World Policy Council
Encyclopedia
The World Policy Council of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity
is a nonprofit and nonpartisan
think tank
established in 1996 at Howard University
to expand the fraternity's involvement in politics and social and current policy to encompass important global and world issues. They describe their mission as to “address issues of concern to our brotherhood, our communities, our
Nation, and the world.”
Among the Council’s nine Board of Directors are Senator
Edward Brooke
, Ambassador
Horace Dawson
, and Congressmen
Charles Rangel and Ron Dellums
. The Council's directors also include other ambassadors, theologians, presidents of colleges and foundations, and journalists.
The Council communicates its position through white paper
s which are disseminated to policymakers, politicians, scholars, journalist, and fraternity chapters. Since its founding the Council has offered an informed opinion on topics such as the AIDS crisis
, global warming
, Middle East conflict
, Nigerian politics
and Martin Luther King, Jr.
's vision of a World House.
that is the first established by African American
s. Founded on December 4, 1906 on the campus of Cornell University
in Ithaca
, New York
, the fraternity utilizes motifs and artifacts from Ancient Egypt
to represent the organization and preserves its archives at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center
.
The leadership of Alpha Phi Alpha recognized early on the need to correct the educational, economic, political, and social injustices faced by African-Americans and the world community and began its continuing commitment of providing scholarships for needy students and initiating various other charitable and service projects.
Alpha Phi Alpha has provided leadership and service during the Great Depression, World Wars
, Civil Rights Movements, and addresses social issues such as apartheid, AIDS
, urban housing, and other economic, cultural, and political issues affecting people of color
. The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial
is a program of Alpha Phi Alpha and the fraternity jointly leads philanthropic programming initiatives with March of Dimes
, Head Start, Boy Scouts of America
and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
.
Alpha men such as W. E. B. Du Bois, Jesse Owens
, Duke Ellington
, Thurgood Marshall
, Andrew Young
, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
are among the litany of fraternity members who have dedicated their lives to the fraternity's principles of "scholarship, manly deeds, and love for all mankind."
established the World Policy Council (WPC) in 1996 as the analytical body of the fraternity to reflect, engage in dialogue and project what ought to happen in actions that are in-line with the values of Alpha Phi Alpha. The mission of The Alpha Phi Alpha World Policy Council as stated on the fraternity's website
The Council was created with seven board members to research and outline the fraternity’s position on issues and policies deemed to be of national or international import. Milton appointed Brooke as the Council's first Chairman and he currently serves as Chairman Emeritus. The Council's membership increased to nine when General President Harry E. Johnson
's appointed Congressman Ron Dellums
and Cornel West
. Johnson also extended the World Policy Council’s role to include a lecture series on tolerance and a focus on the issue of the HIV
infections and AIDS.
The World Policy Council has studied and issued white papers on the Politics of Nigeria
, War on Terrorism
, and global warming
. The Council garnered international attention in 1999 when it issued a clarion call to Nigeria
to release political prisoners and become a force for good on the African continent. The fifth paper was published in 2006 to coincide with the Centenary of Alpha Phi Alpha and among its five topics examined the impact of Black Greek letter organizations
in American culture and Hurricane Katrina
, the costliest and one of the five deadliest hurricanes
in the history of the United States
.
The Council distributes the white papers to the White House
, Congresses, key national leaders, fraternity chapters, and those whose decisions shape the future. A letter is sent to the office of the President of the United States
providing an informed opinion of individuals and constituents on how the President should act to resolve an issue or policy.
as part of its inaugural Charles H. Wesley
Memorial Scholarship Lecture. The fourth and fifth report were issued in 2002 and 2006 respectively.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an ongoing dispute between the State of Israel
and the Palestinian people
. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is part of the wider Arab-Israeli conflict, which is essentially a dispute between two national identities with claims over the same area of land.
