Feb. 7, 2020

More Than 'A Vote'
By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq

TriceEdneyWire.com – I can’t really say what motivated me to view the movie “SELMA” again, but I found it to be inspirational as well as illuminating, especially as it explored the importance of voting. I’ve come to believe those of us who are more chronically advanced, politically oriented or who, out of a sense of obligation to our predecessors, routinely vote with the regularity of “Old Faithful,” sometimes fail to understand that others haven’t learned or been taught the significance of The Vote. I don’t condemn those who have a less than complete understanding of voting – I question those of us who have forgotten to teach.

I have always believed that something others want to deny you or in which they want to prevent you from participation IS IMPORTANT, especially to them. We can see this played out historically in education, jobs AND voting. To understand the real importance of voting, we must quickly review the voting process before 1965.

Ratified in 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment to the Constitution prohibited states from denying a male citizen the right to vote based on “race, color or previous condition of servitude.” Many will also forget that women had to wait until 1920 to receive the right to vote. This amendment could change the law, but it could not change the hearts and minds of those who were entrenched in the belief in racial superiority.

Those who so believed and administered the voting process in states and localities established extra-legal methods to prevent African-Americans from voting. Most notable of these methods were literacy tests which required unreasonable factual knowledge such as reciting the Constitution or reciting with perfect accuracy specific facts about state laws. Some “tests” were as ridiculous as stating the number of beans in a large jar or the number of bubbles that could be created by a bar of soap. These tests were used to disqualify African-American voters, but these same “tests” were not administered to whites. In the aftermath of the brutal, bloody events on the Edmund Pettus Bridge and other violent deaths in the struggle to gain the unencumbered voting rights, in March of 1965, the 1965 Voting Rights Act was signed into law.

Fast forward to today. Just what do we give up without the unencumbered right to vote. Of course, we give up the right to select a candidate of our choice. That loss is something that most will immediately recognize, but what peripheral losses will we experience?

Statistically, Progressive voters outnumber Conservative voters by a wide margin. By needing to overcome voter apathy inspired by a “lack of excitement” or the failure of candidates to pass a 100% litmus tests of political purity, we have surrendered our polling place power. Our acceptance of the belief that “our votes don’t count” surrenders our lives to those who have no concerns about our or our children’s future.

Probably our most significant loss is in the judicial arena. For as long as I can remember, the Civil Rights community has depended upon the reasoned judgment of a judiciary with a dedication to upholding the law for all citizens instead of one committed to conservative partisan interests.

Court decisions limiting the rights of the masses exemplified by Citizens United, upholding Republican Party Gerrymandering, and loosening the enforcement guidelines of the Voting Rights Act all stand in stark contrast to the expansion of rights engendered by the Brown v. Board decision.

Failing to vote or allowing petty considerations to prevent us from voting with others who share our short- and long-term interests, we choose to live life by default – accepting only what others offer us. Our offering to our children is the same.

(Dr. E. Faye Williams is National President of the National Congress of Black Women. She’s also host of “Wake Up and Stay Woke” on WPFW-FM 89.3 radio.)

Feb. 9, 2020

Witnessing Two History-Makers in Action
By A. Peter Bailey

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - As we continue to celebrate Black History Month 2020, it is necessary to pay tribute to two history-makers who are still with us, Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., who is a renown historian of religion and Charles Fuller, one of the premier playwrights of our time.  During the past month I’ve had the spiritually enhancing, knowledge-expanding experience of witnessing two brilliant, serious, though-provoking Brothers in action.

Dr. Wright, despite being in a wheelchair, delivered a powerful Dr. King birthday message, titled “What Do You See?,” to over  1,500 congregants in Howard University’s Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel in Cramton Auditorium.  With a compelling voice he urged black folks to not be discouraged or distracted by current events in this nation.  He cited historical and Biblical references to show that this is nothing new, that our ancestors with determination, faith and skills had made it through similar or even worse circumstances. He made a special appeal to the significant number of young people among the congregants.  “Stay woke! Stay conscious! Hold on to your hope,” he urged them to enthusiastic amens and applause.  When attending Rev. Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker’s church in Harlem, he would sometimes say “I’m not just a Baptist. I’m a Black Baptist.”  Dr. Wright is not just a Christian; he’s a Black Christian.

