BIU president Chris Furbert says plans are well in hand for the union's 26th annual Labour Day Banquet at Fairmont Southampton Resort on Saturday of next week. The banquet will be the usual gala event.

Guest speaker will be Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (pictured at top), who is serving his eighth term as the Democratic Congressman for Mississippi's Second District and is currently chairman of the Homeland Security Committee.

Congressman Thompson has spent his entire adult life giving a voice to the voiceless. With 39 years of continuous public service, he is the longest-serving African-American elected official in the state of Mississippi.

He served as alderman and mayor in his hometown for many years. His reputation as a no-nonsense problem solver has earned him the trust of his constituents and the respect of his colleagues in Washington.

To begin the 110th Congress, Thompson was promoted by his colleagues to serve as the first ever Democratic chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, a committee which was created by the US House of Representatives in 2002 in the aftermath of September 11, 2001.

As chairman, Congressman Thompson recently introduced and engineered House passage of the most comprehensive homeland security package since September 11, H.R. 1, the "9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007".

Drawing on his 26 years of experience as a volunteer firefighter in Hinds County, Thompson understands that his nation's law enforcement and first responders are the first line of defence in times of emergency.

With that in mind, he has constantly fought to ensure they are fully equipped with the resources and tools they need to effectively respond to any and all emergencies.

Congressman Thompson has long been considered a leading voice on civil rights, equal education and healthcare reform. He has helped to make a real difference in the lives of his constituents.

In 1975, he filed a lawsuit to increase funding at Mississippi's historically black universities. With Congressman Thompson as lead plaintiff, the case was settled in 2004 for an unprecedented $503 million. In 2000, Congressman Thompson's legislation creating the National Centre for Minority Health and Health Care Disparities became law.

The Congressman is a lifelong member of the Asbury United Methodist Church in Bolton, Mississippi.

He has been married to his college sweetheart, London Johnson of Mount Bayou, Mississippi, for 39 years. The couple have one daughter BendaLonne, one granddaughter, Jeanna, and one grandson, Thomas Gordon.