Capitol Hill Diaries : The Home Stretch

It's finally starting to hit me. In less than three days, I'll be parting ways with this beautiful city I've come to know and adore. I don't want to say goodbye. And amazing days like Wednesday make it that much harder. True, I won't miss waking up in the wee hours of the morning and getting dolled up for the day. But it's a small price to pay for all of the unique opportunities my internship has provided me. I am too blessed to be anything but grateful for everything that has come my way. My last Wednesday was just another reminder of that.

For the most party, work today was pretty steady. But quite frankly, the days always go by quickly when you have share an office with someone like Adam! I cannot tell y'all how much I'm going to miss that crazy kid; we've grown so close in just the past couple of weeks alone. Our shenanigans kept the time moving and it was the afternoon before I even knew it! And boy oh boy, did I have quite the afternoon. I received the unbelievable opportunity to attend the Congressional Caucus on Black Men and Boy's groundbreaking meeting. The caucus' opening speaker was none other than Tracy Martin, father of the late Trayvon Martin. The meeting was incredibly powerful from start to finish. Allow me to describe the full hearing in further detail:

The Congressional Caucus on Black Men and Boys was established in March of 2013 by members of the Congressional Black Caucus. The caucus was formed to highlight issues that impact and influence the condition of black males. Today's meeting specifically discussed the importance of early education and job training for African American children.

I believe I speak for the majority when I say that Tracy Martin was incredibly poised and dignified in his opening remarks. His grief and anguish did not go unnoticed, yet he remained composed throughout the entire hearing. He touched upon the newly formed Trayvon Martin Foundation aimed at helping other African American boys as well as eliminating careless laws such as Stand Your Ground. Martin was accompanied by his attorney, Benjamin Crump.

Tracy Martin and his attorney Benjamin Crump to his left.

Tracy Martin and his attorney entering the Rayburn hearing room.

Members of Congress who presided over the inaugural hearing included Representative Frederica Wilson of Florida, Representative Maxine Waters of California, Representative Danny Davis of Illinois, and D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton just to name a few. My favorite comments made by Delegate Norton were made at the very beginning of the hearing, when she expressed: Our nation and our African American community need to bring our black men and boys to center stage. With this inaugural hearing, our new Caucus on Black Men and Boys begins our mission to take on the challenges facing our men and boys, and to ask our fellow Americans and African Americans to do the same.

Testimony at the hearing was first given by David Johns, the Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans. Johns spoke about the importance of early education. Learning begins at birth; and since African American children aren't receiving access to early educational programs, they are at a disadvantage from the get-go. As Johns so brilliantly laid it out: Early education can be the difference between black children going to the White House or the jailhouse.

Further, Johns expressed the need to increase funding for programs such as Head Start and Early Head Start--which provide childcare for low-income families--as well as volunteer home visits for young expecting mothers. Johns ended his testimony by urging African American males to disprove the silly myth that more black men are in jail than in college. Johns scoffed at the myth and said it was no more than a pitiful excuse to not waste time or resources on troubled young black boys.

Dr. Michael Dyson offered his testimony next. Dyson, an author and professor at Georgetown University, was INCREDIBLE! His remarks were some of the best I've ever heard, hands down. Dyson talked about the injustice African American men face everyday because they constantly live in suspicion. Young black boys cannot dress freely because they'll be accused of being thugs or gangsters. As a result, black boys are overly-criminalized and targeted, especially involving nonviolent drug crimes. Why is this, especially if white teens use drugs more frequently than black teens? Because, Dyson answers, white kids are not profiled or suspected.

African American boys aren't the only individuals being profiled. Dr. Dyson argued that had Rachel Jeantel been a young white woman, her testimony would have been perceived as being more credible and thus the outcome of the trial would have been a lot different. Instead, Jeantel was perceived as being a liar and ignorant. As a result, black women live under incredible suspicion as well.

The most powerful part of Dr. Dyson's testimony came towards the very end. Dyson criticized the GOP for blaming African American culture and black-on-black crime for the woes of the African American man. While some aspects of our culture do reinforce negative stereotypes, Dyson quoted Jay-Z and Tupac lyrics that directly spoke out about the injustices young black men face--because they themselves have faced it. As for black-on-black crime, we've BEEN discussing this! The truth is, Dyson says, no one cares about black-on-black crime. Cameras flocked to Newtown and Aurora when tragedy strikes, but never to the streets of Chicago. And sure, black-on-black crime is a serious problem our community must address. But guess what? So is white-on-white crime, Dyson continues.

And finally, Dr. Dyson's powerful conclusion. President Obama first spoke about how his son could have been Trayvon. In his address to the public, the President revised his remarks and said that he could have been Trayvon thirty-five years ago. Dr. Dyson went even further and stated that the President could have been Trayvon Martin NOW. Dyson pointed to the numerous times the President himself has been profiled or suspected, most notably when people demanded to see his birth certificate because they didn't believe he was born in the United States. Thus, the President should continue to use the bully pulpit to speak about his experiences as an African American in society. Not doing so, Dyson said, would be like Michael Jordan coming to the White House and not talking about basketball. Young black teens are children of God first and foremost, and they should be loved above all else.

Unfortunately, I was unable to stay for the entire hearing. But from what I gathered while I was there, the Congressional Caucus of Black Men and Boys has the potential to accomplish great feats within the African American community. It was easily one of the most powerful things I've ever witnessed, and I'm so thankful that I got to see it firsthand.

Wednesday continued to get even better later that evening. Around 5 P.M, I walked over to the other side of the Hill to Union Station to help out with the annual University of Georgia in D.C. Reception. In total, over 400 alumni attended the magnificent event. The venue was breathtaking; UGA definitely showed out and caught the attention of folks everywhere! Some of the guests included Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, as well as my boss--Congressman John Barrow! But the star of the reception was easily the newly inaugurated President, Jere Morehead. Earlier that day, I received the wonderful opportunity to meet President Morehead when he visited Congressman Barrow's office for a few short minutes. Of course, I had to say hello one more time! This time, however, a few of us even managed to snag a picture with him! President Morehead is an exceptional man, and I am so excited to see the direction he takes the University of Georgia.

The beautiful Union Station--our venue for the UGA in D.C. reception!

Calling all the Dawgs! UGA showed out in Union Station! #turningheads #dawgsontop

It was an incredible honor to meet President Morehead. I look forward to working with him in the future!

Overall, the UGA in D.C. reception was a success! I got to network and mingle with a lot of distinguished alumni. Plus, I got to hang out with a lot of my friends in D.C. for the last time. For volunteering, each of us received a Georgia goody bag and an iPad case--if only I had an iPad! I even made some possible connections for next summer. Hey, you always have to stay ahead of the game when you're in D.C! I didn't get back to my apartment till late Wednesday night, so I'm pretty worn out. But now that I'm officially in the home stretch of my summer, taking advantage of every opportunity is a must. Guess that means I won't be getting much rest tomorrow, either.