The roots of the conflict can be traced to the late 19th century, when Zionist
Jews expressed their desire to create a modern state in the ancient land
of the Israelites, which they considered to be their rightful homeland. To further that objective, the World Zionist Organization
encouraged immigration and purchase of land, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire
.
According to a 2007 poll of adults in the Gaza Strip
and the West Bank
by the Jerusalem Media & Communication Center, "46.7 per cent of respondents favour a two-state solution
for the Arab-Israeli conflict." In second place came support of a binational state with 26.5%.
The Council's position is,
, and The World House as envisioned by Martin Luther King, Jr.
The Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) is a bilateral development
fund created by the Bush administration whose mission is "to reduce global poverty through the promotion of sustainable economic growth" to some of the poorest countries in the world. The MCA is available to fund specific programs targeted at reducing poverty and stimulating economic growth for eligible countries that meet independent and transparent policy indicators.
The Congress of the United States has consistently provided less funding than the president has requested for this new compact for development with accountability for both rich and poor countries. For Fiscal Year 2008, less funding will be provided than was hoped for, and only 1.2 billion is currently budgeted, and the MCA CEO commented that it would undercut the programs efforts.
The Council's position is,
Extraordinary rendition and irregular rendition are terms used to describe the kidnapping
and extrajudicial transfer of a person from one state to another, and the term torture by proxy is used by some critics to describe situations in which the U.S. has purportedly transferred suspected terrorists to countries known to employ harsh interrogation techniques that may rise to the level of torture. It has been alleged that torture has been employed with the knowledge or acquiescence of the United States, although United States Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice
stated in an April 2006 radio interview that the United States does not transfer people to places where it is known they will be tortured.
The Council's position is,
lecture in 1964 “The World House,” in which he identified three major threats to human survival–racism, poverty/materialism, and war. He stressed the urgency of addressing these problems, warning that it might be humanity's last chance to choose between chaos and community. The World House Project has said "The September 11, 2001 attacks
by terrorist made Dr. King's predictions seem eerily prescient. His vision and agenda may be the key to our survival during the 21st century."
King's vision of a World House calls upon humanity to:
The Council recommends that Alpha Phi Alpha join crusades in this Centenary that are pursuing King's vision and that,
The membership of Alpha Phi Alpha represents the full diversity of policymakers, activists, college presidents, lawyers, businessmen, theologians and other professions among its members. The general president of Alpha Phi Alpha appoints a nonpartisan Board of Directors from this passel of Alpha men to govern the Council. The composition of the Board represents a range of disciplines and approaches to the issues and schema of economic, cultural, political, and policy conditions as they pertain to the social psychology of Black Americans and Africans.
Edward Brooke
, a former Senator and Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts served and the first chairman and currently chairman emeritus. Former Ambassador
Horace Dawson
is the current Chairman. Congressman
Charles B. Rangel
, Dean, New York State Congressional Delegation and founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus
, and former Congressman Ron Dellums
, president and CEO of HealthCare International. Kenton Keith
is a Senior Vice President of Meridian International Center and a former U.S. Ambassador to the State of Qatar. Clathan M. Ross is a Rapporteur
and a retired U.S. Foreign Service
Information Officer.
Henry Ponder
is former President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education and has served as president of Fisk University
, Benedict College
, and Talladega College
, and General President of Alpha Phi Alpha. Bobby William Austin
is Vice President for University Relations and Communications at the University of the District of Columbia
, President of Austin Institute, former President and CEO of Village Foundation, and former Program Director for the Kellogg National Fellowship Program at W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Cornel West
is a current and former professor of religion at Princeton University
and Harvard University
respectively. Vinton Anderson, the 92nd Bishop of African Methodist Episcopal Church
and former president of World Council of Churches.
Former members of the Council include Cornelius Henderson, a United Methodist pastor and bishop, and former president of Gammon Theological Seminary. Clinton Columbus Jones, III served as counsel to the United States House of Representatives
Committee on Banking and Financial Services, and Chuck Stone
is the Walter Spearman Professor of Journalism at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a former White House Correspondent
.
