Dec. 1, 2015

Nov. 30, 2015

Black Americans Facing New Double V Campaign Against Terrorism at Home and Abroad
By Hazel Trice Edney

Benjamin Chavis, president/CEO, National Newspaper Publishers Association

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - With pervasive protests against police killings of African-Americans; plus a heightened alert of possible terrorism from abroad, Black America currently faces a situation reminiscent of the historic Double V campaign, led by Black newspapers in the 1940s, some justice advocates believe.

“We see, not only historical parallels, but we see a historical imperative that we become even more outspoken,” said Dr. Ben Chavis, president/CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, the Black Press of America. “And similar to the Double V movement of the past, we not only have to claim victory abroad, but victory at home. Victory at home means we must end the terrorism on Black America. In order to have an affective foreign policy, it must emanate out of our domestic policy. And so, as we end domestic terrorism, we will be stronger to end global terrorism.”

In a nutshell, the Double V campaign, primarily led by the Pittsburgh Courier during World War II in early 1942, referred to Black American participation in fighting for Victory against totalitarianism abroad while also fighting for Victory against racism at home. The campaign is widely credited by historians as being the catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement.

Wade Henderson, president/CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, agrees that African-Americans are fighting a dual battle akin to the historic campaign. “Black Americans are deeply concerned about ISIL and the possibilities of terrorism both at home and abroad,” he said. “But, at the same time we’re also concerned about the increase in police killings of Black men and the apparent increase in efforts by White supremacist groups to challenge African-American protestors...I think the comparison has some legitimacy. Obviously, like all Americans, we are concerned about terrorism both abroad and at home and we support the president’s efforts to address it.”

President Obama gave a televised pre-Thanksgiving statement Nov. 25, telling Americans to remain vigilant in the wake of threats by ISIS and other terrorist groups.

"Right now, we know of no specific and credible intelligence indicating a plot on the homeland," Obama said, promising that he is “taking every possible step to keep our homeland safe."  The statement, intended to comfort Americans, came two weeks after ISIS claimed responsibility for the deaths of 130 people in a series of terrorist attacks in Paris and released videotaped threats on New York and Washington, DC.

Also on the day before Thanksgiving, Obama encouraged Chicago protesters to remain peaceful following the video release of the police killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. McDonald was shot 16 times by Officer Jason Van Dyke as the teenager walked away from police officers, holding what appeared to be only a pocket knife Oct. 20, 2014. Dyke, who had 18 previous complaints against him, has been charged with first-degree murder, but only after a court ordered the release of the video, which President Obama described as “deeply disturbing”.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. whose Rainbow/PUSH Coalition is based in Chicago, has called for the resignations of Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez in the handling of the McDonald shooting. In an interview with the Trice Edney News Wire, Jackson said another prong to the fight for justice by African-Americans is the fight for urban reconstruction; especially in high crime areas – those areas largely plagued by police shootings and street violence.

“In all of these cities, there are disparities in jobs, access to capital, health care, education and housing," Jackson said. "Urban Blacks must be a part of a plan for reconstruction. In Baltimore, Chicago, nor St. Louis, there is no plan for reconstruction.”

Chavis applauded the thousands of youth who have taken to the streets in leadership against injustices by police over the past several years. He said as the 2016 elections come closer, that level of activism must be escalated.

“It appears that the issues that impact the quality of life of African-Americans are not on the front priority agendas of those seeking to be the next president of the United States,” he said. “And I think that we cannot afford to be bystanders of the upcoming national election. We are probably going to need the largest voter turnout in our history to ensure that the country does not go backwards, but go forwards; not only on race relations, but on the issues of inclusion, on the issues of equal justice – not just equal political justice – but equal economic justice.”

Reflecting on the Double V campaign, Chavis concluded, “I find great reassurance as we study our past. We’ve had these difficulties before in our communities. And our fore parents rose to the occasion at every moment. And I am thankful that the Black Lives Matter Movement appears also to be regenerating some of the forceful audacity that’s necessary to challenge the contemporary forms of racial inequity and racial injustice that African-Americans have to endure today.”

Black Advertising, Media Firms Waiting to Tap Black Voters for Political Campaigns
By Ken Smikle

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from Target Market News

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - For African-American advertising, marketing, media and research firms, the 2016 political season officially began last week with the news that Hillary Clinton's campaign had made its first hire. Chicago-based Burrell Communications has been selected to develop the creative for TV, radio, print and digital media targeting African-American voters.

