Jan. 17, 2015

In Paris and Abduja
By Julianne Malveaux

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - One could not help but be impressed by the millions that turned out in Paris to stand against the Islamist terrorists who killed workers at the French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo and four others at a kosher grocery store.  Two law enforcement officers were also killed, bringing the total to 17.  About 40 heads of state and more than a million others thronged to Republique Square; even more rallied around France.  In total, it is estimated that 3.7 rallied for freedom.  They wore shirts and carried signs that said, “I am Charlie”.  Some said, “I am Muslim and Charlie”, or “I am Jewish and Charlie”.  Those crowds who rallied crossed race, religious and political lines.

President Obama got mixed feedback because he didn’t attend the solidarity rally, and because Ambassador to France Jane Hartley, considered someone with much less status, attended to represent the United States.  Critics said he could at least have sent Vice President Joe Biden, and that Attorney General Eric Holder was in Paris and could have attended.  The President may be doing something much more substantive, convening a summit on world terrorism at the White House in February.

I wonder if these conversations will address terror in Nigeria, where the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram abducted 276 girls, and still holds 219.  A hashtag campaign, #BringBackOurGirls was joined by First Lady Michelle Obama, former Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, British Prime Minister David Cameron and others.  Few of the forty who rallied in Paris have ever mentioned the abducted girls and those terrorists who took them.  Indeed, the abducted girls have all but disappeared from the headlines and then, from the public consciousness.

The girls were abducted on April 14, 2014, about nine months ago.  Since then, our attention has been riveted by other news from the African continent, as the Ebola virus killed thousands (but we in the US were mostly focused on our handful of casualties), and as ISIS has escalated its activity around the globe.  While some have forgotten about the Nigerian girls, many have not.  Obiageli Ezekwesili, a former Nigerian government official who is now Vice-President of the World Bank’s Africa Division has been among those continuing to focus attention on the girls.

People fear that Boko Haram, may have sold the schoolgirls into slavery, forced some into marriage, or killed some.  Given the fact that Amnesty International, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the UN Security Council have decried the Islamist militant terrorist group, it is alarming that the world community has been so indifferent to the plight of the abducted young girls.  Some of the indifference does not start with the world, but in Nigeria.  Will Goodluck Jonathan, the Nigerian President who is running for reelection, mention the girls at all before February, when voting takes place?  Or has the fate of 219 kidnapped girls been forgotten?

Demonstrations have taken place daily in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital, despite the fact that the police have ordered these demonstrations to stop.  Meanwhile, Boko Haram continues its terrorist plundering in Nigeria, destroying villages and towns in the northeast part of the country and killing thousands.  It is estimated that they have destroyed more than 3700 structures – homes, churches, and public spaces.  Tens of thousands of Nigerians have fled to Chad, at the border, because they fear for their lives.

I don’t know if it would be effective for world leaders to rally in Abuja to pressure Boko Haram to return the girls.  I don’t know if t-shirts or signs saying “We Are the Nigerian Girls” would do much more than direct attention back to these young students whose hopes and dreams have been stomped on by irrational terrorists.  I don’t know if it would make a difference if Nigerian communities all over the world came together to demand return of the girls.  I don’t know the efforts of feminists around the world would make a difference.

I do know that about 219 Nigerian girls are gone, and a terrorist group is responsible for taking them.  I know that they are reputed to be affiliated with Al-Qaeda and with ISIS.  I know that while the world has rallied to show solidarity in the fight against terrorism in France, there has been no such gathering to show solidarity in the fight against terrorism in Nigeria.  I don’t know (and I might be misinformed) if offers to help contain or eliminate Boko Haram have been made by the world community.

Julianne Malveaux is an author and economist in Washington, DC

Jan. 12, 2015

On Dr. King's Birthday, We are Free, but Not Equal
By Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Next Monday is the national celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday.  Across the country this week, school children will read about the Dr. King’s dream.  The networks will broadcast excerpts from his speech at the March on Washington.  Many will go to see the riveting depiction of the turning point in the struggle for voting rights in the movie Selma.

