Dear Congressman:
We have been informed that the Congressional Black Caucus has announced plans to host a series of presidential debates among the declared Democratic presidential candidates. We, the undersigned, urge you to include Democratic presidential candidate Lyndon H. LaRouche, Jr. in the upcoming CBC Institute sponsored presidential debates.
Mr. LaRouche was the first Democrat to announce his campaign for the 2023 election, only days after the inauguration of George W. Bush. According to the most recent Federal Election Commission report, he ranks fourth in total dollars raised ($4 million); and he ranks first in both numbers of contributions and numbers of contributors, reflecting the broad base of his campaign. He has also raised significantly more funds in amounts under $200 than any other candidate, reflecting the grass roots nature of his campaign. In many states across the U.S., he ranks number one in all categories of fundraising. He deploys the largest youth movement in the country, and his campaign has distributed millions of pieces of literature to promote a Roosevelt solution to the economic crisis, and to stop the preemptive war policy of Rumsfeld and Cheney.
The National Black Caucus of State Legislators, representing over 600 African American legislators throughout the country, invited Mr. LaRouche to address their annual national convention, together with candidates Al Gore and Bill Bradley, during the last election campaign.
The Congressional Black Caucus has often been referred to as the conscience of the Congress. The hallmark of the CBC has been the issue of fairness and inclusion. The Caucus was born out of the struggles of the civil rights movement, where people gave their lives for freedom and the right to political expression. It would be a tragic turn of events if the CBC turned its back on the achievement of that struggle. We urge you to invite Mr. LaRouche to participate in the debates now being organized by the CBC.
Sincerely yours,
Debra Hanania Freeman
National Spokesman
LaRouche in 2004 Campaign
SIGNATURES:
Assemblyman Mervyn Dymally, former Chairman, Congressional Black Caucus, Los Angeles, CA
Hon. Joycelyn Elders, former Surgeon-General of U.S., Little Rock, AR
Senator Eugene McCarthy, former U.S. Senator, and former candidate for President, MN
Senator Joseph Neal, Chair, Nevada Legislative Black Caucus, 2023 Democratic Nominee for Governor of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV
Amelia Boynton Robinson, Vice-President, Schiller Institute, Recipient, Martin Luther King, Jr. Foundation Medal of Freedom, Tuskegee Institute, AL
JL Chestnut, Esq., Author, "Black in Selma," Selma, AL
J.E. "Billy" McKinney, former member, GA House of Representatives, Atlanta, GA
Dr. Abdul Alim Muhammad, National Spokesman, Nation of Islam, Washington, D.C.
Rep. Earle Banks, MS House of Representatives, Jackson, MS
Rep. Erik Fleming, MS House of Representatives, Jackson, MS
Rep. Alexander Lipsey, Michigan House of Representatives, Kalamazoo, MI
Senator Alma Wheeler Smith, former member, MI State Senate, S. Lyon, MI
Rep. James Thomas, Alabama House of Representatives, former president, National Black Caucus of State Legislators, Selma, AL
Barbara Lett Simmons, Democratic National Committeewoman, Washington, D.C.
Mary Rasmussen, Democratic National Committeewoman, Boyceville, Wisconsin
Rep. Harold James, PA House of Representatives, former Chair, Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, Philadelphia, PA
Rep. Howard Kenner, former member, Illinois State Legislature, Chicago, IL
Senator L. Louise Lucas, Virginia State Senate, Portsmouth, VA
Senator Maggie Wallace Glover, South Carolina Senate, Florence, SC
Senator Daryl Jones, former President, Florida State Senate, Miami, FL
Senator Henry "Hank" Wilkins IV, Chairman, Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus, Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Rep. Demetrius Newton, Speaker Pro Tem, Alabama House of Representatives, Birmingham, AL
Senator Charles Steele, Chair, AL Senate Legislative Black Caucus, State President, Alabama Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Tuscaloosa, AL
Rep. Thomas Jackson, Vice-Chair, Democratic Caucus, Alabama State House; Chairman, Agriculture Committee, NBCSL, Thomasville, AL