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The 'Four Little Girls' Honored As American Heroes by Hazel Trice Edney

May 26, 2013

The 'Four Little Girls' Honored As American Heroes
By Hazel Trice Edney

girls-gold medal

Posthumous recipents of the Congressional Gold Medal are, clockwise, Addie Mae Collins, 14; Cynthia Wesley, 14; Carole Robertson, 14 and Denise McNair, 11.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - The four little girls who were killed by a bomb planted by the Ku Klux Klan at Alabama’s 16th Street Baptist Church nearly 50 years ago have been officially proclaimed as American heroes.

President Barack Obama has signed into law, H. R. 360, “which provides for the presentation of a congressional gold medal to commemorate the lives of the four young African-American victims of the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church” in Birmingham, Ala. on September  15, 1963. It is one of the nation’s highest civilian awards.

Addie Mae Collins, 14; Denise McNair, 11; Carole Robertson, 14; and Cynthia Wesley, 14 died inside their Sunday school classrooms when the dynamite, exploded by a timer. As victims of violence during the historic civil rights movement, they are among the youngest to ever receive the Congressional Gold Medal. They join other recipients such as Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, Jackie Robinson, the Tuskegee Airmen, Sen. Robert Kennedy, Gen. Colin Powell and South Africa President Nelson Mandela.

Surrounded by their family during the signing ceremony in the Oval Office May 24, President Obama said, “That tragic loss, that heartbreak helped to trigger triumph and a more justice and equal and fair America. This is a great privilege for me.”

Upon the unanimous passage of the bill on April 24, U. S. Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-Ga.), an original sponsor, described the girls as “bright stars in the constellation shining down now as beacons of light for freedom and justice” and “four young martyrs in the fight for freedom.”

Twenty-two other people were injured in the blast that day. The historic church was a meeting place for civil rights activists, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in their work for voter registration of African-Americans. The bombing happened just two weeks after the August 28, 1963 March on Washington; therefore is viewed as a catalyst for the escalation of the Civil Rights Movement.

Giving their eulogy, Dr. King said, “These children – unoffending; innocent and beautiful- were the victims of one of the most vicious, heinous crimes ever perpetrated against humanity; yet they died nobly. They are martyred heroines of a holy crusade for freedom and human dignity.”

 

President Obama 'Comforter-in-Chief' in Oklahoma by Hazel Trice Edney

May 27, 2013

President Obama 'Comforter-in-Chief' in Oklahoma
By Hazel Trice Edney

obamaatoklahomatornadosite

President Barack Obama talks with FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, and local officials as he tours tornado damage along a block of Eagle Drive in Moore, Okla. PHOTO: Pete Souza/The White House

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – As donations and assistance continue to poor in to the people of Tornado-ravaged Moore, Okla., reality continues to sink in and the 22 dead are grieved, President Obama – once again in his role as comforter-in-chief - has promised U. S. Government assistance in every way possible.

“And when we say that we’ve got your back, I promise you, we keep our word. If you talk to folks in Alabama who have been affected over the last couple of years; you talk to the folks at Joplin, who I know have actually sent volunteers down here to Moore; if you talk to folks in New Jersey and New York, they’ll tell you that when we say we’re going to be there until you completely rebuild, we mean it. And I want everybody to have that confidence,” the President said Sunday from a presidential podium standing amidst the rubble of Plaza Towers Elementary School.

He was referring to other natural disasters, including the deadly tornados of Alabama and Joplin and last year’s flooding of Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey as examples of White House responsiveness in times of crisis. In fact, he also visited and toured the Jersey Shore this week to check on continued recovery from Hurricane Sandy.

In Oklahoma, he thanked Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, Moore Mayor Glenn Lewis, members of Congress and other representatives for their quick responses, leadership, “strong spirit and sense of community.”

Now, more than a week since the ferocious tornado, estimates are that more than 13,000 homes were destroyed and 24 people died; including 10 children. Approximately 377 were injured. The damages are expected to reach well into the billions of dollars and the weeks; even years ahead will be daunting. But President Obama assured and encouraged that it will be possible to rebuild broken buildings and broken lives.

