Blacks In Government History

Blacks in Government (BIG), a pro-active national organization operating within the Federal, state and local sector governments to educate and promote equal employment opportunity in the areas of recruitment, hiring, training, work assignments, promotions, career development, upward mobility, and other work related concerns.

Founded in 1975, by a group of Black-American employees in the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, today there are over 230 BIG chapters nationwide. These chapters serve as operating arms of the organization, carrying out a variety of programs to meet local needs.

The organization was viewed as essential to the Black civil service employee, based on a wide assortment of racially motivated problems faced by the HEW Black employees in Rockville. Initially, it was thought that the umbrella organization would address only the problems at the Federal level. However, it was soon determined that State, County, and Municipal Black employees were faced with the same general type of employment problems.

Nonetheless, BIG has been a national response to the need for African Americans in public service to organize around issues of mutual concern and use their collective strength to confront workplace and community issues. Today, BIG's goals are to promote EQUITY in all aspects of American life, EXCELLENCE in public service, and OPPORTUNITY for all Americans.

Benjamin Banneker Chapter History

The Benjamin Banneker Chapter (BBC) of BIG was originally established in the late 1970's at GSA but became inactive in the early 1980's. Approximately mid-year of 1990, a meeting of Black-American employees, concerned about the promotional glass ceiling for them at GSA, was held. One of the outcomes of that initial meeting and subsequent ones was the decision to re-establish the Benjamin Banneker Chapter at GSA. On December 14, 1990, BBC was formally recognized as a GSA employee organization by the Administrator of the General Services Administration.

BBC, guided by the same goals and objectives as the BIG National organization, functions as a local employee support group, an advisory group, and a resource group for Black-American Civil Servants at the General Services Administration (GSA) in the Washington, DC and Metropolitan area. Membership in our chapter is open to any employee who shares and is dedicated to achieving the common goals of BIG National and BBC.

KEY GOALS

1. Increase the awareness and visibility of BBC throughout the General Services Administration and all its family members.

2. Increase BBC membership roles to include representation from all levels of the GSA family. Special focus is given to agency senior officials, managers, supervisors, and new agency employees just entering the federal government.

3. Improve the flow of information, services and assistance, to BBC members and the GSA family, as we progress through these times of major governmental changes affecting jobs, career opportunities and the general work environment.

4. Establish working relations with GSA's key officials, managers and supervisor, and participate as a regular member on agency committee's, and work groups engaged in decision-making activities impacting on career and quality of life issues affecting GSA's Black-American employees. 

THINK BIG..............