[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9709]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE AFRICAN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 23, 2007

  Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the African American 
Association. Throughout its extraordinary history, the Association has 
been known for promoting equality, diversity, social justice, and 
African American community empowerment. This year the Association 
celebrates the 45th anniversary of its founding.
  The African American Association was first organized in the early 
1960s by African American students at the University of California, 
Berkeley. Among the founding members were community leaders such as 
Khalid Al-Mansour (known then as Don Warden); future Judges Henry 
Ramsey and Thelton Henderson; future Congressman and Oakland Mayor Ron 
Dellums; and future Black Panthers Huey Newton and Bobby Seale.
  The Association's founding occurred in the midst of a turbulent time 
for African Americans and for our country. Malcolm X was fearlessly 
expressing his views on race relations. Many African nations were being 
liberated after years of colonial rule and oppression. The civil rights 
movement was gaining national momentum, and many young African 
Americans were feeling a newfound source of pride in their African 
heritage. A primary impetus for the group's establishment was an 
interest in learning the real history of Africa and slavery in the 
United States. Not having the resources for a mass media campaign, 
group members took their message to where the people were: they took 
their message to the streets.
  Of central importance to Association members were questions related 
to the African American self-image. Members wanted to address the 
negative light in which many African Americans viewed themselves, 
specifically in the context of their African heritage and physical 
features. Moreover, the Association's mission was to help African 
Americans cultivate the sense of self-love that for many had been 
missing as a result of slavery's destructive legacy within the African 
American community and throughout our country.
  After being met with skepticism initially, the Association began to 
reach more and more people with their message of empowerment. Members 
began reaching a wider audience by broadcasting a half-hour radio show 
on Oakland KDIA, entitled We Care Enough To Tell It Like It Is. After 
approximately a year of meeting in various locations, the Association 
established regular meeting facilities on Grove Street in Oakland. The 
best known and most attended events were the Association's weekly 
Monday Night Lectures and Friday Night Forums. These gatherings 
featured discussions of books on African and African American history, 
religion, architecture, current events, and other topics. People of all 
ages attended these lively meetings because they always represented an 
opportunity to learn, and to look at things from a new perspective.
  Over the years, the Association continued its advocacy for social, 
political, economic, and educational equality for African Americans. 
Members urged African Americans to establish businesses, and the 
Association formed its own employment office to match members with job 
opportunities. The Association also remained centrally involved in the 
struggle to promote education among young African Americans, urging 
them to not only complete their education but to obtain the highest 
grades at the highest level of education that they could. In addition, 
the Association organized to address countless other issues, including 
community safety, the devastating impact of the Jonestown Massacre, and 
social justice in African countries.
  Today the members and supporters of the African American Association 
have come together to celebrate not only the organization's 45th 
anniversary, but also the group's permanent and positive impact on our 
community. On this very special day, I join all of the members in 
thanking and saluting the Association for its profound contributions to 
California's 9th Congressional District, our country, and our world.

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