“Obviously, the damage here is pretty hard to comprehend. Our hearts go out to the families who have been impacted, including those who had loved ones who were lost,” he said. “And so I’m just a messenger here today, letting everybody here know that you are not alone, that you’ve got folks behind you.”

 

 

 

 

Va. Democrats Eyeing Rise of Obama Foe – A Black Republican Pastor by Jeremy M. Lazarus

May 27, 2013

Va. Democrats Eyeing Rise of Obama Foe – A Black Republican Pastor
By Jeremy M. Lazarus

bishopjackson

Bishop E. W. Jackson Sr.

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

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - He’s blasted President Obama for having the sensibilities of an “atheist and Muslim” and wanting to be “a king and dictator.”

He’s condemned Planned Parenthood as “more lethal to Black lives than the KKK” for providing abortions to legions of Black women seeking its health services.

And he’s called on Black Christians to leave the Democratic Party that he calls anti-God for its support of same-sex marriage.

The “he” is Bishop E.W. Jackson Sr., the arch conservative pastor of Exodus Faith Ministries in Chesapeake, Va. Considered a long, long shot, he has surprisingly beaten six other candidates to win the nomination for Virginia lieutenant governor at the Tea Party-dominated Republican State Convention in Richmond, May 18.

Not surprisingly, the mostly White crowd of 8,000 GOP delegates also elected Ken Cuccinelli, the current attorney general, as the party’s candidate for governor and stayed true to form in choosing a Tea Party favorite, veteran state Sen. Mark Obenshain as the attorney general nominee.

Democrats are keeping their focus on Bishop Jackson, a graduate of Harvard Law School who also studied at the Harvard Divinity School. This focus was highlighted Wednesday afternoon, May 22, during the party’s telephone conference call with reporters that featured Hampton Sen. Mamie E. Locke, chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones, Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille and Roanoke City Councilman Sherman Lee, all Democrats.

During the 20-minute call, all four went on the attack against the minister-attorney who likens allegiance to the Democratic Party to slavery. Repudiating Bishop Jackson and his approach to issues, the speakers variously described him as being “out of touch with reality” and a hugely divisive figure who “distorts the Christian faith” to advance his political ambitions.

The attack is part of the Democratic effort to define Bishop Jackson for potential voters and make him the symbol of the extremism they see in the Republican ticket headed by Cuccinelli.

The Democratic candidates will be chosen in the upcoming primary election on Tuesday, June 11. Businessman Terry McAuliffe, though, is the party’s all but certain nominee for governor as he is unopposed; the other statewide offices are contested.

The conference call also served notice that Democrats intend to fight to hold their most loyal constituency who ensured President Obama captured Virginia twice and was re-elected last year and keep Bishop Jackson from stripping away Black support because he is Black.

Mayor Jones, a pastor himself, believes Bishop Jackson will not succeed in that mission, saying people are going to see through him. Still, Mayor Jones and the other speakers plan to use Bishop Jackson’s inflammatory rhetoric against him to prevent him from “hijacking the Christian faith for partisan purposes.”

“We are going to be about unifying the electorate,” Mayor Jones said, “and bringing forth a message of compassion as it relates to Christianity, not a message of divisiveness.”

Sen. Locke called Bishop Jackson “out of touch with reality” and deserving of rejection. She said Cuccinelli wants the bishop on the ticket because the minister can say things that Cuccinelli could not and remain a viable candidate.

Mayor Euille said Bishop Jackson is just the opposite of what Virginia needs, which is political leaders who “work together to solve problems and create jobs.”

“When Ken Cuccinelli drapes his arm around Bishop Jackson and expresses confidence in his judgment, then we need to worry about Ken Cuccinelli’s judgment,” he said.

Councilman Lee said anyone who was there when Black Virginians stood for hours in long lines to bring victory to President Obama in 2008 and 2012 could not support Bishop Jackson. Lee said the bishop has labeled President Obama an “evil presence” and called the president’s “idea of being a Christian laughable.”

Lee said voters would be urged to avoid a politician who would “distort our Christian faith to support a twisted view of the world. We need a lieutenant governor,” he said, “who will focus on solving the real problems of jobs, schools and roads rather than someone who wants to use our legacy of struggle to end slavery and gain our civil rights for his own petty political purposes.”