Alpha Phi Alpha
Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ...
is a nonprofit and nonpartisan
Nonpartisan
In political science, nonpartisan denotes an election, event, organization or person in which there is no formally declared association with a political party affiliation....
think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
established in 1996 at Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
to expand the fraternity's involvement in politics and social and current policy to encompass important global and world issues. They describe their mission as to “address issues of concern to our brotherhood, our communities, our
Nation, and the world.”
Among the Council’s nine Board of Directors are Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
Edward Brooke
Edward Brooke
Edward William Brooke, III is an American politician and was elected to the United States Senate as a Republican from Massachusetts in 1966, defeating his Democratic opponent, Endicott Peabody, 60.7%–38.7%...
, Ambassador
United States Ambassador to Botswana
From 1885 until 1966 the area of southern Africa that is now Botswana was part of the Bechuanaland Protectorate of Great Britain.In June 1964, Britain accepted proposals for democratic self-government in Botswana. The seat of government was moved from Mafikeng in South Africa, to newly established...
Horace Dawson
Horace Dawson
Horace Greeley Dawson, Jr. was an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Botswana.-Life:...
, and Congressmen
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Charles Rangel and Ron Dellums
Ron Dellums
Ronald Vernie "Ron" Dellums served as Oakland's forty-fifth mayor. From 1971 to 1998, he was elected to thirteen terms as a Member of the U.S...
. The Council's directors also include other ambassadors, theologians, presidents of colleges and foundations, and journalists.
The Council communicates its position through white paper
White paper
A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that helps solve a problem. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions, and are often requested and used in politics, policy, business, and technical fields. In commercial use, the term has also come to refer to...
s which are disseminated to policymakers, politicians, scholars, journalist, and fraternity chapters. Since its founding the Council has offered an informed opinion on topics such as the AIDS crisis
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
, Middle East conflict
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
, Nigerian politics
Politics of Nigeria
Nigeria is a Federal Republic modeled after the United States, with executive power exercised by the president and with influences from the Westminster System model in the composition and management of the upper and lower houses of the bicameral legislature. However, the President of Nigeria is...
and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
's vision of a World House.
Historical context
Alpha Phi Alpha is an American intercollegiate organizationFraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
that is the first established by African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s. Founded on December 4, 1906 on the campus of Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in Ithaca
Ithaca, New York
The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the fraternity utilizes motifs and artifacts from Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
to represent the organization and preserves its archives at the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center
Moorland-Spingarn Research Center
The Moorland-Spingarn Research Center is recognized as one of the world's largest and most comprehensive repositories for the documentation of the history and culture of people of African descent in Africa, the Americas, and other parts of the world...
.
The leadership of Alpha Phi Alpha recognized early on the need to correct the educational, economic, political, and social injustices faced by African-Americans and the world community and began its continuing commitment of providing scholarships for needy students and initiating various other charitable and service projects.
Alpha Phi Alpha has provided leadership and service during the Great Depression, World Wars
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
, Civil Rights Movements, and addresses social issues such as apartheid, AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, urban housing, and other economic, cultural, and political issues affecting people of color
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
. The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is located in West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C., southwest of the National Mall . The memorial is America's 395th national park...
is a program of Alpha Phi Alpha and the fraternity jointly leads philanthropic programming initiatives with March of Dimes
March of Dimes
The March of Dimes Foundation is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies.-Organization:...
, Head Start, Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is a 501 non-profit organization whose mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that try to have a measurable impact on youth....
.
Alpha men such as W. E. B. Du Bois, Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the sprints and the long jump. He participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the...
, Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington was an American composer, pianist, and big band leader. Ellington wrote over 1,000 compositions...
, Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...
, Andrew Young
Andrew Young
Andrew Jackson Young is an American politician, diplomat, activist and pastor from Georgia. He has served as Mayor of Atlanta, a Congressman from the 5th district, and United States Ambassador to the United Nations...
, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
are among the litany of fraternity members who have dedicated their lives to the fraternity's principles of "scholarship, manly deeds, and love for all mankind."
Leadership expansion
The leadership by the fraternity was about to expand when at its 1995 General Convention, Senator Edward Brooke spoke on the need for Alpha Phi Alpha to broaden its view to encompass international concerns. Brooke said “our intellectual power is so great that it ought to be shared… that we should be giving our thoughts and our opinions on domestic and international issues. General President Milton C. DavisMilton C. Davis
Milton Carver Davis is an African American lawyer who researched and advocated for the pardon of Clarence Norris, the last surviving Scottsboro Boy....
established the World Policy Council (WPC) in 1996 as the analytical body of the fraternity to reflect, engage in dialogue and project what ought to happen in actions that are in-line with the values of Alpha Phi Alpha. The mission of The Alpha Phi Alpha World Policy Council as stated on the fraternity's website
The Council was created with seven board members to research and outline the fraternity’s position on issues and policies deemed to be of national or international import. Milton appointed Brooke as the Council's first Chairman and he currently serves as Chairman Emeritus. The Council's membership increased to nine when General President Harry E. Johnson
Harry E. Johnson
A career lawyer, entrepreneur and public servant, Harry E. Johnson , is a Partner at the Law Office of Glenn and Johnson in Houston, Texas. He served as City Attorney for Kendelton, Texas from 1996 -1999, and taught at Texas Southern University in both the Thurgood Marshall School of Law and...
's appointed Congressman Ron Dellums
Ron Dellums
Ronald Vernie "Ron" Dellums served as Oakland's forty-fifth mayor. From 1971 to 1998, he was elected to thirteen terms as a Member of the U.S...
and Cornel West
Cornel West
Cornel Ronald West is an American philosopher, author, critic, actor, civil rights activist and prominent member of the Democratic Socialists of America....
. Johnson also extended the World Policy Council’s role to include a lecture series on tolerance and a focus on the issue of the HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
infections and AIDS.
The World Policy Council has studied and issued white papers on the Politics of Nigeria
Politics of Nigeria
Nigeria is a Federal Republic modeled after the United States, with executive power exercised by the president and with influences from the Westminster System model in the composition and management of the upper and lower houses of the bicameral legislature. However, the President of Nigeria is...
, War on Terrorism
War on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
, and global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
. The Council garnered international attention in 1999 when it issued a clarion call to Nigeria
Nigerian Fourth Republic
The Fourth Republic is the republican government of Nigeria. Since 1999 it has governed the country according to the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Second Republic, which was in place between 1979 and 1983 and suffers many of the same problems, such as multiple...
to release political prisoners and become a force for good on the African continent. The fifth paper was published in 2006 to coincide with the Centenary of Alpha Phi Alpha and among its five topics examined the impact of Black Greek letter organizations
National Pan-Hellenic Council
The National Pan-Hellenic Council is a collaborative organization of nine historically African American, international Greek lettered fraternities and sororities. The nine NPHC organizations are sometimes collectively referred to as the "Divine Nine"...
in American culture and Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, the costliest and one of the five deadliest hurricanes
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
in the history of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The Council distributes the white papers to the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, Congresses, key national leaders, fraternity chapters, and those whose decisions shape the future. A letter is sent to the office of the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
providing an informed opinion of individuals and constituents on how the President should act to resolve an issue or policy.
Position papers
The WPC presented its first position paper to the fraternity’s general membership at the 1996 Alpha Scholarship Forum in New Orleans, LouisianaNew Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
as part of its inaugural Charles H. Wesley
Charles H. Wesley
Charles Harris Wesley was a noted African American historian, educator, writer and author.-Early life and education:...
Memorial Scholarship Lecture. The fourth and fifth report were issued in 2002 and 2006 respectively.
Middle East Crisis
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and the Palestinian people
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is part of the wider Arab-Israeli conflict, which is essentially a dispute between two national identities with claims over the same area of land.
