By Barbara R. Arnwine

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - As we reflect on Martin Luther King Day, many of us remember his famous and stirring “I Have A Dream Speech.” This speech is memorialized as the centerpiece of the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,” which spoke of the twin evils of racial discrimination and economic deprivation that prevailed because of the defaulted promissory note that stipulated equality for all.

In an earlier speech in Detroit (1963), Dr. King linked the “twin evils” stating that “I have a dream this afternoon that one day right here in Detroit, Negroes will be able to buy a house or rent a house anywhere their money will carry them and they will be able to get a job.” Then and now the civil rights movement is about much more than ending racial discrimination, a major tenet of the movement has been also advocating for economic justice and opportunities for all people.

Until there is equal access to economic opportunities for all Americans, our nation cannot call itself a post racial society. The modern form of racial discrimination is realized through an economic proxy. We find evidence of this in the fiscal cliff compromise, which was hard fought and difficult to reach. The devastating implications for African Americans and other economically vulnerable racial minorities of the shredding of the social safety network cannot be ignored. The fruition of the December 2012 compromise allowed racial minorities to avoid a compound of injustice and discrimination that could have manifested without a decision.

According to the Congressional Budget Office’s August 2012 report, “An Update to the Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2012 to 2022 Report”, the cuts could have sent the entire country into another recession. As we have learned from the Great Recession, racial minorities are disproportionately impacted by downturns in the economy. In 2001, nearly 65 percent of White adults and just over 60 percent of Black adults were employed. The Great Recession caused the share of Black working adults to slide down to 52 percent, nearly seven points behind Whites.

Throughout the recession, the unemployment rate for African Americans continued to rise in the double digits, with the December 2012 unemployment rate at 14 percent for African Americans, while it was only 6.9 percent for Whites. Even though racial minorities can count this fiscal cliff compromise as a win, the political showdowns surrounding the compromise have fostered a breeding ground of animosity that may preview continual struggles ahead.

Debates in coming months concerning spending cuts and raising the nation's limit on borrowing are raising legitimate concerns in minority communities. Those who opposed the compromise and were against raising taxes on the wealthy, have vowed that in any future debates they would stalwartly seek to include significant cuts in government benefit programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which could potentially have a disparate impact on minorities and low-income families. This debate illustrates the twin evils of racial discrimination and economic deprivation that Dr. King spoke of so eloquently.

Many of Dr. King’s remarks are almost prescient of today’s economic issues. His remark that “God never intended for one group of people to live in superfluous wealth while others live in abject deadening poverty” resonates soundly with the fiscal cliff compromise to tax wealthy Americans at a higher rate in order to supplant the harrowing growth of the minority poverty rate, which had previously been narrowed prior to the recession. In a similar fashion, his observation that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” speaks to how politicians should approach future economic debates.

Decisions in any upcoming fiscal debates should ensure that all Americans are treated fairly and should not create an undue burden on those in our country who are already struggling to survive economically. That type of injustice only impedes the growth our nation in becoming a post-racial society. Dr. King’s speeches push beyond issues of economic inequality, calling for parity in all facets of life. However, it is hard to envision the dream of equality manifesting without an equal economic playing field.

Barbara R. Arnwine is president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The Lawyers’ Committee is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to enlist the private bar’s leadership and resources in combating racial discrimination and the resulting inequality of opportunity – work that continues to be vital today. Tahirah Marston, a Business Major at George Washington University and intern for the Lawyers’ Committee, contributed to this editorial. For more information on the Lawyers’ Committee, please visit www.lawyerscommittee.org.

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

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Federal regulators’ review of deficient practices in mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure processing concluded in a $8.5 billion settlement with 10 of the nation’s largest mortgage servicers.

Editor's Note: "The State of Equality and Justice in America" is part of a series of columns written by an all-star list of contributors to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

The contributors include: U. S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) LCCRUL 50th Anniversary Grand Marshal; Ms. Barbara Arnwine, President and Executive Director, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (LCCRUL); Mr. Charles Ogletree, Professor, Harvard University Law School/Director, Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice; the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr., President/CEO, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition; the Rev. Joseph Lowery, Co-founder, Southern Christian Leadership Conference; U. S. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.); and 14 additional thought leaders and national advocates for equal justice.

Here's the second op-ed of the series:

Charles J. Ogletree, Jr.

With the death of Trayvon Martin nearly a year ago, many wondered whether there could be any justice in America. The indictment of George Zimmerman and the subsequent focus on the shooting death of Trayvon Martin has set the legal process to take its course in the near future.

In looking at the overall state of race and justice in America, clearly a lot of progress has been made. On November 4, 2008, the United States elected its first African-American President Barack Obama, who is just beginning his second term. Clearly, the job of equality and justice is not the job of one man. But, since his election, President Obama has taken a number of steps that make the state of race and justice a positive one.

