Oct. 20, 2014

President Obama Names U. S. Ebola Coordinator

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Former Vice Presidential Chief of Staff Ron Klain has been tapped by President Obama to coordinate the U. S. Government’s response to the deadly Ebola virus, now contracted by two nurses who attended to the late Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian who died of the disease in a Dallas hospital two weeks ago.

Klain, who has no medical background but is experienced in coordinating government agencies amidst crisis, will report to the President Obama’s Homeland Security Advisor Lisa Monaco and his National Security Advisor Susan Rice.

The White House touts Klain as having “good working relationships with leading Members of Congress as well as senior Administration officials.”

A White House statement also says, “Klain’s talent and managerial skill will be crucial in providing the resources and expertise we need to rapidly, cohesively, and effectively respond to Ebola at home and abroad.”

More than 4,400 people have died of the disease in West Africa. Just as many people have contracted the virus and lived.

President Obama has remained optimistic that the virus will not spread in the U. S.

"The dangers of a serious outbreak are extraordinarily low" in the U.S. Obama says. "We are taking this very seriously at the highest levels of government."

October 19, 2014

Reality Check

Part III: The Numerous Ways That Black Folks Sustain White Supremacy - How to Deal With It
By A. Peter Bailey

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - In two previous columns, I cited ways in which too many Black people in this country help to sustain the psychological toxin, White supremacy. In this column, my intention is to present ways to deal with that soul-maiming ideology.

The first step is to clearly understand that a significant number of Black folks have totally succumbed to the toxin. Most notable among these are those who can best be described as Black White supremacists. Their only problem with it is being denied an opportunity to share in the goodies gained by exploiting people whom they consider inherently inferior. Black White supremacist are the ones Lerone Bennett, Jr. was referring to when he wrote that their only problem in the system is that they are the descendants of slaves rather than slave owners.

The second group of Black folks are those who shame the position expressed by George Schuyler when he said—and I am paraphrasing—the first thing Black folks learn is that Whites run the world. Since that is an inalterable situation, “the lifetime endeavor of the intelligent Negro is how to be reasonably happy though colored.” In other words, they have given up the struggle against White supremacy.

Both of the above are totally immune to any attempt to organize a movement whose purpose is to promote and protect our cultural, economic and political interests in this country.

Their position is reflected in a quote attributed to Frederick Douglass, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men [or women].”

Any amount of time devoted to debating or arguing with them is time wasted. Let them go and be whomever or whatever they desire.

What must happen is that those Black folks with an Afrocentric focus, those who believe in the concept of being a “race” man or woman must hook up with each other and develop concrete programs designed to promote and protect our basic interests.

I propose that this can begin with 50 Afrocentric Black men and women in 50 cities throughout the country, a total of 2,500 people, use their combined talent, knowledge, resources and energy to contribute to their local communities and we all join together in a national Afrocentric movement. The key is that anyone included in this movement must be an absolute true believer in the concept.

All involved must have vision, mission and passion.

A. Peter Bailey, whose latest book, Witnessing Brother Malcolm X, the Master Teacher, can be reached This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Oct. 19, 2014

Black Lawmakers on Capitol Hill Expected to Increase in Nov. 4 Election
By James Wright

Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) is one of the Black female representatives expected to be on the way to Washington.

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

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - The Nov. 4 general election is expected to produce a record number of Black members of Congress. This will be historic in terms of the number of African women serving, Black Republicans in both chambers at the same time, and an African-American with the most seniority of all members.

All of the 44 Blacks serving in the U.S. House and Senate that are running for re-election are expected to win easily. There are four races, however, that will likely increase the number of Black females in the U.S. House of Representatives from 15 to 19.

The new Black female representatives expected to be on their way to Washington are New Jersey Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D), replacing U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.); North Carolina Assemblywoman Alma Adams (D) taking the seat of former representative Mel Watt (D); and former Sarasota Spring, Utah Mayor Mia Love, who could be the first Black female Republican in Congress, would take Jim Matheson’s (D) seat.

Stacey Plaskett, an attorney in the Virgin Islands will replace Del. Donna Christensen (D) as her islands’ new delegate, and Southfield, Mich. Mayor Brenda Lawrence (D) will take a new seat for the 14th District in Detroit. Watson, who would be the second Black representing New Jersey in the U.S. House, said she is ready to take on national issues.

“If elected, I don’t intend to go to Congress simply to fight, I intend to go and be the best possible representative I can be for the entirety of the 12th congressional district,” Watson said. “I will fight for our shared values and on behalf of middle class families throughout the district, just as I did in Trenton. I will work with anyone who will help us realize those goals.”

E.Faye Williams, the national chair of the National Congress of Black Women, said she is proud of the progress that Black women are making in Congress. “We were founded to get Black women in the Congress because we know that Black women will make a difference [in] matters pertaining to the Black community,” Williams said. “In the 2012 election, Black women voted at a higher proportion than any other group. We are proud of all the Democratic women running this year.”

