On May 3^rd the Norma Lozano Jackson Foundation held its  Inaugural Awards Dinner honoring Representative Donald M. Payne, D-NJ for his sponsorship of Resolution 618 and for his continued support of  Afrocolombians and Afrodescendants worldwide.

The dinner was held at the Harmony Banquet Hall, Newark New Jersey, and was attended by over 100 guests including  political figures, to academicians, and  clergy.  Dr. Norma Lozano Jackson made a power-point presentation representing the dire situation of Afro Colombian and Indigenous peoples, their struggles to keep  their lands, their efforts to fight the terrible violence unleashed against their communities by the Colombian military, police, paramilitaries, and guerrilla movements.

Dr.  Jackson sharply criticized US Representative Gregory Meeks  D-NY  for his aggressive support of Colombian President Uribe  and the Colombian Free Trade Agreement,  despite the human rights violations of the Uribe government and  despite the government’s  possible association with paramilitary and drug trafficking forces in Colombia.

Representative  Payne addressed the participants and reiterated his commitment to continue to fight for the rights of  Afro Colombians, indigenous peoples and Afrodescendants around the globe and to continue to put pressure on the US House of Representatives to pass  House Resolution 618.