Tom Joyner Partners With PreCash, Bancorp Bank to Offer the REACH Card

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from Target Market News

(TEWire) - Of the estimated 43 million Americans who are either unbanked or underbanked, a disproportionate number are African-American, according to the FDIC's 2009 survey. Recognizing this issue, nationally syndicated radio host Tom Joyner is partnering with PreCash to present the REACH Visa Prepaid Card, issued by The Bancorp Bank, to empower more African-Americans and others to manage finances through an alternative option to traditional banking by offering a simply priced prepaid debit card.

"In today's economy where every dollar counts, Americans are looking for a way to manage their money, pay bills and they need a financial stepping stone that doesn't have lots of surprising and confusing fees," said Tom Joyner, host of the nationally syndicated The Tom Joyner Morning Show, which reaches an audience of more than eight million in over 100 markets. "I think The REACH Card can empower people to take control of their finances with a fairly priced prepaid card."

The card is issued by The Bancorp Bank; member FDIC, and cardholders' deposits are FDIC insured up to $250,000. Further, all fees are disclosed prior to purchase and there are no hidden fees. Consumers can purchase The REACH Card online by visiting www.thereachcard.com.

"PreCash is excited to work with Tom Joyner to provide people without access to traditional  financial services the freedom of plastic with a simply priced, easy to understand  prepaid debit card," remarked Mia Mends, General Manager of Prepaid Debit for PreCash. "In this increasingly card-based economy, it is critical that unbanked individuals have access to affordable electronic payment options so they are not forced to use high cost, fringe products," added Mends.

The hope is The REACH Card will empower more African Americans, looking for modern solutions to help manage their finances, to use this card as a stepping stone to take control of their money and bring greater financial stability to their lives. The REACH Card is also a good tool for parents to teach teens and college students money management skills at an early age because they can only spend the money that's on the card. As with all prepaid cards, once the funds on the card are spent, more can be added for additional usage.

Marketing plans for the REACH Card are focused on media properties connected with Tom Joyner. Spots are airing on the Tom Joyner Morning Show, and appear on his Web site, BlackAmericaWeb.com. The creative is being handled in-house by PreCash.

Whether it's providing financial assistance to historically black colleges and universities, and the students who attend those institutions, through the Tom Joyner Foundation or working to promote voter registration, Tom Joyner has helped to empower African Americans in all facets of their lives.

Press Release - The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Congressional Civil Rights Scorecard Released: How Did Your Member of Congress Measure Up?

For Immediate Release
Contact: Scott Westbrook Simpson, 202.466.2061, simpson@civilrights.org
October 28, 2010

Washington, D.C. –The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights today released vote ratings for every member of the 111th Congress. The Voting Record, which has been published for every Congress since 1969, reflects positions taken by every senator and representative on the legislative priorities of The Leadership Conference and its 200 coalition members.

Members of Congress were graded on forty House and Senate votes addressing hate crimes, economic recovery, fair pay for women, the repeal of "don't ask ,don't tell", health care, fair sentencing, DC voting rights, key judicial confirmations, and other coalition priorities.

Overall, the ratings show that 217 House members and 50 senators – or 48 percent of Congress – supported The Leadership Conference's priorities on 90 percent or more of the votes. The ratings also show that 136 House members and 32 senators – or 35 percent of Congress – supported The Leadership Conference's position on only 10 percent or fewer of the votes. The Leadership Conference's Voting Record is neither an endorsement nor condemnation of any member of Congress.

The publication of the Voting Record is accompanied by the Fall 2010 edition of the Civil Rights Monitor, a narrative and journalistic review of the year's civil and human rights developments. This edition reviews the state of play on immigration reform, crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparities, LGBT civil rights, the jobs crisis, and other significant issues.

"This is a Congress that will be remembered for making tremendous progress on a number of issues important to the civil and human rights community, but also one that could have accomplished so much more, were it not for an unprecedented increase in the use of filibusters and other tactics to stop important legislation and highly qualified executive and judicial nominees," said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

"When Congress returns to work in November, we are hopeful that senators and representatives will seize the opportunity to build a positive legacy by filling dozens of critical federal judgeships, passing the Paycheck Fairness Act and the DREAM Act, and strengthening our military by repealing the discriminatory and counterproductive 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," Henderson said.

To find out how your Representative and Senator voted, view the Voting Record on The Leadership Conference's website at http://www.civilrights.org/advocacy/voting/2010/leadership-conference-2010-voting-record.pdf.

The Civil Rights Monitor can be downloaded from The Leadership Conference's website at http://www.civilrights.org/monitor/fall-2010/civil-rights-monitor-2010.pdf.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

National Black Church Initiative Blames NGOs, WHO, and the Obama Administration for Poor Respons to Haitian Cholera Epidemic

We Can No Longer Stand By While Thousands Are Dying 

Washington DC – The National Black Church Initiative, a coalition of 34,000 churches spanning 50 denominations and representing 15.7 million African Americans, is morally outraged at the cholera epidemic killing thousands of Haitians so recently devastated by one of the most destructive earthquakes in history.  This horrible tragedy is wreaking havoc in Haiti and should have been prevented by the one, if not all, of the many organizations and nations who have pledged to protect this fragile nation.

