July 19, 2015

Will South Carolina Become a Leader of the New South?
By Rev. Jesse Jackson

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - On Friday, the Confederate battle flag came down on the South Carolina Statehouse grounds. This symbolic, long overdue gesture has significant meaning. The flag celebrated the sedition, slavery and secession of the Civil War. When Robert E. Lee surrendered, that flag was furled. It was raised over the statehouse in 1961 to celebrate segregation, suppression and states’ rights. Previous efforts to remove it failed. Former Gov. David Beasley called for it to come down, and probably lost his re-election as a result. Even after the triumph of the Civil Rights Movement, South Carolina burnished this symbol of racial division.

This symbolic victory came in the wake of bloodshed: the murders of the Emanuel Nine, brutally slain while in church at a prayer meeting. It came because of the amazing grace of the relatives of the slain, offering forgiveness to the hateful killer who shot the nine in cold blood. It came because of the leadership and courage of the governor, Nikki Haley, who stood up and spoke out in the wake of the horror, calling on the legislature to take the flag down. It came because of the pressure of the Chamber of Commerce and business leaders — from Boeing, Volkswagen and others — making it clear that they would find it difficult to invest in a South Carolina still intent on honoring this symbol of racial division.

The question now is whether South Carolina can discard not just the symbol of the flag but also the substance of the flag’s agenda. Can the governor now grasp this moment to lead in resurrecting the South?

Bringing down the flag has opened the way. The NCAA lifted its ban on post-season championship events in South Carolina, a decision that could produce millions in tourist revenue. New investments are likely to go forward now that the flag is down. Last month, Gov. Haley signed into law a bill requiring police to wear body cameras, putting the state in the national leadership on that issue. But much more needs to be done.

South Carolina is one of the states that chose to reject the expansion of Medicaid offered by Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, even though the federal government would pick up virtually all of the expense. It turned its back on $12 billion over the next five years, money that its hospitals and health system desperately needs. It deprived over 160,000 of its working people, more whites than blacks, from getting health insurance. Surely this is the time to reverse that decision.

South Carolina has joined other Southern states in erecting voter ID laws designed to make voting more difficult, with disproportionate impact on the elderly, people of color and the poor. This too was discriminatory in effect and in intent. The more extreme North Carolina law is now being challenged in the Supreme Court. South Carolina could lead the South in reforming its laws to ease registration and voting rather than restricting it. South Carolina’s Republican representatives in Congress tend to support their party’s assault on public investment. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has just announced that it plans to go forward with a project to deepen the port at Charleston. South Carolina will benefit greatly if the ports at Charleston and Jasper are able to handle the larger modern container ships. As the state benefits from federal investment in its ports, surely it is time for its representatives to push for greater public investment in infrastructure, and not continue to starve it.

Gov. Haley could be the determining force. She has focused on jobs, driving an agenda designed to make South Carolina attractive to business. She has demonstrated leadership in regard to the flag. She’s announced her commitment to save South Carolina State University, a historically black college, appointing a new board to help dig it out of the hole it is in.

She has earned the good will of the vast majority of South Carolina citizens and businesses. Now she can turn that authority to making South Carolina a leader of the new South.

July 13, 2015

Confederate Flag Removal in South Carolina Recalls Historic Removal in Virginia
Black Newspaper Revealed History of Fight Against Racist Emblem

By Hazel Trice Edney

News Analysis

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - It was mid-summer 1992 when the Black airman of the Virginia Air National Guard walked into the Richmond Free Press newsroom and asked to see a reporter.

After he placed the stack of photos on my desk, asked for anonymity and expressed his complaint, I literally ran up the stairs to the office of now late Free Press Editor-in-Chief Ray Boone and showed him what the source had revealed. The next Free Press edition, July 23-25, the banner headline declared: “Confederate flags on state planes”.

The removal of the Confederate flag from the State Capitol grounds in South Carolina and the continuing debates over the racist Confederal symbols, recall for me this specific moment in Black press history. Alongside the Free Press headline was the photograph as proof of the symbol on the Virginia military planes.