The second history-maker, Charlie Fuller, though not physically present when I saw his unforgettable play, A Soldier’s Play, on Broadway, was definitely there spiritually. I first saw his compelling, provocative creation in the 1970s when it was presented by the Negro Ensemble Company.  It is one of my favorite plays. Charlie, with supreme talent, and intelligence make audiences aware of the lacerating psychological damage this basically white supremacist society inflicts on way too many black men.  The lead character, played by David Alan Grier, is a demonic, self-hating black sergeant who is basically a black white supremacist. With scorn and disgust, he physically and emotionally brutalizes the mostly rural young black soldiers under his command.  “It’s people like you,” he continuously snarls at them, “who justify the attitude of white folks about us.”  Eventually he is mysteriously killed.

The second leading character is a black army captain, played by Blair Underwood, whose job is to find out who killed the despicable sergeant. Throughout the play, which takes place during World War II, Charlie includes conversations from white officers about confronting the Nazis.  What they didn’t talk about was the brutality and terrorism being inflicted on black folks by white supremacists in the United States.

A wise person will take advantage of any opportunity to see the two great history-makers in action.

Feb. 9, 2020

Which Race and Ethnic Card to Play? Census Identities Still Confound
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Census 2020
By Khalil Abdullah

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from Ethnic Media Services

(TriceEdneyWire.com) Everyone in the United States plays a race or ethnic card some time, or at least everyone responding to the census. Despite the scientific view that race is an artificial social construct, unmoored from biological reality, is there a box that best describes you?

Whether you plan to respond to the census online, in writing, or by telephone, one question you’ll have to answer will be how you self-identify.

FAQ: What are the race and ethnic categories on the census form?

Answe: Your racial choices are: (1) White; (2) Black or African American; (3) American Indian or Alaskan Native; (4) Asian – with numerous boxes as subsets; and (5) Some other race. The questionnaire also asks, separately, if the respondent is “of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin,” but instructs that, “for this census, Hispanic origins are not races.”

FAQ: What if I’m not White or Black? I’m Egyptian and my neighbor is from Iran. What are our options and who determines the categories?

Answer: You and your neighbor fall into what is called the MENA classification: Middle Eastern and North African. There was a proposal to add MENA to the 2020 form, but the Office of Management and Budget, which makes the assigned identity group determinations about the census, decided to keep the same basic categories that were on the 2010 census form.

FAQ: So, if I’m MENA, what box best describes me?

Answer: That’s a personal choice. Many MENA residents, and others, end up checking “Some other race,” the third-largest race category after White and Black or African American.

FAQ: But I thought Hispanics and Latinos were now the second-largest racial group in the United States according to their population. So how do you get “Some other race” as the third-largest group?

Answer: As far as the census is concerned, Hispanics and Latinos are ethnic classifications not racial classifications. Some will check the “White” box and some will check the “Black” box or write in Afro Latino, for example, as an addition. Many will check the “Some other race” box. MENA respondents also frequently check the “Some other race” box as well. They don’t see themselves as Black or White, and in most cases, they are not of Hispanic or Latino origin.

FAQ: Have census categories changed over time?

Answer: Yes. Mulatto, octoroon or quadroon once were options on the census form to describe African Americans of mixed heritage. One estimate calculates that 500,000 of these individuals checked the “White” box on the 1920 form. In later years, public demand and pressure resulted in the OMB removing “Negro” as an option for American-born residents of African descent. The term still appeared on the 2010 decennial census, but on the 2020 form the choices are “Black” or “African American.”

FAQ: What if I was born here, but my parents are from Africa?

Answer: There is a lot of subjectivity involved in making these choices. For some, Black has come to mean anyone who is a descendant of the African diaspora, regardless of where they were born or live. One Somali man, a longtime resident and U.S. citizen, married an American woman who identified as Black. When asked how he describes his U.S.-born children, he said, “Well, now that I think about it, I guess they are African American.”

FAQ: What if I am of mixed heritage? My parents are African American, but I know some of their ancestors were from Europe. They were Irish, for example, Dutch or German. Other ancestors, we think, were Native American.

Answer: The questionnaire is set up so that you can “Mark one or more boxes AND print origins.” We know America has had a complicated history (https://tinyurl.com/EMS-FAQ), as more people are discovering through genomic testing. One adult census respondent recalls discouraging his mother, who identifies as Black, from checking every major race category box on the form.

