By Krissah Thompson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, September 26, 2009

 

Rep. Marcia Fudge politely shushed the men and women gathered for her early evening fruit-and-cheese reception, one of the many offshoots of the busy annual conference being thrown this week by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

The congresswoman from Ohio thanked them for their support. Then she brought up the issue that seemed to be on everyone's mind.

"Racism has reared its ugly head in our country," she said emphatically, "and we've already sent word to the president that we've got your back. We're here when you need us."

She may have meant it in a broader sense, but the support was reflected in a very concrete way, with the caucus flexing its political power in the censuring of Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) for heckling President Obama during a speech before Congress.

Fudge's comments -- which were met with applause and 'amens' -- highlighted two of the challenges facing the nation's premier group of black political leaders: batting down what they see as racism directed at the first African American president, and flexing the political power that has come with the growth in their numbers and their ascension in Congress.

For the first time, the Congressional Black Caucus has one of its own in the White House, and the Obama presidency and agenda have been an important subtext of the gathering of thousands of politically connected African Americans at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. So has the recent debate about the role racism has played in driving opposition to Obama's proposals.

"It means a whole lot for us to look back on the history of politics in this country and be able to see that those of us who remained committed to the mainstreaming of African Americans in this country have been sort of vindicated by holding onto that belief," said Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), the third-highest- ranking leader in the House and an elder statesman in the caucus.

Confronting racism directed at Obama is similarly important, he said. In the 2008 Democratic primary in South Carolina, he was angered when former president Bill Clinton appeared to dismiss Obama's victory. More recently, Clyburn led the charge to censure Wilson.

"It is important for everybody in the mainstream of our nation's politics to ensure that no extremist, and certainly no racist views, can seek refuge within our ranks," Clyburn said.

The Congressional Black Caucus had 13 members when it was formed in 1971; its membership now stands at 42. Several members are in leadership positions, with Clyburn serving as majority whip, Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, and Rep. John M. Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) leading the House Judiciary Committee.

"The caucus is now of age in which the policies in which it is promoting are becoming the law of the land. It takes a minute to reflect on that because for far too long that wasn't the case," said Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.). "It was more like we had viewpoints, but we weren't always in a position to see them through. We've moved that from the complaint window to the claims window."

Ethical violations and questions have come along with that ascension to power. Rangel, Rep. Donald M. Payne (D-N.J.), Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Mich.), Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) are all facing ethics investigations. Former representative William J. Jefferson (D-La.), who had been a longtime member of the caucus, was convicted in August of 11 corruption charges

It was also apparent in the theme of the conference, which included panels on poverty, education and minority business contracting, that many of the issues caucus members have been pushing for decades are still languishing. Beneath the meetings, forums, panels, dinners, galas and concerts, the mood was both celebratory and impatient.

"It's been really frustrating," said Le' Kedra Robertson, as she handed out red buttons asking people not to forget about hurricane recovery efforts in New Orleans. She came to the conference "uber-excited" about being a part of the first black caucus meeting under a black president, but she said: "It feels the same."

She added: "We understand that he's come into a hard job, but we feel that with Katrina and just the state of New Orleans, we need help now."

For whatever issues might be frustrating the black members of Congress, they steadfastly convey support for Obama and his team, keeping their complaints private.

The half-dozen top officials from the Obama administration who sat on panels have been praised. On one panel, Melody C. Barnes, Obama's top domestic adviser, said caucus members have been important partners in pushing for health-care reform -- she met with members as recently as last week. Obama is expected to speak at the closing gala Saturday, caucus members said, and they describe their relationship with the White House as close.

"Our legislative work continues. We know that if we can get a bill passed, we can get it signed," Rep. Robert C. Scott (D-Va.) said. "One of the things that people have also noticed is there's not as much protest coming from the Black Caucus, and that's primarily because we are involved in the policymaking."

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), the caucus chairman, said: "The president's agenda is our agenda. He has lived a lot of what our agenda is about."

The caucus has never had a better relationship with the White House, Fattah said. "It's not because we've lacked Democratic administrations, but you're talking about a president who was raised by a single mom, who was on food stamps. This is a president who was a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago, where poverty was not an academic discussion. There's a lot of empathy."

Besides pushing for the vote to censure Wilson, members cited passage of an employment discrimination act, the extension of the Children's Health Insurance Program and components of the federal stimulus act directed at impoverished communities as early accomplishments they have shared with the White House.

Sandre Swanson, a California assemblyman who chairs the state black caucus, said the conference and incremental changes have felt almost magical. "Maybe it's because I'm not in Washington," he said.