174'1 R Stree t. \W Board of Directors F.arl Graves Ernest Loft on Washin gto n. DC 20009 Donna Brown Guillaum e William Lucv The Honorable Richard Hatcher Dr. Dorothv Height Dr. LesLie-Burl Mclemore Cbainnan TR~N~~FRI~~ 202':"9- 250 I Dr. Svlvia Hill Dr. Pearl Robinson Bishop John Adarns Karimu Johnson Th e Honorable Edolph us Townes 2 0 2 -<P.2.~8 2 f rLr WilLi e Baker Dr. Willard Johnson Dr. James Turner Dr. Marv Frances Berrv Quincy Jones Rev. Wvatt Walker Dr. William fl. Cosbv · James A. Joseph The Honorable Maxine Waters Coun!an d Cox · Edward Lewis Butch Lewis Randall Robin son Dr. James Davis Executive Director l\1EMORANDUM DATE: March 20, 1995 TO: Members of the TransAfrica Board FROM: Randall Robinson RE: Update on Current and Upcoming Events This notice is to inform you of current and upcoming events and to solicit your support and participation in certain of these activities . 1. TransAfrica Forum Dinner -- Thursday, June 1, 1995: This year we have engaged the services of Yolanda Caraway, an events planner, to help us to improve the dinner both with regard to revenues and program. She is assembling a dinner committee that will be chaired by David Dinkins and consist of Vice Chairs (offering contributions of $15,000), Benefactors ($10,000) and Sponsors ($5 ,000). Regular ticket prices this year are $250 per individual ticket and $2500 per table . Our goal is to net $400,000 by building a pyramid of contributors at various levels. As always, we would like each board member to take responsibility for assembling at least one dinner table at $2500 and to participate at higher levels if at all possible. The Conference activities will take place on Wednesday, May 31. Detailed schedule of activities to follow. ***** Please note that the dinner will be held on a week night -- Thursday -- this year in order to increase corporate participation. 2. Board Meeting -- Friday, June 2, 1995: The Boards of Directors will meet this year on Friday, June 2 rather than Sunday due to the change in day of the Dinner event. Each board will meet separately ; however, there will be an overlapping of the meetings so that issues of concern to both boards can be addressed and discussed. Detailed information about the board meetings will follow shortly. 3. Board Elections: We have reviewed the board election process with Sylvia Hill and will be sending out letters in the next few days informing board members of their term dates , soliciting nominations for the board and electing board members. · ·~· 4. Strategic Planning Study: We have recently received the completed study by Renee Yates of World Trade Associates that was made possible by a grant from the Ford Foundation. As we consider how to transform TransAfrica Forum into a premier think tank institution, we have had to reexamine issues such as organizational structure, strict separation of the Forum from TransAfrica, Inc., and institutional policies and procedures. The report lists recommendations that TransAfrica Forum (and possibly TransAfrica, Inc.) should consider in order to establish a credible and respected think tank institution. The report will be shared with you along with our preliminary response submitted to the Ford Foundation. We will need to review the study's recommendations at the June Board meetings. The report will be sent to you in the next few weeks. 5. Nigeria Campaign -- Beginning March 1995: We are launching a campaign calling for ti.e i·estorai:ion of democracy in Higeria that started off with a newspaper article in the Washington Post (see attached) and a press conference today, March 16. The campaign will continue with newspaper advertisements (also attached) similar to the one placed in the New York Times last year on Haiti, demonstrations and possibly civil disobedience. mmills\memo\memo.nig TIJESDA Y, MAROI 14, 1995 Ait I U.S. policy and the U.S. military inter­ American blacks and their Africans. Blacli Americans vention in September that restored But generally, those efforts have been President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. overshadowed by the all-consuming TransAfrica's new campaign does focus of black organizations on domes­ To Press Nigeria not appear designed to confront Clin­ tic policy issues. ton administration policy toward Nige­ Lowery, who has a long history in ria. The administration strongly disap­ the civil rights movement, said that in For Democracy proves of Nigeria's government but recent years there has been "a broad­ pursues a policy of "engagement" in ening . and extension of this involve­ By Kevin Merida hope of effecting change there. ment" in foreign affairs, especially as Washmgton Post SWf Writer In a letter dated yesterday to Nige­ more black Americans travel abroad. An assemblage of prominent Afri­ ria' s head of state, Geo. Sani Abar.ha, Over th•; p:i.st decade, Tn.11sAfrica can Americans is launching a nation­ the