Nov. 8, 2015

Nov. 4, 2015

Bahar Munir talks to reporters after marching from Baltimore to Washington, DC. He believes Black America
has accepted defeat when it comes to the national homicide rate. PHOTO: Roy Lewis/Trice Edney News Wire

Bahar Munir leads a group representing the 300 Men March in a recent trek from Baltimore to
Washington, DC. The goal was to send a signal in the heart of the nation's capital that there are
responsible Black men who are working to lower the homicide rate. PHOTO: Roy Lewis/Trice Edney News Wire

This police tape in the 5500 block of Baltimore's Reisterstown Road is an all too familiar scene across America.
This photo was taken Oct. 3, the morning after five people were shot on this block. One died. PHOTO: Hazel Trice Edney/Trice Edney News Wire

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake gave this reporter a blank stare in response to a question. To be asked whether she is familiar with the Baltimore-based group called 300 Men March was apparently baffling to her. 

She explained, "That's like asking me if I've heard of the Baltimore Orioles. I'm from Baltimore. I get it."

As indicated by the Mayor's response, this group of men, known for their patrolling the Baltimore streets as a display of positive force and responsible manhood amidst an often violent backdrop, have made quite a name for themselves. But as police violence against African-Americans has dominated the media air space, the support needed to help those doing the work against street violence appears stagnant - despite rising homicide rates across the country.

"You certainly get a whole lot of activity from people when it comes to police brutality - every time something goes on with the police and the Black man," says the group's founder and president, Munir Bahar, in a recent interview with the Trice Edney News Wire. "But, yet, there's not enough support and involvement on a day-to-day basis of men of color especially, but all men around the country with regards to community violence."

The surge in national homicide statistics has been well-documented by local and national media:

This week, a heart-breaking national news story focuses on the Chicago police investigation of the multiple shooting of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee. The boy, killed Nov. 2, while walking through an alley near his grandmother's house, is believed to have been the target in a feud involving one or more of his relatives. 

The indiscriminate killings of Black people - including babies, children, teens and adults - is a scenario that has become all too common, says Bahar.

At this writing, in Baltimore, the count has long surpassed 235 - well more than last year's total of 211; in Chicago, it's now more than 300, 20 percent up from the 244 all of last year. It's the same story in cities across the country. For example, in Washington, DC, homicides are up 36 percent; New Orleans, up 19 percent; St. Louis, up 60 percent; and Detroit, up 50 percent since last year.

And despite a season of decline during the past decade, the numbers have continued to mount for years. In fact, since 1975, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation first began keeping homicide statistics, the combined national numbers of street homicide deaths surpass a half million. That's enough to populate several entire cities.

As the protests and outrage over the killings of Black men and women by police officers continue around the country, this one group of Black men - 300 Men March - have decided that African-American street violence against each other is what they are called to fight. Winning the respect of their peers, they have proven to be a different kind of warrior.

To make that point nationally, Bahar, in August, led about 50 men in a march all the way from Baltimore, 35 miles South to Washington, DC.

"We wanted to take this straight to our capital, straight to the door steps of our President under the banner of the My Brother's Keeper Initiative," said Bahar, 35. "We announced ourselves as that group of men that have been active, that are still active, and pledge ourselves to continue to be active until we end this genocide in the country of young Black men."

But, of course, it's not that simple. Though he hopes to establish 300 men strong over the next five years, Bahar says they currently have about 60 faithful participants.

"We have a large amount of Black men who are literally sitting aside watching our race be destroyed from the inside. Guys who would rather go to happy hour at an all White party or a cocktail party or a whatever party than to spend that time mentoring some young people in this city," he says.

Bahar's nearly 12-year-old non-profit organization, COR Health Institute, which birthed the 300 vision two years ago, mentors young men in fitness, martial arts, and health programs. On the streets, the 300 Men March is symbolic of the small group of warriors in the movie, 300, who "went up against an army that everybody thought they would lose," Bahar describes. "There was pessimism from day one. And that's kind of what we're dealing with the murder rate and these murders that are not only happening in Baltimore but across most urban Black cities across America. We have this sky rocketing, this insane level of violence and I feel - to be honest and I'm out there every day - I feel that a lot of people have given up. I feel that a lot of people in the Black community especially, have just accepted this. A lot of Black people have accepted defeat."

But, the 300 men have inspired many, including Mayor Rawlings-Blake.

"I can say that level of engagement, that grass roots level is helpful because 300 Men movement speaks directly to these men that are victims of men that are perpetrators," she said. "And really trying to speak to their hearts to let them know that there's something different out there; and that the community needs them to stand up as men; not as violent offenders."

Bahar says his vision is to expand nationally and to help other groups with the same goals. But resources are limited.