In a nutshell, the lead paragraph told the story: “The Confederate flag – the symbol of slavery and banner of hate groups in America – is emblazoned on 149^th Fighter Squadron planes of the Virginia Air National Guard, based at Richmond International Airport…”

It further reported that “The emblem was adopted by the unit when it was first formed in 1947”, that some airmen had worn it on their uniforms and that there were “imminent plans to put the hate symbol on all of the new planes of this squadron, as well as on the squadron’s Air National Guard uniforms.”

With only six African-Americans out of 50 airmen then members of the 149^th, there was little empathy for the offended Black airmen - even when they complained and took action by refusing to serve people wearing the emblem in the cafeteria. The emblems had in fact been approved for use on the military planes and uniforms by the U. S. Department of Defense. They had also been copyrighted.

Major Stewart MacInnis, a White public affairs officer, defiantly said in a Free Press interview for that first story, “Anybody who’s offended by it, I’m surprised that they’d even join the unit…Nobody’s forced to join…”

On the other hand, the African-Americans in the unit feared for their jobs if they consistently complained. But help was on the way. Then Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, America’s first-elected Black governor, had read the story and a scathing editorial written by Mr. Boone.

The very next Free Press edition, July 30-Aug. 1, 1992, published an epic headline: “Governor wipes out rebel flag - Free Press story gets quick results”.

Under the headline, a picture of Gov. Wilder, commander-in-chief of the Virginia Air National Guard, sitting behind his desk with a clinched fist, and a photo of an executive order, stating, “I hereby direct you to take all measures necessary to replace the flag being employed in the emblem of the 149^th Fighter Squadron, 192^nd Fighter Group, Virginia Air National Guard, with the flag of the United states of America. This replacement shall be carried out on all equipment and uniforms of this unit, effective immediately.”

The order was met with compliance. Maj. Gen. John G. Castles ordered the removals, stating, “I answer to the governor. I am a soldier.” The flag emblem was removed, but not the racism for which it stood. In the weeks following, one man, Staff Sgt. Leon Brooks, a Black airman who had spoken openly against the flag, was fired by the Virginia Air Guard “not for cause”, according to the termination letter. Though Brooks was not the anonymous airman who was the Free Press source, he became the scapegoat.

Again, Gov. Wilder flexed his gubernatorial powers as Air Guard commander-in-chief. He reinstated Sgt. Brooks, who later retired and eventually became president of the King William, Va. Branch of the NAACP.

In the wake of the Confederate flag-waving domestic terrorist and White supremacist Dylann Roof who killed nine people at ‘Mother’ Emanuel AME Church, all eyes were on South Carolina July 10 as it removed the Confederate flag on its State Capitol grounds. S. C. Gov. Nikki Haley did not have the same military authority as Gov. Wilder, commander-in-chief. But at least she and others - albeit too late to save the lives of the Charleston Nine - mustered the moral authority to move against hate in America.

In that regard, perhaps America can learn from an eloquent media statement by S. C. Rep. Mia McLeod as she pressed for the S. C. House to follow the Senate’s vote for removal. She said her greatest hope is for the flag’s removal to come – not begrudgingly, but with honest change in “attitudes, hearts and minds.”

July 14, 2015

Hailing a Cab While Black? It’s Still a Problem
New study explores discrimination by cab companies and the rise of ridesharing alternatives

By Ben Wrobel

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Black residents in Chicago have a significantly harder time trying to catch a cab than whites, according to a recent study.

The study, conducted by Cornell Belcher and Dee Brown of polling firm Brilliant Corners and sponsored by Uber, confirms the long-held belief that people of color often experience discrimination when trying to hail a cab. The study also explores what this means for new tech-savvy “ridesharing” alternatives that promise a more color-blind experience.

The researchers surveyed over 800 people in the Chicago area about their experiences hailing a cab. According to the results, 48% of Black respondents said they had experienced being ignored by a taxi driver at some point in their life – more than double the rate of Whites that reported the same experience. And more than half of Black respondents said they had called for a taxi only to have the company refuse to send a car to their neighborhood.

