G. K. Butterfield: “Yes. There were more, more like 4, 5,000 people in attendance at the dinner, and it was a great success. I want to thank…”

“Yes. There were more, more like 4, 5,000 people in attendance at the dinner, and it was a great success. I want to thank all of those persons who had a hand in making the week the success that it was, particularly Dr. Elsie Scott and the staff of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. You know, Congresswoman, I say in speeches all the time and I will say here on the House floor today, you know, we get credit for a lot of things that we really don't deserve, Members of Congress. We cut the ribbons and take pictures and sit in meetings and engage in unnecessary debate sometimes, but it is the staff that does the heavy lifting and gets the job done. So kudos to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation staff. Let me conclude by saying that since 1868 there has only been 122 African Americans who have served in the United States Congress. That is an actual statistic. Our research shows that 19 African Americans served in the House of Representatives during the Reconstruction. Four of those were from my district that I now represent, which is the northeastern corner of North Carolina. Eight of those were from South Carolina, which is the district that my good friend, the majority whip of this House, Congressman Jim Clyburn, represents. But we have only had 122 African Americans to serve in this body. We have come a long way to have 42 African Americans serving in the House and one in the Senate.”