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Rainbow/PUSH Coalition holds 33rd annual conference in Chicago
Jet, July 26, 2004
With "2004: A Year Of Critical Choices for Inclusion and Growth" as its theme, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and Citizenship Education Fund held its 33rd annual conference in Chicago.
The six-day conference at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers also marked the 20th anniversary of Rainbow/PUSH Founder and President the Rev. Jesse Jackson's 1984 U.S. presidential campaign--the first serious bid by a Black American for the nation's highest office.
Rev. Jackson, noted that the theme of the conference reflects Rainbow/PUSH's ongoing mission to protect and expand civil rights in every aspect of American life--including access to quality health care, education, law and justice.
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"In our quest for civil rights and social justice, the stakes have never been higher and the resistance is more tense. Nevertheless, our ability to affect change has never been greater. We can elect a U.S. Senator, Barack Obama, the first (Black) male since Reconstruction. We can determine the outcome of the presidency. We can open up doors to corporate America. We can expand our gains, but if we do not unite and rally together, we risk losing it all."
Jackson stressed the need to vote in the November 2 presidential election. "We know that we will focus on counting the votes. So many votes were stolen in the last election that it is imperative we keep our eyes on the prize-and this time, the prize is every single voter, every single ballot." He added, "You know, the White House is public housing--and we plan to remove George W. Bush from the public housing rolls in November."
Among the conference highlights was entertainer Bill Cosby's appearance at the "Parent Power for Excellence" breakfast. The outspoken advocate for education was welcomed to the conference with a standing ovation. He stood by his comments he made at the 50th anniversary celebration of the Brown v. Board of Education event in Washington, D.C., about the values of some low-income Blacks when it comes to education and social behavior (JET, June 14). At the time, Cosby criticized some poor Blacks for their bad grammar and accused them of squandering opportunities the Civil Rights Movement gave them.
He said at the PUSH conference that those who criticized him for making the comments were trying in vain to hide the Black community's "dirty laundry."
"Let me tell you something: Your dirty laundry gets out of school at 2:30 every day, it's cursing and calling each other n--r as they're walking up and down the street. They think they're hip. They can't read; they can't write. They're laughing and giggling and they're going nowhere."
Cosby also said Blacks can't blame Whites for problems such as teen pregnancy and the school dropout rates that plague some segments of the Black community. "For me there is a time ... when we have to turn the mirror around. Because for me it is almost analgesic to talk about what the White man is doing against us. And it keeps a person frozen in their seat, it keeps you frozen in the hole you're sitting in."
Rev. Jackson said, "Our people agree with Bill. Bill took it to another level. His point was to lift up and not tear down.... Poor people can't have poor habits. Poor people must have rich habits to get out of poverty." He added, "Bill Cosby's point was, after 50 years of access to education, that there are some people doing less than their best. None of us should do less than our best."
Throughout the conference, a pledge drive asked parents to sign a seven-point pledge whose promises include taking the child to school, meeting with teachers to assess the child's progress, and coming to school to pick up the child's report card.
The conference also featured several workshops including "Hip Hop Fusion" to educate America's youth about their civic and adult responsibilities--from voting to job hunting to money management. The workshops also exposed the youth to some of the nation's top decision makers and leaders.
Jackson noted, "Every generation has a responsibility to move our community forward. The hip-hop community must use its own special talents to go forward by skills and strength, and not self-destruct through violence."
During the conference, Rainbow/PUSH and Citizenship Education Fund announced its extensive college scholarship program that will award up to $125,000 in scholarships over the next four years.
During an interview with Rev. Jackson, former President Bill Clinton, whose memoirs My Life is a No. 1 best-seller, discussed everything from his impoverished childhood to Bush administration's policies on taxes at the conference. "If you think that's good policy, you should ratify it. If not, we've got a better deal for you with John Kerry and the Democrats in November."
He noted that the Bush administration had "decided to go back to Reaganomics, trickle-down economics with a vengeance ..."
