(09-03-2002) Winners are Bono, Powell, Wichitan - The Wichita Eagle

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Posted on Tue, Sep. 03, 2002

Winners are Bono, Powell, Wichitan
BY MARK E. MCCORMICK
The Wichita Eagle

In her annual treks to Congressional Black Caucus meetings, national NAACP conventions and other functions, Wichita lawyer Barbara James has mingled with some of America's most prominent leaders. Later this month, she'll be recognized as one of them. James will receive one of Constituency for Africa's service awards, along with Secretary of State Colin Powell and Irish rock star Bono.

"Go figure," James said of the award. "I still cannot believe it. I keep thinking perhaps I misunderstood. It's great news."

Constituency for Africa, an 11-year-old nonprofit organization, presents a series of annual discussions on Africa in conjunction with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference. It bestows awards on advocates for Africa.

Powell will receive the Constituent of the Year award and Bono, the lead singer for the rock group U2, will be honored with the Humanitarian Service Award.

James, referred to on the organization's Web site as a "gadfly for African concerns," won the Grassroots Leadership Award. Among her efforts:

She is the coordinator of the African/African Institute of Constituency Development, created to develop a local constituency for Africa;

She helped monitor the Republic of South Africa's first all-race election;

She helped coordinate relief efforts for Somalia and Rwanda with local churches.

"I've known Barbara for many years," said Melvin Foote, CFA executive director. "We've been overwhelmingly impressed with her spirit."

Foote said that because he works in Washington and has frequent contact with African diplomats, advocates and nationals, his efforts feel natural, expected. But if, like James, he lived in Wichita, where such meetings would be rare, Foote wondered if he'd be as devoted as she.

The awards have tended to go to well-known people or to corporations. But recognizing James' efforts should show community-level activists that they, too, can make a difference, Foote said.

The organization will present these awards and others during the Ronald H. Brown African Affairs Series from Sept. 9 to 17. The series draws an impressive list of participants, including World Bank and United Nations officials.

September will be a busy month for James. A little more than a week after she returns from Washington, she will preside over a town hall meeting she organized to discuss reparations for the descendants of slaves. Assembling a panel of national and regional experts and spreading the word about the meeting has consumed much of her life this year.

That's why the award came as such a surprise, James said.

She'd set out to support an effort only to be rewarded for her own efforts, she said.

"This... was more than I ever could have expected to gain."
 
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