If we simply look at the Supreme Court, which decides much of our legal issues that impact us greatly, the President has had the opportunity to appoint two people. And on both occasions, he appointed women; including a woman of color. When we look at the United States Circuit Courts, which are one step away from the United States Supreme Court, President Obama has appointed the first African-American for Mississippi to the Fifth Circuit, an African-American with Haitian connections to the Second Circuit, the first woman in Massachusetts to the First Circuit, and an African-American woman to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. This only begins to show the diversity and quality of his appointments.

More importantly, the President - in his first term - persuaded Congress to support a $787 billion stimulus package, has had healthcare approved, and prevailed in the Supreme Court on protection of rights of immigrants. These successes reveal the commitment to the state of justice, equality, and progress in our country.

Despite the progress of the past four years, there is still much work to be done. We still have a problem in terms of employment, housing, and an increasing negative reflection on the African-American presence in the criminal justice system. While many of these issues are influenced by local and state legislation, they are still troubling when you see the African-American unemployment rates in double digits, housing foreclosures increasing, and the state of equality in our criminal justice system leaves all of us at peril.

The good news, of course, is that under the leadership of Attorney General Eric Holder, the first African-American Attorney General, the disparity between powder cocaine and crack cocaine has been reduced from 100 to 1 to 18 to 1. This is a step in the right direction. But leveling the playing field to a 1 to 1 ratio is still necessary. And we hope will be accomplished in the coming years.

President Obama has made clear his views on the kinds of justices he wants for the courts, what kinds of tax cuts he wants, as well as his views on a woman's right to choose, immigration, and now, stricter gun laws. Voters carefully assessed and made their decision for themselves and for their children and grandchildren for generations to come.

In conclusion, it is the best of times and the worst of times. We have made a lot of progress on many issues, but the job is not done.

Charles Ogletree Jr. is the Jesse Climenko Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, and executive director and founder, Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice. This article - the second of a 20-part series - is written in commemoration of the 50^th Anniversary of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. The Lawyers' Committee is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to enlist the private bar's leadership and resources in combating racial discrimination and the resulting inequality of opportunity - work that continues to be vital today. For more information, please visit www.lawyerscommittee.org.

By Dr. E. Faye Williams

(TriceEdneyWire.com)  – Every four years on January 20th, our nation engages in peaceful continuation or exchange of presidential authority. Despite current acrimony in the legislative branch, most political observers marvel in the relatively orderly process of transition of power from one president to the next.

Significance of Presidential Inaugurations is firmly rooted in history, and reflected in almost every important event since George Washington took office in 1789. Though several presidents were less than distinguished in service, few would minimize the impact of those who served in this office. At some point in history, US Presidents, generally, were recognized as "the most powerful" men in the world. Their leadership has played an ever increasing role in shaping the world.

For those who voted for the winning candidate, Inauguration Day is a festive occasion that reaffirms hopes and dreams for national success and prosperity. It’s a day to celebrate the person who’ll lead us for the next four years. It’s a day when most of us subordinate our own interests for "the common good."

Although most of us have seen inaugurations take place on the West Terrace of the US Capitol, the swearing-in conducted by our Chief Justice and an Inaugural Parade moving ceremoniously down Constitution Avenue, it didn’t always happen that way.

The first three Inaugurations occurred outside Washington, DC. George Washington took his first oath in New York and was sworn in by the Chancellor of that state. His second inauguration took place in Philadelphia. John Adams took his oath in Philadelphia. Thomas Jefferson was the first President to take the oath of office in Washington, DC. His inaugural address was the first to be reprinted in a newspaper. His second inauguration was the occasion of the first Inaugural Parade.

The first Inaugural Ball, held the same day as the inauguration, was in honor of President and Mrs. Madison, in 1809. For those who bemoan the cost of ball tickets now, suffer in the knowledge that the first ball tickets cost $4 each!

Andrew Jackson was the first President to take his oath on the East Portico of the Capitol-- a tradition lasting for 152 years until 1981 when Ronald Reagan became the first President inaugurated on the West Terrace. John F. Kennedy was the last President to wear the traditional stovetop hat to his inauguration.

Historians assumed President Franklin Roosevelt would hold the record for three inaugural firsts. He was the last President to take the oath on March 4th (1933) and the first to take the oath on January 20th (1937). He was also thought to be the only President to take the oath four times!

In 2009, we saw an inauguration of ground-breaking significance – that of Barack Obama, our first African American President. It was an event many believed would not happen in their lifetime. The 2013 Inauguration is just as important or more significant, as it marks the reelection of the first African American President. It’s made even more significant because it takes place 150 years and 21 days after the effective date of the Emancipation Proclamation.

President Obama ties FDR’s record of oaths and sets one of his own. By close of business January 21st, he’ll have taken the oath 4 times! The 20^this a Sunday so he’ll take the mandated oath in a private ceremony that day, and a public one the next day. Most will say that's only 3 times, but he took the oath twice in 2009 when the Chief Justice’s error in reading the oath created the need for the President to repeat it in the Oval Office to forego any challenge because of the error.

I look forward to the day women, Hispanics, Asians and others will stand as peers beside Presidents who’ve preceded them in history.

(Dr. Williams is Chair of the National Congress of Black Women, www.nationalcongressbw.org. 202/678-6788)