As we approach another year and the National Training Conference, I would just like to quote Congressman Charles B. Rangel, who
was the Opening Plenary speaker at the 28th Annual National Training Conference of Blacks In Government. He said, “You (Blacks In Government) are really the backbone of government.
And I truly believe that being Black means that you’re not superior, but as I told them when I got to the Congress that, ‘I probably will be better than a lot of members of Congress
because I went through all of your schools. But I survived Lennox Avenue.”
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| We are strengthened by what we survive. Working here in the Department of Agriculture, better known as the “Last Plantation”,
has strengthened us. We work as hard if not harder than our counter parts; yet, we get paid less or rated lower and treated worst. We are not understood, often criticized, and
not respected. Yet we are strengthened by our experiences. We maintain our dignity and our culture which is often imitated but never appreciated. You are told that you are “valued”
but you get little or nothing for it. |
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| But through it all, we still manage to keep our heads up and our dreams alive with a smile on our face and happiness in our hearts.
If you don’t know this, God has truly blessed us because no matter how much they try to hold us back, we are still blessed. We need to continue to take care of ourselves,
our family, our community, and then our country. Because if we don’t, I ask who will? BIG is the right place for you so join the USDA George Washington Carver Chapter and become
part of a movement to take care of us. |
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| Finally, Congressman Rangel also said, “That extra load that you have to carry has to make a difference in knowing that you have to
do better, you have to be better trained, you have to have more discipline, you have to be able to compete.” BIG will assist you in achieving these goals. Be a part of something BIG! |