and nationally. She is a native of Waco and is a member of St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Dallas.
CBC MEMBER U.S. SENATE
HON. CAROL MOSELEY-BRAUN
Democrat (State of Illinois)
320 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-2854
Committee Assignments:
COMMITTEE ON BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN AFFAIRS
Subcommittee on Housing
Subcommittee on Securities
COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY
Subcommittee on Courts
Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice
COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS
Subcommittee on Export Expansion and Agricultural Development
Subcommittee on Urban and Minority-Owned Business Development
CBC Seniority Ranhing Senate 1
Staff Contact: Mike Frazier, AA; JC Wilson
Appointments Secretary: Kaarin Anderson
DISTRICT OFFICE:
Kluczinshi Federal Building, Suite 3996
230 South Dearborn
Chicago, Illinois 60604
(312) 353-5420
District Contact: Jill Zwick
Carol Moseley-Braun made history in November 1992, when she became the first Blach woman ever elected to the United States Senate. It was the latest in a string of firsts-10 years voted best legislator in the Illinois House of Representatives, and first woman and first Black ever to hold executive office in Cooh County government.
Carol Moseley-Braun attended Chicago public schools and the University of Illinois at Chicago. Moseley-Braun received her law degree from the University of Chicago and worked for three years as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's office. Her success as a prosecutor earned her the United States Attorney General's Special Achievement award.
In 1978, Moseley-Braun was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives. During her tenure as State Representative, Moseley-Braun was the chief sponsor of the 1985 Urban School Improvement Act which created and empowered parents'councils at every school in Chicago. She was the chief sponsor and prime mover of every school funding bill that affected education in the city of Chicago from 1980-87.
After just two terms in the House, Carol Moseley-Braun was selected as the first woman and the first Black in Illinois history to serve as Assistant Majority Leader. As the late Mayor Harold Washington's legislative floor leader, Carol Moseley-Braun was the chief sponsor of bills to reform education and to ban discrimination in housing and private clubs. Moseley-Braun introduced the bill that barred the State of Illinois from investing funds in South Africa until the apartheid system is abolished.
In 1987, Carol Moseley-Braun made history again when she was elected to office of Cook County Recorder of Deeds, becoming the first Black woman ever to hold executive office in Cook County government.
Moseley-Braun's stunning primary victory over incumbent Senator Alan Dixon and lawyer Al Hofeld in March 1992, gave her the opportunity to face Republican Richard Williamson in the general election. Her victory in November 1992, made her the first Black woman ever elected to the United States Senate.
Carol Moseley-Braun is the proud parent of son Matthew J. Braun, a high school student.
CBC MEMBERS BY SENIORITY
House of Representatives
HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.
Democrat (14th District - Ml)
2426 Rayburn HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-5126
Committee Assignments:
CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS
Chairman, Subcommittee on Legislation and National Security
COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY
Subcommittee on Crime
Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights
Subcommittee on Economic and Commercial Law
COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS
Subcommittee on S.B.A. and the General Economy and Minority
Enterprise Development
CBC Seniority Ranking 1
Staff Contact: Greg Moore
Appointments Secretary: Dianne McNair
DISTRICT OFFICE:
669 Federal Building
231 West Lafayette
Detroit, Michigan 48226
(313) 961-5670
District Contact: Ray Plowder
U.S. Representative John Conyers Jr a Detroit Democrat, was re-elected in 1992 to his fifteenth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, winning 84 percent of the vote in Michigan's Fourteenth Congressional District. He is Chairman of the Government Operations Committee as well as its Legislation and National Security Subcommittee, the senior member of the Congressional Blach Caucus, and third-ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, where he sits on the Civil and Constitutional Rights Subcommittee. He is also a member of the House Small Business Committee and the Speaher's Task Force on Minority Set-Asides.
LEGISLATIVE HIGHLIGHTS
During his 28 years in the Congress, social justice and economic opportunity have become focal points of Congressman Conyers'accomplishments. During the 102nd and 101st Congresses he authored the Racial Justice Act, the Department of Environmental Protection Act, and the Voter Registration Reform Act, all of which passed the House. His Chief Financial Officers Act, signed into law, created chief financial officers for the entire U.S. government and 23 Federal agencies to prevent fiscal hemorrhaging and scandals such as HUD and the S&Ls.
As Chairman of the House Committee on Government Operations, Conyers has spearheaded savings of taxpayers' money by interveningin various misdirected or fraudulent government programs and contracts, and he has exposed $310 billion in wasted taxpayer funds, mostly in the last four years. Through his chairmanship he revealed major abuses in military procurement, notably the failures previously unreported by the Pentagon in the Patriot missile's performance in the Persian Gulf; Northrop Corporation's fraudulent inwlvement with the Harrier jump jet, also deployed in Operation Desert Storm, and the air-launched nuclear cruise missile; the Seawolf submarine; and Star Wars. Conyers has also held a series of hearings in several U.S. cities and led a Congressional delegation to Columbia and Peru to find ways to improve the domestic and international effects of the National Drug Control Strategy.