Obama to Bypass Kenya During Long-Delayed Africa Trip

May 26, 2013
Obama to Bypass Kenya During Long-Delayed Africa Trip in June
child waiting for obama
Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from GIN


(TriceEdneyWire.com) – Pres. Barack Obama will embark on a major presidential tour of Africa in June but his itinerary will circumvent Kenya, his ancestral homeland.

 

Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania will each receive the President and First Lady Michelle. Kenya was scratched from the group, according to one news report, since being seen with the newly-elected president, Uhuru Kenyatta, who still faces charges of crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court, would certainly spark a new crisis for the President, already beleaguered by major controversies.

 

Obama’s first trip to South Africa since he became President raises the prospect of a reunion with Nelson Mandela ahead of his 95th birthday in July. But Mandela's health now appears so frail that any photo op will require delicate handling.

 

The presidential trip, from June 26 to July 3, comes late for many Africans who had hoped that the son of a Kenyan would give priority to the continent. After more than four years in power, he has spent less than 24 hours in sub-Saharan Africa – a solitary visit to Ghana in 2009.

 

Former Chinese president Hu Jintao, by contrast, has made five trips to Africa as head of state, while his successor Xi Jinping sped to three resource-rich African countries just a month after taking over. The Asian giant has exercised soft power through building schools and hospitals.

 

China has quickly overtaken the U.S. with an infrastructure-for-minerals approach that wins friends and influences people. Some governments have welcomed a lack of "preaching" on human rights, pointing out that America's own record is checkered.

 

The White House last year put out a tepid Strategy  toward Sub-Saharan Africa with vague objectives: to strengthen democratic institutions; spur economic growth, trade, and investment; advance peace and security; and promote opportunity and development.

 

Elsewhere, however, a new mantra of "Africa rising," can be heard at investment conferences, thinktanks and in media commentaries.

 

"He's totally neglecting Africa," said Koffi Kouakou, a Johannesburg-based political commentator in a press interview. "There's not enough time to catch up. It's a strategic neglect that is going to be costing America big time.

 

"Our expectations were too high. His visit now won't have the same degree of reverberation as when he first became president." 

Frederick Douglass Statue Cleared for Capitol Visitor Center Site by Zenitha Prince

Frederick Douglass Statue Cleared for U. S. Capitol Visitor Center Site

By Zenitha Prince

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

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - After a long battle, the District of Columbia will finally have representation among the statuary on Capitol Hill. 

The House voted May 21 authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center for the unveiling of the District's statue of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, a former resident, on June 19.

The House vote was the final step in the process, because the resolution was already passed by the Senate and does not need to be signed into law to take effect.

“Today, after years of work, our city receives closure that residents will be represented in the Capitol with a statue, like each of the 50 states,” said non-voting Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C) on the House floor May 21. “Next month, on June 19, we will celebrate this long-sought symbol of our American citizenship.”

Norton said in choosing Douglass, the citizens of the District were showing their commitment to issues of self-governance—an ongoing struggle. Even the placement of the statue became a skirmish in that battle—it was blocked for years by rules that stated that only the 50 states could display statues of their local heroes and heroines in the Capitol.

“There is no better figure to represent our city than Frederick Douglass, who made the city his home and was deeply involved in D.C. government and in the civic affairs of the city,” the congresswoman said. “Douglass is not only one of the great international icons of human rights, he is remembered in the District also for his outspoken dedication to democratic self-government and congressional representation for the city.”

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and others echoed those sentiments.

“I am pleased that the more than 600,000 American citizens who reside in the District of Columbia will finally have a statue representing them in the U.S. Capitol,” she said in a statement. “While the District deserves to have two statues in the Capitol, like the states, since its residents pay federal taxes and have fought and died in every American war, a statue depicting Frederick Douglass could not be a more apt representative for the people of D.C.

“Douglass fought for District residents to have self-government and Congressional representation,” she added, “a fight our Caucus carries on today.”

The Douglass statue, which was created by sculptor Steven Weitzman and commissioned seven years ago, will be only the fourth statue or bust in the Capitol that honors an African American.

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