Historical Notes
Source of the Quote
With the opening of the 92nd Congress (1971–1973), the number of black Representatives rose to 13—the greatest number of African Americans ever to serve simultaneously in Congress. The DSC met on February 2, 1971, and accepted a recommendation put forth by Clay to create a nonpartisan, formal network for African-American Members.27 Charles Rangel of New York, who narrowly defeated longtime Representative Adam Clayton Powell in 1970, thought of a new name for the group: the Congressional Black Caucus.28 The CBC elected Diggs as its first chairman. “Black people have no permanent friends, no permanent enemies . . . just permanent interests,” Clay declared—a theme that set the tone for the CBC during its formative years and evolved into its motto.29 Unlike many Members of Congress, Clay surmised, the participants in the new caucus did not owe their elections to traditional liberal or labor bases of support. “We were truly uninhibited, really free to decide our own issues, formulate our own policies, and advance our own programs,” Clay recalled. “Our mission was clear. We had to parlay massive voting potential into concrete economic results.”
Congressman William Clay
This is quite a game, politics. There are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends, only permanent interests.
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