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 Shut Down the Black Caucus Foundation
by Tom Campbell
July 12, 2007
If the board or membership of the N.C. Legislative Black Caucus Foundation wants to show they stand for clean government they will shut down this conceptually and operationally flawed organization.
Looking from the worst perspective you could call the Foundation a slush fund from which African American legislators solicit and dole out money. Both the receiving and disbursement ends of this organization present problems.
The Black Caucus solicits corporations, lobbyists, political action committees and individuals for contributions to their non-profit foundation. Most, if not all the prospective donors, have interests or dealings with the legislature and there is the subtle implication of influence peddling. The mere potential for ethical conflicts is reason enough to shut down the Foundation. If there are no such ethical conflicts, why won’t the Black Caucus provide transparency by revealing their lists of their donors and itemized expenses for the organization?
We were led to believe that the primary purpose for this Foundation is to award scholarships to students at historically black universities in our state. We know of the self-dealing that allowed family members of legislators to receive scholarships. Statements that many see nothing wrong with such a practice are troubling. However, the truth is that more money has been spent sending members to conferences than in providing scholarships. This is where the true concerns of personal benefit should be focused. Members are using these donations to pay for trips for themselves.
We could never justify having a N.C. Legislative White Caucus Foundation that raised funds and doled them out only to white legislators or white people. It would be racial discrimination and wrong. How, then, can a group that has advocated so effectively to end discrimination, exclusion, and prejudice participate in just such a practice? There is no justification for anything that condones or allows racial discrimination.
Further damage was done when the head of this Foundation implied that questions about the Foundation’s operations are racially motivated. Playing the race card is little more than a smokescreen to divert attention from deeper problems and is inexcusable.
In an era when the ethics of legislators are under the microscope, the possible conflicts within this Foundation are sufficient to demand action. The proper course is to cease further fund raising. Existing fund balances should either be returned to donors or scholarships be awarded to non-family recipients of all races until all funds have been expended. Then the Foundation should be shut down.
The people of North Carolina are waiting for the Black Caucus to take their stand. |
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