The Clinton Administration and Africa: Perspective of the Congressional Black Caucus and TransAfrica

Abstract

Surprising to some, African American leaders have expressed a relatively high level of dissatisfaction with the Clinton administration's policies toward Africa both before and after President Clinton's historic journey to the African continent in 1998.1 Well-publicized protests against the administration's Nigerian policy were supported by TransAfrica, many members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), and other organizations with large numbers of African American supporters, such as the Washington Office on Africa (WOA). Likewise, both TransAfrica and many members of the CBC were sufficiently unhappy with Clinton's approach that they boycotted the 1994 White House Conference on Africa. More recently, the CBC refused to take an official stance on the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, and over 30 percent of its members voted against the act in the House of Representatives. Given the contrast between an African policy perceived popularly as innovative and supportive of Africa, and the fairly high level of dissension and disapproval among African American leaders toward that policy, it is particularly worth exploring African American perspectives about Clinton's African policies.