"There are a lot of people from Baltimore to Chicago to Los Angeles who are addressing community violence. We want to rally those individuals. We want to rally and show our support and encouragement to everybody who's fighting the genocide of young Black men in this country," he says.

Gaining a national reputation, the group has won the attention of the National Bankers Association and its president, Michael Grant, a key supporter who has helped to raise funds for their mission.

"So, you got this young leader, and a visionary leader who has stepped out here and who is totally committed to this cause. And he struggles to get attention from people who can help him financially. He struggles to get the support that he needs. And the question is why. Why would the Black community, especially the Black middle class and those who have resources; why would they not enthusiastically embrace this type of leadership?" Grant questions. "We're going to leave all this on the shoulders of young people without giving them financial support and moral support or even going sometimes to march with them?"

Other community leaders have also expressed support.

Civil rights activist the Rev. Jamal-Harrison Bryant, pastor of Baltimore's Empowerment Temple, says some of his male members are a part of the group, which he describes as "redefining what Black male imaging looks like...For Black men to stand and let their voices be heard, this is so significant when we've had more than 237 homicides in Baltimore and they are overwhelming majority Black males."

Though the 300 group may feel isolated, anti-street violence activity appears back on the rise. For example, the National Week of Non-violence, sponsored annually by the Washington, D.C.-based Black Women for Positive Change in mid-October, drew support from mayors, legislators and activists around the nation; including Ben Crump, the attorney for the family of Trayvon Martin, who is now president of the National Bar Association.

But the battle is up hill, says Bahar. Despite the rising death tolls, he doesn't appear discouraged.

"I'm not worried about measuring my success," he says. "This is a movement. Dr. King, when they were building their movement, they were not worried about measuring their success. They were just doing something that God inspired them to do. And when you 're moving with the Spirit of God, you don't have to evaluate that."

Nov. 1, 2015

Special to the Trice Edney News wire from the Richmond Free Press

(TriceEdneyWire.com) PETERSBURG, Va.- “And let us not be weary in well doing!” the Rev. Al Sharpton said. “For in due season, we shall reap, if we faint not!”

Moved by those stirring words, more than 1,000 worshippers rose to their feet, cheering and applauding Rev. Sharpton during his recent sermon at the Men’s Day service at historic Gillfield Baptist Church in Petersburg, Va.

“If you give up, think of those ahead of you. If they had given up, where would we be?”

Rev. Sharpton, a civil rights leader, author and television and radio show host, is president of the National Action Network. His message on determination and self-reliance was drawn from Galatians 6:9.

He said he appeared at the church at the request of his friend, Gillfield pastor Dr. George W.C. Lyons Jr.

Dr. Lyons told the congregation the two have known each other for about 10 years. They had the same mentor in Brooklyn, N.Y., the late Rev. William Augustus Jones, who was pastor of Bethany Baptist Church for more than four decades.

Dr. Lyons introduced Rev. Sharpton as someone that has served “on the front line for justice and equality for a long time.”

“He is someone who has been arrested, stabbed, lied on and betrayed, even by some of his friends,” Dr. Lyons added.

Rev. Sharpton said he had come to Petersburg from Washington, where he met with President Obama last Friday and attended a Congressional Black Caucus function. With passion and resolve, he called for people to advocate for voting rights in communities of color, criminal justice reform, education equity and access to health care for all.

He said it’s time for people sitting on the sidelines to stop making excuses and join the fight for equality.

“If you think it’s hard today, think about how hard it was 218 years ago when they founded this church,” Rev. Sharpton said. “We had no rights anyone was bound to respect. It was controversial for us to even gather. Our women would be violated and there were no police to call. We were chattel properties, trying to come to affirm our humanity.
 

“And here you are 218 years later,” Rev. Sharpton continued, “with a black president, black attorney general. You have a good job, nice house, two cars and you’re talking about what you can’t get done.”
 

He said he already has grown tired of the televised debates among Republican presidential candidates. He likened them to reality TV shows and little more than “name calling” contests.
He said the obfuscation is by design.

“If we can reduce the political discourse to name calling, then those that want to undermine it, things like health care, can operate in the dark. Those who want to reverse voting rights can operate in the dark. Those who want to have one side of town have resources for education and the other side not have it can operate in the dark,” Rev. Sharpton said.  “They entertain you with foolishness, while they undermine the bedrock stuff that was gained.

"It’s inconceivable to me, that here we are in the midst of the beginning of a presidential election, and many of these issues are not even on the table,” he added.

Rev. Sharpton stressed that people should determine to rise from their circumstances, regardless of where they stand.

