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“TRIBUTE TO HOWARD T. ROBINSON, SR.--FIRST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E36-E37 on Jan. 28, 1998.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO HOWARD T. ROBINSON, SR.--FIRST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE
CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS
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HON. WILLIAM (BILL) CLAY
of missouri
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, January 28, 1998
Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, on November 8, 1997, Howard Theodore Robinson, Sr., the first Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus, lost his life in a car accident. His death was a great tragedy for the African-American community. He touched so many lives and was a key participant in the socioeconomic movement of minorities.
I vividly remember the day I was introduced to Howard during a congressional trip to the Far East. At that time, Howard was labor attache' for the American embassy in Tokyo. Congressman Gus Hawkins and I met with him. We were so impressed with Howard that we recommended to our colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus that he be hired as the organization's first executive director. Our instincts proved to be correct. He was a great administrator. The CBC is the powerful organization that is today in part because of Howard's contributions.
Howard worked tirelessly to advance the causes of minorities, particularly African-Americans, and made great sacrifices on their behalf. When he accepted the position of CBC Executive Director, he left a prestigious position at the State Department. But, he was on a greater mission. In his letter of acceptance he stated that he was taking the job ``with the full recognition that the Caucus may not, at this time, be in a position to match my current salary. But, because I believe that the purposes and objectives outlined by the Caucus are basic to the future of all Americans, I am willing to abandon my position as a senior Foreign Service office, in order to dedicate the next years of my life to the objectives that you in the Caucus have set out to achieve.''
In addition to his foreign service career, which included U.S. Consulate to the French West Indies and Advisor to the U.S. Delegation to the International Labor Organization Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Howard Robinson had a distinguished career in radio. In 1991, he became the host of ``The Creative Entrepreneur'', a talk show about small businesses. Later on, he hosted a second show called
``Dynamics of Public Policy'', a show about policy in southern New Jersey. The title of the second show was changed to ``In The Public Interests'' when Howard left New Jersey and went solo. The shows were expansions of Howard's efforts to help minority communities. They both proved to be key informational sources in their respective communities and helped many to empower themselves economically and politically.
Howard's sacrifices and contributions will not be forgotten. His work touched people who will always remember how Howard helped them to envision and live up to their potential. The name ``Howard T. Robinson, Sr.'' will be indelibly marked on their journey to economic independence.
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