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NAACP Blasts Gingrich Over Food Stamps Remark

NAACP Blasts Gingrich Over Food Stamps Remark
Former Speaker Says His Target is Liberal Policies

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

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(TriceEdneyWire.com) - NAACP President Benjamin Jealous assailed GOP presidential hopeful and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich for what he labeled “inaccurate, divisive” comments about Blacks and food stamps. Gingrich, in remarks delivered in New Hampshire where he is trying to jumpstart his presidential campaign, said, “If the N.A.A.C.P. invites me, I’ll go to their convention, talk about why the African-American community should demand paychecks and not be satisfied with food stamps.”

The statement came during a campaign stop in his drive to win the New Hampshire primary. He told reporters if he were the Republican nominee, he would run against President Obama in part by visiting minority communities to pitch his supply-side recipe for job creation.

“It is a shame that the former Speaker feels that these types of inaccurate, divisive statements are in any way helpful to our country,” said Jealous. “The majority of people using food stamps are not African-American, and most people using food stamps have a job.”

“We invited Speaker Gingrich to attend our annual convention several times when he was Speaker of the House, but he declined to join us,” Jealous continued. “If he is invited again, I hope that he would come, with the intention to unite rather than divide.”

The Gingrich remarks about food stamps “is problematic on several fronts, most importantly because he gets his facts wrong," Jealous said. According to U.S. Department of Agriculture date, more Whites than Blacks receive food-stamp assistance. Whites accounted for 34.4 percent of food-stamp recipients in 2009, compared to Blacks who accounted for 21.4 percent of recipients, according to an October 2010 USDA report.

Gingrich rebutted critics of his remarks Jan. 6, saying that his campaign is targeting the Obama administration and liberal policies. "If you talk openly and honestly about the failure of liberal institutions and the way that they hurt the poor, there becomes a sudden frenzy of a herd of people running over screaming racism, racism."

 

Jobs Report: African-Americans Lose While Others Gain by Julianne Malveaux

Jobs Report: African-Americans Lose While Others Gain
By Julianne Malveaux

News Analysis

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Jobs line.

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Thousands lined up to apply for positions at the Congressional Black Caucus' "Jobs for the People Initiative" last summer.  

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - The unemployment rate is falling for the third month in a row and in December about 200,000 private sector jobs were created. The monthly unemployment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that unemployment has declined by six tenths of a percentage point since August. Already, some economists are saying we can expect another decline next month.  

I am surprised, however, at the very tepid language that the Employment Situation report uses to describe the increase in African-American unemployment. A rise of .3 percent among African-Americans, the second rise in as many months, is described as having “changed little”. It has changed enough so that while some are celebrating gains, African-Americans are losing. Indeed, the African American unemployment rate increased from 15.5 to 15.8 percent.

Black women, it turns out, are losing more than most. While the unemployment rate for adult African-American women, at 13.9 percent, is still lower than the male rate of 15.7 percent, African American men gained jobs this year, while African-American women lost them. Why? Nearly one in four (23 percent) African-American women works for government, and federal, state, and local governments are releasing workers, not hiring them. And while some governments will attempt to get the economy moving by creating construction and redevelopment opportunities for men, teachers, nurses and social workers, mostly women, are walking on eggshells in fear of job losses. Even when we know that smaller classroom size gives a better yield in terms of educational results, school districts are being forced to shoehorn another student or two into already-crowded classrooms because of cost issues.

The data that comes from the Employment Situation report is, probably much lower than the reality of African- American unemployment. When we include those marginally attached to the labor force (stopped looking, etc.), as well as those part time workers that want full time work, the unemployment rate for the total population is not 8.5 percent, but 15.2 percent. And the estimate of the African-American unemployment rate would be not 15.8 percent, but a whopping 28.3 percent. More facts – though the number of officially unemployed people is dropping, it is still high enough with 13.1 million actively looking for word and not finding it. And the average person has been out of work for 40.8 weeks, six weeks longer than a year ago. The headlines blaze optimism, the reality is different.

Add to this a recent report that says that the wealth gap between Congress and their constituents is growing. In 1984, the average member of Congress had wealth of $280,000, excluding home equity. In the twenty years since 1984, Congressional wealth grew by two and a half times, to $725,000. Again, this doesn’t include home equity. In contrast, the median wealth of an American family actually dropped slightly to around $20,500, again, not including home equity. It is very likely that when home equity is added, the gap is even larger.

This wealth gap perhaps explains why Congressional representatives are more interested in tax cuts than in creating jobs. It explains, perhaps, why Republicans so resisted President Obama’s plan to extend the Social Security tax cut and also to extend unemployment rate insurance. Congress is operating in their own self-interest, they aren’t thinking about their jobless and economically challenged constituents.

 If these members of Congress got calls from bill collectors, lived with less money than month, had to deny their children a new pair of shoes or an after-school trip because of dollars, or actually had to visit a grocery store on a budget, they might have not so hesitated before they eventually capitulated to President Obama’s determination. Still the growing wealth gap perhaps explains why so few are alarmed at some of the unemployment rate data.

To be sure, it is exciting to see unemployment rates drop, even slightly. It suggests that some of the Obama policies are working. But someone has to explain why these policies aren’t working for African-Americans, especially for African American women. If this trend continues, the Obama Administration will have to consider targeting some relief to those who aren’t benefitting from the unemployment downturn. Some analysts, myself included, have been advocating programs targeted toward the inner city, toward service employment, toward unemployed youth, for quite some time. The unemployment rate gap, the fact that there are clear winners, and also clear losers in the current changes, make targeted employment programs far more imperative.

Julianne Malveaux is an economist and president of Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, NC.

Sam Logan, Iconic Michigan Chronicle Publisher, Dies at 78

Sam Logan, Iconic Michigan Chronicle Publisher, Dies at 78

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from Target Marget News

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(TriceEdneyWire.com) Sam Logan, publisher of the Michigan Chronicle, one of the nation's largest and oldest African-American newspapers, died Dec. 28 at his home in Detroit. He was 78.

For nearly 40 years, Logan championed the interests of Detroit's African-American community, gaining the respect and admiration of allies and foes for his pioneering and formidable efforts in journalism and business.

"To call Sam an icon in the world of journalism is really an understatement," said the Rev. Wendell Anthony, president of the Detroit branch of the NAACP. "Historically, our community has been able to count on the Chronicle to get news and views that are not often reported from the perspective of the people, in the major press. We will never forget his historic contribution."

The Michigan Chronicle announced funeral services for Publisher Sam Logan will be held on Friday, January 6th at 10:00 a.m. at Greater Grace Temple located at 23500 W. Seven Mile Road in Detroit. Rev. Charles Adams, pastor of Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, will officiate the funeral. Visitation was scheduled for Wednesday, January 4th, from Noon to 9 p.m. and Thursday, January 5th, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Swanson Funeral Home, 14751 McNichols, in Detroit.

At the same time, the paper announced that Hiram E. Jackson (left), chief executive officer of the Chronicle's parent company, Real Times Media, will serve as interim publisher of the Chronicle to assure a smooth and orderly transition in leadership at the paper. Real Times acquired the Chronicle and several other newspapers from Chicago-based Sengstacke Enterprises Inc. in 2003.

"It is with profound sorrow that we confront the passing of our friend and colleague, Sam Logan" said Larry Crawford, chairman of the board for Real Times Media. "No words can adequately express our sadness. We will honor his memory by continuing to grow the newspaper he loved so much.

"The first step in that process is naming Hiram Jackson as interim publisher to assure that Sam's mission of publishing a vibrant newspaper that serves Detroit is carried on."

"The state of Michigan has lost a giant," said Jackson. "Sam's dedication to the Michigan Chronicle was matched only by his passion for tackling tough issues for the betterment of the community to which he dedicated his life. I am humbled to be asked by the board to carry on his mission on an interim basis. I do this knowing that Sam's first order to all of us at this time of great sorrow and loss for all of us would be to focus on continuing to get his newspaper out on time. We are going to do that."

As publisher of the Michigan Chronicle for more than four decades, Logan was no stranger to controversy. He often unabashedly expressed strong views on hot-button issues. He was most known for being a leading voice on many critical matters such as Detroit Public Schools, race relations and the future of Detroit. He was once quoted as saying, "I don't worry about whether you agree or disagree or whether you like it. All I want to know is when I put something in writing, are you thinking? And if you're thinking, then I've accomplished my objective."

In November, when the Chronicle celebrated its 75th anniversary, Logan told The Detroit Free Press: "I don't consider us a Black paper. I consider us a newspaper providing useful information for everyone."

Chronicle Editor Bankole Thompson called him a “publisher among publishers.”

“Working with him through the years I admired his humility and steady leadership in making the Chronicle a voice that mattered in the affairs of the community,” Thompson said. “He was never shy to make his opinion known and he took positions that often made people uncomfortable. To understand Sam is to appreciate the era that he came out of and how he espoused the ideas of the Black Press. He lived and breathed the Black Press.”

 

Fellow Black publishers are shocked at the loss.

 

"The Black Press and the media industry in general has lost a giant,” said John “Jake” Oliver, publisher and CEO of The Afro-American Newspapers and former president of the National Newspaper Publishers Association of which Logan was a long time member. “Sam Logan's contributions to Black publishing will serve as a bright beacon for minority publishers across the country. His professionalism will be surely missed!

Logan is remembered – not only as a publisher, but as a pioneer business man committed to Detroit.

"Sam Logan was more than a Detroit icon,” said Detroit Mayor Dave Bing in a statement. “He was a respected pioneer in Black journalism who championed the need for coverage of a community not totally served by the mainstream media. More importantly, Sam was a loyal friend who will be deeply missed by all Detroiters.”

Logan started at the Chronicle in 1961, doing everything from delivering newspapers to becoming publisher in the mid-1980s. He left in 2000 in a dispute over editorial differences and launched his own publication, the Michigan Front Page. In 2003, Real Times Media, which had since bought The Chronicle, brought him back as publisher and The Front Page became one of the company’s products.

Logan moved to Detroit at age 14 and graduated from Commerce High School. He served in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper and years later earned a degree in business from the University of Detroit.

Logan is survived by his children Diane Taylor, Rhonda Terry, Tierra Logan and Rashad Logan and several grandchildren.

“At 78 our father lived a fulfilled life of service to Detroit and this nation,” the family said in a statement. “We thank everyone for their prayers and support at this time of grief."

Reporting from the Afro American Newspapers and Trice Edney News Wire also contributed to this story.

Haiti: Seven Places Where the Earthquake Money Did and Did Not Go by Bill Quigley and Amber Ramanauskas

January 8, 2012

Special Report

Haiti: Seven Places Where the Earthquake Money Did and Did Not Go

By Bill Quigley and Amber Ramanauskas 

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Despite billions of dollars in relief and recovery aid donated to help Haitian earthquake victims, tent camps for the homeless, similar to this one, are still a common site nearly two years later. 

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Haiti, a close neighbor of the US with over nine million people, was devastated by earthquake on January 12, 2010. Hundreds of thousands were killed and many more wounded. 

The UN estimated international donors gave Haiti over $1.6 billion in relief aid since the earthquake (about $155 per Haitian) and over $2 billion in recovery aid (about $173 per Haitian) over the last two years.

Yet Haiti looks like the earthquake happened two months ago, not two years. Over half a million people remain homeless in hundreds of informal camps, most of the tons of debris from destroyed buildings still lay where it fell, and cholera, a preventable disease, was introduced into the country and is now an epidemic killing thousands and sickening hundreds of thousands more.  

It turns out that almost none of the money that the general public thought was going to Haiti actually went directly to Haiti. The international community chose to bypass the Haitian people, Haitian non-governmental organizations and the government of Haiti. Funds were instead diverted to other governments, international NGOs, and private companies.   

Despite this near total lack of control of the money by Haitians, if history is an indication, it is quite likely that the failures will ultimately be blamed on the Haitians themselves in a “blame the victim” reaction.   

Haitians ask the same question as many around the world: “Where did the money go?” Here are seven places where the earthquake money did and did not go:

(1)   The largest single recipient of US earthquake money was the U.S. government.  The same holds true for donations by other countries.

Right after the earthquake, the US allocated $379 million in aid and sent in 5,000 troops.  The Associated Press discovered that of the $379 million in initial U.S. money promised for Haiti, most was not really money going directly, or in some cases even indirectly, to Haiti.  They documented in January 2010 that 33 cents of each of these U.S. dollars for Haiti was actually given directly back to the U.S. to reimburse ourselves for sending in our military. Forty two cents of each dollar went to private and public non-governmental organizations like Save the Children, the UN World Food Program and the Pan American Health Organization.  Hardly any went directly to Haitians or their government.

The overall $1.6 billion allocated for relief by the U.S. was spent much the same way according to an August 2010 report by the U.S. Congressional Research Office: $655 million was reimbursed to the Department of Defense; $220 million to Department of Health and Human Services to provide grants to individual US states to cover services for Haitian evacuees; $350 million to USAID disaster assistance; $150 million to the US Department of Agriculture for emergency food assistance; $15 million to the Department of Homeland Security for immigration fees, and so on.

International assistance followed the same pattern.  The UN Special Envoy for Haiti reported that of the $2.4 billion in humanitarian funding, 34 percent was provided back to the donor’s own civil and military entities for disaster response, 28 percent was given to UN agencies and non-governmental agencies (NGOs) for specific UN projects, 26 percent was given to private contractors and other NGOs, 6 percent was provided as in-kind services to recipients, 5 percent to the international and national Red Cross societies, 1 percent was provided to the government of Haiti, four tenths of one percent of the funds went to Haitian NGOs. 

(2)  Only 1 percent of the money went to the Haitian government. 

Less than a penny of each dollar of U.S. aid went to the government of Haiti, according to the Associated Press. The same is true with other international donors. The Haitian government was completely bypassed in the relief effort by the U.S. and the international community.   

(3)  Extremely little went to Haitian companies or Haitian non-governmental organizations. 

The Center for Economic and Policy Research, the absolute best source for accurate information on this issue, analyzed all the 1,490 contracts awarded by the U.S. government after the January 2010 earthquake until April 2011 and found only 23 contracts went to Haitian companies. Overall, the U.S. had awarded $194 million to contractors, $4.8 million to the 23 Haitian companies, about 2.5 percent of the total. On the other hand, contractors from the Washington DC area received $76 million or 39.4 percent of the total. As noted above, the UN documented that only four tenths of 1 percent of international aid went to Haitian NGOs.

In fact Haitians had a hard time even getting into international aid meetings. Refugees International reported that locals were having a hard time even getting access to the international aid operational meetings inside the UN compound.  “Haitian groups are either unaware of the meetings, do not have proper photo-ID passes for entry, or do not have the staff capacity to spend long hours at the compound.”  Others reported that most of these international aid coordination meetings were not even being translated into Creole, the language of the majority of the people of Haiti.

(4)  A large percentage of the money went to international aid agencies, and big well- connected non-governmental organizations (NGOs). 

The American Red Cross received over $486 million in donations for Haiti.  It says two-thirds of the money has been contracted to relief and recovery efforts though specific details are difficult to come by. The CEO of American Red Cross has a salary of over $500,000 per year.

Look at the $8.6 million joint contract between the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) with the private company CHF for debris removal in Port au Prince.  CHF is a politically well-connected international development company with annual budget of over $200 million whose CEO was paid $451,813 in 2009.  

CHF’s connection to Republicans and Democrats is illustrated by its board secretary, Lauri Fitz-Pegado, a partner with the Livingston Group LLC. The Livingston Group is headed by the former Republican Speaker-designate for the 106th Congress, Bob Livingston, doing lobbying and government relations. Ms. Fitz-Pegado, who apparently works the other side of the aisle, was appointed by President Clinton to serve in the Department of Commerce and served as a member of the foreign policy expert advisor team on the Obama for President Campaign.  CHF “works in Haiti out of two spacious mansions in Port au Prince and maintains a fleet of brand new vehicles” according to Rolling Stone.

Rolling Stone, in an excellent article by Janet Reitman, reported on another earthquake contract, a $1.5 million contract to the NY based consulting firm Dalberg Global Development Advisors. The article found Dalberg’s team “had never lived overseas, didn’t have any disaster experience or background in urban planning… never carried out any program activities on the ground…” and only one of them spoke French.  USAID reviewed their work and found that “it became clear that these people may not have even gotten out of their SUVs.”

Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton announced a fundraising venture for Haiti on January 16, 2010.  As of October 2011, the fund had received $54 million in donations. It has partnered with several Haitian and international organizations. Though most of its work appears to be admirable, it has donated $2 million to the construction of a Haitian $29 million for-profit luxury hotel. 

“The NGOs still have something to respond to about their accountability, because there is a lot of cash out there,” according to Nigel Fisher, the UN’s chief humanitarian officer in Haiti.  “What about the $1.5 to $2 billion that the Red Cross and NGOs got from ordinary people, and matched by governments? What’s happened to that?  And that’s where it’s very difficult to trace those funds.”

(5)  Some money went to for profit companies whose business is disasters. 

Less than a month after the quake hit, the US Ambassador Kenneth Merten sent a cable titled, “THE GOLD RUSH IS ON”, as part of his situation report to Washington.  In this February 1, 2010 document, made public by The Nation, Haiti Liberte and Wikileaks, Ambassador Merten reported the President of Haiti met with former General Wesley Clark for a sales presentation for a Miami-based company that builds foam core houses.

Capitalizing on the disaster, Lewis Lucke, a high ranking USAID relief coordinator, met twice in his USAID capacity with the Haitian Prime Minister immediately after the quake. He then quit the agency and was hired for $30,000 a month by a Florida corporation Ashbritt (known already for its big no bid Katrina grants) and a prosperous Haitian partner to lobby for disaster contracts.  Locke said “it became clear to us that if it was handled correctly, the earthquake represented as much an opportunity as it did a calamity…”  Ashbritt and its Haitian partner were soon granted a $10 million no bid contract. Lucke said he was instrumental in securing another $10 million contract from the World Bank and another smaller one from CHF International before their relationship ended.

(6)  A fair amount of the pledged money has never been actually put up. 

The international community decided it was not going to allow the Haiti government to direct the relief and recovery funds and insisted that two institutions be set up to approve plans and spending for the reconstruction funds going to Haiti.  The first was the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC) and the second is the Haiti Reconstruction Fund (HRF).  

In March 2010, UN countries pledged $5.3 billion over two years and a total of $9.9 billion over three years in a conference March 2010.  The money was to be deposited with the World Bank and distributed by the IHRC.  The IHRC was co-chaired by Bill Clinton and the Haitian Prime Minister.  By July 2010, Bill Clinton reported only 10 percent of the pledges had been given to the IHRC.

(7)  A lot of the money which was put up has not yet been spent. 

Nearly two years after the quake, less than 1 percent of the $412 million in U.S. funds specifically allocated for infrastructure reconstruction activities in Haiti had been spent by USAID and the US State Department and only 12 percent has even been obligated according to a November 2011 report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The performance of the two international commissions, the IHRC and the HRF has also been poor. The Miami Herald noted that as of July 2011, the $3.2 billion in projects approved by the IHRC only five had been completed for a total of $84 million.  The Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC), which was severely criticized by Haitians and others from its beginning, has been effectively suspended since its mandate ended at the end of October 2011. The Haiti Reconstruction Fund was set up to work in tandem with the IHRC, so while its partner is suspended, it is not clear how it can move forward.

What to do:

The effort so far has not been based a respectful partnership between Haitians and the international community. The actions of the donor countries and the NGOs and international agencies have not been transparent so that Haitians or others can track the money and see how it has been spent.  Without transparency and a respectful partnership, the Haitian people cannot hold anyone accountable for what has happened in their country. That has to change.

The UN Special Envoy to Haiti suggests the generous instincts of people around the world must be channeled by international actors and institutions in a way that assists in the creation of a “robust public sector and a healthy private sector.”  Instead of giving the money to intermediaries, funds should be directed as much as possible to Haitian public and private institutions. A “Haiti First” policy could strengthen public systems, promote accountability, and create jobs and build skills among the Haitian people. 

Respect, transparency and accountability are the building blocks for human rights.  Haitians deserve to know where the money has gone, what the plans are for the money still left, and to be partners in the decision-making for what is to come. 

After all, these are the people who will be solving the problems when the post-earthquake relief money is gone.

Bill Quigley teaches at Loyola University New Orleans. He is the associate legal director at the Center for Constitutional Rights and volunteers with the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti.  Amber Ramanauskas is a lawyer and human rights researcher.  A more detailed version of this article with full sources is available.  Bill can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  Amber can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..     

Economics, Voting Rights, Death Penalty Among Top Black Stories of 2011, Issues Forecast Old Struggles, New Hopes for 2012 by Hazel Trice Edney

Economics, Voting Rights, Death Penalty Among Top Black Stories of 2011

Issues Forecast Old Struggles, New Hopes for 2012

By Hazel Trice Edney

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Troy Davis

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President Barack Obama

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King Monument visited by First Family. PHOTO: The White House

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – At least 10 top stories that disparately impacted African-Americans in 2011 are carrying over into the New Year, forecasting continued struggles, but also new hope for 2012.

Among the top stories headlined by the Black Press in 2011 are the consistently high unemployment rate; President Obama’s leadership in the killing of September 11 mastermind Osama Bin Laden; the controversial execution of Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis; the Black vote under attack; the Dr. King Monument dedicated on the National Mall; and Obama’s health care plan goes before the U. S. Supreme Court.

The following are synopses of those and other major Black stories from 2011 with implications for 2012:

1. Black Unemployment: After monthly jobless rates that fluctuated like a roller coaster, Blacks ended 2011 – as usual - at the top of the unemployment list. Last March, the Black unemployment rate hit 16.5 percent, the highest in more than a decade. Then, in October, it dropped from 16 percent to 15.1 percent, the lowest in two years, only to shoot back up to 15.5 percent in November while simultaneously dropping for Whites. The American Jobs Act, proposed by President Obama late last summer in a joint session of Congress, failed to pass the U. S. Senate, but was broken into pieces, some of which passed, included an extension of benefits for unemployed workers and an extension of a payroll tax holiday. In 2012, members of the Congressional Black Caucus have vowed to continue fighting for several jobs bills they have proposed.

2. Death of Osama Bin Ladin: President Obama was widely lauded for the success of a U. S. Military operation, May 2, that killed al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, the master mind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The President made the announcement in a late night national television broadcast from the East Room of the White House after which thousands of Americans spilled into the streets, celebrating a decade after the plane attacks killed nearly 3,000 men, women and children in the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Northern Virginia, and Shanksville, Pa.

3. President Obama’s Health Care Plan Goes to the U. S. Supreme Court: The nation’s highest court revealed in October that it will decide by the end of June 2012 whether President Obama’s “Affordable Care Act” is constitutional. The court will review the President’s signature legislative accomplishment to decide whether the law’s requirement for all Americans to buy insurance is constitutional. Among the benefits, the White House says the plan will result in lower health care costs for millions of families, including the African-Americans community which has the greatest health and health care disparities of all racial groups.

4. Black Leaders Declare War on War on Drugs: A national forum aimed to declare war on the 40-year-long “war on drugs” culminated into a campaign to continue pressuring Congress and the White House to end the campaign that – according to statistics - has severely damaged Black communities nationwide. The initial forum, held June 17 at the National Press Club, was organized by the Institute of the Black World – 21st Century, led by Dr. Ron Daniels and featured Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., U. S. Rep. John Conyers, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation President/CEO Elsie Scott, among other Black leaders. Disparities include African-Americans as 62 percent of drug offenders sent to state prisons, while representing only 12 percent of the U. S. population.

5. Troy Davis Executed: After a nearly 20-year battle for his life, supported by hundreds of thousands of people who ultimately signed petitions, Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis was executed by lethal injection Sept. 21 after a stay of execution was denied by the U.S. Supreme Court. The 1991 conviction of Davis for the murder of a police officer had been long the focus of civil rights leaders who proclaimed his innocence. The fight for justice, led by the NAACP, was largely based the recantation of seven of nine witnesses after the conviction. Anti-death penalty advocates have vowed to continue the fight against death as a punishment; especially in cases in which evidence is presented that destroys the prosecution’s case after the person has been convicted.

6. Historic Martin Luther King Jr. Monument Dedicated on National Mall: “The Stone of Hope”, a towering statue of Civil Rights hero Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was officially dedicated on the National Mall Oct. 16 after Hurricane Irene caused a postponement on Aug. 28. President Barack Obama, members of the King family, and a string of major civil rights icons spoke at the dedication and stars such as Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin performed. The four-acre site is the first dedicated to a Black man on the National Mall. It is viewed as a monument to past civil rights gains, but also a symbol of racial progress that must be made in years ahead.

7. Black Vote Under Attack: A clarion warning came from dozens of national civil rights leaders who say established and proposed new voting laws around the country amount to an attack on Black voting rights just as the 2012 presidential contest gets underway. The NAACP announced in November that over the past year “34 states have introduced voter suppression legislation, with laws passing in 14 of those states and bills pending in eight. These suppressive laws take many forms, but in each case they disproportionately impact people of color, working women, blue-collar workers, students, seniors, and immigrants.”

8. First Black President Continues to Face Race Hate as He Seeks 2012 Re-election: Hate experts continued to express serious concern as racial attacks continued to mark the first term of President Barack Obama. Public expressions of concern escalated following the Nov. 16 arrest of Oscar Ortega-Hernandez, 21, charged with attempting to assassinate the president for his shooting at the White House with an assault rifle. Officials’ contend that the motive in that case was not proven to be race-related, but rather anti-government. But hate experts, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, which documents hate incidents, say regardless of that suspect’s motive, Obama has consistently remained under escalated threat because of his race since before his election Nov. 5, 2008. The Secret Service gave Obama protection earlier than any other candidates and they’ve said Obama’s had more threats against him than any other president.

9. The Rise and Fall of Herman Cain: Herman Cain, a Godfather’s pizza executive, initially dismissed as an insignificant GOP candidate for president, suddenly rose to national prominence as he surged to the top of the GOP polls last fall. His candidacy peaked just as he appeared at the National Press Club Oct. 31 as news broke of several sexual harassment allegations against him. He denied the charges, but also revealed his threat to truth as he denied that widespread hate against Obama has anything to do with race. Cain’s campaign fizzled as the harassment charges intensified and he resigned from the race Dec. 3 while denying an alleged 13-year extramarital affair.

10. Occupy Protesters Win Support, Alliance from Civil Rights Leaders: What started as a group of mostly young White protesters on Wall Street late last summer, quickly spread to cities across the nation as protesters set up tents in public parks to decry unjust economic policies against the 99 percent of Americans who are not considered rich. Despite winter, the Occupy Movement caught fire and is increasingly winning the support and involvement of traditional civil rights leaders. Most recently, a group of Black clergy, led by former NAACP Executive Director Benjamin Chavis and the Rev. Jamal-Harrison Bryant, pastor of the Empowerment Temple in Baltimore, announced the formation of what they call “Occupy the Dream”. Starting Monday, Jan. 16, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. birthday holiday, Chavis says the group will hold protests at Federal Reserve Banks in 10 cities around the nation with hopes to spread “the message of income equality, economic justice and empowerment.” The mission aims to diminish Black unemployment by strengthening and promoting Black-owned businesses as an extension of Dr. King’s “Poor People’s Movement cut short when he was assassinated April 4, 1968. Chavis says, “Now that we have the monument, it’s time to rekindle the movement that the monument represents.”

 

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