"I commend BIG for your
steadfast efforts to promote the professional, educational, and cultural advancement
of African Americans and to ensure that government works effectively for all
people."
(President William Jefferson Clinton, on the 19th Annual National
Training Conference,
August 8, 1997)
"I have always believed
that public service is honorable and important, and I commend you for helping
to promote equal opportunity in government, as well as all areas of our society.
By encouraging the career development of your members, you have enabled our
entire country to benefit more fully from their talent, energy and ideas.
By striving to promote the educational and economic advancement of Black Americans
in general, you have enabled millions to enjoy greater participation in the
American mainstream."
(President George Bush's greeting to the 13th Annual National
Training Conference, July 26, 1991)
"...there is a relationship
between what you do and what happens to our people. You must understand that
you are in a position to help. You must be willing to struggle, to scratch,
and pull, and swear, and bleed in order to make sure the agencies are sensitive
to African Americans, minorities, and women throughout the country."
(Reverend Emanuel Cleaver, Mayor of Kansas City, MO; addressing
the opening plenary session at the 12th Annual National Training Conference
in Kansas City, August 23, 1990)
"Your theme: "Empowerment:
A Strategy for the 90's," is a powerful expression of the aspiration of African
Americans for economic and political advancement. Only through a continuing
public dialogue fueled by conferences such as this can effective strategies
be devised to achieve this objective."
(Congressman Kweisi Mfume (D.-MD) on the 13th Annual National
Training Conference, July 26, 1991)
"We've come a long way,
but we've got a long way to go. Organizations like BIG must continue to confront
the American people with the real issues facing the nation... education, human
services, housing, civil rights... these are the critical issues of our time
and we must translate them into a national agenda that the nation can rally
behind."
(Mayor Norman Rice, Mayor of Seattle, WA, addressing the closing
session of BIG's 12th Annual National Training Conference, August 25, 1990)
"You can be proud of
your role in offering education and training programs for government workers
at Federal, State and local levels. In your dozen years of operation, you've
assisted many employees as they've sought to reach their potential. You've
also benefited the entire public as well, because your efforts have helped
bring about more efficient government. Your vision and hard work are tributes
to each of you and good news for all of us."
(Former President Ronald Reagan greeting the 10th Annual National
Training Conference,
August 21, 1988)
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