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.

Agenda for May 17-18 Economic Equality Caucus in Washington, DC

Posted on May 05, 2017 at 01:06 PM

We are sending out a draft of the agenda for the May 17-18 Economic Equality Caucus on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. We will have Members of Congress from both parties, national policy organizations, and grassroots advocates from across the country.

Please note that Members of Congress and other speakers with hectic, unpredictable schedules frequently have to make last-minute changes, so there may have to be last minute adjustments in the schedule.

Have your voices heard, regardless of what your point of view is: We will have a wide range of points of view represented at this conference.

If you are disturbed about President Trump’s proposals to cut vital programs for job creation, USDA, health care, education, and other major initiatives, then come to Capitol Hill and have your voices heard. We will also hear from speakers who are supportive of the Trump administration, and we want to have a dialogue with them all regardless of their points of view.

At this conference we are paying tribute to the memory of the late Sam Scruggs, Executive Director of the great nonprofit, Mississippi County Arkansas Economic Opportunity Commission in northeast Arkansas, who passed away early in 2017 after a lifetime of distinguished leadership for the community and economic progress of the Greater Delta Region

Broad scope encompassing most of the major regions across the country: At this conference we will hear from representatives of major regions across the country, especially from populations and regions threatened either by current economic conditions or by proposed budget cuts from the Trump administration, including the Southwest, Appalachia, Greater Delta region, parts of the Midwest, Native Americans, and the Washington, DC/Virginia/Maryland region that is particularly threatened by the administration’s budget proposals.

Special concerns for the Virginia/DC/MD region by the proposed Trump administration budget cuts: The Virginia/Washington, DC/Maryland region is currently much more prosperous than the other regions cited, but the Trump budget is especially disturbing for this region, because the vital cuts to safety net programs are compounded by huge federal government job layoffs that would disproportionately harm this region, by the threat to eliminate federal funds for the Chesapeake Bay restoration program, and the highly diverse population in this region creates concerns from the Trump administration policies regarding civil rights/diversity.

We want to examine these controversial budget proposals in a thoughtful, factual way.

We would encourage President Trump and Congress to follow through on their promises for a major investment program in transportation, housing, broadband and other infrastructure, which is sorely needed. If they follow through regarding infrastructure, our partners will strongly support them, provided that it is a real infrastructure program and not just more rhetoric.

Economic Equality Caucus Conference “Jobs, Health Care, Infrastructure, Diversity” May 17-18, 2017, Washington, DC

OPENING SESSION, US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES RAYBURN BUILDING ROOM 2060, WEDNESDAY MAY 17, 2017, 4:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

MODERATORS–Lee Powell, Economic Equality Caucus Co-Chair and Director of the Delta Grassroots Caucus, Washington, DC region; and Millie Atkins, Economic Equality Caucus Co-Chair and community leader from Monroe, Louisiana

4:45 p.m. –Randy Henderson, Nucor Yamato Steel and Nucor Steel of Arkansas, Blytheville Arkansas

5 P.M. TO 5:15 P.M.–Ilene Jacobs, Director of Litigation, Advocacy & Training, California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (state-wide organization in California)

W. Ron Allen, Chairman of Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe in Washington state, National Treasurer, National Congress of American Indians (the largest Native American organization in the USA)

AT 5:15 P.M.–CONGRESSMAN DON BEYER OF VIRGINIA

Giev Kashkooli, United Farm Workers; national official based in Washington, DC; Organization for farm workers across the country–this is the organization founded by Cesar Chavez

Katrin Sirje Kark, Program Officer, Rural Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC); focusing on LISC’s work in Appalachia

Stephen Sugg, National Housing Assistance Council’s Government Relations Manager; a major national organization active in the Southwest Border, Delta, Midwest, Appalachia and other regions

Cornel Martin, CEO, Delta Queen Steamboat Company, New Orleans (promoting bill to allow Delta Queen to travel the Mississippi River and its tributaries once again

CONGRESSMAN RICK CRAWFORD OF ARKANSAS SCHEDULED TO SPEAK AT 6 P.M.

Introduction of Rep. Crawford by Harvey Joe Sanner, President, American Agriculture Movement of Arkansas, Des Arc, Arkansas, and senior Delta Caucus agriculture policy adviser.

