The Delta Grassroots Caucus (DGC) is a broad coalition of grassroots leaders in the eight-state Delta region. DGC is also a founding partner of the Economic Equality Caucus,
which advocates for economic equality across the USA.

Newsletter--Mayor Hudson & Conference Update; Group Hotel Deadline is Sept. 1

Posted on August 31, 2009 at 11:33 AM

We currently have 12 Members of Congress, several high-level executive branch officials, and 112 RSVPs for this conference. We would like to call your attention to the final session on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009, 1:10 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. at national USDA headquarters on the national Mall, when USDA Under Secretary for Administration Pearlie Reed, Mayor Heather Hudson of Greenville, Mississippi, USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon, and Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Victor Vasquez and grassroots leaders from the Delta will speak.

Mayor Heather Hudson is President of the National Conference of Black Mayors and is frequently in contact with the Obama administration in urging them to do more for the economic development of the Delta region. Mayor Hudson spoke at our conference in February, 2009 at the Clinton Presidential Library and has participated in several Mississippi Delta Grassroots Caucus events over the years. Mayor Hudson is a late addition to our line-up and we are delighted to have her participation.

For the conference as a whole, economic recovery in the recession, health care reform, nutrition, jobs and infrastructure issues will be crucial and the Members of Congress and others will deal with those. All parties and points of view are encouraged to participate in a thoughtful, congenial dialogue.

In this DELTA CAUCUS NEWSLETTER, YOU WILL FIND THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS:

  1. Information on the USDA national headquarters session, Sept. 16, Wednesday afternoon, 1:10 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. (We want to make sure people understand that this is at least as important as the other sessions, if not moreso.)

  2. GROUP HOTEL DEADLINE IS TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2009, TOMORROW AFTERNOON, CLOSE OF BUSINESS

  3. REGISTRATION INFORMATION. YOU REGISTER BY MAILING THE $100 CHECK TO THE ADDRESS LISTED BELOW. (EARLY REGISTRATION FEE DEADLINE PASSED ON AUGUST 24, AS WE STATED EARLIER)

4) SCHEDULE IN A NUTSHELL

5) DRAFT OF AGENDA, SPEAKERS AND TIMES

6) Thanks to sponsors

7) If needed–TRAVEL AGENCY–Travel Consultants International, Blytheville, Arkansas, 1-800-764-7660

1. USDA SESSION, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2009, ROOM 104-A WHITTEN BUILDING ON THE NATIONAL MALL, 1:10 P.M. TO 4:15 P.M.

We deeply encourage everybody to go to the USDA session on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009, starting at 1:10 p.m. If everybody leaves the Senate Dirksen building right at noon and goes down to have lunch at one of the USDA cafeterias, we should be able to start on time and hear Mayor Hudson, Under Secretary for USDA Administration Pearlie Reed (the highest ranking Arkansan in the Obama administration and a tremendously respected expert on rural America who grew up in the east Arkansas Delta), Under Secretary Concannon as the lead federal nutrition programs official in America, Deputy Under Secretary Vasquez as a superb expert on rural America including the Delta, and other distinguished speakers.

IMPACT OF THE RECESSION ON TURNOUT–While a turnout of 100 people from the Delta and another 12 thus far from Washington, DC area people with strong ties to the region is good, we should acknowledge that there are many people who wanted to come to DC this year for the conference but just were under so much financial stress from the recession that they could not do so. These were people who have participated in previous years and wanted to take part this year. We are an organization and a group of people under duress right now, but we still hope for a good turnout at the USDA session and the other two sessions.

Mayor Hudson was featured on the front page of the Washington Post recently for her activities in going to bat for the people of Greenville, Mississippi, as well as the entire Delta region. The article described her efforts to urge the Obama administration to resolve not only certain water, jobs and other infrastructure issues for Greenville, but for the Delta as a whole.

Please understand that the whole point of media coverage is to get our message out in helping the people of our region. The powers that be pay attention to such coverage. We have never seen a front-page article taking up most of the front page of the Washington Post portraying a leader from the Delta in a positive light, but that happened on August 24, 2009, and Mayor Hudson was the leader. She is a team player and is deeply committed not only to Greenville but to the whole region.

