Congressional Black Caucus
"The Conscience of Congress since 1969"
www.congressionalblackcaucus.net

(Washington, D.C.)- U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) will deliver the weekly CBC "Message to America" radio address this Saturday, September 17, 2005.  Representative Jackson Lee will discuss the growing poverty crisis in America.

The CBC "Message to America" is distributed nationwide to the American Urban Radio Network's (AURN) affiliate stations.

            WHO:        U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas)

            WHEN:      Saturday, September 17, 2005; 12:06 p.m. EST

            WHERE:   American Urban Radio Network Affiliate Stations

Representative Jackson Lee is expected to deliver the following remarks:

“Hello, this is Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and I represent the 18th Congressional district in Houston, Texas. I am honored to speak to you today on behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus about the vital issue of eradicating poverty.

“Because of the horrendous tragedy that Hurricane Katrina has wrought on the Gulf Coast and the failure of the federal government to respond swiftly, effectively and responsibly, thousands of Hurricane Katrina survivors are now trying desperately to rebuild their lives. 

“This tragedy was intensified by the fact that those who were left behind to face the wrath of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath were those who were living in deep poverty.   As a result, families are separated, loved ones are missing, homes are destroyed and irreparable damage has been wrought upon an entire region of America.

“Hurricane Katrina’s high winds and unprecedented flood waters destroyed more than just the cities of New Orleans, Biloxi and Hattiesburg. It destroyed the morale of a generation, it crushed our faith in our government and it ruined the illusion that segregation based on poverty is a thing of the past. Those who were carried away by the floodwaters drowned because poverty was a burden they could not shed. They could not be evacuated in time and literally did not have the resources to stay afloat.

“As you may know, the CBC’s 35th Annual Legislative Conference begins Wednesday, September 21, 2005.  In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Conference has been refocused into a remembrance of the victims and a tribute to the survivors of the greatest natural disaster in American history.  The Annual Legislative Conference will focus on five main action items in the aftermath of this national tragedy: Recovery, Reclamation, Restoration, Rejuvenation and Reunion.

“As in past years, the 35th Annual Legislative Conference will include a National Town Hall Meeting to be held on Thursday, September 22 at 9:30 am.  This year’s National Town Hall Meeting was already entitled “Eradicating Poverty: Removing the Disparities vs. the Innate Drive for Survival and Success!”

“Clearly, in the face of the plight of those Americans who live in poverty, witnessed by the entire nation in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the issue of eradicating poverty must be moved to the forefront of national discussion.  The simple truth is that poverty in America has actually been increasing.  In a nation of nearly 300 million people, more than 37 million Americans live below the poverty line, up by more than a million people in the last year.  Quite simply this means that 12.7 percent of the entire American population and nearly a quarter of all African Americans make less than $14,680 for a family of three.  These statistics are shocking in this day and age and we are morally bound to lift up those in our communities who are less fortunate.

“This year’s National Town Hall will have distinguished panelists, including: U.S. Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Harry Belafonte, Jim Brown, Dr. Charles J. Ogletree and Marc Morial, President of the National Urban League. The dynamic array of expertise that this panel presents promises to yield many action items that lawmakers, scholars and entertainers can use to initiate vital change in our national consciousness and through our society. 

“We already have over 1,000 confirmed participants for the National Town Hall Meeting and I ask you to join them in order to make the largest possible statement to our national leaders.  You do not want to be left out of this gathering with the best and brightest minds in America and the opportunity to make a national statement to finally eradicate the scourge of poverty from our great nation.  

“To register for the 35th Annual Legislative Conference or for further information you can call the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation at (202) 263-2800 or visit the Website at www.cbcfinc.org.

“Finally, I want to thank all of the communities, including my community of Houston, Texas, for opening their arms, homes and hearts to those who have been displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

“On behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus, I am Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and this has been the CBC Message to America.”

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