The study raises concerns about “transportation equity” – the fact that millions of poor people and people of color live in neighborhoods where quality transportation options are unaffordable, unreliable or even nonexistent.

Nearly one in five African American households and one in seven Latino households do not own a car, and a recent Harvard study found the single strongest factor in determining economic mobility was commuting time. For people living in neighborhoods that already lack reliable access to transportation, the inability to catch a cab can be one more roadblock to escaping poverty.

“The lack of viable transit options in most metropolitan areas limits options for those without cars and it prevents central city residents from accessing jobs located in the suburbs,” said Dr. Robert D Bullard, a leading expert on transportation equity.

Belcher and Brown also asked the survey-takers about alternatives to traditional taxi services. In the past few years, ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft have entered the scene with a new take on the driver-for-hire model. Uber allows users to order a car with their smartphone, and since the driver is unable to see what the customer looks like or where they are going until they enter the car, it offers a more color-blind experience for riders.

The data suggests that these types of accountability measures could make ridesharing services a more commonly used method of transportation among people of color. It is still hard for a person of color to catch a cab. But new technology could offer a color-blind solution to an age-old problem.

“Ridesharing companies manage to be both more efficient than traditional taxi services and also more color-blind at the same time,” said Ben Jealous, former president of the NAACP and Partner at Kapor Capital, which was an early investor in Uber. “The frustrating experience of trying to hail a cab is a powerful incentive for a lot of folks to consider a new way to get a ride.”

July 13, 2015

By Jane A. Kennedy

Charleston 9 L-R - Ethel Lance, Tywanza Sanders, Cynthia Hurd, Depayne Middleton Doctor,
State Sen. and Rev. Clementa Pinckney,Susie Jackson, Myra Thompson,
Rev. Daniel Simmons, and Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton. Bottom, the City of Charleston.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - If Dylann Storm Roof had not massacred nine African-Americans who’d gathered for Bible study at Charleston’s historic Emmanuel A.M.E. Church on July 17, the Confederate flag would no doubt still be flying on the grounds of the South Carolina State Capitol.

But weeks after Roof, a White man who has been photographed with the racist symbol, committed what has been charged as a hate crime, the flag was taken down on July 10 and is now permanently archived at the Confederate Relic Room and Military Museum.

The historic moment took place after weeks of protest and intense pressure on lawmakers that also sparked debates in other states where the flag is still revered as a symbol of the Civil War and Southern pride. It first flew above the South Carolina statehouse in 1961 to mark the 100^th anniversary of the Civil War and stayed there as an official expression of opposition to the civil rights movement.

"It felt like a massive weight had been lifted off South Carolina," said Gov. Nikki Haley on Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press. "We can truly say it's a new day in South Carolina."

But that day did not come easily.

A few days after Roof fatally shot the nine church members, Haley called for the flag’s removal from the capitol grounds, although she has in the past defended its presence. Taking it down, however, required a two-thirds majority vote in both the state’s House and Senate.

The bill passed easily in the upper chamber by 37-3, but faced stiff opposition in the House. In an attempt to block it, Republican representatives attached to it more than 60 amendments. They argued that the flag is an emblem through which they honor their ancestors who fought for the Confederacy and has nothing to do with slavery or racism.

After hours of impassioned, sometimes bitter debate last Wednesday, Rep. Jenny Anderson Horne, a Republican and descendant of Jefferson Davis, said it was time to stop using heritage to justify something that to so many people represents hate. It was, Horne said, an insult to their late colleague, Democratic state Sen. Clementa Pinkney, who was one of the nine people slain by Roof.

“I cannot believe that we do not have the heart in this body to do something meaningful—such as take a symbol of hate off these grounds on Friday—and if any of you vote to amend, you are ensuring that this flag will fly beyond Friday,” said a visibly emotional Anderson Horne. “And for the widow of Sen. Pinckney and his two young daughters, that would be adding insult to injury—and I will not be a part of it.”

Just before 1:00 a.m. on July 9, the House voted 94-20 to remove the flag. Haley proclaimed it “a day we can all be proud of, a day that truly brings us all together as we continue to heal, as one people and one state.”

