Oct. 27, 2019

Decent: A Word Rarely Heard
By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. 

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – Decent is a word we rarely hear—especially in Washington, but in the past few days, it was used frequently when describing the late Congressman Elijah Cummings.

On a personal note, remembering how many people abroad treated Americans who lived in or traveled to their countries after the first U.S. led attack on Iraq, I’ve chosen not to travel abroad until someone is elected to lead our nation who shows some sense of decency like Mr. Cummings. News about how our country is run since President Barack Obama left office is nothing of which any American can be proud—but this past week, we can take pride in the descriptions by many of Congressman Cummings.

We’ve had a slight pause in the meanness of spirit we hear daily. Though the word decent is rarely heard in Washington, this week has been a bit different when Congressman Cummings died. His death brought out the better angels of Members of Congress as he became the first African American to lie in State at the U.S. Capitol. Positive statements came from Democrats and Republicans when asked to comment on Mr. Cummings. He was described by many as a decent man, a uniter, a North Star, a good man, kind, a warrior for causes he cared about, an advocate for the people and our democracy. No one argued with those descriptions. We learned that he had 12 honorary doctorates and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Howard University. He was respected by many who differed from him politically. He was held in high esteem.

Various groups held memorials to this man and what he represented to them. Everyone who knew him seems to have thought they had a special relationship with him! I think that demonstrates there is more to life than politics, and it was certainly true for Congressman Cummings. He was admired by many, and his loyalty to truth and justice for all is unquestioned.

We’ll miss his strong voice when others are silent or argue over trivial matters. Rep. Matt Gaetz is one of those exceptions to being civil as service for Rep. Cummings was in progress. MSNBC host, Hallie Jackson, was interviewing him. He talked all over her and talked about crazy stuff in an effort to shut her up so he could use his Republican talking points. Rep. Dan Kildee, who had spoken just before Gaetz, spoke of his special relationship with Rep. Cummings, jokingly saying he learned everybody had a special relationship with him!

It’s so refreshing to learn of all the good things Rep. Cummings stood for, not just talking about them, but doing something about them. Listening to Mr. Cummings’ good works from so many, I was reminded of Fannie Lou Hamer’s words when she said, “You can pray until you faint, but nothing will happen until you get up and do something.” From all the comments of who Rep. Cummings was, it’s obvious he often got up to do something!

Rep. Mark Meadows is said to have shared a special bond with Mr. Cummings, saying he mentored, had a youth program, helped other elected leaders and many others to achieve their dreams. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver delivered an awesome prayer about the lessons we’ve learned from him. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said he’d made a request to give him more freshman Members so he could help them achieve their dreams. Sen. Mitch McConnell said he encouraged unity and peace. Sen. Ben Cardin read from 2^nd Timothy, “I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith.” Sen. Chuck Schumer said his voice could shake mountains and that we have lost a giant. I agree.

(Dr. E. Faye Williams is President of the National Congress of Black Women and host of “Wake Up and Stay Woke” on WPFW-FM 89.3. www.nationalcongressbw.org)

Oct. 22, 2019

Trump and the Politics of the 2020 Census
By Jesse Jackson Sr.

NEWS ANALYSIS

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - A new report should raise alarms about the upcoming 2020 Census. According to the Pew Research Center, the good news is that the overwhelming majority of Americans are aware of the census, and over eight in 10 say they are likely to participate. The bad news is that nearly one in four blacks, young people, and lower-income people, and one in five Hispanics, are uncertain or reluctant to participate. If that does not change, it could have a truly negative impact on the most vulnerable.

The census is a big deal. The Constitution of the United States mandates a population count every 10 years. That count is used to allocate seats in Congress, to inform redistricting of political boundaries and to guide the distribution of literally hundreds of billions of federal funds. If Hispanics or blacks are hesitant to participate, the undercount will impact how well represented they are, and how much federal money their neighborhoods get. In these polarized times, the census is in danger of being turned into a political football.

The Trump administration sought to place a question about citizenship on the census, clearly designed to intimidate immigrants from participating. That was blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court, but the controversy around it may well impact the willingness of immigrants generally, and Hispanics in particular, to participate.

The Census Bureau classifies low-income people as “hard to count.” The census is mailed to households in March. The homeless, however, have no mailbox. Low income people change addresses and jobs more often and are often forced into temporary housing with friends or relatives. Too often the people most in need of federal assistance are the very people who are not counted in the census that determines the allocation of funds.