How should we celebrate Dr. King’s birthday?  Surely the best way to respect his legacy is to remove him from mythology and remember him in history.  Dr. King was far more than a mighty orator.  He was a man of radical moral vision, a movement leader of strategic genius, a courageous organizer, and a savvy political tactician.

I remember him on his last birthday.  He had breakfast with his family.  Then he came to work where his focus was on organizing a poor people’s march on Washington.  The march would bring together poor people across lines of race, religion, nationality, region, and gender.  It would culminate in Washington with demonstrations and civil disobedience demanding action on poverty.

Dr. King had already broken with President Johnson over the Vietnam War.  King knew that the bombs that were being dropped over Vietnam were exploding in our urban ghettos and barrios, for the war on poverty was being surrendered to fight the war in Vietnam.  He always taught that the freedom symphony included not only civil rights and the end of segregation, voting rights and the assertion of citizenship, but also economic rights, equal opportunity from the start.  This, he knew would be the hardest of all to achieve.

Now 47 years after that last birthday, Dr. King’s vision has still not been fulfilled.  We are free, but not equal – the gains we’ve are now being undermined by the Supreme Court and the conservative, confederate southern ideologues.   Segregation by race, is being displaced by vertical disparities by race and class.

Inequality has reached new Gilded Age heights, as the few capture all of the rewards of growth, while most families struggle to stay afloat.  Our schools are still marked by a savage inequality.  The children of working families are better educated than ever, but the price for many is unprecedented college debt that shackles their futures.  A prison industrial complex imprisons more of our citizens – disproportionately people of color – than any other nation in the world.

Hunger afflicts millions of Americans children each night.  African American unemployment remains more than twice that of whites.  The typical American family lost wealth in the recent recession, and middle class African Americans and Latinos got clobbered.  Median wealth of whites is now 13 times that of blacks and 10 that of Latinos.  But most  Americans are vulnerable (a typical white household has total wealth of $141,000, as opposed to black family wealth of $11,000 and Latinos of $13,700.

Dr. King had a dream, but he was not a dreamer.   He called for investment and reconstruction in our communities, bottom up.  We bailed out the richest, but battered and abandoned the poorest.

He knew the road would be long, the hills high, the valleys low.  His faith was that the struggle would continue, that the better of angels of people would not allow them to accept continued economic violence or adjust to economic injustice.  His faith was that ordinary heroes – citizens roused to act – would continue to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.   He would applaud the protests calling the police to account, but he would push for a positive agenda that addresses the underlying economic injustice that, as the Kerner Commission concluded decades ago, the police are forced to enforce.

Next week we will celebrate a man who called Americans to protest unjust laws and closed doors, led the oppressed into the streets, taught them to resist injustice non violently. He was a man who never held an office, never led an army, never amassed a personal fortune, was jailed and eventually murdered for his acts – and surely did as much to transform America as a Lincoln or a Roosevelt.  His legacy to us is the example he set.  Everyone can be great, he taught, for everyone can serve.

Jan. 17, 2015

When Will Black Lives Matter?
By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - A few days ago, a most amazing event occurred in the United States! You may have heard about it.  Although I had background information on the event in question, the last thing I would have expected occurred.  Two Albuquerque, New Mexico police officers were indicted by Bernalillo County District Atty. Kari Brandenburg, for the murder of a homeless citizen.  Using the evidence at hand and her own balanced judgment, Brandenburg dismissed the idea of convening a Grand Jury.  Taking personal initiative, she issued indictments against former Albuquerque Police Department Detective Keith Sandy and APD SWAT Team member Dominique Perez with one open count of murder each in the March 2014 shooting death of James Boyd.  They are expected to go to trial later this year.

James Boyd was 36 year old.  He was homeless, and diagnosed as schizophrenic.  His alleged crime was camping illegally.  He engaged in a video-recorded, four-hour standoff with police.  He was reportedly armed with two small knives and a dog.  His mistake, according to the police, was that he made a "threatening" move toward an officer with the dog.  By the way, he was White.

