March 29, 2015

Economic Recovery? Ask the Fed
By Julianne Malveaux

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Has the Great Recession ended with our economy returning to normal?  That may be “conventional wisdom”, or the word we get from those who think that there is no more intervention needed to stimulate the economy.  President Obama has bragging rights on the reduction of unemployment rates and the fact that economic growth is robust.  Citing these improvements, our Republican Congress wants to continue to tighten the federal budget belt.  Despite this, the Federal Reserve Bank’s Open Market Committee says that there is too much slack in the labor market, and that unemployment rates could be lower than they are now.

February’s 5.5 percent unemployment rate is a vast improvement over the double-digit rates we experienced in 2009.   And the African American unemployment rate, at an unacceptable 10.4 percent, has also dropped since the Great Recession began.  Still, wages have been stagnant, and while more people have jobs, too many of those jobs are in low-wage sectors, and others have not received raises in years.  The labor market simply hasn’t recovered from the Great Recession.  Workers are still struggling for stability.

The Fed seems to be doing more to address labor market challenges than others are.  It was expected that the Fed would raise its interest rate, signaling banks and others to raise interest rates as well.  Those increases are likely to take place before the end of the year, but not as soon as many had expected.  That suggests that while some have embraced the notion of economic recovery, the Fed says we can do better.

Some people are experiencing economic recovery, but too many are not.  The 10.4 percent black unemployment rate is closer to 20 percent when the number of people who have dropped out of the labor market, and when other indications of labor market underutilization are considered.  The persistent racial unemployment gap is only one of the ways we can measure differences in the recovery experience.  The Fed is not the only entity that recognizes that the recovery experience is mixed.  The National Urban League’s State of Black America report says that African Americans are in an economic crisis.

Why does the Fed recognize a phenomenon that too many others don’t?  Why are they hesitating to set interest rates that are consistent with economic recovery?  Why aren’t they as concerned about inflation as others are?  The Fed seems to be cognizant of the fact that low unemployment rates combined with low wages are hardly a formula for economic recovery.

I’m not a pessimist.  Every economic indicator seems to suggest that the economy will continue to improve, with unemployment rates perhaps dropping as low as five percent.  That’s good news, and it will be great news for Democrats as we move toward the 2016 elections.  New college graduates are getting better offers this year than they got a year ago, although those who graduated in 2008 and 2009 have yet to recover from their recession-related underemployment.  There is some cause for optimism in coming months.  But the Fed is suggesting that any celebration is preliminary.

While I am not a pessimist, I am a realist.  President Obama has the opportunity, in these last two years of his presidency, to address that racial economic gap.  He has already spoken of income inequality in stronger ways than he did during his first term of office.  Now, with little to lose, he might take the opportunity to also talk about black unemployment, the racial wealth gap, and racial differences in other economic experiences.  I’m not sure that our president will step that far out on a limb, but the Fed’s assertion that there are more possibilities for economic improvement perhaps opens the door for him to talk about the ways the overall economy benefits when the African American community is fully engaged in economic recovery.

While the Fed says there is room for improvement, and wages are still stuck at the bottom, Congress continues to offer tax breaks to those at the top.  There is lots of rhetoric about economic inequality, but few policymakers have been willing to roll up their sleeves and tackle the issue, working to raise the minimum wage and to actively engage in job creation.  While the Fed is likely to increase interest rates before the end of this year, their most recent report should stimulate action to provide better employment opportunities for those who are still waiting to experience economic recovery.

March 24, 2015

Barbara Arnwine Resigns from Lawyers' Committee
Fiery Rights Leader Becomes Talk Show Host and Aims to Start New Organization
 
By Hazel Trice Edney

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – After more than 26 years of leadership at the national Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the fiery Barbara Arnwine has resigned from the 52-year-old organization, headed for a new career in media and building a new social justice organization.

“Barbara is a civil rights trailblazer, passionately addressing racial discrimination on behalf of the Lawyers’ Committee for over two decades, especially in the areas of voting rights, criminal justice and immigration reform,” said Lawyers’ Committee Board Co-Chair John Nonna in a March 19 statement announcing Arnwine’s resignation from the presidency and executive directorship. “She has served as a stalwart and visionary leader of the Lawyers’ Committee and we wish her the best as she moves into the next phase of her work.”