Alan Gumbel, President, Gumbel & Associates, Memphis, Tennessee, workforce development consultant; long-time Delta grassroots leader including work with Lower Mississippi Delta Development Commission 1988-90, the Clinton administration Delta Regional Initiative; and the Delta Grassroots Caucus

Warwick Sabin, Senior Director, US Programs of Winrock International, national nonprofit; Mr. Sabin is a state Representative in Arkansas

THURSDAY MORNING SENATE SESSION, MAY 18, 8:30 A.M. TO 10;30 A.M. SENATE RUSSELL BUILDING CAUCUS ROOM 385

“Hunger, Nutrition, Rural Development Infrastructure and USDA Programs”

Jensyn Hallett, Heifer International US Domestic Programs in Arkansas and Appalachia

Patty Barker, Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance

Shannon Maynard, Executive Director, Congressional Hunger Center, bipartisan Congressional office devoted to developing hunger and nutrition policy experts and advocacy on nutrition issues

Duke Storen, Senior Director of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry Campaign

Natalie Jayroe, CEO, Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, Louisiana

SEN. JOHN BOOZMAN OF ARKANSAS, CO-CHAIR OF THE US SENATE HUNGER CAUCUS SPEAKS AT 9:30 A.M.

SEN. ROGER WICKER OF MISSISSIPPI, 9:45 A.M.

Michael Wilson, Director of Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) Maryland organization, Maryland Hunger Solutions, Baltimore Maryland

CLOSING AND MAIN SESSION–THURSDAY LUNCH AND EARLY AFTERNOON, MAY 18, LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE REFORMATION NEAR US SUPREME COURT, 11:30 A.M. TO 2:30 P.M.

“The Trump Budget Cuts and Their Impact Nationally as Well as on the Virginia/DC/Maryland Region”

BEGIN AT 11:30 A.M.–Kimberly Adams, teacher and former President, Fairfax Virginia Education Association, Democratic Candidate for Congress, 10th District of Virginia

Kevin Hickerson, Virginia Education Association, President, Fairfax Education Association

NOON to 12:20–Joel Berg, CEO, Hunger Free America–national foundation based in New York, former Clinton administration Presidential appointee, nationally recognized economic equality expert

12:20 to 12:40-(INVITED) Sen. Jennifer Wexton, D-Virginia; Candidate for 10th Congressional District in Virginia

(ALSO INVITED) Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (R-VA)

12:40 to 12:50–Sen. Barbara Favola, Virginia state senator from Arlington, northern Virginia

12:50 to 1 p.m. Walter Tejada, President, Virginia Latino Leaders Council

CONGRESSMAN JAMES CLYBURN OF SOUTH CAROLINA, THIRD RANKING NATIONAL LEADER IN THE HOUSE, IS SCHEDULED FOR 1 P.M.

1:20 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., Jennifer Allen, CEO, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia

1:30 to 1:40 p.m.–Mike Town, Executive Director, Virginia League of Conservation Voters

1:40 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.– Edsel Brown, Maryland NAACP Economic Development Chairman

1:50 p.m. to 2:10 p.m.–. Michael Curtin, CEO, DC Central Kitchen, nationally recognized nonprofit based in Washington, DC

2:20 to 2:30 p.m.– Lisa Oelfke, health care expert with the state of Maryland with direct experience implementing the Affordabe Care Act

2:30 p.m. to 2:40 p.m.–Nicole Brown, CEO, Carter Enterprise Solutions, Maryland minority businesswoman, addressing Trump administration’s proposed cuts to programs providing incentives for minority small business

Closing remarks–Rodney Fisher, Education policy expert, Alexandria, Virginia, former aide to US Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and four Commissioners of Education in Texas

**Sponsors for the Economic Equality Caucus Conference May 17-18, 2017, Washington, DC**

Tribute to the late, great Sam Scruggs

At this conference we are paying tribute to the memory of the late Sam Scruggs, Executive Director of the great nonprofit, Mississippi County Arkansas Economic Opportunity Commission in northeast Arkansas, who passed away early in 2017 after a lifetime of distinguished leadership for the community and economic progress of the Greater Delta Region

Lead Sponsor

Nucor Yamato Steel and Nucor Steel of Arkansas

Major Co-Sponsors

Heifer International

Mississippi County AR Economic Opportunity Commission, Blytheville, Arkansas

Sponsors

Kay Goss, author, educator, Associate Director of FEMA for President Clinton, Emergency Manager

Sikeston, Missouri, Regional Chamber of Commerce

Wilson Golden, Board Member of the Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation at the University of Mississippi, Presidential appointee in the Clinton administration, now based in Georgia

American Agriculture Movement of Arkansas

First State Bank & Trust, Caruthersville, Missouri

Writing Our World Publishing, LLC

Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Arkansas

EEC Grassroots Partners

Last but not least, we would like to thank the literally hundreds of grassroots partners across the country for their many contributions of registration fees, annual membership dues or other voluntary donations in the amounts of $100, $75, $50 and $25. As a grassroots private sector coalition, we need to have a diversified financial base with large numbers of small contributions, and we could not do our work without these very numerous contributions.