The subheading at the top of the page read: “President Obama promised help for the impoverished Delta during his campaign. Now struggling communities wonder when economic stimulus money will flow their way.” That is the balance we want to strike–we want to pressure President Obama to fulfill his pledges to our region, but to do so in a positive, encouraging way, but also exert constructive pressure.

**Under Secretary Pearlie Reed is one of the most influential leaders at USDA today and is the highest ranking Arkansan in the Obama administration. He is greatly admired by many people in our group and we are delighted to have him speak on his various activities for rural America and the Delta.

Under Secretary Concannon at Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services is the top federal official for SNAP (formerly food stamps), Women, Infants and Children Nutrition program (WIC), school lunch and other school meals, aid to food banks, and other key issues. Nutrition is a key issue in the Delta where we have the highest food insecurity rates in the country and health problems related to nutrition such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.

Deputy Under Secretary Victor Vasquez headed the national Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community program in the Clinton administration and has a long and distinguished track record of support for regional initiatives for economically distresssed areas of the Delta. Many of our people, including myself, have worked with Deputy Vasquez for many years and we are delighted to have him.

Local speakers are excellent for this session:

Dr. Steve Onufrak, USDA expert on nutrition and obesity prevention issues in the Delta based in Stoneville, Mississippi

Charita Johnson Burgess, Shiloh Distribution Center, a nonprofit that works on nutrition and other issues in western Tennessee, western Kentucky, and northern Mississippi (Her colleague Vivian Fry will be there to take part in question and answer)

Michael Ashanti, Heifer International in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas will discuss Heifer International’s activities in the Delta.

Buddy Spillers, President, Macon Ridge Community Development Corp., Ferriday, Louisiana

Donna Raynalds, executive director, Southern Illinois Delta Empowerment Zone, Cairo, Illinois

Robert Cole, East Arkansas Enterprise Community, Forrest City, Arkansas

Lynn Wilson, Assistant Hospital Administrator, LSU Health Sciences Center of Monroe, Louisiana

You register by sending in the $100 registration fee (the early registration fee deadline has passed, as we have conveyed in earlier messages).

The deadline for staying at the group hotel is Tuesday, September 1, close of business.

Group hotel and registration information are below in this email.

If you have questions please call Desha County Judge Mark McElroy at (870) 877-2426, or Dr. Martha Ellen Black at (573) 649-3731. All the information about the conference is in this message.

2. Key speakers include Members of Congress from both parties:

Rep. Mike Ross (AR), Rep. Jerry Costello (IL), Rep. Marion Berry (AR), the HHS representative, Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO), Sen. Thad Cochran (MS), Sen. Blanche Lincoln (AR), Sen. Mark Pryor (AR), Sen. Mary Landrieu (LA), Rep. Artur Davis (AL), Rep. Charles Melancon (LA), Rep. Travis Childers (MS), and Rep. Joseph Cao (LA).

National executive branch officials who will be speaking include a health care expert from Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius’ office, USDA Under Secretary for Administration Pearlie Reed, USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Victor Vasquez, and other Obama administration officials.

3. Registration. You register by mailing in the registration fee.

Please make out the $100 registration fee check to “Delta Grassroots Caucus” and mail the check to:

Delta Grassroots Caucus

(Attention: Lee Powell)

5030 Purslane Place

Waldorf, MD 20601

The early registration fee was $85, so there is not a great deal of difference in the early fee and the current fee. If you did not know about the August 24 deadline for some reason, we will deal with this generously.

4. GROUP HOTEL DEADLINE IS SEPT. 1, TUESDAY (TOMORROW AFTERNOON):

If you want to stay at the group hotel you can do so by making your reservations by September 1, Tuesday, close of business. After that there will probably not be any space left, and if there is you will not get the cheaper group rate of $229.

You get the group rate by calling the Radisson at Reagan National Airport at (703) 920-8600 and telling them that you are with the Delta Caucus for the night of September 15, 2009.

