(Washington, DC) The Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) will be celebrating Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and his 50 years of service in the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Conyers is the first African-American to serve in Congress for at least 50 years. He is also the longest-serving African-American in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Congress. Only six other individuals have served in Congress longer than Congressman Conyers.
WHO: IPS will be joined by civil rights icon Julian Bond, actor and activist Danny Glover, and members of the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus. Friends and colleagues of Congressman Conyers from all stages of his work in peace and civil and human rights will also be on hand.
WHAT: IPS will honor Congressman Conyers’s service in Congress, during which he has been a leader in IPS’ Economic Rights Bus Tours through poor parts of the country, and a key IPS ally in promoting a tax on Wall Street. Congressman Conyers has also been a key ally in building both the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus, a fervent opponent of the Vietnam War and the Iraq War, and a tireless supporter of Single Pay health care.
WHERE: Eatonville Restaurant: 2121 14th St. NW, Washington, DC 20009>
WHEN: Wednesday, January 7, 2015, 6:00-9:00PM
INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITIES: Congressman John Conyers, Jr., and John Cavanagh, IPS Executive Director.
The six individuals who have served in Congress longer than Rep. Conyers were Democrats: John Dingell (D-MI), Robert Byrd (D-WV), Carl Hayden (D-AZ), Daniel Inouye (D-HI), Jamie L. Whitten (D-MS), and Carl Vinson (D-GA). The longest-serving Republican was Strom Thurmond (R-SC), who served for 47 years. The longest serving woman is Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) at 38 years.
Event co-sponsors include the NAACP, The Sentencing Project, The Nation, Peace Action, National People’s Action, Restaurant Opportunities Center United, Jobs with Justice, Friends of the Earth, Social Security Works, Campaign for America’s Future, US Action, Progressive Democrats of America, Council for a Livable World, Alliance for Justice, Fund for Constitutional Government, ProgressiveCongress.org, Win Without War, Economic Policy Institute, Center for Economic and Policy Research, and Eatonville Restaurant.