The measure and worth of James Boyd's life will be determined in a court of law.  The justice he receives will be determined by a jury or by the discretion of a judge in a bench trial. Whatever the outcome, the guilt or innocence of his assailants will be determined on the basis of evidence instead of personal or institutional bias.

Some who read this will say that there was no reason to bring Boyd's race into the discussion, but I think that to be the most salient point. When compared with the adjudication of events involving the recent homicides of Michael Brown, Eric Garner and Tamir Rice, the outcomes suggest that, in the operational minds of Law Enforcement, the Judicial System and the Media, Black Lives Don't Matter!

In December 2014, the personnel reports of Timothy Loehmann, the Cleveland Police Officer who shot Tamir Rice, were disclosed for the period of time that he was employed by the Independence, Ohio Police Department.  His fitness report included such supervisory assessments as: "a pattern of lack of maturity, indiscretion and not following instructions," a "dangerous loss of composure during live range training" and an "inability to manage personal stress."  One assessement about his conduct: "I do not believe time, nor training, will be able to change or correct these deficiencies..."

With all of these noted deficiencies, the Grand Jury and the media "excused" Loehmann of the murder he committed. This disparity of respect and concern exists on an even greater scale when we consider the US and media view of the world.

For well over a week, we have been inundated with news coming from France about the Charlie Hebdo massacre and subsequent episodes of violence.  I vividly recall that reports over the news outlets were disproportionately skewed toward the news from France.  Only September 11, 2001, the assassination of JFK, and the death of Elvis similarly captured the focus of the news. Reports from France indicate a death toll around 20.  I share the grief of that nation and families affected by the loss of loved ones.  I’m stirred by their renewed sense of patriotism and commitment to ending terrorism and the negative impact of "evil men" upon the innocent.

While I abhor violence of any kind and the wanton taking of life, I wonder how the world can have such remorse about 20 people in France while Boko Haram in Nigeria is conducting a massacre that has already minimally claimed an estimated 2,000 plus people’s lives - and this with little reporting from major media outlets.

The most important question for me may be, "When will Black Lives Matter?’

(E. Faye Williams is President of the National Congress of Black Women. 202/678-6788. www.nationalcongressbw.org.)

Jan. 12, 2015

Black Leaders Chide Scalise for Alleged Association with White Supremacists
Questioning Whether 2002 Speech was a ‘wink and nod’ to racism, Henderson and Morial request meeting with Rep.

By Hazel Trice Edney

Wade Henderson, LCCHR president/CEO 

Marc Morial, NUL president/CEO 

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Leaders of two Black civil rights organizations have chided and requested a meeting with House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), recently accused of having spoken before a White supremacist group.

With Republican now controlling both Houses of Congress, the four-page letter from Wade Henderson, president/CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR) and Marc Morial, president/CEO of the National Urban League (NUL), indicates a growing concern about a worsening of an already conservative agenda.

“We write to express our deep concern regarding your acknowledged 2002 speech before the European-American Unity and Rights Organization (EURO), a white supremacist, anti-Semitic, and neo-Nazi organization classified by the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group,” the letter states. “Participation in the 2002 EURO conference by any member of Congress would be troubling. However, it is of particular concern to us that a member chosen to be part of the Majority’s leadership team in the House of Representatives, whose responsibilities include protecting the interests of all Americans, would legitimize the existence of such a group.”

Scalise has said in widespread reports that he “reject that kind of hateful bigotry” and had no idea the group was associated with White supremacy. At the time, he said he was disparate and was willing to speak to anyone that would hear him. Shortstaffed, he said the group, also associated with former Ku Klux Klan Grand Dragon David Duke, had not been thoroughly vetted.

But, the Henderson-Morial letter issues a subtle rebuke, clearly expressing disbelief that Scalise is being totally forthcoming about his knowledge of the organization’s connection to Duke, a Republican who served one term as a Louisiana state representative. Duke also ran twice for president, once for the Louisiana State Senate, the U. S. Senate, the U. S. House and governor of Louisiana – all unsuccessfully.