The Trump administration has consistently sought to cut the budget for the Census Bureau. The 2020 census will be the first that is done largely online — but many Americans, particularly older ones, aren’t as familiar with online responses.

They will need extra help, and President Trump seems to be doing what he can to ensure that help is not there. That increasingly leaves publicizing the census and providing assistance to complete the process, to the states. Some states like California and New York take this seriously. Others — like Texas and Florida — do not. Southern states, mired in the habit of not wanting African Americans to count, often do little as well. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, just 20 states have appropriated funds to coordinate, advertise and partner with local groups on the census.

Again, an undercount can have major effects. In Texas, which has no state committee, 40 percent of the population is Hispanic, and many are no doubt terrified by the fervid debate over immigration. Texas could gain as many as three seats in Congress, if its population is counted. In fiscal year 2016, Texas received over $59 billion in federal funds derived from census data. An analysis by Andrew Reamer, professor at The George Washington University, estimates that an undercount of merely 1 percent would cost the state nearly $300 million in federal funds. Citizen groups have scrambled to address the problem.

The Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus have created projects, partnering with local groups and national organizations to spread the word about the census and to set up volunteer efforts. A fight over funding for the census is likely to occur in the upcoming budget battle. If — as seems increasingly likely — there is no new budget, but merely an agreement to keep operating at current levels, the Census Bureau will face doing a census with inadequate funds. It should not have to be this way.

The census is in the Constitution because the founders understood how important it was to know the size of the population. Everyone should agree that an accurate count is vital. Congress should step up to ensure the Census Bureau has adequate funding. The states should gear up so that their most vulnerable are counted and gain a fair share of federal support. Volunteer organizations should mobilize to help register those hardest to count. Time is short: the census is mailed to households in March. The time to act is now.

Oct. 27, 2019

Nooses, Lynching, and Racial Intimidation
By Julianne Malveaux

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Are the use of nooses as symbols of intimidation rising in the workplace? Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) data says that reports of racism and discrimination are on the rise. Their data does not speak to nooses, particularly. Still, it is disturbing to peruse newspaper reports to learn that at purportedly "woke" workplaces and supposedly liberal campuses, racists or fools (or both) are using nooses as symbols of racist intimidation, just as they were a century ago.

Some of the places that have had recent noose incidents include Stanford University, the University of Alabama, the University of Illinois, and Duke University. In September, two climate change activists appeared at the supposedly progressive University of Wisconsin wearing nooses. The protesters say they were modeling their behavior after seeing them used in a European climate change protest. Nonsense. If these protesters grew up in the United States, they ought to have known what nooses mean. Chancellor Rebecca Blank responded appropriately, "Nooses are an offensive symbol, with deep impacts to our students, faculty, staff, and community. Their use to amplify any issue is misguided, hurtful, and contrary to UW–Madison's values of civility, respect, and inclusion."

Bananas were found hanging from string in the form of nooses at American University after Taylor Dumpson was installed as the first African American president of the student government. The bananas were marked with the letters AKA, which happens to be Dumpson's sorority. While the perpetrators were never identified, some people decided to take the hate to another level, identifying Dumpson in the racist rag, The Daily Stormer.   Andrew Anglin, the publisher of The Daily Stormer, encouraged his readers to "troll storm" Dumpson, and she got so many racist emails, messages and threats that she feared for her life. Her grades fell, and she ended up dropping a minor. Of course, the University made all the usual noise about rejecting racism. They couldn't find the perpetrators of the noose incident.

Taylor Dumpson got her victory this year, though. In August 2019, a judge awarded her more than $700,000 for punitive damages, compensatory damages, and attorney fees. Most folks who are the receiving end of noose intimidation don't experience such a victory. Employees at UPS, who filed a lawsuit earlier this year, have yet to receive satisfaction. Nooses show up on construction sites (San Francisco), shipyards, offices, and in public places like courthouses and municipal buildings. And the nooses are used not just to intimidate individuals, but also to remind communities that racism continues to thrive.

Part of the reason it seems to thrive is because the leadership of our nation has openly embraced racism. While he has not yet used nooses, he doesn't mind his supporters showing up at his rallies brandishing the symbols of the confederacy. Indeed, he embraced the neo-Nazi hoodlums whose actions in Charlottesville, Virginia, cause the death of Heather Heyer. And the man who has a long history of wallowing in racist mud recently opined that he feels "lynched" by the Congressional inquiry to his outrageous behavior, which includes pressuring the Ukrainian president to investigate his political opponent, repeatedly violating the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, and withdrawing troops from Syria, leaving our Kurd allies unprotected.

