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East Austin Republican Club
Inaugural Program
The East Austin Republican Club held an inaugural dinner at the Campus Club
off of the University of Texas campus, Monday evening, 13 September 2004.
The East Austin Republican Club is a new organization in the Austin area
lead by Mrs. Jackie Hawkins, its president. Speakers for the occasion
included The Honorable Wallace Jefferson, The Honorable Dale Wainwright, and
The Honorable Michael Williams. Supreme Court Justice Jefferson was
appointed by Governor Rick Perry as the first African American Justice on
the Texas Supreme Court in 2001 and was elected in 2002. Supreme Court
Justice Wainwright became the first African American elected to the Texas
Supreme Court on 5 November 2002. Texas Railroad Commissioner Williams is
the first African American in Texas history to hold a statewide executive
post and is the highest ranking African American in Texas state government.
The East Austin Republicans proclaim that they are committed to serving the
community through outreach, education and awareness. They are a diverse
group of citizens from throughout the Austin area, including most of the
African American Republican precinct chairs. The mission of the organization
is to focus attention on the African American community in an effort to
provide information that will allow each individual to make an informed
decision when entering the voting booth.
The stated goal of the meeting was to open a dialogue about matters of
importance to African Americans and how best to secure for this community
political savvy that will increase African American voting value on both
sides of the political aisle. “This is a historical occasion,” stated
Justice Wainwright. “This is the first and only assembly in the United
States where three statewide elected officials, all African American, all
Republicans are in one place speaking to such a group as this,” he said.
Each of the speakers gave an overview of their background and then gave the
reason why they were members of the Republican Party. Each speaker stated
that the Republican Party’s position regarding family and faith were
determining factors in their party affiliation.
African American clergy and other community leaders were invited to attend
the meeting. There were at one point in the program 56 people seated. 33 of
the seated attendees were African American and at least 10 were clergy.
During the audience participation, Mr. Tex Moten stood and said , “what lies
behind us and what lies ahead of us are small matters compared to what is
within us.” A number of questions were asked from the audience concluding
with a question, “How do we get President Bush re-elected?”
The affair ended with photos and promises to reconnect in the future.
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