Washington, DC — On Friday, November 5, 2004, Africare will salute bipartisan Congressional engagement with Africa by honoring two of Africa's most dedicated, accomplished advocates on Capitol Hill. Jointly, Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-Indiana) and Congressman Donald M. Payne (D-New Jersey) will receive Africare's 2004 Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award.
Senator Lugar was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1976 and has served consecutive terms ever since. At present, among other positions, he is the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations. Africare will honor Senator Lugar for his numerous contributions to Africa and to world peace, including his leadership role in securing passage of the Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986, his authorship of the original African Growth and Opportunity Act, and his promotion of the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction program to safeguard or dismantle nuclear weapons worldwide.
Congressman Payne was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, from New Jersey's 10th Congressional District, in 1988. In 2002, he was re-elected to his eighth consecutive term. A member of the House Committee on International Relations, he is also the Ranking Minority Member of the Subcommittee on Africa. Africare will honor Congressman Payne's work for human rights and democracy in many African nations; for his leadership in securing humanitarian assistance to, and working for peace in, Liberia, Somalia, and Rwanda; and for the key role he played in the passage of the Sudan Peace Act; among other accomplishments.
The National Chair of this year's Bishop Walker Dinner is David J. O'Reilly, Chairman and CEO, ChevronTexaco Corporation. Serving as General Chairs for the event are Harold E. Doley, Jr., Founder, President, and CEO, Doley Securities, Inc.; and the Hon. Walter H. Kansteiner, III, Principal, The Scowcroft Group. Lending their names as Honorary Patrons are former Presidents George H.W. Bush and William J. Clinton, as well as the Chairmen of Africa's major regional organizations: the African Union (President Obasanjo), SADC (President Berenger), CEMAC (President Bongo), ECOWAS (President Kufuor), and COMESA (President Museveni).
The Africare Bishop John T. Walker Memorial Dinner was first held in October 1990, in memory of Africare's late chairman of the board, Bishop John T. Walker, who died in 1989. Bishop Walker, the first African-American Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C., was well known in the United States and in many other parts of the world as an exemplar of peace, justice, and interracial harmony.
The Africare Bishop Walker Dinner has grown to become a top multicultural event as well as the largest annual benefit in the United States for Africa. Annual Africare Dinner attendance exceeds 2,000, and includes corporate, government, national, and international leaders, as well as individuals and groups who come because they care about Africa and want to lend whatever support they can. Event proceeds benefit the work of Africare.
For more information about the Africare Bishop Walker Dinner, or to purchase tickets or tables, please visit: www.africare.org.
Africare is a leader in aid to Africa as well as the oldest and largest African-American organization specializing in African aid. Over its 34-year history, Africare has delivered more than $450 million in assistance - representing over 2,000 projects and millions of beneficiaries - to 35 countries Africa-wide. Today, Africare's 150-plus programs reach families and communities in 25 nations in every region of Sub-Saharan Africa.
