When asked by a reporter last week why he voted against defunding ACORN amid a firestorm controversy involving workers who encouraged a couple to pose as a hooker and pimp to get housing, Sen. Roland Burris (Dem-Ill.) evaded the question. "I voted for ACORN,'' he said, and then disappeared behind a door.

But during a wide-ranging interview with Black Voices on the 39th floor of his downtown Chicago office, he explained why he cast one of seven votes to keep federal dollars flowing to the embattled grassroots organization. (Eighty-three senators voted to defund the organization.)

"The ACORN I know here in Illinois does a tremendous job helping underprivileged and poor people, and there are rotten apples in every barrel,'' a garrulous and spirited Burris said, seated behind an imposing glass-topped wooden desk in the office once occupied by President Barack Obama.

"But you don't throw out the whole barrel of apples because one or two are rotten. You get rid of the rotten apples,'' he said. Then turning defiant, "Don't tell me you are dealing with an organization that is trying to uplift people and you are going to take the money away because of entrapment by some media forces who have outright agendas of destroying the president. That's what this is all about.''



Indeed, it is rare that you hear Burris speaking his mind. He's usually caught off guard in the glare of the spotlight since daring to accept the appointment by disgraced ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich.

Senate Appointment
Burris was accused of offering money for the seat; tapes emerged of him allegedly making the offer, and he was accused of lying to law enforcement officials. He was also accused of equivocating and prevaricating about how he got the appointment during interviews with news reporters, especially Chris Matthews of MSNBC's 'Hardball.' Of course, he denied it all and he has been cleared of perjury charges. Yet, a stain lingers on his once-clean image.

But sitting down with him, you find that he's really just a country boy who's proud of his accomplishments and is not ashamed to say it. He served one term as Illinois attorney general and three terms as state comptroller during his 20 years as an elected official. He made a three-time bid for governor and lost. He also lost a bid for mayor of Chicago and one for senator. Still, he's proud of his work.

"I don't regret a day in my life,'' he said. " I'm a 72-year-old happy male who has had a great life. The Lord has been good to me.''

Burris is a nonconformist and a stalwart of his own beliefs, which are strongly held in his dedication to family and his Baptist upbringing, which began in 1937 in Centralia, Ill. He and his wife of 48 years, Berlean, live on Chicago's South Side and have been members of the same church since 1963. They have two grown children.

Just like in his personal life, his Senate agenda is family focused: stemming the tide of youth and gun violence, improving the job market and helping small businesses ride out the stormy economy. Just this week, he attended a Congressional Black Caucus round table session to discuss how small businesses can tap into government programs to receive federal dollars.

And Burris of all people knows that he would not be senator had Blagojevich not gone down in flames. Blagojevich was arrested and later indicted on a spate of corruption charges, including trying to sell Obama's former Senate seat.

"If the governor had not been arrested, I never would have been appointed because the governor had all kinds of other agendas,'' Burris told Black Voices. "I wasn't on his agenda. I tried to get on his agenda. I told everyone who would listen that I was interested in getting a Senate appointment. The governor wasn't going to appoint me [but then he looked around], and the reason he appointed me was because he had to find somebody who would make him look good.

"I had a perfect, spotless image as a public servant with not even a hint of a scandal after 20 years of public service in Illinois,'' he continued. "But then the public transferred all its hate for the governor over to me. The reason I took the appointment was because of my love and commitment to the people of Illinois who needed representation. I wasn't going to flinch or back down for anybody.''

Burris has not backed down even if when it has meant being a lone wolf. To keep his seat, he has racked up more than $800,000 in debt to fight ethics and perjury charges. His recent decision not to run for office at the end of his term next year has made it difficult to raise money, he said.

Health Care Reform and Former President Jimmy Carter

He also finds himself alone on some of the most hotly contested issues. He agrees with former President Jimmy Carter that racism is one of President Barack Obama's biggest foes in trying to lead the country, while most politicians -- black and white -- have stood silent on the issue.

"I think what President Carter said is absolutely true,'' Burris said, growing defiant again. "President Carter said there are some people who do not want President Obama to succeed because he's black.''

When asked why he has not defended Obama on the race issue more publicly, Burris belted out a hearty laugh and said, "I'm not the black senator. I'm a senator who happens to be black. I represent 13 million people. I'm not going to take up Obama's black cause either. I went through that in 1978 as the first elected black official in Illinois.''

For his part, when it comes to health care reform, Burris supports a bill with a public option. He likes some parts of the controversial Baucus health bill.

"The Baucus bill has a lot of good parts to it, but it also calls for a co-op arrangement, which I'm not supporting,'' he said. "It doesn't have any strength to keep the rates down and would not be competitive with these big, monstrous insurance companies. The government option, which people mislabeled as government takeover -- it's not -- it's another option.''

The Mausoleum

Without a doubt, Burris is a trailblazer. The word is written on his headstone in an arresting mausoleum. He has drawn great criticism for the homage, which includes his resume.

He brushes off the criticism, saying it wasn't his idea. A cemetery director suggested the mausoleum purchase to Burris when he was attorney general . The director argued that as an estate-planning lawyer, Burris needed a showpiece. Burris and his wife liked the idea.

Now, he will have U.S. senator chiseled into the granite among his list of accomplishments.