TransAfrica group accuses the has cultivated a diverse group of high­ al campaign to pressure Nigeria's government of becoming "an absol~te profile African Americans who can military rulers to restore democracy military dictatorship" under which now be tapped to lend political clout to there-the first time such an influ­ hundreds of the regime's critics have its efforts. The Nigerian government, ential group of American blacks has been detained or killed, labor unions organizers say, is a logical target for aggressively targeted a black Afri­ have been dissolved, elected political opposition. can government, organizers said. leaders removed from office and polit- ''Nigeria should be the bellwether The effort will include newspaper ical activity banned. nation of sub-Saharan Africa;" said ads condemning the military regime The group calls on Abacha to "ex­ Robinson. "It should be a viable de­ and possibly protests at the Nigerian pedite the restoration of democracy" mocracy with a healthy econo­ Embassy in Washington. It is being in Africa's most populous nation or my . .So it is sad to see a ·country led by TransAfrica, a Washington­ risk "the eventual global economic and moving fu a diametrically opposite di­ based lobbying organization for Afri­ political isolation of your regime." rection." can and Caribbean issues. An official at the Nigerian Embassy Abacha grabbed power in a blood­ "We will oppose the Nigerian gov­ . · ·said he had not seen the letter and less coup in November 1993 after the ernment with as much tenacity as would not comment. previous military ruler, Gen. Ibrahim we opposed the [former white) In 1984, TransAfrica led an all-out Babangida, annulled that year's presi­ South African government, with as push to build public sentiment for dential elections. The Abacha regime much tenacity as we opposed the sanctions against the white minority then arrested the apparent winner of military regime in Haiti," said Ran­ government in South Africa. That ef­ the elections, publishing tycoon Mosh­ dall Robinson, TransAfrica's execu­ fort featured public figures routinely ood Abiola. He is still being detained. tive director. "It is not easy to pub­ getting arrested for protesting in The country has been in varying licly criticize black leadership. It is front of the South African Embassy. states of chaos .and instability since, · uncomfortable and disquieting. But Though there has been selective marked by strikes and riots. Yester­ we are left with· no alternative." criticism of repression at the hands of day, one of Nigeria's former military The effort is being backed by a leaders in black African nations such rulers was arrested in connection with cross section of African Anlf~rican as Stltinpi., :i.nd A'1gol<>, Robinson said, ;m alleged r.ovp attempt. politicians, sdrnlars, entertainers, there has never been such an effort by A State Department official said· civil rights leaders and other notable American blacks against a black-run there is "no new news" about U.S. pol­ figures. They include poet Maya An­ African government. "I think it's a icy toward Nigeria. The official de­ gelou, NBC .. Today" show host Bry­ high-water mark in maturity in the clined to comment on whether the ant Gumbel, former presidential can­ black community," he said, "the cour­ Clinton administration would view the didate Jesse L. Jackson, freshman age to call a thing like it is." TransAfrica initiative favorably. Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Okla.), Spelman "I think it would be inconsistent for "We. have remained engaged in dip­ College President Johnetta B. Cole, us to express · contery? ·about· repres­ lomatic efforts with Nigeria, and we former welterweight boxing champi­ sion and tyranny by the white dicta­ have made them aware of our con­ on Sugar Ray Leonard, author Alice tors in South Africa and ignore the cerns," the U.S. official said, noting Walker and Baltimore Mayor Kurt same thing in black Africa," said the that Washington has restricted visas L. Schmoke. The Nigerian campaign, to be an­ Rev. Joseph Lowery, president of the for Nigerian citizens and has cited Ni­ geria as a country that fails to cooper­ nounced at a news conference Thurs­ Southern··Christian · Leadership'. Con­ ate with efforts to control internation­ day, follows other lobbying efforts ference. "Either way, black Afrieans al narcotics trafficking. that have elevated the influence of suffer." Nigeria is Africa's largest oil pro­ TransAfrica and broadened the scope Lowery said he was instrumental in getting a forthcoming summit be­ ducer, and the United States is its big- of black participation in foreign affairs. gest customer. · ·· · · Most recently, the organization was tween black African and American Robinson said that while . the · cam­ credited with heightening public leaders moved from Lagos, Nigeria's largest city, to another location.