“If I step out of this pulpit, walked over to where you’re sitting and knocked you off your pew, then that’s on me,” he said. “If we come back next Sunday and you’re still laying on the ground, that’s on you,” he said, drawing laughs from the congregation. He also encouraged parents to care for their children and to work hard to provide a strong future for them. He emphasized that adults should educate young people on the heroics of their ancestors who suffered harsh and often deadly injustices to prepare a better way for them.

“If they don’t know who they are, and they don’t know the struggle that was engaged to open doors for them, if they don’t know their value was of such that people would give up their life for them to have a better life, then maybe they think they’re worthless because you have not told them how worthy they are,” Rev. Sharpton said.

He said his father left the family when he was 9. His mother did not complete school and worked in cotton fields to support the family.

“My mother didn’t raise me as to what I wasn’t. She raised me as to what I was expected to be,” Rev. Sharpton declared.

Sen. Rosalyn R. Dance of Petersburg, a member of Gillfield Baptist, was among those who appreciated his moving message.

“I would say it was a strong message for regular folks,” said Sen. Dance, whose husband, Nathaniel A. Dance Jr., is a trustee at the church and whose brother-in-law, Adrian T. Dance Sr., sang “Jesus, I Love to Call Your Name” at the service.

Nov. 3, 2015

President Obama Backs ‘Band the Box’ to Help Former Prisoners Get Jobs
By Hazel Trice Edney

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - President Barack Obama, who this week enacted the largest release of prisoners at one time in 30 years, has announced that he is “taking action to ‘ban the box'’ for the most competitive jobs at federal agencies.”

That means he is pushing to remove all job application questions about a person’s prior criminal record in order to make it easier for the former inmates to get jobs. Those questions have often ended with rejection slips; especially for convicted felons.

“Now, the federal government is a big employer, as you know, and like a lot of big employers, on many job applications there’s a box that asks if you have a criminal record.  If you answer yes, then a lot of times you’re not getting a call back,” the President told the audience during a criminal justice forum at Rutgers University in Newark, N.J. “We’re going to do our part in changing this.  The federal government, I believe, should not use criminal history to screen out applicants before we even look at their qualifications.  We can’t dismiss people out of hand simply because of a mistake that they made in the past.”

Obama’s announcement quickly won resounding applause from civil rights, criminal justice and labor groups.

“Unfortunately, too many hardworking and highly qualified men and women are finding their path to success blocked by a system that is rigged against them,” said Richard L. Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO. “Measures such as Ban the Box are the right approach to ease the job hunt for working people with prior convictions.”

“President Obama’s move to ban the box will benefit everyone: families, employers, communities, and of course people with records. The facts are clear: returning citizens who find jobs are far more likely to stay out of prison,” said Kevin Gay, CEO of Operation New Hope and creator of Ready4Work, a nationally recognized reentry program for the formerly incarcerated. “And we can’t rebuild families and communities destroyed by incarceration if people who leave prison end up right back behind bars when they are released. Banning the box is an essential step to reducing incarceration rates in the United States.”

Civil rights groups have long called for the removal of such questions from job applications.

In July, Wade Henderson, president/CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, called for President Obama to “take the next step in helping the formerly incarcerated re-integrate by issuing an executive order to ban the box and implement fair chance hiring practices for federal jobs and contractors. The 700,000 people released from American prisons every year are met with innumerable obstacles to successfully re-entering their communities.”

The President’s push for a better life for former prisoners comes as the Justice Department releases about 6,000 inmates early from prison. The prisoners, released between Oct. 30 and Nov. 2 account for the largest mass release of prisoners in three decades – in order to reduce overcrowding and give fair treatment to non-violent drug offenders who received sentences that were too long.

While some were released to halfway houses or home confinement, some are on supervised released and most will need jobs.

In his speech on Monday, the President stopped short of saying he will use executive order to establish the Ban the Box measure. So far, he has called on Congress to pass legislation to establish the policy.

The announcement came after a year of meetings between President Obama and stake holders in criminal justice; including prisoner advocates; inmates; police and correctional offices among others.

“I've met with prisoners, corrections officers.  I've met with families of fallen police officers and families of children who were killed by gun violence,” he recalled. “I've met with men and women battling drug abuse, and rehab coaches, and folks working on new solutions for treatment.”

He’s also spent hours talking with former Newark Mayor Corey Booker, now a U. S. senator, who was in the Rutgers audience, as well as

The point is to develop ways to “break the cycle that has young children somehow on that pipeline where they end up incarcerated,” he said.

The White House has issued a fact sheet to outline the main steps the President is taking to deal with the criminal justice system as well as reintegrating former prisoners back into society. Among them are:

• Called on Congress to pass criminal justice reform that reduce recidivism for those who are reentering society.  They include the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act of 2015, which recently received a strong bipartisan vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee. That Act would reduce extreme sentences for nonviolent drug offenses, provide additional resources for reentry services, help for mental illness and addictions as well as for state and local law enforcement.

