Washington, DC — "Unless we do something now there will not be any Africa!" With forceful words on the need for organization and to campaign against HIV/Aids, former Africare head C. Payne Lucas confirmed that, as he put it, "I'm not going to retire; I'm retiring from Africare."
Lucas, who co-founded the development NGO 32 years ago, has been the group's President since its inception. He officially stepped down last month. Africare board member Julius E. Coles, a former USAID official and most recently, Director of the Andrew Young Center for International Affairs at Morehouse College, is the new president.
Lucas is known for an idealistic and intense, but practical and tough concern for Africa. "Out of his passion came a kind of imagination that drew people to the African issues," said Coles in brief remarks to a crowd of 500 gathered at Africare's Washington, DC headquarters to celebrate Lucas' contribution Thursday night.
"He had vision and really set the pace [of work with Africa]," said National Council of Negro Women president, Dorothy Height. Other dignitaries present included former United Nations ambassador Andrew Young, representatives from the African diplomatic corps and members of Congress. "C. Payne said 'You've got to stop romanticizing Africa, because we have work to do, and it's not romantic,'" said New Jersey congressman Donald Payne.
"I don't know why we're here," said Andrew Young. "Nothing much is going to change. He's going to retire like I retired."
Lucas issued an impassioned call to fight against HIV/Aids in Africa. "All the work in Africa to this point will be lost...We can dig all the wells we want, but there won't be anyone to drink the water unless we get on top of this."
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Most of the world's Aids-affected population is in Africa - 28 million. And at the current pace that number may double over the next decade. "Twenty-five thousand people a day!" Lucas said almost angrily. "What the hell would happen if 25,000 people were dying everyday in Germany, or in France?"
"We have to organize ourselves better to help save Africa," Lucas said. "For Africare to talk about being a 30 million dollar organization when there are more than 30 million African Americans in the United States, is ridiculous. There should be 30 or 40 organizations [like this] concerned with Africa."
In addition to a digital camera, Africare also gave Lucas a complete computer system and was urged by the Board of Directors to write a complete history of the organization. He also received two tickets for a trip around the world. "You have not heard the last of C. Payne Lucas," he told the crowd.
