[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 26, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2194-E2195]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNITION OF THE NEW LEADERS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. HAROLD E. FORD, JR.

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 26, 1999

  Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of an organization 
that is vitally important to our society as a whole. The New Leaders is 
an organization committed to empowering the African American community. 
Many challenges lie ahead in addressing the concerns of people of 
color. This organization brings young professionals together to tackle 
the social, economic, and political problems facing people of color. 
For five years, this organization used the collective resources of 
these young professionals to shape public policy.
  Using fresh and innovative perspectives that we as policy makers 
desperately need, this organization has become a part of several youth 
education and training partnerships. The New Leaders has worked 
continually to increase African American leadership opportunities and 
to foster an environment of youth empowerment. As a member of their 
generation, I realize the importance of looking at our young people as 
assets and resources.
  The New Leaders have made significant strides in this area by 
designing a leadership development program for middle school students, 
providing scholarship money to students, and sponsoring the highly 
successful and effective Take A Youth To Work Day.
  Not only are The New Leaders ahead of the curve in advocating youth 
empowerment, they also support a fair and accurate census. 
Historically, minorities have been under-counted and The New Leaders 
are committed to Census 2000 in order to ensure equal representation 
and ample funding to combat some of the growing concerns in the African 
American community.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and our House colleagues to join me in 
recognizing the efforts and the achievements of The New Leaders. I also 
submit a position paper presented to The White House by The New Leaders 
for the Record.

   The New Leaders--1999 Position Paper on Youth, Leadership and the 
                Census in the African American Community

           (Presented to The White House, September 18, 1999)

       The New Leaders (TNL) is a non-profit, non-partisan 
     organization committed to empowering the African American 
     community. For the last five years, TNL has been comprised 
     primarily of Black professionals dedicated to addressing the 
     social, economic and political issues facing people of color. 
     We believe by leveraging our combined resources with a fresh, 
     innovative perspective, our goal of shaping public policy 
     will result in the organization attaining a value-added level 
     of influence in this country.
       Building upon the success the Clinton Administration has 
     had in fostering mentoring, expanding investments in youth 
     education and training, and creating the GEAR-UP initiative, 
     TNL recognizes that several partnership opportunities lie 
     ahead. Therefore, TNL recommends that the Administration put 
     forth initiatives that further promote our young people to 
     become actively involved in leadership and government. 
     Additionally, these initiatives will help remedy the 
     misrepresentation of Blacks that resulted from previous 
     under-counts of minorities in past national census counts.


  Objective for Increasing African American Leadership Representation

       TNL encourages the Clinton Administration to expand 
     existing initiatives and/or create a new initiative design to 
     invest in the development of governmental leadership within 
     African American communities across this nation. To formulate 
     a model that could be duplicated, TNL proposes the 
     development of a demonstration project that creates a 
     leadership institute to train and prepare African Americans 
     to take an active role in government.


        Current Circumstances of Blacks in the Political Process

       Extreme apathy exists among a massive pool of untapped 
     voters across this country. This apathy is prevalent in the 
     Black community, especially among our youth. While reasons 
     vary as to why eligible young voters are so far removed from 
     the political process, we must find a way to reengage these 
     individuals. Our failure to successfully address this issue 
     will result in continued inadequate resources for underserved 
     minority communities.


                 TNL's Commitment to Youth Empowerment

       Over the past few years, TNL has touched the lives of 
     thousands by addressing the social, political and economic 
     state of the African American community. One of TNL's primary 
     interests has been and continues to be our youth--equipping 
     and instructing them to assume responsibility for their own 
     lives and the future of their communities.
       TNL has made significant strides in this area by designing 
     a leadership development program for middle school students, 
     providing $88,000 in scholarship moneys through Texas 
     Southern University (TSU), and most importantly, sponsoring 
     our annual Take a Youth to Work Day. Every year this 
     milestone even pairs African American males between the ages 
     of 13 and 18 with professional Black men for a day of 
     mentoring. By partnering with the current administration, TNL 
     seeks to expand our outreach efforts. We will achieve this 
     through continued advancements in technology, creation of 
     charter organizations, and drawing upon the expertise of 
     African American leaders both past and present.


 The Historical Under-count in the Past Census & the Impact on African 
                               Americans

       Since the inception of the census count, Blacks have been 
     consistently under-counted. As a result, the Black community 
     has been grossly misrepresented and ample funding has not 
     been secured. One area of vital importance is health care. In 
     this area, a new generation of African Americans continue to 
     lead in the disparity of diseases such as: infant mortality, 
     diabetes, cancer screening and management, heart disease, 
     AIDS and immunizations (diseases identified by the 
     Administration's initiative to end racial and ethnic health 
     disparities). As we move towards a new millennium, an under-
     count in Census 2000 will have an enormous impact on the 
     reapportionment efforts in this country. These efforts in 
     turn could jeopardize minority political representation on 
     the local, state and federal levels.


        Remedying Past Under-representation of African Americans

       It is the contention of TNL that one glaring example of the 
     apathy and distrust of government deals with the under-count 
     of Blacks in the census. While it is understood that federal 
     moneys have been set aside to actively outreach underserved 
     communities, TNL believes that additional steps are needed to 
     address this long standing problem.

[[Page E2195]]

       TNL recommends that the White House introduce an initiative 
     similar to the one introduced by the Kennedy Administration 
     that encouraged Americans to join the Peace Corps. This 
     initiative would focus on training and empowering young 
     people to become active in government. TNL believes that such 
     an initiative will not only address the issues of inadequate 
     reapportionment, but also concerns regarding reparations as 
     well as the equitable treatment of Black Americans caught up 
     in this nation's burgeoning criminal justice system.


                               Conclusion

       In their purest form, true leaders empower the constituency 
     they represent, they take control of adverse circumstances, 
     and they assume the responsibility for a better way of life. 
     The best way to instill this ideology is to train and equip 
     individuals that have been consistently and systematically 
     denied the liberties this country has afforded other 
     citizens.
       Therefore, TNL believes that the most effective way to 
     tackle these issues begins with empowering every African-
     American to become motivated and actively engage in the 
     principals of democracy. If we can accomplish this, we will 
     balance the scales of justice, ensuring fairness and 
     equitable treatment for all, irrespective of race, creed, or 
     color.
       A new era. A new American. The possibilities are endless.

       

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