| Clyburn plans historic Statehouse address
Saturday, March 17, 2007
The Sun News
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn will address the S.C. General Assembly next month, becoming the first black congressman to do so in more than 100 years.
The legislature formally asked Clyburn to speak in a March 6 letter, and the first black congressman from South Carolina since Reconstruction confirmed Friday the address would be April 10.
The speech will rekindle memories for Clyburn, who ran unsuccessfully for a state House seat in 1970. It was a close election, Clyburn said. He went to bed ahead 500 votes and woke up a loser by 500 votes.
"I'll probably say to them that I hoped to start off my career as a member of that body," Clyburn said. "And, so, I will finally get there in 2007. I will probably reminisce about how long it took me to get here."
He assumed the No. 3 job in the House earlier this year when Democrats took control of the chamber. Clyburn is the first black congressman from South Carolina since 1897.
"Nobody of my ilk has served there since, until I came in 1992," Clyburn said.
Clyburn expects to push legislation in Congress next week that would set deadlines to remove troops out of Iraq.
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