FAQ: Why would it have mattered if she had? What difference does the box I check make or any information I may add?

Answer: For one, you have a better chance of “owning” who you are. Therefore, you are less likely to be misrepresented by a census employee who, without that information, would make a determination about your identity. So, in that sense, checking every box would be a more accurate contribution to understanding our country’s history. Individual census data is sealed for 72 years, but in the future your descendants or distant relatives will be able to look you up by name on the census form you respond to this year. In fact, the census is among the primary tools genealogists and researchers use to trace family histories. You might also reflect on that first constitutionally mandated census in 1790. To achieve a political compromise, those held in bondage were counted only as three-fifths of a person, and their names were not recorded on the census. Even as late as 1860, the last census before the Civil War, some owners reported the age and sex of their captives, but not their names.

FAQ: But how does filling out the census or not filling out the census affect my immediate financial or economic condition?

Answer: For practical purposes, as a measure of population, census data is used to determine how the federal and state governments allocate funds and resources, in addition to determining the number of seats states get in the U.S. House of Representatives. Data can be a double-edged sword. Some data are critical to attempts to address structural disparities among America’s peoples, but data also can be used as a guide to steer resources away from those deemed political adversaries. How and why data are used is an important conversation, but it’s a different conversation from whether it is in your interest to respond to the census. However, unless you are clear about who you are by identity, you may be grouped with a different race than your preference. That was why the individual discouraged his mother from checking every box. He wanted to make sure that if there were resources linked to her identity, those resources would be allocated to and benefit the community with which she primarily identified.

Feb. 4, 2020

New Hurdle for Nigerians Seeking Visas to Settle in the U. S.

 (TriceEdneyWire.com/GIN) - She’s your pediatrician. He’s your surgeon. She’s a civil engineer. He has a doctorate. She’s an Emmy Award winner. He was a Chicago Bear.

They’re Nigerian-Americans who have set down roots in Dallas, Chicago, Baltimore, Atlanta, Phoenix and Houston - the latter of which has the largest Nigerian population outside Brazil and Africa.  They’re the largest group among African immigrants in the U.S. - about 327,000.  They’re a tiny portion of the U.S. population, but they rank as the most successful ethnic group in the U.S.

Yet, on the eve of Black History month, the President callously expanded a travel ban that effectively bars Nigerians from obtaining visas to immigrate here permanently. The new restrictions will not apply to tourist, business, or other nonimmigrant travel. But for the large Nigerian diaspora in the US, the policy will be devastating to a community with deep family and cultural ties to their home country.

Nigerians expressed disbelief and anger after the Trump administration announced the policy, which takes effect Feb. 21.

Many Nigerians wondered why they specifically were targeted, when many other countries might pose similar security threats. Amaha Kassa, head of African Communities Together, which advocates for African immigrants and their families, told reporters that at the group’s latest meeting in New York City, dozens of Nigerians were asking one question: “Why single us out?”

Immigrant advocates say it’s based on discriminatory motivations.

For Okorafor Chimedu, a 29-year-old teacher in Warri, Nigeria, with a university degree and relatives already in the United States, his chances now to join them appear slim.

“I hope the two nations will rectify their differences soon so that the ban can be lifted," he said to a reporter. "We need each other to progress in this world. No man is an island of his own.”

Omar Jadwat of the ACLU’s Immigrant Rights Project suggested the ban was imposed because the excluded countries don’t share enough information so that (we) can vet their citizens when they arrive.

The so-called “Muslim ban,” already affects citizens from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Venezuela and North Korea.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, sharply disputed the U.S. move.

“In our view, (the ban) was not well thought out but based largely on negative narratives spread by naysayers. I know we are working very well with our neighbors, the EU and the U.S. to ensure that terrorism is addressed.”

“Our advice to the U.S. is that it should have a rethink on the issue because any travel ban is bound to affect investment and growth in the country and those who will be affected are the most vulnerable people in Nigeria.”

The decision affects Nigeria Eritrea, Sudan, and Tanzania as well as Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar. Additionally, immigrants from Sudan and Tanzania will be excluded from the diversity visa lottery which grants green cards to as many as 50,000 people every year.

In a separate development, China has halted the issuance of visas to Nigerians citing their effort to control the spread of the coronavirus in the Asian country.