Congressman Rush hosts ‘Coffee and Conversation’

Congressman Bobby Rush (pictured) hosted a Coffee and Conversation event on Feb. 21, where he discussed economic development and workforce development. Photo courtesy of Congressman Bobby Rush
Congressman Bobby Rush (pictured) hosted a Coffee and Conversation event on Feb. 21, where he discussed economic development and workforce development. Photo courtesy of Congressman Bobby Rush

BY TIA CAROL JONES

Congressman Rush hosts ‘Coffee and Conversation’

Congressman Bobby Rush hosted a “Coffee and Conversation” event on Friday, Feb. 21, at Pearl’s Place, 3901 S. Michigan Ave. During the event, Rush talked about economic development, workforce development, campaign challengers and his support of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Rush talked about the need for more jobs and training for African Americans when it comes to the Green economy and energy sectors.

“We’ll be rallying and we’ll be marching and thinking about climate change and somebody else will get all the contracts and the jobs,” he said. “I’m determined to make sure African Americans get a fair share,” he said.

Rush has introduced a bill called the Blue and Green Economy Jobs Program. “My bill costs $65 million to train African Americans to prepare them to work in the energy sector for these jobs,” he said. “To train at HBCUs, community organizations and other institutions, to train young people and out of work older people for these jobs in [the] energy sector.”

Rush said he has introduced a lot of bills during his time in office, and most of them have become law. And, that is something he is very proud of.

Rush also talked about the opening of the Chatham Workforce and Education Center, which is set to open in March. It will be named for Dr. Betty Howard, a public school teacher who was hit by a stray bullet and killed.

“That moved me and I organized and called a meeting. We had a lot of dignitaries there, the Mayor and the Governor were there,” Rush said. “Out of that meeting on 79th Street, I got a commitment from Michael Sacks and others in this city and this county that they would open up a workforce training center.”

Rush talked about challengers to his seat, one of whom is a Bernie Sanders supporter, Robert Emmons, Jr. And, how some of what he calls the “liberal elite” are challenging himself and other Congressional Black Caucus members.

“Across this country, here in Chicago, I know Danny is being challenged, I think Robin is, Lipinski is, I am being challenged,” he said. Why are they challenging us, it’s because we have seniority, they say we’ve been in there too long.”

Rush said when he first got in Congress, he didn’t like seniority. “I didn’t have it. Now, I understand what seniority is, how it looks, how it feels,” he said. “Now that I’ve got some seniority, it’s really, really nice.”

Rush also talked about why he endorsed Mike Bloomberg as President.

“That man, he added insult to injury. The injury was this whole position on stop and frisk. He didn’t start it, he expanded it, then he ended it and now he’s sorry for it. I told him the other day, it was bad enough that you had this program. Stop and frisk was bad enough, but you added insult to injury because you were so overzealous in the way you described it,” he said.

Rush said he told Bloomberg that he would have to apologize, beg for forgiveness and atone for it. Rush added that, when he heard about Bloomberg’s Greenwood Initiative, it got his attention. With this initiative, Bloomberg set a goal of 1 million Black homeowners and 100,000 new Black-owned businesses, as well as an investment of $70 million in the Black community. “That nailed it for me,” Rush said. “The economics of the black community is what I centered on, the economic survival of our community.”

Rush said at the end of the day, he is focused on wealth creation in the African American community. “How do we create more Black-owned businesses, how do we create more Black jobs,” he said. “How do we get involved in a robust economy in our community and reverse some of those wrongs, and some of those things that have hampered us.”

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