While natural disasters are an unpreventable aspect of life, our response to them is not.  As America has painfully learned through our mismanagement of Hurricane Katrina and her aftermath - decisive, immediate and fully funded support is necessary to minimize casualties, misery and disease.  The governing bodies overseeing Haiti’s rebirth have been careless by allowing such a deadly outbreak to not only infect, but kill, an already overburdened and impoverished people.  Haitians deserve better.

Oxfam, The Red Cross, UNICEF, and Doctors Without Borders are just a few of the 3,000 NGOs reportedly working to address the cholera epidemic in Haiti  and some of them are doing effective, necessary work to combat this highly contagious disease.  However, with the ten billion in relief funds that has been given to these organizations insufficient progress has been made.  Data collected since Haiti’s devastating earthquake three weeks ago show the crisis has inspired Americans to donate more than $600 million to relief efforts, the largest outpouring of American support to any foreign natural disaster in history.  As the United States has been hit with its own economic crises we deserve for our donations to be used as intended – to enact change in the lives of Haitians who so desperately require attention.  These organizations must be held accountable and improve the chaotic care that Haitians are receiving – this epidemic must be curbed before more innocent lives are lost.

The Obama Administration, in addition to the World Health Organization (WHO), have said they will pledge the money necessary to both combat the cholera epidemic and to begin the arduous task of rebuilding homes and reviving a nation ravaged by devastation and destitution.  Sadly, reality is a far grimmer picture than the one talked about in press conferences. The United Nations announced it had received less than 10% of the $164 million in emergency funds it requested to battle the epidemic.  "That's clearly insufficient for an adequate response to the epidemic," U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters Monday in New York.

Rev. Anthony Evans, President of NBCI says, “I am morally outraged that this has happened and that tragedies continue to befall the Haitian people.  These experts that we count on to protect the vulnerable citizens of Haiti have failed us and we must take immediate action.  Millions of dollars have been donated and little progress has been made.  The living conditions for Haitians are deplorable and the state of their government is abysmal.  We want to see progress immediately from the Obama Administration, WHO, and the NGOs.”

The United States pledged $1.15 billion and six months after the earthquake left over 200,000 dead, we had paid nothing, with the money tied up in the congressional appropriations process.  While, logically, the funds could not be freed overnight, NBCI feels that had the Obama Administration expedited our aid response lives could have been saved.  Now, in addition to the incalculable amount of lives lost in the initial tragedy - 1,817 Haitians have died of cholera as of December 12, 2010 according to the Center for Disease Control.  Casualties will undeniably continue to rise, compounding the catastrophe that has befallen this truly pitiable nation. How can such a curable disease kill so many people in this modern age?

About NBCI

The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) is a coalition of 34,000 African American and Latino churches working to eradicate racial disparities in healthcare, technology, education, housing, and the environment. NBCI’s mission is to provide critical wellness information to all of its members, congregants, churches and the public. The National Black Church Initiative’s methodology is utilizing faith and sound health science. The National Black Church Initiative's purpose is to partner with major organizations and officials whose main mission is to reduce racial disparities in the variety of areas cited above. NBCI offers faith-based, out-of-the-box and cutting edge solutions to stubborn economic and social issues. NBCI’s programs are governed by credible statistical analysis, science based strategies and techniques, and methods that work. Visit our website at www.naltblackchurch.com.  

Congressional Civil Rights Scorecard Released: How Did Your Member of Congress Measure Up?

For Immediate Release
Contact: Scott Westbrook Simpson, 202.466.2061, simpson@civilrights.org
October 28, 2010

WASHINGTON  – The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights today released vote ratings for every member of the 111th Congress. The Voting Record, which has been published for every Congress since 1969, reflects positions taken by every senator and representative on the legislative priorities of The Leadership Conference and its 200 coalition members.

Members of Congress were graded on forty House and Senate votes addressing hate crimes, economic recovery, fair pay for women, the repeal of "don't ask ,don't tell", health care, fair sentencing, DC voting rights, key judicial confirmations, and other coalition priorities.

Overall, the ratings show that 217 House members and 50 senators – or 48 percent of Congress – supported The Leadership Conference's priorities on 90 percent or more of the votes. The ratings also show that 136 House members and 32 senators – or 35 percent of Congress – supported The Leadership Conference's position on only 10 percent or fewer of the votes. The Leadership Conference's Voting Record is neither an endorsement nor condemnation of any member of Congress.

The publication of the Voting Record is accompanied by the Fall 2010 edition of the Civil Rights Monitor, a narrative and journalistic review of the year's civil and human rights developments. This edition reviews the state of play on immigration reform, crack and powder cocaine sentencing disparities, LGBT civil rights, the jobs crisis, and other significant issues.

"This is a Congress that will be remembered for making tremendous progress on a number of issues important to the civil and human rights community, but also one that could have accomplished so much more, were it not for an unprecedented increase in the use of filibusters and other tactics to stop important legislation and highly qualified executive and judicial nominees," said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

"When Congress returns to work in November, we are hopeful that senators and representatives will seize the opportunity to build a positive legacy by filling dozens of critical federal judgeships, passing the Paycheck Fairness Act and the DREAM Act, and strengthening our military by repealing the discriminatory and counterproductive 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," Henderson said.

To find out how your Representative and Senator voted, view the Voting Record on The Leadership Conference's website at http://www.civilrights.org/advocacy/voting/2010/leadership-conference-2010-voting-record.pdf.

The Civil Rights Monitor can be downloaded from The Leadership Conference's website at http://www.civilrights.org/monitor/fall-2010/civil-rights-monitor-2010.pdf.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.