The roots of the conflict can be traced to the late 19th century, when Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
Jews expressed their desire to create a modern state in the ancient land
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...
of the Israelites, which they considered to be their rightful homeland. To further that objective, the World Zionist Organization
World Zionist Organization
The World Zionist Organization , or WZO, was founded as the Zionist Organization , or ZO, in 1897 at the First Zionist Congress, held from August 29 to August 31 in Basel, Switzerland...
encouraged immigration and purchase of land, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
According to a 2007 poll of adults in the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
and the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
by the Jerusalem Media & Communication Center, "46.7 per cent of respondents favour a two-state solution
Two-state solution
The two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the consensus solution that is currently under discussion by the key parties to the conflict, most recently at the Annapolis Conference in November 2007...
for the Arab-Israeli conflict." In second place came support of a binational state with 26.5%.
The Council's position is,
The Centenary Report
The fifth report by the Council addresses five issues such as the Millennium Challenge Account, Extraordinary renditionExtraordinary rendition
Extraordinary rendition is the abduction and illegal transfer of a person from one nation to another. "Torture by proxy" is used by some critics to describe situations in which the United States and the United Kingdom have transferred suspected terrorists to other countries in order to torture the...
, and The World House as envisioned by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Millennium Challenge
International development
International development or global development is a concept that lacks a universally accepted definition, but it is most used in a holistic and multi-disciplinary context of human development — the development of greater quality of life for humans...
fund created by the Bush administration whose mission is "to reduce global poverty through the promotion of sustainable economic growth" to some of the poorest countries in the world. The MCA is available to fund specific programs targeted at reducing poverty and stimulating economic growth for eligible countries that meet independent and transparent policy indicators.
The Congress of the United States has consistently provided less funding than the president has requested for this new compact for development with accountability for both rich and poor countries. For Fiscal Year 2008, less funding will be provided than was hoped for, and only 1.2 billion is currently budgeted, and the MCA CEO commented that it would undercut the programs efforts.
The Council's position is,
Extraordinary rendition
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
and extrajudicial transfer of a person from one state to another, and the term torture by proxy is used by some critics to describe situations in which the U.S. has purportedly transferred suspected terrorists to countries known to employ harsh interrogation techniques that may rise to the level of torture. It has been alleged that torture has been employed with the knowledge or acquiescence of the United States, although United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
stated in an April 2006 radio interview that the United States does not transfer people to places where it is known they will be tortured.
The Council's position is,
The World House
The World House is the vision of Martin Luther King, Jr. in which "a family of different races, religions, ideas, cultures and interests must learn to live together as brothers and sisters or perish together as fools." King first articulated his vision of a World House in his Nobel Peace PrizeNobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
lecture in 1964 “The World House,” in which he identified three major threats to human survival–racism, poverty/materialism, and war. He stressed the urgency of addressing these problems, warning that it might be humanity's last chance to choose between chaos and community. The World House Project has said "The September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
by terrorist made Dr. King's predictions seem eerily prescient. His vision and agenda may be the key to our survival during the 21st century."
King's vision of a World House calls upon humanity to:
The Council recommends that Alpha Phi Alpha join crusades in this Centenary that are pursuing King's vision and that,
Members
Edward Brooke
Edward Brooke
Edward William Brooke, III is an American politician and was elected to the United States Senate as a Republican from Massachusetts in 1966, defeating his Democratic opponent, Endicott Peabody, 60.7%–38.7%...
, a former Senator and Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts served and the first chairman and currently chairman emeritus. Former Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
Horace Dawson
Horace Dawson
Horace Greeley Dawson, Jr. was an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Botswana.-Life:...
is the current Chairman. Congressman
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Charles B. Rangel
Charles B. Rangel
Charles Bernard "Charlie" Rangel is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1971. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the third-longest currently serving member of the House of Representatives. As its most senior member, he is also the Dean of New York's congressional delegation...
