March 10, 2014

March 4, 2014

From NNPA to NAACP to Silicon Valley – Ben Jealous Still Pushing Technology for Equality
By Hazel Trice Edney

Former NAACP President Ben Jealous, seen here leading a protest, is now fighting for racial justice in a new way.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – Benjamin Todd Jealous, the former NAACP president, who has weaved a career through politics, the Black press and civil rights, has now announced his next course of action in pursuit of racial equality and economic justice in America.

Jealous and the Oakland, Calif.-based Kapor Center for Social Impact, located near the Silicon Valley, announced this week that he has joined the Center as its first venture partner. The center’s co-founders and co-chairs Mitchell Kapor and Freada Kapor Klein are bringing Jealous on to find tech-savvy entrepreneurs and inventors with ideas for using technology for social impact, mainly to fill racial and economic gaps in America.

Jealous will help find the entrepreneurs, help them shape their tech visions; plus establish the selection criteria for possible seed money. He will also help lead the center’s effort to make investments in non-profit organizations that are about closing social gaps and will join the board of the Kapor Center-funded Level Playing Field Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to ending racial barriers in science, technology, engineering and math. 

“I’ve always been interested in technology. I’ve always been interested in [deepening] the social impact. And I’ve always been very curious about ways to use technology to advance the social impact,” Jealous said in an interview this week. “When Mitch and Frieda came forth and offered me the opportunity to join the Kapor Center for Social Impact and start trying new things every day…while still staying focused on achieving my life’s mission of and leveling the playing field and closing gaps to access and opportunity in our community and the country as a whole, I leapt at it because it had been a long time since I’d tried something new that had the potential to level the playing field for hundreds of thousands and millions of people.”

Jealous says one of his first stops will be a learning tour of Silicon Valley, the South Bay portion of San Francisco, which leads the nation in cutting edge technology. The Kapor Center has a program for underrepresented college students to get paid internships in Silicon Valley companies.

Jealous, who dates his keen interest in technology back to a fourth and fifth grade computer science program, served as president/CEO of the NAACP for five years until his resignation late last year. There, his leadership in technology grew NAACP’s mobile messaging base from 5,000 activists to 423,000 and from 175,000 email activists to 1.3 million.

Jealous' technological skills also harken back to when he started as executive director of the 200-member National Newspaper Publishers Association in 2000 with a vision of bringing the Black Press on line with websites and a full-service wire service for its members. Before his departure almost half of NNPA’s newspapers were on line and the wire service continues to thrive.

Jealous’ record of using technology to fight for racial justice is what established the mutual attraction between him and the Kapor Center.

"Ben has spent his career working to end racial and economic gaps in society, from the criminal justice system to education to health care,” said co-founder Freada Kapor Klein in a statement. “We are tremendously pleased that he will bring his vast experience, strategy and energy to the tech sector as the next frontier in his life's work for justice and inclusion."

Jealous’ civil rights career is just as important as his tech interest said co-founder Mitchell Kapor, one of the first Silicon Valley billionaires. "As an entrepreneur and an investor, I've built my career on seeing the possibilities of good ideas and the right team, and then bringing that vision to life. By bringing Ben to the Kapor team, we are making a bet that someone who has succeeded in changing the broader world in so many ways will do the same in our world."

When Jealous left the NAACP last year, he said he would spend more time with his growing family and would also work to start a political action committee (PAC) for transformative Democratic and Republican candidates. He said this week that he will continue to do it all.

“I will reserve a portion of my time continuing my work in politics. This will be 80 percent of my time and 20 percent will be continuing to build the PAC,” he said. “It’ll be separate and ongoing work.”

As for his family, Jealous says he will remain bi-coastal, primarily living in Maryland with his family even as he travels for the Kapor Center.

The Center has already made major strides in its quest for social justice. Jealous ticked off a list of ideas, aps and inventions as examples that have already received funding. They include technology that lowers the astronomical cost of telephone calls from inmates to their families; a blue tooth hearing aid that costs only $75 instead of the normal $3,000-$5,000; technology that helps parents and children with bi-lingual education; a way to send money home to another country without paying a 30 percent remittance fee; and a way to make college education available for the cost of a Pell grant.

“So, that’s what we’re talking about here…Very similar to my work at the NAACP. We’re working on multiple gaps simultaneously,” Jealous said. “It’s impossible not to be excited.”