When 45 uses the term "lynching," he is attempting to minimize the terrorist roots of lynching in the United States. More than 4000 people died from lynching in this country, and their lynchings didn't happen at the hands of a Congressional committee, but at the end of ropes. Many were burned alive. After they died, their bodies were first used for sport (some bodies were found with hundreds of bullets in them). Then, their remains were used as keepsakes when racist observers of lynching fought for souvenirs – a finger, a tooth, or whatever they could keep as a gruesome reminder of their white supremacy.

Julianne Malveaux is an author and economist. Her latest project MALVEAUX! On UDCTV is available on youtube.com. For booking, wholesale inquiries or for more info visit www.juliannemalveaux.com

October 17, 2019

Lawmakers: End Income Inequality and the Growing and Persistent Racial Wealth Gap

Capitol Hill Hearings Urged to Strengthen; Not Weaken Community Reinvestment Act 

By Charlene Crowell

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - For more than 40 years, the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) has served as a mechanism for the federal government to hold banks and other depository institutions accountable for meeting the credit needs of low and moderate income (LMI) neighborhoods. Enacted in 1977, the CRA has the power to influence applications for bank mergers, charters, acquisitions, and branch openings.

On October 4,  a bicameral group of Capitol Hill lawmakers wrote a letter to federal regulators, making clear the need for CRA to be strengthened – not weakened – under the guise of modernization. The letter also requests hearings on the issue in both the House Financial Services Committee and in the Senate Banking Committee.

Although the lawmakers acknowledged how banking, like so many other industries, has changed over several decades, the thrust of their letter was that any modernization must also reflect CRA’s original intent:  to serve all communities with “the types of credit and investment those communities need.”

“Regulators cannot determine how a bank is serving the needs of its local community by relying on a simple ratio or dollar volume metric”, wrote 21 Members of Congress and 8 U.S. Senators. “Instead examiners should review whether banks are reaching the borrowers and neighborhoods that CRA was intended to serve.”

“While it is important that, in the face of new technologies and products, we appropriately assess lenders’ efforts to serve all communities with the types of credit and investment those communities need, it is even more essential that the original purpose of the law not be undermined,” added the lawmakers.

The lawmakers’ concerns are reinforced by worsening income inequality and the growing and persistent racial wealth gap.

For example, a 2018 joint report by the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program and Gallup, found that when it comes to race, the economic playing field is far from equal. The Devaluation of Assets in Black Neighborhoods, published last November, zeroed in on homeownership, often the building block for financial stability, wealth accumulation, and how well the credit needs, i.e. mortgages, of a community are being met. This report’s key finding was that owner-occupied homes in Black neighborhoods are undervalued by $48,000 per home on average, a cumulative loss of $156 billion.

“Laws have changed, but the value of assets – buildings, schools, leadership, and land itself – are inextricably linked to the perceptions of Black people, states the Brookings report. “And those negative perceptions persist.”

More recently and this spring, the Roosevelt Institute, the nonprofit partner to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum and the University of California at Berkeley’s Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society collaborated with the Ford Foundation in a multi-phased project on the nation’s nagging racial wealth gap (RWG).  Their report states in part, “The research illustrated how solutions that were long assumed to lessen economic inequality—such as equalizing wages and educational opportunities and outcomes—will not actually close the RWG.”

One of the key conclusions reached in the Ford-sponsored research was “[t]he problem is structural and historical, not individual”.

In other words, systemic, long-term approaches – not quick fixes – are essential to achieving racial economic parity. Just as the full faith and credit of the United States backs deposits of these institutions, it seems fair to hold them accountable to serve the entire public – especially consumers and communities that include low-to-moderate income households.

At the same time, it is equally important that federal financial regulators speak and act with a united voice, dedicated to equity and fairness. The Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, more commonly known as FDIC, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) must speak and act in unison with financial equity as their ultimate goal. If financial policies can lay the groundwork for broad and sustained economic progress, they will well serve the nation, and begin to address the persistent racial wealth gap.

“Now is the time for consumers, communities, small businesses and others to remind our leaders that CRA is a vital part of our collective economic futures,” said Nikitra Bailey, an EVP with the Center for Responsible Lending. “Access to mortgages, small business loans, and community development capital are just as much a part of CRA as preserving full-service bank branches.”