You will only need one hotel night to take part in all the group sessions, because you can check out on the morning of Sept. 16, leave your luggage at the hotel, go to the Senate and USDA sessions that afternoon that will end about 4:15 p.m., and then go back to your hotel and pick up your luggage and take a flight back home that evening.

Some people are staying on until Thursday to do extra advocacy for the Delta on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Sept. 16. We shortened the conference somewhat because we know many people are suffering financially from the recession and we wanted to make the conference less expensive to attend this year.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO STAY AT THE GROUP HOTEL IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO, BECAUSE THERE ARE NO MEETINGS AT THE GROUP HOTEL. THIS IS THERE STRICTLY BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE HAVE FOUND THIS HOTEL TO MEET THEIR NEEDS IN THE PAST.

5. SCHEDULE IN A NUTSHELL

SCHEDULE: OPENING SESSION, TUESDAY EVENING, SEPT. 15, from 5 P.M. TO 8 P.M., B-339 RAYBURN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BUILDING

SENATE SESSION: WEDNESDAY MORNING, SEPT. 16, 8:30 A.M. TO NOON, SENATE DIRKSEN BUILDING, ROOM SD G11, GROUND FLOOR

USDA SESSION: WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, SEPT. 16, 1:10 TO 4:15 P.M., ROOM 104-A, USDA WHITTEN BUILDING ON THE NATIONAL MALL

6. AGENDA

OPENING SESSION, 5 P.M. TO 8 P.M., TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2009 B-339 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING

5 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.—Reception

5:30 - 8 P.M.–OPENING SPEAKERS ON HEALTH CARE ISSUES IN THE DELTA AND OTHER ISSUES REGARDING ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND THE REGION’S DEVELOPMENT

Introduction—Lee Powell, Director, Delta Grassroots Caucus

FEDERAL LEVEL SPEAKERS: Congressman Jerry Costello, southern Illinois

Congressman Mike Ross, Arkansas

Congressman Marion Berry, Arkansas

Health Care Reform representative, office of Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius

(All speakers are important, but US Representatives Costello, Ross and Berry and the HHS spokesperson will be given more time because of their key roles on health care and other major issues regarding the Delta)

Congressman Travis Childers, Mississippi

Congressman Charles Melancon, Louisiana

Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson, Missouri

Congressman Joseph Cao, Louisiana (New Orleans—Rep. Cao requested only a brief time to introduce himself to the group and make a few brief comments—he is the freshman Congressman from New Orleans and we are glad to welcome him to our event for the first time)

DELTA GRASSROOTS SPEAKERS

–Mayor Helenor Bell, Hayneville, Alabama

–Desha County Judge Mark McElroy

–Mayor Brad Cole, Carbondale, Illinois

SENATE SESSION, SEPTEMBER 16, WEDNESDAY MORNING, 8:30 A.M. TO Noon, Senate Dirksen building, ground floor, Room SD G-11

8:30 TO 10 A.M.

BIG-PICTURE PANEL ON REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Johnnie Bolin, Moderator, executive director, Arkansas Good Roads Transportation Council

Bill Triplett, senior adviser, Delta Regional Authority

Dr. Robert Dansby, President, Edgenics Corp., a national company active in expanding broadband access, promoting educational opportunity and supporting telemedicine in the Delta

Dr. Tim Todd, Dean, College of Business and Public Affairs, Murray State University (active in expansion of broadband access, promotion of greater use of alternative fuels, and a variety of other economic innovations in western Kentucky)

Alan Branson, Executive Vice President for Programs and Chief Operating Officer, Enterprise Corporation of the Delta/HOPE Community Credit Union (based in Jackson, Mississippi, a major nonprofit foundation serving Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi)

10 A.M TO 11 A.M.—US Senators from Arkansas and Mississippi

  1. Senator Mark Pryor, Arkansas—10 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.

  2. Chris Masingill, Aide to Gov. Mike Beebe in charge of stimulus funding and other economic development initiatives, and DRA Alternate for Arkansas

  3. Senator Blanche Lincoln, Arkansas—10:25 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

  4. Senator Thad Cochran, Mississippi—10:45 a.m. to 11 a.m.

11 a.m. TO NOON—Sen. Landrieu, and Rev. Webster from Louisiana; President Glenn Poshard of Southern Illinois University; and Rep. Artur Davis Senator Mary Landrieu, Louisiana

Rev. Dwight Webster, New Orleans, Louisiana, Pastor, Christian Unity Baptist Church, –Rebuilding New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina

President Glenn Poshard, Southern Illinois University

Rep. Artur Davis, ALABAMA

USDA SESSION, SEPTEMBER 16, WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, ROOM 104-A USDA WHITTEN BUILDING, 1:15 P.M. TO 4:15 P.M.

