1994 Ad

Black Enterprise, Nov, 1994 by Frank McCoy

Even for veteran Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) members election day is dramatic. This year, most see it as a day to reaffirm and gain seniority. Two members will use it to solidify their hold on seats once challenged before the Supreme Court, while, for at least two legislators, the day's end signals it's time to pack up and go home.

Most CBC incumbents, however, have little to worry about. In fact, about one-third of are running unopposed and most of the others have only token opposition.

This does not mean every seat is a biennial clinch for an incumbent, however. Capitol Hill scuttlebutt says Rep. Gary Franks (R-Conn.), the CBC's sole GOP member, will have a tough fight against the winner of the Democratic primary in his district. Also, two congressmen who will probably win this year show signs of weakness for the 1996 elections. In Chicago, Rep. Mel Reynolds (D-Ill.) runs unopposed, but his use of white racism as a defense against charges of sexual and financial misconduct - a tactic he decried when beating Rep. Gus Savage in 1992 - heartens future opponents. And, in Michigan, Rep. John Conyers looked vulnerable recently. He got few votes in his Detroit mayoral bid, and his two lackluster challengers attracted 49% of the primary vote.

Two other representatives were not so fortunate in their primaries, either. Craig Washington (D-Texas) was defeated by Houston City Council member Sheila Jackson Lee, and Lucien E. Blackwell (D-Pa.) was upset by Pennsylvania State Sen. Chaka Fattah. Both Lee and Fattah are expected to win this month.

Another new CBC member will emerge from a clutch of black candidates vying for the Virgin Islands nonvoting delegate seat.

The happiest representatives, however, may reside in North Carolina and Louisiana. This election, CBC members Rep. Mel Watt (D-N.C.) and Rep. Eva Clayton (D-N.C.) are running unopposed. Their victory was one of the first of the ongoing ripples from the 1993 Shaw v. Reno Supreme Court Ruling that Watt's oddly shaped district resembled "political apartheid." After the high court threw the case back to the district level, surprising observers, the lower court ruled that although Watt,s district was a racial gerrymander, North Carolina had a "compelling" reason to create it.

In Louisiana, Rep. Cleo Fields (D-La.) is also likely to retain his seat in a district that briefly did not exist earlier this year. Since BLACK ENTERPRISE first covered this story (See Washington Report, June 1994), the U.S. 5th District Court ruling in Hays v. Louisiana threw Fields' case out and eliminated his serpent-shaped district. Then, ironically, conservative Supreme Court jurist Antonin Scalia rescued Fields' seat when he polled fellow justices on staying the lower court's order overturning the new map fashioned by the Louisiana legislature. In a victory for states' rights, the court voted 8-1 to issue a stay order. Who cast the dissenting vote? Scalia. Fields' new district has a 55% black voting age population and he looks unbeatable.

At the Senate level, CBC member Alan Wheat (D-Mo.) is running for the seat of John C. Danforth (R-Mo.), who is retiring. Wheat's and other African-American Senate bids are reviewed in Knocking at the political door (this issue).

CHECKPOINTS

GRIGSBY JOINS

CHINA MISSION

Calvin B. Grigsby, president and CEO of Grigsby Brandford & Co., recently joined Commerce Department Secretary Ron Brown on a trade mission to China.

Grigsby's California-based firm plans to open an office in China in 1995 and is presently working with the Chinese government to develop financial guaranty programs to finance various power projects.

INFORMATION

HIGHWAY GOES

THROUGH WRITER'S

HOME

A nonprofit group has opened a computer research center in a Harlem home once owned by author and poet Langston Hughes. The Langston Hughes Computer Renaissance Center will provide computer access to writers, community groups and churches. "Langston Hughes spent his professional life using a Royal typwriter to create prose that changed a nation," says Albert Davis, curator of the Langston Hughes House. "There's no telling what a writer like him could do today with the world literally at this fingertips." Individuals and corporations wishing to donate equipment should call 212-368-5428.

FDIC ISSUES FAIR

LENDING GUIDE

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation recently released a 56-page guide designed to help bankers and consumers detect lending discrimination. Side By Side: A Guide to Fair Lending is free and can be obtained by writing to: FDIC Office of Consumer Affairs, Room F-130, 550 17th St. NW, Washington, DC 20429.