By Hazel Trice Edney

President Obama prepares for what he says will be a focus on men and boys of color "for the rest of my presidency".

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – President Barack Obama appears to be finally making good on a long-standing promise that he made to Black leaders the evening before his first election. That promise was to try to “change this community.”

Political observers have gasped at the frankness of his speech last week announcing the new “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative to strengthen America’s Black men and boys by forming a task force that will make recommendations on the investment of millions of dollars into organizations that serve men and boys of color. The initiatives will be financed by foundations and organizations already targeting this population.

“This is an issue of national importance - it's as important as any issue that I work on.  It's an issue that goes to the very heart of why I ran for President - because if America stands for anything, it stands for the idea of opportunity for everybody; the notion that no matter who you are, or where you came from, or the circumstances into which you are born, if you work hard, if you take responsibility, then you can make it in this country,” Obama said. “And that’s the idea behind everything that I’ll do this year, and for the rest of my presidency.  Because at a time when the economy is growing, we’ve got to make sure that every American shares in that growth, not just a few.”

Given grumbling from some that President Obama hasn’t done enough specifically for the African-Americans who elected him, some political observers have now facetiously questioned whether he has finally become “The Black President”.

Actually, President Obama’s announcement appears strategically – and safely - placed within the second term of his presidency. On Nov. 3, 2008, the eve of his first election, he said the following words to key Black leaders in an exclusive telephone conference:

“Everyone under the sound of my voice understands the struggles we face. Everyone understands the fierce urgency of now. You all know what’s at stake in this election.” Obama then listed a string of issues disparately faced by African-Americans, including the struggle to recruit good teachers, the struggle against under-funded schools, double-digit jobless rates and having to work two and three jobs to make ends meet. Those issues mirror the issues outlined in his introduction to “My Brother’s Keeper” last week.

“I mention these issues because this community, our community, the African-American community, during these challenging times, suffers more than most in this country,” he said in the 2008 call. “Double digit inflation, double digit unemployment, stagnant wages, our kids are more likely to drop out, more likely to be in jail, more likely to die. We’re going to have to do better. And if we continue the momentum we’ve seen across this country over the last several weeks, we can do better…I’m convinced that not only are we going to change this country, but we’re going to change this community,” he said.

Now that Obama has been re-elected, some believe such programs as “My Brother’s Keeper” the “Promise Zones” announced in January, and his recent White House meeting with Black leaders represent his coming full circle on that election-eve promise.

“The Lawyers’ Committee commends President Obama for following through on his commitment to take  bold and necessary actions in addressing decades-long issues facing communities of color, and for taking an inter-agency approach in tackling disparities and challenges in education, employment, health and nutrition, and related issues, particularly affecting African American and Hispanic boys and young men,” said Lawyers’ Committee President and Executive Director Barbara Arnwine, who was present at the White House during last week’s announcement.  “Creating pathways to success and fostering collaborative business and community relationships are indeed vital to this process.”

Accolades are being heard from grassroots to Congress. “This unprecedented initiative will bring organizations together across public and private sectors to support young men of color in effective and innovative ways,” said Congressional Black Caucus Chair Marcia L. Fudge. “Statistics show that African-American males have a greater risk of being in categories that prevent them from realizing their full potential, such as having higher incarceration and dropout rates. But we know this is neither due to a lack of ability nor a lack of will, but a lack of opportunity and support.”

With an audience of dozens of African-American and Latino teens behind him and an East Room audience of mostly men in front of him, Obama outlined what “My Brother’s Keeper” will do.

“After months of conversation with a wide range of people, we’ve pulled together private philanthropies and businesses, mayors, state and local leaders, faith leaders, nonprofits, all who are committed to creating more pathways to success.  And we’re committed to building on what works,” he said.

In a nutshell, foundations will invest hundreds of millions of dollars over the next five years into programs that work to impact key areas of social development, such as “early child development and school readiness, parenting and parent engagement, 3rd grade literacy, educational opportunity and school discipline reform, interactions with the criminal justice system ladders to jobs and economic opportunity and healthy families and communities.”.

Among the foundations, represented at the East Room announcement were The Annie E. Casey Foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The California Endowment, The Ford Foundation, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The Open Society Foundations, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and The Kapor Center for Social Impact.