“It seems implausible to us that, as a state representative with national aspirations at the time, you would not have heard about the Louisiana-based EURO, which was already a well-known hate group led by America’s most famous white supremacist, former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke. While you indicated that, had you known of the affiliation, you never would have accepted an invitation to speak to a David Duke-sponsored group, you have also stated that the invitation to speak came from Kenny Knight, a long-time associate of David Duke and one of your neighbors. As you might imagine, it is difficult to fathom how you would accept an invitation from a Duke associate to speak to a group that you do not know, and yet, ask no questions about the engagement.”

Both the LCCHR and the NUL represent a vast number of organizational associates that deal directly with national race-related issues. Thererfore, they apparently need reassurance. LCCHR is a coalition of more than 200 national organizations and the NUL, founded in 1910, has 95 affiliates that advocate for economic empowerment of tens of millions of underserved people in 36 states. Pointing to these constituencies as their backup, the men are pushing for a Capitol Hill meeting to start the new Congress with has much influence as they can muster.

They say they wish to discuss key issues with Scalise, including his position on efforts to repair the Voting Rights Act, which 50th anniversary will be celebrated this year even after its “pre-clearance clause” was gutted by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision in Shelby County v. Holder in 2013. They also listed as discussion items, his views on legal efforts to overturn President Obama’s executive action on immigration reform and congressional efforts for job creation by investments in public transportation systems, reconstruction of roads, bridges and public facilities.

“We are writing to request the opportunity to meet with you to discuss ways to work together for the good of all of the Americans that you represent, regardless of race or religion, in order to help move forward after the serious and legitimate concerns that your participation in this event has raised,” the letter states. “As you undoubtedly know, our nation has a long and troubled history of racially polarized politics in which ‘wink and nod’ gestures of affinity with racial segregationists and anti-Semites are used to divide Americans along racial lines and to appeal to our worst instincts. In that regard – and not withstanding your explanation – there is a question about whether your 2002 speech to EURO was a subtle ‘dog whistle’ of affinity to David Duke’s group of supporters.”

They note, “While we would prefer not to believe this, as you might imagine, we believe the questions surrounding the current controversy deserve further clarification.”

Among the reasons for their suspicions that the Congressman's story doesn’t add up, the letter ticks off some of his media quotes and past votes as evidence of views that may be more conservative than he now expresses. The letter states:

• In 1999 – three years before you spoke to EURO – Roll Call reported that you were said to embrace “many of the same conservative views of Duke,” but were “far more viable.” In fact Roll Call quoted you as saying that “Duke has proven he can’t get elected, and that’s the first and most important thing.”
• Later that year, you voted against making Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a state holiday – one of just three state representatives to do so, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. And in 2004, two years after the EURO conference where you spoke, you were one of six to vote against the holiday.
• “You apparently took a similar position involving the naming of a U.S. Post Office for Louisiana civil rights icon, the Honorable Lionel Collins, a pioneering civil rights lawyer and the first African-American judge in Jefferson Parish, La. Judge Collins, who died in 1988.” The letter said despite the fact that Collins was “greatly revered and remembered annually with a New Orleans dinner in his honor” the passage of the bill, co-sponsored by five members of the Louisiana House delegation was blocked because of Scalise’s refusal to support it.

The letter concludes, “By themselves, your votes on the symbolic initiatives of the King Holiday and the Collins USPS facility were disappointing. Combined with the current controversy, however, they raise serious and legitimate questions about whether, in your new role as a member of the House leadership, you can be fair to all of the interests you will be charged to represent…We are requesting, by way of this letter, the opportunity to meet with you to discuss these concerns and related issues regarding the leadership agenda for the 114th Congress.”

Attempts to reach Scalise's office to ask whether he would meet with Henderson and Morial were unsuccessful. A recording picking up his Capitol Hill office phone repeatedly said his voice mail was full.