Arnwine is viewed among the top tier of the nation's civil rights leaders with a trail of successes and a widely recognized voice of passion on social justice.  Her Lawyers' Committee resignation is effective June 30, 2015.

“I am honored to have served this great institution since 1989 and look forward to following its future endeavors,” said Arnwine who last year celebrated a total of 33 years with the Lawyers’ Committee. During the earlier years she led the Committee in Boston, Mass.

“This milestone reminded me that it is time to use my leadership skills and abilities in a new and unique way,” she said. “Since joining the national Lawyers’ Committee in February of 1989, I have been actively involved in every major civil rights legal, public policy and legislative fight over these many years.”

Arnwine launched her weekly news talk radio program on Radio One’s WOL 1450 AM, March 3. “Igniting Change with Barbara Arnwine” broadcasts live on Tuesdays, 12-1 p.m. (EST) in the DC area and is accessible by listeners worldwide through the internet at BarbaraArnwine.com and worldcnews.com.

Arnwine also said in an interview that she will be launching a new civil rights and social justice organization.

“It will be called the Transformative Justice Coalition,” she said. “It will be a coalition of organizations and individuals.”

She gave a list of major issues the Justice Coalition will work on. They are voting rights, policing reform, youth leadership development, African-American women in law, racial equity in sports, and international human rights. She added that she will also be writing her first book “or two”.

“I’m really looking forward to this whole transition, reincarnation and taking on some battles that are different,” said Arnwine in a brief interview with the Trice Edney News Wire. “My basic focus will be creating an even heavier focus on criminal justice reform; especially on police reform; really digging in deep on that. And really focusing on voting rights of course because we have another big voting year coming in and how to win this battle against voter suppression.”

Meanwhile, the Lawyers’ Committee will begin a search for new top leadership for the organization, whiich was established at the request of President John F. Kennedy to address racial discrimination.

The organization “remains the nation’s principal network of lawyers from law firms across the country working pro bono to preserve the civil rights of all Americans. Barbara deserves much credit for bringing President Kennedy’s imperative to such vibrant life more than 50 years later,” said Donald Rosenberg, Lawyers’ Committee board co-chair.

“The Lawyers’ Committee has critical work to accomplish in the coming months,” said Nonna, “including educational equity, criminal justice reform and our nationwide Election Protection program, which has become a major resource for assisting historically disenfranchised Americans to exercise their fundamental right to vote. We look forward to continuing this vital work under the direction of a Board-led transition committee, while we identify Barbara’s successor.”

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Posted: March 24, 2015

Updated: March 29, 2015

Jesse Jackson Jr. Released from Prison to Halfway House

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Former Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.(D-Ill.), who has been serving a 30-month prison sentence, was released to a halfway house in the Washington,DC area March 26.

Jackson reported to federal prison Oct. 29, 2013, after pleading guilty to misusing $750,000 of campaign funds. He had served 17 years in Congress when he resigned in 2012. The once rising star in the Democratic Party first entered a correctional facility in Butner, N.C., but has been in a Montgomery, Ala. prison since the spring of last year.

His wife, Sandi, a former Chicago City Council member, was sentenced to one year for filing false tax returns that failed to report the campaign money as income. The couple has two children. The judge ordered Mrs. Jackson to report to prison 30 days after her husband is released to reduce the impact on the children.

The Chicago Tribune last year reported an expected release date of Dec. 31, 2015 for Jackson. The Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBP) this week listed his release date as Sept. 20, 2015. Therefore his transition to a halfway facility may be pending his complete release from the prison system.

Former Rep. Jackson served in Congress from1995 until he resigned after re-election in November 2012, citing health reasons later identified as a mood disorder. Jackson was also sentenced to three years supervised release following his prison sentence and ordered to perform 500 hours of community service. Mrs. Jackson was given 12 months supervised release and 200 hours of community service.

March 22, 2015

President Says Mandatory Voting Would Lead to Higher Turnout