Congressman Conyers authored and coordinated the drive for passage of the Martin Luther King Holiday Bill, which was signed into law on November 2, 1983. He is an original co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus and is a principal architect of its annual alternative Federal budget. His amendment prohibiting the export of nuclear-related materials, technology, equipment, information, and personnel to South Africa became a part of the House-approved Anti-Apartheid Act.
Representative Conyers was a principal sponsor of the Humphrey-Hawhins Full Employment Act, enacted in 1978, and has authored a wide range of full-employment legislation, including legislation to create additional jobs through shorter worh weeks and the elimination of compulsory overtime. He has recently authored legislation that would prevent utilities from shutting off gas and electric service in households during the winter months when health can be threatened.
Congressman Conyers is a strong advocate of health care reform and has authored legislation which, if enacted, would provide a comprehensive, universal health care program. He commissioned the landmark General Accounting Office report which found that a Canadian-style universal single payer health plan would save S67 billion annually in administrative costs alone if applied in the United States. These savings could, with no additional costs, cover the 35 million uninsured in America, as well as provide coverage of co-payments and deductibles for those who now must pay them.
Congressman Conyers was the author of the Alcohol Warning Label Act of 1988, which requires alcohol warning labels on all alcoholic beverages warning about the dangers of drinhing and driving and during pregnancy. Conyers also penned the Public Safety Officers Benefits Act that doubled the benefits available to the families of police officers and fire fighters hilled in the line of duty; the Hate Crimes Statistics Act, which requires the Justice Department to collect data on the incidence of certain crimes that manifest prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity; and the Victims of Crime Act, which raises the amount of money available to victims of crime by $40 million, paid by fines and penalties collected from convicted criminals. All four of these measures were signed into law.
In his Judiciary Committee role, Congressman Conyers generated the Justice Department's national study on police brutality and conducted hearings in several cities on police violence, racially motivated violence, sentencing, white collar crime, grand jury reform, and other criminal justice matters. In both the 101st and 102nd Congresses, Conyers successfully blocked passage of legislation weahening the Federal anti-racheteering law (RICO). He helped lead the fight that brought the Civil Rights Act to the floor of the House and, despite presidential opposition, bolstered its support leading to enactment on November 21, 1991.
Congressman Conyers is a leader in pressing for the rights of Haitians, authoring legislation calling for temporary protected status for Haitian refugees until democracy is restored on that island. This policy has been adopted by the Clinton Administration.
Congressman Conyers is also recognized as a major opponent in Congress of the death penalty. His Racial Justice Act which, as mentioned above, passed the House, moved to end racial discrimination in capital punishment.
His latest legislative achievement was the enactment of the recently passed National Voter Registration Act of 1993 - a bill commonly called "Motor Voter". This bill allows citiaens to register to vote when they apply for their drivers license, when registering for public assistance, by postcard and by mail.
PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DATA
Congressman Conyers was educated in Detroit's public school system and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Doctor of Law degree at Wayne State University. He is the recipient of many awards for leadership, including a Southern Christian Leadership Conference Award presented to him by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and honorary degrees from numerous colleges and universities.
HON. WILLIAM CLAY
Democrat (lst District - MO)
2306 Rayburn H.O.B.
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-2406
Committee Assignments:
CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON POST OFFICE AND CIVIL SERVICE
Chairman, Subcommittee on Investigations
COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND LABOR
Subcommittee on Labor-Management Relations
Subcommittee on Labor Standards, Occupational Safety & Health
COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION
Chairman, Subcommittee on Libraries and Memorials
Subcommittee on Personnel & Police
CBC SenioritJ/ Ranking 2
Staff Contact: Harriet C. Pritchett, AA
DISTRICT OFFICE:
6197 Delmar Blvd. 49 Central City Shopping Center North
St. Louis, Missouri 63112 St. Louis, Missouri 63136
(314) 725-5770 (314) 388-0321
District Contact: Pearlie Evans District Contact: Virginia Cook
The senior member of the Missouri congressional delegation, and a native of St. Louis, William L. Clay was elected to the House of Representatives in 1968. Bill Clay holds two chairmanships: Chairman of the full Post Office and Civil Service Committee and Chairman of the Subcommittee on Libraries and Memorials, under the House Administration Committee. He is also the ranhing member of the Education and Labor Committee.
In the 103rd Congress, "workers rights" continues to be the cornerstone of Congressman Clay's legislative agenda. He was a key sponsor of the Family and Medical Leave Act, HR 1, which was the first bill signed into law by President Clinton. Also, Congressman Clay has reintroduced both the Striher Replacement bill, (HR 5) to protect the jobs of strihing workers and the Hatch Act reform bill, (HR 20) to ensure that federal workers can fully participate in the political process. Both were passed in the last Congress but vetoed by President Bush.
Mr. Clay serves on the board of the W.E.B. DuBois Foundation and is a trustee on the Board of Tougaloo College. He is the founder of the William L. Clay Scholarship and Research Fund, a nonprofit, tax-exempt scholarship program which presently enrolls fifty-six students in twenty-one different schools. Fourteen students receive all-expense paid, four-year college scholarships.
