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Congressman Donald M. Payne of New Jersey’s Tenth District, a past Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, will host two forums and help lead a third during the upcoming 34th Annual Legislative Conference sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. The events are free and open to the public.
A member of the House International Relations Committee and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Payne will lead panel discussions focusing on the new dynamics in Africa and on opportunities for African Americans in the Entertainment Industry.
The theme of this year’s national conference, which will be held from September 8th through the 11th, is “Defining the Moment and the Movement.”
On Friday, September 10th, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., in Room 145 B in the New Washington Convention Center at 801 Mt. Vernon Place, N. W. in Washington D.C, Congressman Payne will host a braintrust entitled "The U.S. and Africa: A Defining Moment amid New Dynamics,” which will bring together the world's leading Africanists for a lively dialogue on the most pressing issues facing Africa today. Participants include African leaders, United Nations experts, and advocates on the state of peace-building, development, and democracy on the continent in the context of Bush Administration policies, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and major conflicts such as Darfur, Sudan. Panelists will also discuss the growing U.S. interest in African oil and trade. Payne was appointed earlier this year to serve as a Congressional Delegate to the U.N.
Featured at the event will be Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Constance Newman and Dr. John Garang, Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) Chairman, who will speak on the Sudan peace process. Roger Winter, USAID Assistant Administrator; John Prendergast, Special Adviser to the President, International Crisis Group; Francis Deng, Director, SAIS Center for Displacement studies, and Omer Ismail of the Darfur Peace and Development Organization, will give a special update on the Darfur Crisis. Other participants include Stephen Hayes, President of the Corporate Council on Africa; Mora McLean, President and CEO of The Africa-America Institute and Winnie Mpanju-Shumbusho, WHO Senior Advisor on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria.
There will be three panel presentations and roundtable discussions: Meeting the Millennium Development Goals; Conflict Resolution and Democracy Building; and Engaging Africa: Opportunities and Challenges. Among the topics to be discussed are hunger, poverty, health and education as impediments to and as vehicles of development; HIV/AIDS and its toll on Africa; the impact of today’s conflicts on the growth of democracy and development; the stifling effect of opportunities and the challenges posed by trade and oil development; U.S. assistance issues and new initiatives; and the future of U.S.-Africa policy.
Also on Friday, September 10th, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., in Room 143 A-B of the New Washington Convention Center, Payne will lead an issue forum entitled “African Americans in the Entertainment Industry: What Does the Future Hold?”
Building on past discussions about the need for greater opportunities for African Americans in the entertainment field, this year’s forum will focus on whether there has been much progress and ways in which such progress may be seen for African Americans in the entertainment industry. In addition, the forum will concentrate on exploring ways to address the challenges identified. The moderator of the discussion will be Wilfredo Benitez, Esq. of Montclair, New Jersey. Panelists include Mr. Laurence Andries, Executive Producer/Show Runner of NBC’s fall line-up, “Medical Investigation”; Ms.Vida Nash, President, RHMO in New York; Ms. Rose Catherine Pinkney, Senior Vice President, Comedy Development, Paramount Pictures in Los Angeles; and Ms. Gail Porter, Talent Agent, International Creative Management in Beverly Hills. Invited panelists also include Mr. Danny Glover, Carrie Productions in Berkeley; and filmmaker Michael Moore, The Endeavor Agency in Beverly Hills.
Payne will also help lead an issue forum on Thursday, September 9th , from 5 p.m. to 6:50 p.m. in Room 144A of the Convention Center entitled “Hiring Inequities in Intercollegiate Athletics,” to focus on the need to include more African American coaches and administrators at NCAA Schools.
In the past, the forums have attracted large audiences. Payne said, “Once again this year, we have been fortunate to attract top-notch panelists to participate in stimulating discussions about issues facing our communities. I encourage all interested parties to attend this year’s forums.” |
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