Under Secretary for USDA Administration Pearlie Reed (Under Secretary Reed will give an overview of his activities that are relevant for our region; small farmers and sustainability, diversity, support for biomass and other initiatives are among areas of interest. The Under Secretary is originally from the east Arkansas Delta and is widely admired by many partners in our coalition)

Mayor Heather McTeer Hudson of Greenville, Mississippi, President, National Conference of Black Mayors (Mayor Hudson is one of our region’s most dynamic advocates in urging the Obama administration and Congress to do more to promote economic development in the Greater Delta Region)

NUTRITION

  1. Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon

DELTA GRASSROOTS SPEAKERS

Dr. Steve Onufrak, USDA expert on nutrition and obesity prevention issues in the Delta based in Stoneville, Mississippi

Charita Johnson Burgess, Shiloh Distribution Center, a nonprofit that works on nutrition and other issues in western Tennessee, western Kentucky, and northern Mississippi

Michael Ashanti, Heifer International in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas will discuss Heifer International’s activities in the Delta.

There will be presentations from these speakers and then discussion.

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Victor Vasquez

Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service Jonathan Adelstein (Invited), or another high-level RUS will speak about expansion of broadband to underserved areas in the Delta.

DELTA GRASSROOTS LEADERS

Buddy Spillers, President, Macon Ridge Community Development Corp., Ferriday, Louisiana

Donna Raynalds, executive director, Southern Illinois Delta Empowerment Zone, Cairo, Illinois

Robert Cole, East Arkansas Enterprise Community, Forrest City, Arkansas

Lynn Wilson, Assistant Hospital Administrator, LSU Health Sciences Center of Monroe, Louisiana

MORE INFORMATION ON SPEAKERS

Featuring Rep. Mike Ross (AR), leader of the Blue Dog Democrats on health care; Rep. Jerry Costello (IL), a senior Member of Congress from southern Illinois; Rep. Marion Berry (AR), a senior Member of the Appropriations Committee, pharmacist, and another leader of the Blue Dogs; HHS health care spokesperson from the Obama administration to discuss health care reform; Rep. Charles Melancon (LA), representing a southern Louisiana district; Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (MO), a distinguished Republican Congresswoman from southeast Missouri who is widely respected on both sides of the aisle; Rep. Joseph Cao,(LA), a new Republican Representative who represents New Orleans; Rep. Travis Childers, a new Democratic Representative from Mississippi.

Grassroots speakers that evening will also include Mayor Helenor Bell of Hayneville, Alabama, who has a success story to tell about a DRA mobile health care unit that was of great assistance to her community; Desha County Judge Mark McElroy; and Mayor Brad Cole of Carbondale, Illinois.

Speakers include Sen. Blanche Lincoln (AR), who is from Helena-West Helena in the heart of the Delta and is a member of the powerful Finance Committee; Sen. Mark Pryor (AR), who is rising in clout on Capitol Hill and a member of the Appropriations Committee, Sen. Thad Cochran (LA), a very distinguished Republican who is admired on both sides of the aisle and is senior ranking member of the Appropriations Committee, Sen. Mary Landrieu (LA), another member of the Appropriations Committee and a leader in the effort to reform FEMA after Hurricane Katrina;, and Rep. Artur Davis (AL), an eloquent Harvard Law graduate from Alabama who was an early and staunch supporter of President Obama.

