Rep. Donald Payne: Remembering New Jersey's First African-American Member of Congress democracynow.org – Representative Donald Payne, the first ever African-American congressman from New Jersey, died Tuesday at the age of 77 from complications of colon cancer. The former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus was in his tweleveth term in the House. In 1988, Payne explained his desire to break the colorline in Congress saying, "I want to be a congressman to serve as a role model for the young people I talk to on the Newark street corners … I want them to see there are no barriers to achievement. I want to give them a reason to try." That year, Payne handily defeated his Republican opponent, Michael Webb, and achieved his dream. In a statement shortly after Payne's death, … Read entire article »