, Dean, New York State Congressional Delegation and founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus
Congressional Black Caucus
The Congressional Black Caucus is an organization representing the black members of the United States Congress. Membership is exclusive to blacks, and its chair in the 112th Congress is Representative Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri.-Aims:...
, and former Congressman Ron Dellums
Ron Dellums
Ronald Vernie "Ron" Dellums served as Oakland's forty-fifth mayor. From 1971 to 1998, he was elected to thirteen terms as a Member of the U.S...
, president and CEO of HealthCare International. Kenton Keith
Kenton Keith (diplomat)
Kenton Wesley Keith was an American ambassador to Qatar.Keith is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. He is a member of the fraternity's World Policy Council, a think tank whose purpose is to expand Alpha Phi Alpha's involvement in politics and social and current policy to encompass...
is a Senior Vice President of Meridian International Center and a former U.S. Ambassador to the State of Qatar. Clathan M. Ross is a Rapporteur
Rapporteur
Rapporteur is used in international and European legal and political contexts to refer to a person appointed by a deliberative body to investigate an issue or a situation....
and a retired U.S. Foreign Service
United States Foreign Service
The United States Foreign Service is a component of the United States federal government under the aegis of the United States Department of State. It consists of approximately 11,500 professionals carrying out the foreign policy of the United States and aiding U.S...
Information Officer.
Henry Ponder
Henry Ponder
Henry Ponder is a U.S. educator.Ponder received his undergraduate, masters and doctorate degree from Langston University, Oklahoma State University, Ohio State University respectively...
is former President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education and has served as president of Fisk University
Fisk University
Fisk University is an historically black university founded in 1866 in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. The world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers started as a group of students who performed to earn enough money to save the school at a critical time of financial shortages. They toured to raise funds to...
, Benedict College
Benedict College
Benedict College is a historically black, liberal arts college located in Columbia, South Carolina. Founded in 1870 by northern Baptists, it was originally a teachers' college. It has since expanded into a four-year college.-History:...
, and Talladega College
Talladega College
- External Links :* -- Official web site*...
, and General President of Alpha Phi Alpha. Bobby William Austin
Bobby William Austin
Bobby William Austin is an American sociologist, lecturer, and writer. He is a leading scholar on African American men and boys. Currently, he serves as Vice President for University Relations at the University of the District of Columbia...
is Vice President for University Relations and Communications at the University of the District of Columbia
University of the District of Columbia
The University of the District of Columbia is a historically black, public university located in Washington, D.C. UDC is one of only a few urban land-grant universities in the country and a member of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
, President of Austin Institute, former President and CEO of Village Foundation, and former Program Director for the Kellogg National Fellowship Program at W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Cornel West
Cornel West
Cornel Ronald West is an American philosopher, author, critic, actor, civil rights activist and prominent member of the Democratic Socialists of America....
is a current and former professor of religion at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
respectively. Vinton Anderson, the 92nd Bishop of African Methodist Episcopal Church
African Methodist Episcopal Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the A.M.E. Church, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination based in the United States. It was founded by the Rev. Richard Allen in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1816 from several black Methodist congregations in the...
and former president of World Council of Churches.
Former members of the Council include Cornelius Henderson, a United Methodist pastor and bishop, and former president of Gammon Theological Seminary. Clinton Columbus Jones, III served as counsel to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Committee on Banking and Financial Services, and Chuck Stone
Chuck Stone
Charles Sumner "Chuck" Stone, Jr. is a former Tuskegee Airman, an American newspaper editor, columnist, professor of journalism, and author. After completing his service in World War II, Stone already had been admitted to Harvard University but chose to matriculate at Wesleyan University...
is the Walter Spearman Professor of Journalism at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a former White House Correspondent
White House Press Corps
The White House Press Corps is the group of journalists or correspondents usually stationed at the White House in Washington, D.C. to cover the president of the United States, White House events and news briefings. Their offices are located in the West Wing....
.