Also retained by the Clinton campaign is Ron Lester, whose expertise as a pollster for political candidates goes back 15 years when he formed his Washington-based Lester and Associates in 1990.

The two recent appointments are the latest recognition within the Clinton organization that Black voters will be critical to success both in the primary and general elections. While African-Americans voted in greater percentages than any other group in the 2012 national election, there's no certainty that they will vote in record numbers next year when there isn't a Black candidate at the top of the ballot.

Black marketing and media professionals have their eye on another barometer of how seriously both Democrats and Republicans will be taking the Black vote, and that is ad spending.

There's no shortage of experience in turning out the Black vote among Black ad agencies, media buyers and planners, and Black media. Firms such as UniWorld, Carol H. Williams, FUSE and GlobalHue have years of experience in developing successful political ads and media strategies for both Democrats and Republicans. But in the Obama era, few of the firms have been called upon.

The Obama campaign and PACs supporting his candidacy spent an estimated $409 million in all ads in the re-election effort in 2012, while Mitt Romney shelled out $492 million. While there's no industry data available on what portion of those dollars went to African-American firms, those that have produced and carried political ads in the past say that they have never received budgets that reflected the importance of Black voters to the election process.

Following 2012, African-American marketing and media owners expressed anger at being excluded from the Obama campaign's largess. Black newspapers in particular were very vocal about not getting what they considered was a fair share of those campaign dollars. Black voters' participation, none the less, helped delivered victory for the president.

However, outcomes could differ for Clinton. While this could again prove to be an historic election, Black influencers - which include black media owners - could temper their enthusiasm if they feel cut out of campaign budgets. And a lack of dollars and enthusiasm could be reflected in not just news content, but in the all-important impressions made through editorials and social media.

One Black professional offered what he thought was a simple equation for political candidates' success. "We're 14 percent of the population, so spend 14 percent of your ad buys with us. That 14 percent margin assures you victory in November and defeat without it."

Nov. 29, 2015

The Muslim World Isn’t Silent
Mainstream media must give full accounting of 'scope of outrage' against terrorism
By Bill Fletcher Jr.

NEWS ANALYSIS

Nov. 29, 2015

Baltimore Churches and Organizations Hold Prayer Service as First Trial Begins in Freddie Gray Case  
By Zenitha Prince 

Citizens prayed as the trial of Baltimore Police Officer William G. Porter was set to start Nov. 30. He is one of six officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray. Porter has pled not guilty.

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

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - On the eve of the first trial for Baltimore police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, Baltimoreans United in Leadership hosted a prayer service at the Blessed Sacrament Church Sunday.

The service, billed as “Outrage and Hope,” drew people from BUILD congregations and others around the city to pray for the outcome of the Gray trials, for an end to the violence plaguing the city, for police officers and their families and for social concerns such as jobs and justice. BUILD is a coalition that comprises about 40 churches, one synagogue and four community organizations in Baltimore.

It was "a prayer service for the city as a whole but also a way to engage people to do things to work together to make the city better,” said Gwen Brown, a BUILD organizer. “Prayer changes things, but we also need to take some action steps behind it.”

The community activist said the event arose out of discussions among parishioners of St. Matthew’s Catholic Church in East Baltimore who wanted to pray for the city ahead of the imminent trial. Following Gray’s death in April while in police custody, the city erupted in violent unrest, reflecting residents’ simmering frustrations over persistent joblessness, poor schools, a partial justice system and other ills.

“The city is traumatized right now; people are hurting and they’re internalizing it but they don’t know how to act on [that hurt],” Brown said. “People need a sense of healing and way to express that grief before they can begin to work on bettering their communities.”

The situation is worsened by a spate of violence that has left people feeling unsafe in their own homes, she added.

“The city needs to feel safe. Before we do anything in communities we usually ask residents what they would like changed. They almost always say – before anything else – that they want safety and security,” Brown said. “There needs to be a sense of safety before we can move on to other things.”

On a recent Saturday, for example, BUILD set out to do voter registration in the Sandtown-Winchester neighbourhood—efforts which were halted by gunshots. Given the plethora of problems, BUILD decided to make the prayer service about more than just prayer.

Following the service was a discussion to air out some of the community’s issues and to seek commitments from residents to devote their time and talents to solutions. Brown told the AFRO, “I’m hoping this can be a place where people can - not only grieve - but also get a sense of hope and then think about ways to make things better.”