Mr. Clay holds a Bachelor of Science degree in history and political science from St. Louis University and is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees for his achievements as a legislator. The Congressman is author of two books: To Kill or Not to Kill, published in 1990, which deals with the savagery of capital punishment, and Just Permanent Interests, published in September 1992, which chronicles the history of black members of Congress. Congressman Clay also serves on the Board of the Jamestown Slave Museum.
He and his wife Carol have three children, Vicki, William, Jr. and Michelle.
HON. LOUIS STOKES
Democrat (llth District - Ohio)
2365 Rayburn HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-7032
Committee Assignments:
COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Chairman, Subcommittee on VA-HUD-lndependent Agencies
Subcommittee on Labor- Health and Human Services - Education
Subcommittee on District of Columbia
CBC Seniority Ranking 3
Staff contdct: Leslie Athinson, AA
Appointments Secretary: Barbara Brown
DISTRICT OFFICE:
Room 2947 Federal Office Building
1240 East Ninth Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44199
(216) 522-4900
District Contact: Jewell Gilbert. Office Manager
Louis Stokes is the first Black American Member of Congress from Ohio. In 1992, he became the senior representative from Ohio, and the dean of that delegation.
During his tenure, Congressman Stohes has chaired the Select Committee on Assassinations, the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. In addition, Congressman Stokes is a former member of the House Internal Security Committee, the Committee on Education and Labor, and the Budget Committee. He served as a member of the Iran Contra Panel, the Ethics Tash Force, and the Pepper Commission on Comprehensive Health Care.
Currently, Congressman Stohes serves as Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on VA-HUD-lndependent Agencies. He is also a member of the Subcommittees on Labor-Health and Human Services-Education and the District of Columbia.
In 1972, Congressman Stohes was elected Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. He served two consecutive terms, and currently chairs the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust.
Congressman Stohes has been named one of the "100 Most Influential Black Americans" by Ebony Magazine each year since 1971. In 1979, he was nominated in three categories by Ebony Magazine for the Second Annual Black Achievement Awards. His nomination was based on the fact that he was the first Black American to head a major congressional investigation, in his role as chair of the House Assassinations Committee. Congressman Stokes is the recipient of the "Martin Luther King, Jr. Award" from Ebony Magazine and the William L. Dawson Award from the Congressional Black Caucus. Congressman Stokes has also received twenty honorary doctorate degrees.
Prior to his election to the United States Congress, Representative Stokes was chief trial counsel for the law firm of Stokes, Character, Terry, Perry, Whitehead, Young and Davidson in Cleveland, Ohio. He personally argued the landmark "stop and frisk" case of Terry v Ohio in the United States Supreme Court. Congressman Stohes attended Case Western Reserve University and received his juris doctor degree from Cleveland Marshall Law School.
Born on February 23, 1925, Congressman Stokes is the son of the late Charles and Louise Stohes. Prior to her death, Mrs. Stohes was the recipient of Cleveland's "Woman of the Year Award" and Ohio's "Mother of the Year Award." Congressman Stokes' brother, Municipal Court Judge Carl B. Stohes, made history in 1967 when he was elected mayor of Cleveland, becoming the first Black mayor of a major American city.
Congressman Stokes is married to Jeanette (Jay) Francis Stokes. He is the father of Shelley Stokes Hammond, Angela Stokes, Louis C. Stokes and Lorene Stokes Thompson. He and Jay are the grandparents of Brett S. Hammond, Eric S. Hammond, Kelley C. Stokes, Kimberly L. Stokes and Alexandra F. Thompson.
HON. RONALD V. DELLUMS
Democrat (9th District - Calif.)
2108 Rayburn H.O.B.
Washington, D.C. 20515
(202) 225-2661
Committee Assignments:
CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
CBC Seniority Ranking 4
Staff Contact: Carlottia Scott, AA; Charles Stephenson
Appointments Secretary: Delores Taylor-Jolley
DISTRICT OFFICE:
201 Thirteenth Street, Suite 105
Oakland, California 94617
(510) 763-0370
District Contact: Sandre Swanson
Ronald V. Dellums represents California's 9th Congressional District. First elected in 1970, he is serving his twelfth term.
Congressman Dellums serves as Chair of the House Armed Services Committee and its Subcommittee on Acquisitions. He also co-chairs House Speaker's TasK Force on Defense Economic Conversion, which is part of Speaker's Policy Working Group. In 1979, he was elected chair of the House Committee on the District of Columbia, which made him the first Member of the House class of 1970 to be elected chair of a full committee. In December, 1988, he was elected chair of the Congressional Black Caucus and served in that capacity through 1990.
Mr. Dellums has been a leader in the congressional effort to end U.S. government support for the racist regime in South Africa. In 1971, he introduced comprehensive sanctions legislation. In 1986, the House approved his legislative initiative. It was then modified by the Senate and the President's veto was overridden. Since then Congressman Dellums has reintroduced sanctions legislation in every Co [...]