Love is running the second time for the U.S. House and was recently endorsed by Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee for president. She and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) would be the first Black Republican duo in two chambers ever. Love said that she wants to come to Capitol Hill to see that the country gets on the right course for prosperity.

“What we need right now in Washington are tough, consistent, tested leaders who put the American people first,” Love said. “For too long Congress has run up trillion dollar deficits, made promises it cannot keep, and failed to balance the budget. A change is needed, and that’s why I am running to represent Utah’s 4th congressional district in Congress.”

Love doesn’t have Williams’ support. “Ms. Love seems to have forgotten those who created the path that she is on now,” she said. “She embarrasses us.”

The 46 Black Democrats will comprise 25 percent of the House Democratic Caucus. While it is expected Republicans will maintain control of the House, African-American members will be ranking members, or leading Democrats, of committees such as oversight and government reform, science, space and technology, and judiciary.

The ranking member of the Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), will make history on Nov. 4 if he wins re-election. Conyers will become the first Black member of Congress to have the most seniority of all members, with his first election to the House in 1964. He would be known informally as the dean of the House. Conyers is already considered the dean of the Congressional Black Caucus, which he helped to co-found. Conyers said being the first Black dean of the House is not just symbolic. “It means more political clout for Michigan,” Conyers, 85, said.

“It’s more than honorary for me and I think for the people that I’m working for.” Michael Fauntroy, a Howard University political scientist, said that more Blacks in the House will not make a big difference for African Americans. “The Democrats will likely be in the minority in January and there will be little that they can do to move legislation,” he said. “While Conyers has a long tenure and he will be recognized for it, with the Republicans in control, he will have no real power.” 

Oct. 19, 2014

The "Meaning" of America
By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) –I can remember very well the innocence of my youth and the lessons of civics and citizenship I devoured while in grade school.  It could rightly be said that I was a student of history and of government, and it wouldn't be until age and numerous disappointing experiences tempered my willingness to accept, without question, the philosophies that "made America great."

There was a time when asked, "What is the MEANING of America?"  I would spout with unfettered enthusiasm that freedom was the foundational principle of our national ethos.  Like most students who were products of local public education, I saw America, at least in principle, as a country committed to the meritorious evaluation and treatment of all of its citizens.

Unfortunately, it didn't take too long for me to realize that these touted freedoms and unbiased judgments were meant for those whose complexion was considered white, and not for those of us whose ancestors were held in bondage or who looked like those who were.  In fact, without much fanfare and drama, it became easily understood that those who were native, non-white immigrants or female could be denied the professed freedoms that were embraced by the nation with little protest, especially from those in power.

Although evidenced by events long past, the historical legacy of hatred and discrimination in the America refuses to die.  Rather than fading into oblivion, there are proponents of this hatred who choose to renew it generationally by planting it into the spirit and psyche of the nation.  The evil that we reap from this hatred plagues our peace, disrupts the general welfare and wreaks havoc upon our domestic tranquility.

If we were to honestly evaluate our contemporary history, a better question to ask about our nation might be, "WHY HAS AMERICA BECOME SO MEAN and CRUEL TO SO MANY?"  We might also ponder as to how and why so many individuals in policy-making positions, as well as the general public, can be as comfortable or complacent with the level of hatred and mean-spiritedness that we now realize daily.

On both sides of the divide, it seems that the normalization and repetition of racism and sexism have rendered them acceptable elements of our culture.  Except for those of us who have a vested interest in freedom and justice for all, the outcomes of this genre of evils such as the death of Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis or the institutionalization of a war on economic viability and rights of women mean nothing.

Wal-Mart, the brain-child of Sam Walton, was established to provide a low-cost retail outlet for consumer goods manufactured in the U.S. and to stimulate the growth of American business.  With an over-abundance of foreign-made goods, Wal-Mart exploits it workers with depressed wages, and exploits taxpayers by paying employees at a rate that requires significant numbers to seek public assistance.  This model of the "corporate plantation" seems to be more the rule than exception.

Without sugar-coating it, evidence suggests that the inordinate level of acrimony and gridlock that’s brought our political system to a standstill exists as a primary result of the race of our President.  This same attitude winds its way to the Attorney General who is also the recipient of race-based hatred.

The recent Ebola outbreak has generated an increased level of racial animus and a growing undercurrent of isolationism.  Many knowledgeable observers remark that rather than serving the elimination of this tragic virus, the misguided call for isolation and restricted travel between the U.S. and African hotspots would be more likely to increase, the impact of the disease.

I believe that to regain the real meaning of America, we must stop the meaning some have when they shout about taking back America.

(Dr. E. Faye Williams is National President of the National Congress of Black Women, Inc.  www.nationalcongressbw.org)