• The Department of Education will award up to $8 million (over 3 years) to at least nine communities to support educational programs and the reentry success for individuals.

• Expanding technology training and jobs for individuals with criminal records.  As a part of President Obama’s TechHire initiative, over 30 communities are taking action – working with each other and national employers – to expand access to tech jobs for more Americans with fast track training like coding boot camps and new recruitment and placement strategies.

Obama has assured that criminal justice will remain a priority during his final year in office.

“Now, right now, there are 2.2 million Americans behind bars…We incarcerate people at a rate that is unequaled around the world. We account for 5 percent of the world’s population, 25 percent of its inmates.  They are disproportionately black and Latino,” he said. “More than 600,000 inmates are released each year.  Around 70 million Americans have some sort of criminal record - 70 million.  That’s almost one in five of us. Almost one in three Americans of working age… It’s bad for the communities that desperately need more role models who are gainfully employed.  So we’ve got to make sure Americans who’ve paid their debt to society can earn their second chance.”

Nov. 1, 2015

Obama, Clinton Fire-up Women Activists: ‘We Cannot Rest on our Laurels’
By James Wright

Women of diverse races and backgrounds showed up for the event where President Obama
and former Secretary Clinton to not be satisfied with past gains. PHOTO: DNC/Flickr

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Afro American Newspaper

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - President Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton, front-runner for the Democratic Party’s 2016 presidential nomination, were among the speakers at a recent conference of Democratic female activists, encouraging them, "We cannot rest on our laurels.”

The president and Clinton, former secretary of state, joined other presidential candidates and members of Congress at the Women’s Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C. Oct. 22-23.  Obama has noted that he has been the beneficiary of strong female support during his political career.

“I like being in a room with Democratic women,” the president said to an audience including one of his chief aides, Valerie Jarrett. “All of you are working hard to make sure that our country is moving forward.”

The Democratic Women’s Alliance was created in October 2013 by Democratic National Committee Chair U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.). The purpose was to grow and engage the number of women in the party at all levels.

There are 84 women serving in the 435-member U.S. House of Representatives and 20 women in the 100-member U.S. Senate, despite women comprising 50.8 percent of the U.S. population, according to a 2014 U.S. Census Bureau estimate.

There are numerous women serving on the state and local levels and the majority of female office holders in the both houses of Congress and state legislatures are Democrats while Republicans hold the edge in statewide elected offices, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.

In 2012, more women voted in the presidential election than men, and 55 percent of all women voted for Obama’s re-election.

The president understood that he was speaking to a key constituency group in the next election when he addressed the gathering.

“When I came into office in 2009, America was losing 800,000 jobs per month,” he said. “Now our unemployment rate is down to 5.1 percent but we still have work to do.”

Obama said that he is proud 90 percent of all Americans have health insurance, and that his administration is working to combat climate change, is reaching out to the Cuban people, and is taking on new threats to national security. “We cannot rest on our laurels,” the president said. “America’s greatness lies not in building walls but opportunity.”

Opportunity is what Clinton says she wants to provide women and that was her message that day. “The notion that women are equal partners in the life of this nation is still pretty new,” she said.

Clinton told a story about how in 1993 she and Tipper Gore, the wife of then Vice President Albert Gore, took action to see that women’s issues were being addressed on a national level.

“Washington wasn’t interested in the real lives of women when Tipper Gore and I went on a national tour,” she said. “We talked to women about their lives and we thought something should be done.”

Clinton worked with Democratic women to form organizations that have addressed their concerns since that tour. “We need to get more women involved in politics more than ever,” she said. “We are the decisive vote in national elections.”

Taking a partisan turn in her speech, she said that the country is better because of Obama’s presidency but his agenda needs to progress in the coming years. “The economy does better when a Democrat is in the White House,” Clinton said.

Clinton said that critics who think that she emphasizes her gender too much may be right. “If they say that I’m playing the gender card when it comes to reproductive rights, equal pay, and paid leave, then deal me in,” she said.

Other speakers at the conference included presidential hopefuls former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and former Rhode Island Sen. Lincoln Chafee, who dropped out of the race that day. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) also delivered remarks at a symposium on Oct. 22 and various women in the U.S. House and Senate spoke to the gathering or at hosted events.

“We need you to go out and organize and mobilize, knock on doors and if we have people in office who are not doing the right thing, we need to vote them out,” Obama said. “When I campaigned in 2008, I didn’t say ‘Yes, I can,’ I said ‘Yes We can.'”