We are glad to have Chris Masingill, key aide to Gov. Mike Beebe of Arkansas on economic stimulus implementation and other key issues and DRA Alternate for the state of Arkansas; Dr. Tim Todd, Dean of the Business School of Murray State University in western Kentucky, who works on a wide range of innovations including greater use of renewable energy and expanded broadband access; Bill Triplett, senior adviser to the Delta Regional Authority; Dr. Bob Dansby, president of the Eugenics Corp., which works on broadband access and telemedicine; and Alan Branson, Chief Operating Officer of Enterprise Corporation of the Delta/Hope Community Credit Union, one of the most dynamic nonprofit foundations operating across Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana. Mr. Branson will cover a number of issues, including the New Markets Tax Credit.

Moderator for the “big picture” economic development panel that starts out the Senate session on Wednesday morning, Sept. 16 is Johnnie Bolin of Crossett in southeast Arkansas, executive director of the Arkansas Good Roads Transportation Council and one of the leading transportation experts in the Delta.

We are honored to have President Glenn Poshard, Southern Illinois University, who is a former Member of Congress and a friend of President Obama; Rev. Dwight Webster, distinguished scholar and pastor of Christian Unity Baptist Church in New Orleans, with many parishioners from the Ninth Ward, Gentilly and other areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina–Rev. Webster is himself a Katrina victim and survivor and is just now getting back into his home that was flooded by Katrina.

For the USDA session, we have summarized all of that information above. Again, we will have several Obama administration officials from USDA and other departments, and we look forward to having our first public dialogue with the new administration as a regional group. We certainly have many supporters of President Obama in our coalition, but we need to place constructive pressure on them to get the Delta region higher on their radar screen.

Please keep in mind that the Wednesday afternoon session is with Obama administration officials and is very important, so schedule a flight that evening that will enable you to stay for that session until 4:15 p.m.

We also have a group of rooms available for Wednesday, Sept. 16, for those who plan to stay over and do some additional advocacy work on Capitol Hill or the administration on Thursday morning, Sept. 17.

Many people have felt the Radisson at Reagan Airport is a convenient location because it is near the airport and is a fairly short taxi ride away from Capitol Hill. For those not familiar with Washington, DC hotel costs, the rate cited above is much lower than most that are close to Capitol Hill.

GROUPS OF TAXI CABS TO GO TO MEETINGS:

We will go over to the meetings from the hotel in groups of taxis as we have in previous years. This substantially reduces your cab fare if you go in groups of three or four and is the fastest way to get around in DC.

If you prefer to stay at another hotel, that is perfectly fine. There are no meetings at the group hotel.

7. SPONSORS

LEAD SPONSOR—

Nucor Yamato Steel and Nucor Steel of Arkansas, Blytheville, Arkansas

MAJOR COSPONSORS:

ECD/Hope (headquarters in Jackson, Mississippi, but active across Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi)

Entergy Corporation

Housing Assistance Council, Washington, DC

Inspire Hope Institute (Chair, Laymon Jones)

Mississippi County Equal Opportunity Commission (Blytheville, Arkansas)

McGehee Industrial Foundation, McGehee, Arkansas

Shawnee Community College, southern Illinois

SPONSORS

Foundation for the Mid South (based in Jackson, Mississippi but active throughout Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi)

Desha County Judge Mark McElroy

City of Carbondale, Illinois

Edgenics Corp., a national company led by Dr. Bob Dansby that is active in expanding broadband access in the Delta

Dumas, Arkansas Chamber of Commerce

Heifer International

G.A. Wildman of Alabama

Susanna Wesley Family Learning Center, East Prairie, Missouri

Southern Illinois Delta Empowerment Zone

TRAVEL AGENCY–Travel Consultants International, Becky Hawkins, Blytheville, Arkansas, 1-800-764-7660:

Most people make their own travel plans, but if you need a travel agent, we highly recommend Travel Consultants International, an excellent agency based in Blytheville, Arkansas, led by Becky Hawkins. Phone is 1-800-764-7660 and her email is becky@travelconsultantsintl.com. If you do not want to stay at the group hotel and would like to look for another hotel for whatever reason, Becky Hawkins and staff can help you with that. They are also good at finding cheaper airfares for people. Based on previous experience we know Becky Hawkins and Travel Consultants International do a great job.

Thanks very much. Lee Powell, director, MDGC (202) 360-6347