NAACP head calls for new Cuba, Haiti policies at Miami Beach conference

[Judi Lynn]

NAACP head calls for new Cuba, Haiti policies at Miami Beach conference

By Jaime Hernandez
Staff Writer
Posted July 13 2003

MIAMI BEACH -- The United States should work harder to improve relations with Cuba and streamline its immigration policy to allow Haitians to migrate to America, NAACP President and CEO Kweisi Mfume said Saturday.

He also criticized President Bush for visiting Africa when, Mfume says, the White House has refused repeated requests for meetings with leaders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

"I think it's a little ironic that the president would go to Africa to meet with black leaders, but he won't meet with black leaders here in the United States," Mfume said to cheers from supporters at the Miami Beach Convention Center, the site of this year's convention.

The 94th conference began Saturday and is scheduled to run through Thursday. During the six days, NAACP members will discuss a wide range of issues, including immigration, commerce, education and politics. Special guests expected to speak during the event include Medgar Evers' widow, Myrlie Evers, and Rachel Robinson, the widow of baseball great Jackie Robinson.

On Monday, Democratic presidential candidates former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, U.S. Sens. Bob Graham of Florida, John Kerry of Massachusetts, former U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois and the Rev. Al Sharpton will take part in a forum. (snip/...)

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-cnaacp13jul13,0,2825243.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines

This may hack off certain rightwingnuts in the Miami Cuban "exile" community, but, as the _pResident would say, "¿Who cares?"

[lkinsale]

1. Graham: "I Call On The President to End This Mistreatment"

Graham--"I Call On The President to End This Mistreatment"

October 30, 2002


WASHINGTON - Senator Bob Graham, D-Florida, today issued the following statement on the detention of some 200 Haitian refugees who arrived at Virginia Key on Tuesday:

For many months, I have been urging the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Bush administration to treat Haitians who have sought refuge in the United States in the same manner they would be treated had they come from any other country."

We dishonor our national standard and tradition of equal treatment of all people under the current policy."

?hereas other refugees are paroled into the community while their cases are being reviewed, Haitians - and Haitians alone - have been imprisoned at Krome or county jails simply because of their country of origin."

I call upon the President and those responsible to him to end this gross discrimination and mistreatment of Haitians, and to offer them the humane consideration that the United States of America extends to refugees from any other country.