The Africa Trade Bill is due to be marked up this week by the House International Affairs Committee. Opponents to the bill charge that it will only improve the well being of multinational corporations and a handful of Africa’s elite, and they are offering a legislative alternative, known as the “Hope for Africa Bill.” In an interesting family twist, while the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Clinton’s “Ambassador to Africa,” is lobbying for the administration’s bill, his son, Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-Ill), is proposing the alternative bill. Spearheading the efforts against passage of the Africa Trade Bill is Randall Robinson, founder and president of TransAfrica.

Guest:

• Randall Robinson, founder and president of TransAfrica. His new book, an autobiography, is called Defending the Spirit: A Black Life in America.

Related links:

• TransAfrica Forum
• Jesse Jackson, Jr. Web Site
• Write Your Representative–or call 202.224.3121
• Send E-mail President Clinton–or call 202.456.1111