Rep. Clyburn, AARP's Novelli Honored at Joint Center Annual Dinner

Event Sets New Fundraising Record for the Organization 


WASHINGTON, April 10  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Honorable James E. Clyburn (D-SC), the Majority Whip of the House of Representatives, was honored Tuesday night with the Louis E. Martin Great American Award by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a policy and research organization that focuses on the concerns of African Americans and other people of color.

The organization also presented its first Partnership Award to William D. Novelli, CEO of AARP, who was honored for his organization's collaborative work with the Joint Center in surveying and analyzing the opinions of African American voters.

Clyburn was recognized for his lifelong dedication to racial justice, his efforts to bridge racial and ethnic divides, and his steady commitment to improving social and economic conditions for people of color.  The award is named for the distinguished black journalist, presidential advisor and principal founder of the Joint Center.  Previous recipients have included Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, as well as House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-NY) and former World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali.

In accepting the award, Clyburn called on his colleagues in Congress and the next presidential administration to launch a sustained effort to improve educational and employment opportunities for young Americans, particularly those living in economically distressed areas.  "I am determined that we will not be the first generation of Americans to leave their children with fewer opportunities than we had," he said.

Novelli accepted his award with a pledge to continue his efforts to further diversity AARP's membership ranks, while touting the value of his organization's collaboration with the Joint Center.

"Americans fear that their children's generation will end up worse off than they are," he said.  "If that happens, it would be the first time in American history...a big step backwards. We can't let it happen.  And that's why our partnership with the Joint Center is so important - it plays a critical role in helping our nation's leaders understand how key issues impact the African American community."

The event, hosted by the Joint Center each year for more than a quarter-century, brought in the highest fundraising total of any Annual Dinner in the organization's history.

"We are delighted to see this level of support.  It is a clear signal that America is ready to confront the difficult social and economic challenges that face our nation and our communities, and they want strong policy institutions to step up and focus on solutions," said Ralph B. Everett, the Joint Center's President and CEO.  "We accept and embrace our responsibility to increase the Joint Center's innovation and effectiveness in putting the concerns of communities of color and solutions to their problems at the very top of the nation's policy agenda."

Everett pledged to focus the Joint Center's work on improving the prospects of young people of color, whom he described as "a generation at the crossroads."

More than two dozen members of the Congressional Black Caucus turned out to show their support of the honorees and the Joint Center.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is one of the nation's premier research and public policy institutions and the only one whose work focuses primarily on  issues of particular concern to African Americans and other people of color.

For more information about the Joint Center, visit its Web site at http://www.jointcenter.org/. 

Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies