CBC Chairman Warns Frustrated Blacks 'Might Not Vote at All' in 2012 by Hazel Trice Edney

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The CBC's Jobs for the People Jobs Initiative drew thousands of job seekers in cities around the country. Courtesy Photo

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More than 7,000 people lined up - many before dawn - outside the Cleveland State University Student Center with hopes of landing a job at the CBC job fair. Only 2,200 jobs were available. Courtesy Photo

CBC Chairman Warns Frustrated Blacks 'Might Not Vote at All' in 2012

By Hazel Trice Edney

WASHINGTON (TriceEdneyWire.com) - Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) – witnessing thousands of Black people lining up for CBC job fairs and town hall meetings around the country - is warning that African-American frustrations could result in voters staying home on presidential election day Nov. 6, 2012.

“Citizens of this country are hungering for work. And that hunger in all likelihood is going to turn into desperation and I don’t know how that desperation will be played out,” Cleaver said in an interview this week. “There are some frustrations and I hear all kinds of things from African-Americans. I think what’s going to happen is that people would be angry but I think at the end of the day, they’re not going to vote on the other side. The danger for the President is that they may not vote at all. He will get the majority of the Black vote. The issue is the majority of what?”

Cleaver says he has assured President Obama that he is totally committed to his re-election and that he will do everything in his power to make it happen. But, he said he has become increasingly troubled by what he has heard the past two weeks as the CBC has traveled to target high-unemployment cities to hold job fairs. Among them, Cleveland, Ohio, where more than 7,000 lined up for a job fair at Cleveland State University for only 2,200 jobs, he said, noting that many came at 4 a.m. and left after 6 in the evening.

The jobless rate in the Black community has hovered around approximately 16 percent – twice that of Whites – for most of this year. When Obama was asked early in his administration about the even higher jobless rate among Black males, he responded at a White House press conference, “A rising tide lifts all boats.”

Fast forwarding two years later that has not happened. Therefore, the CBC has taken to the streets to find jobs for their constituents, Cleaver said.

“I am troubled that we do not have laser-like targeted programs and initiatives to relieve the unemployment pain in Black America. I think we CBC members received critical words from Black America about what they perceive to be the President’s lack of involvement in targeting Black America with job opportunities, so what we decided was that the president will do his thing and we will do ours and we will create jobs.”

Cleaver said he intends to transform his own frustration into actions.

“I said to myself as we were in Cleveland last week, no matter how angry I get because of the problems I see in African-American communities, I am not going to allow it to discourage me or the CBC,” he said. “I thought that it was time for us to quit complaining or depending on someone else to work in this area and the Caucus has been fabulous in its support of proposals that I’ve brought before them and this has been no different.”

The CBC’s goal is to find at least 10,000 for African-Americans. More than 200 companies are participating in the effort – companies that have real jobs available, Cleaver stressed.

The CBC “For the People” job fairs and town hall meetings around the country continued this week in Detroit on Aug. 16; Atlanta Aug. 18-19; Miami, Aug. 22-23 and Los Angeles Aug. 30-31.

It’s been difficult dodging criticism of the President coming from Black voters who want to know what Obama is doing for their economic conditions.

“Because I am so committed to his re-election, when people raise that question – and it gets raised almost every day – I say, ‘Look the President’s doing his thing, we’re doing ours.’ I try not to get into the issue too deeply,” he said. “I’m a supporter of the President. I told him to his face that I was going to do everything I could for his re-election but yeah, I would love to see it a little differently.”

Awaiting MLK Memorial, Black Leaders Say 'Dream' Realization is Still Woefully Short

Melanie Campbell

John Payton

Charles Ogletree

Wade Henderson

Harry E. Johnson, Sr.

Awaiting MLK Memorial, Black Leaders Say 'Dream' Realization is Still Woefully Short

By Hazel Trice Edney

WASHINGTON (TriceEdneyWire.com) – There is much fanfare surrounding the long-anticipated unveiling and dedication of the Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial on the National Mall on August, 28.

That 11 a.m. Sunday program will no doubt emanate all the euphoria, powerful emotions and spiritual prowess as a traditional Sunday morning worship service. But, as some Black civil rights leaders gear up to participate in the unveiling, they acknowledge the reality this week that the dream of which Dr. King preached has still fallen woefully short.

“The Dedication promises to be a historic event for the U.S. and nations around the world, as Dr. King’s vision and timeless beliefs continue to resonate with people of all lands,” says Harry E. Johnson Sr., president and CEO of the National Memorial Project Foundation, on www.dedicatethedream.org. “World leaders, civil rights pioneers, citizens who remember the hard days of segregation and those leading the next generation closer to Dr. King’s dream, will assemble together for the long-awaited celebration and remembrance.”

According to responses to questions from the Trice Edney News Wire this week, minds of civil rights leaders will also be focused on one of Dr. King’s most famous questions: “Where do we go from here – chaos or community?”

“We have made very real and significant progress since the March on Washington, but we have a long ways to go before we could say that what Dr. King envisioned is a reality,” says John A. Payton, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. “The 1964 Civil Rights Act, the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the 1968 Fair Housing Act, the 1991 Civil Rights Act and much more – all came after the march. Those were all significant human rights achievements. Their enforcement has made the entire country more just. However, even as we celebrate what has been achieved, we must recognize what remains to be accomplished.”

He then ticked off the progress and the lack thereof on several key issues:

Education: Public schools in most inner cities are in crisis, with graduation rates for Black kids below 50 percent in some urban areas causing an educational deficiency that cripple the possibilities for many Black youth, Peyton said.

Criminal Justice: “In 1963 there were some 200,000 persons in prison in the United States, and there was a small racial gap in that prison population. Today, there are over 2.5 million people in prison and about half are Black and Latino. While participation in illegal drug use occurs at the same rate for white and Black people, the arrest and incarceration rate for black people is seven times that of white people. That is a huge racial gap,” he said.

Economic Justice: “We still see significant and often structural racism affecting job opportunities in hiring and promotion.”

Voting: “This one seemingly bright spot is the only bright because of the presence of the Voting Rights Act, which is constantly under challenge. Two years ago it was sustained by the Supreme Court in a case that the Legal Defense Fund argued, but it is again under constitutional challenge and is likely to go back to the Supreme Court. The achievements are real but the remaining challenges are also real.”

Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, says conditions in America are the reason he has decided to join the Aug. 27 march, the day before the dedication. Led by Rev. Al Sharpton and radio personality Tom Joyner, the march and rally will call for jobs in commemoration of King’s 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom.

“Some have asked why we plan yet another demonstration on this important anniversary,” Henderson said. “Our nation is today, as it was in Dr. King’s time, at a crossroads of extraordinary significance. We face massive economic upheaval exceeded only by the Great Depression in its impact. We are mired in two wars which sap our strength both in lives and treasure. And finally, we suffer a new level of partisan extremism which elevates political interests over the national interest, and threatens the very existence of our democracy as we know it.”

Two-and-a-half years ago, America celebrated with great awe, the election of its first African-American president. But, it took only a few months to see that that fete gave rise to as much racism as it deed to racial healing. Race experts, such as the Southern Poverty Law Center, identified clear racial animus toward President Obama. Federal law enforcement reported more death threats against him than any of his predecessors. Coupled with the reality that Dr. King was killed by an assassin’s bullet April 4, 1968 while fighting for civil rights, the Secret Service has taken no chances. Obama has had a tighter security force than any other president in history, indicating that America has yet to overcome.

“Dr. King's dream of justice for all has yet to be realized,” says Charles J. Ogletree Jr., professor at Harvard Law School and founding director of Harvard’s Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice. “We have made great progress, but there is no time to rest. The struggle for racial justice must continue even now.”

Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, agrees.

“The 48th Anniversary of the March on Washington of 1963 is a reminder that the struggle for jobs and justice (freedom) is not something we win and then move on to something else,” Campbell says. “The struggle for jobs and justice is a lifelong fight for those who believe in inclusion. It is the responsibility of each generation to continue the fight against those who believe in exclusion based on race, class, political ideology and sexual orientation.”

She said, “The biggest challenge America faces to progress as a nation is to learn from the lessons of the past and build on past and current movements of inclusion including: equal pay for women, voting rights, disability rights, fair housing, health care for all and environmental justice.”

Meanwhile, organizers of the August 28 celebration hold out hope that the unveiling and the memorial itself will stand as a permanent reminder and impetus for movement toward complete fulfillment of the dream of true equality.

“Dr. King was a profound teacher, whose lessons were anchored in the primacy of human dignity. He enacted irreversible social change and led our country forward, relying exclusively on non-violent means,” says Johnson, president of the Memorial Project Foundation. “The Memorial will be a lasting tribute to Dr. King’s legacy and will forever serve as a monument to the freedom, opportunity and justice for which he stood.”

Dems Clyburn and Becerra Only Minorities on Debt Committee

August 14, 2011

Dems Clyburn and Becerra Only Minorities on Debt Committee

Republicans Have No Minority or Woman Appointees - All White Males

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Rep. Clyburn

becerra

Rep. Becerra

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

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - During her last round of picks for the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (“Debt Supercommittee”) intended to help solve the nation’s debt crisis, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi appointed Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) and Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.), adding diversity to the important panel. The Democrats are also represented by the only woman on the committee, Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.).

The 12-member bipartisan panel will have until November to decide how the country should save $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years, Bloomberg Businessweek reported.

Pelosi (D-Calif.) said the Debt Supercommittee would have three main goals: To focus economic growth and job creation to reduce debt; make financial decisions regarding investments, cuts and revenues; and offer recommendations to help reduce the country’s dependence credit.

“Because the work of this committee will affect all Americans, I called last week for its deliberations to be transparent; the committee should conduct its proceedings in the open,” Pelosi said in an Aug. 11 press release.

While the 12-member panel is split evenly between Republicans and Democrats, seven votes must be made to send a final recommendation to Congress for consideration—which means at least one lawmaker must back the plan of the opposing party.

“It's not going to be simple to come to a deal,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Clyburn is currently the third-ranking member of the House Democratic Leadership, with experience on the Appropriations Committee. Pelosi in a statement called Clyburn a “vigorous spokesperson for jobs and economic development.”

Rising Above Torturous Teasing, Miss Black USA Vows to Help Others

August 14, 2011

Rising Above Torturous Teasing, Miss Black USA Now Vows to Help Others

By Nickei Bent

Rising above a life of teasing, Ocielia Gibson of Texas is crowned Miss Black USA. Courtesy photo.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Don’t be fooled by her outer beauty. Behind the sparkling crown and beautiful evening gown is a woman who has overcome low self-esteem and being teased almost every day.

Texas native, Ocielia Gibson, 26, has had almost every bad word in the book thrown at her because of the hives she gets on her skin that doctors have not diagnosed.

“They called me leopard, spotted-bodied girl, alligator skin and ugly,” said Gibson.

As does thousands of school-aged children every day, Gibson's self-esteem suffered from the teasing. “Because I was made fun of, it really impacted how I felt about myself and how beautiful I felt, and I didn’t even go to senior prom because of those issues,” Gibson said.

“I had to not allow all the negative self-thought to overcome me and I had to believe in myself,” Gibson said in an interview.

Despite her past pains, Gibson was crowned winner in the Miss Black USA Scholarship Pageant 2011 on Aug. 9 from amidst dozens of other beautiful and talented young women. She is now able to tell how she overcame the painful teasing in order to excel.

“I had to truly believe that even though I had those physical flaws, regardless of that, I was a beautiful woman,” she said. “I had to make the decision to [either] keep wallowing in that self-pity or to just hold my head high and be the best that I can be even with those physical flaws”.

At 19 years old Gibson entered the Miss Black Texas 2009 pageant. It was her dream to use Miss Black Texas as a stepping stone to get her to the Miss Black USA Scholarship Pageant. On her first try, Gibson did not take home the title, and placed second runner-up. Determined to win, she re-entered Miss Black Texas in 2009, however, she was disappointed once more when she placed second runner-up.

Deciding to confront her fears head-on and not be deterred, Gibson decided to enter the competition for the third time.

“It’s easy to get down on yourself to criticize yourself when competing, but when those thoughts would come, I had to immediately just forget them, I had to decide and say no I am going to believe in myself,” she said. “It was not my season.”

Gibson said she had to dig deep to enter the Miss Black Texas Pageant once more. She entered again in 2010 and won. Finally, Gibson had gotten what she had worked hard for and in turn got over her lack of self-esteem. She was almost there.

“I had to surpass my fears”, she said.

After being crowned Miss Black Texas 2010, Gibson went on to enter Miss Black USA Scholarship Pageant 2011 in Washington DC’s historic Lincoln Theater.

The Miss Black USA Scholarship Pageant and Scholarship Foundation, Inc. was founded by life coach, author and philanthropist Karen Arrington in 1986. The competition promotes education and leadership by providing scholarships opportunities to its winners.

“I was attracted to Miss Black USA because it celebrates Black women and displays who you are inside,” Gibson said.

The theme of this year’s pageant was “Shades of Africa” celebrating the diversity of Black women in America. The competition was fierce as the final 29 women from across the U. S. competed for more than $20,000 in scholarships and prizes. The final contestants were narrowed to 16.

Gibson wowed the judges and the crowd after she displayed her piano skills. However, what brought her over the top and to victory was her answer to the question on improving the high school graduation and college entry rates of African-Americans.

To answer the question, Gibson drew on her platform, one which was very near and dear to her heart. It was one of the reasons she fought so hard to win Miss Black Texas - her ministry to young women.

“A lot of our kids need mentorship and tutoring from other successful African-Americans that they can look up to,” Gibson answered. “So a key way to improve the graduation rate and the college entry rate is for people just like us to come back and give back to them, to show them the way, to guide them and to help them.”

As a sophomore in college, Gibson received her calling from God, a calling to minister to young women. She is now pursuing a Master of Divinity with a concentration in women's ministry from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. She also has her own website, www.Ocielia.org.

“I stepped out on my dream to empower teen girls by founding More Than a Pretty Face Inc.,” she said. The faith-based outreach program targets urban women, initially, an after-school mentoring program for at-risk girls. It focuses on defining true beauty, abstaining from sex and developing leadership skills. To date, More Than a Pretty Face Inc.,” has spread to more than a thousand young women throughout Texas and Arkansas.

Gibson still suffers from the undiagnosed skin condition, but has vowed to not let it interrupt her mission and tarnish her sense of self.

“True beauty is appealing to all the senses,” she said. “True beauty is an all-encompassing beauty. It’s in the words that you speak. It is also with the smell of your attitude.”

Gibson described her win as “the icing on the cake”, and hopes to use her reign as Miss Black USA to spread her ministry to young women across America.

“I want my legacy to be one of empowering the young because that is a passion of mine and a passion of the Miss Black USA organization so it just perfectly meshes together,” said Gibson. “I really hope to be remembered as the queen who used her crown and her influence to champion the cause of our young African-American sisters and to uplift them and to guide them.”

Secretary Clinton: African Drought Requires Global Response

August 14, 2011

Secretary Clinton: African Drought Requires Global Response

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

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the severe drought threatening more than 12 million Africans with starvation must be addressed by global agriculture and nutrition initiatives.

In a speech at the International Food Policy Research Institute, Clinton said the United States was providing another $17 million in emergency food aid to the Horn of Africa, with $12 million going to humanitarian operations in Somalia. That brings total U.S. assistance to the region to more than $580 million this year.

"While we hurry to deliver life-saving assistance, we must also maintain our focus on the future by continuing to invest in long-term food security in countries that are susceptible to drought and food shortages," she said. The basic idea is that teaching people to feed themselves means less need for emergency – and more expensive – operations later.”