John Conyers

On Sunday, April 20, Congressman John Conyers came to our little town of Monroe to speak in support of Senator Barack Obama. We gathered at Janet's Corner Cafe where owners Janet and Grayson Graig were kind enough to welcome the 55-60 Obama supporters who came to hear the Congressman speak.

The event was organized by Diane Little, GOTV chair for the Union County Democratic Party, her husband Lee Little who is the chair of the African American Caucus in Union County and Ernest E. Walker, 2nd Vice Chair of the Union County Democratic Party. There may have been others involved in organizing this event. I apologize if I've excluded anyone and will add names later so the proper people get credit. The event ran on time, was very organized and allowed for time with the Congressman before he had to leave.

John Conyers is one of the Congressman who immediately took advantage of the new Democratic majority in Congress when he signaled his willingness to subpoena Karl Rove and Harriet Miers. Despite all his faults and foibles, he's still one of my heroes and I got a chance to tell him as much on Sunday. His lip quivered and he looked at me and said, "Oh, don't make me cry." This is a man who has been walking the halls of congress for 42 years. He was there before it was commonplace to see African Americans holding elected office. I imagine he has stories to tell.