The President pointed to statistics to illustrate the need for the initiative:

• “If you’re African American, there’s about a one in two chance you grow up without a father in your house…If you’re Latino, you have about a one in four chance.  We know that boys who grow up without a father are more likely to be poor, more likely to underperform in school.”
• “As a Black student, you are far less likely than a White student to be able to read proficiently by the time you are in 4th grade.  By the time you reach high school, you’re far more likely to have been suspended or expelled.  There’s a higher chance you end up in the criminal justice system, and a far higher chance that you are the victim of a violent crime.  
• Fewer young black and Latino men participate in the labor force compared to young white men.  And all of this translates into higher unemployment rates and poverty rates as adults.”

Obama concluded, “And the worst part is we’ve become numb to these statistics.  We're not surprised by them.  We take them as the norm.  We just assume this is an inevitable part of American life, instead of the outrage that it is.  That's how we think about it.  It's like a cultural backdrop for us - in movies and television.  We just assume, of course, it's going to be like that.  But these statistics should break our hearts.  And they should compel us to act.”

March 4, 2014

Sunday's Oscars Indicate Hollywood May Be Calling Blacks
By Lapacazo Sandoval

Oscar®-winner Steve McQueen, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, and Spike Lee pose together at the Governor's Ball following the live ABC Telecast of The Oscars® from the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood March 2.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - The Time is now. If there ever was a time for African Americans interested in the motion picture industry to make a move, that time has apparently come. 

This is not suggesting the existence of a post-racial America (or a post-racial Hollywood) or that it will be easy because you are African-American.  Make no mistake, the film business is a tough business.  But if you’ve got what it takes, are passionate and persistent enough to tough it out in the face of rejection and persevere, you can make it. 

This is the implication from recent years; including Sunday night’s Academy Awards – that aspiring African-American filmmakers should dream big and go for it.  Hollywood appears to be calling for diversity and has opened its doors - gradually. 

Here are a few key factors: During the first 54 years of the Oscars, which began in 1929, only three African-American actors had received the Academy Award by 1983.  Those winners were Hattie McDaniel as Best Supporting Actress for “Gone With the Wind” in 1939, Sydney Poitier as Best Actor for “Lilies of the Field” in 1964, and Louis Gossett, Jr. as Best Supporting Actor for “An Officer and a Gentlemen” in 1983. 

Over the next 30 years, there were 11 more Oscars awarded to African-American actors which include Whoopie Goldberg, Halle Berry, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Jennifer Hudson, Octavia Spencer, Forest Whitaker, Mo’Nique and Jamie Foxx.

The 86th Annual Academy Awards this year saw yet another Oscar presented to Lupita Nyong’o for her role as Best Supporting Actress in the film “12 Years a Slave,” which also won the Academy Award for Best Picture.  The film's director, Steve McQueen, made history becoming the first black producer ever to win the coveted Best Picture award for this film. The word “Black” is used here rather than African-American because Steve McQueen is British and Lupita Nyong’o is African from Kenya. 

This year’s Oscar Ceremony made history again by introducing to the world its new president Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who is the first African-American to serve as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.  In a recent interview, Isaacs said, “I am glad to be president during this year’s season.”  

A seasoned veteran in the movie business, Isaacs over the years has held every position on the Academy’s Board of Governors.  In the film business since 1977, Isaacs is well aware of the challenges facing African-American filmmakers historically.  As such, she has made diversity a priority for the Academy.  Isaacs explains, “We’ve been making strides at the Academy to make it more inclusive.  To open up our ranks.  To recognize different voices from around the world, including America, because there are different stories to be told.” 

Isaacs feels that education is critical to the success of the Academy meeting its goals. “We really want to educate young people to the range of opportunities in the motion picture business,” says Isaacs.  Academy programs include Team Oscar, The Student Academy Awards, and the Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship.

It is the cumulative struggle of many African-American artists and others over many years that has produced a new, more equitable Hollywood system.  Diversity is a broad term which seeks to be inclusive of all people, not just African Americans.  “We are looking for the best and the brightest,” says Academy president Isaacs.

After winning Best Picture for “12 Years a Slave,” the film’s producer Brad Pitt perhaps made the best case for diversity when he said, “At the end of the day, we just hope that this film remains a gentle reminder that we're all equal.  We all want the same.  We want dignity and opportunity for ourselves and our family, and that another's freedom is every bit as important as our own; and that's it, and that's everything.”

March 2, 2014

GOP Obamacare Fix Would Harm, Not Help, Says Budget Analysis
Deficit Would Deepen, Fewer Uninsured Would be Covered