The next day, surrounded by relatives of the shooting victims and Republican and Democratic lawmakers, the governor signed the legislation using 13 pens, nine of which she gave to the families.

Thousands of people turned out to witness the removal, shouting, “Take it down! Take it down!” as the honor guard marched to the flag pole. After two troopers reeled down and folded the flag, and then handed it to a Black trooper who then passed it to a state archivist, the crowd shouted, “USA! USA!”

As South Carolina prepared to make history, the controversial flag became the cause of an equally heated and bitter debate on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives after Rep. Ken Clavert (R-Calif.) added a late-hour amendment Wednesday night to the Department of the Interior funding bill that would overturn a measure easily passed a few days earlier prohibiting the display and sale of Confederate symbols at national parks and cemeteries.

Democrats were outraged and delivered blistering indictments of Republicans’ defense of the flag and what they called a shady move made in the “dark of night.”

“What exactly is the tradition the Confederate battle flag is meant to represent? Is it slavery, rape, kidnapping, genocide, treason, or all of the above?” asked New York Democrat Hakeem Jeffries, who reminded his colleagues that if the Confederacy had prevailed, he would be a slave today instead of a congressman.

"When I was marching across that bridge in Selma in 1965, I saw some of the law officers, sheriff's deputies, wearing on their helmet the Confederate flag," recalled Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), an icon of the civil rights movement. "I don't want to go back, and as a country we cannot go back."

House speaker John Boehner, who says he does not support Confederate symbols at federal cemeteries, had allowed the amendment to prevent a revolt by his caucus’ far-right wing on the Interior appropriations bill. He clearly didn’t anticipate how powerful and scathing the Democrats’ wrath would be and in the end pulled the entire bill. Boehner later called for “bipartisan conversations” about how to handle the thorny issue, but Democrats balked at the notion.

"What is it you have to study?" asked House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). "Do we have to study hatred in its manifestations in the Confederate flag?”

"The time for talking and having a conversation is over, and I think it's time for action," said Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-North Carolina), who chairs the Congressional Black Caucus.

Since the Emmanuel Church shootings, several states have taken action to remove the flag and other Confederate symbols and monuments or they are considering it.

In Alabama, Gov. Robert Bentley ordered four Confederate flags removed from a monument on the State Capitol grounds. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal stopped the use of specialty license plates that featured the Confederate flag as did Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. And some lawmakers in Mississippi are calling for the state’s flag, which features the Confederate stars and bars, to be changed. Still, large swaths of people continue to support the Confederacy and the flag and other symbols are littered throughout the South.

In response to its removal in South Carolina, the NAACP passed a resolution lifting its 15-year economic boycott of the state. In addition, the National Collegiate Athletic Association will now allow the state to host championship-level college sports events.

Like Haley, President Obama and Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus declared a new beginning for the state whose residents are still grieving after the July 17 massacre.

“South Carolina taking down the confederate flag - a signal of good will and healing, and a meaningful step towards a better future,” tweeted Obama.

Priebus seconded the sentiment. He wrote, “Taking down this #ConfederateFlag moves us toward being a country that stands more united, not divided.”

Civil rights leaders applauded the move as the beginning of a new era. South Carolina-born Rev. Jesse Jackson were among the most notable celebrants.

“After 150 years, at 10am today, July 10, 2015, my original home state of South Carolina took down the Confederate Battle Flag, a symbol of the sin of slavery, secession, sedition, segregation, separation, white supremacy and the irregular use of states' rights,” Jackson said in a statement.

He noted a new opportunity to replace yet another Confederate symbol: “Symbols represent both ideology and substance.  The flying of the Confederate Battle Flag represented both and so does Charleston’s ‘Calhoun Street.’  In the middle of the 18^th century during the great senate slavery debates involving Massachusetts Daniel Webster, in opposition to slavery, and South Carolina Senator John Calhoun, the most articulate defender of the private ownership of slaves in the name of states' rights – with the Great Compromiser Henry Clay in the middle of the debates – Senator John Calhoun represents much the same as the Confederate Battle Flag.  Therefore, Calhoun Street should be renamed ‘The Emanuel 9 Way.’”