By Cash Michaels

Dr. Benjamin Chavis

Special to Trice Edney News Wire from the Wilmington Journal

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - In what civil rights leaders across the nation are calling a “significant” moment in the civil rights movement, North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue has granted individual pardons of actual innocence to members of the Wilmington Ten.

“I have decided to grant these pardons because the more facts I have learned about the Wilmington Ten, the more appalled I have become about the manner in which their convictions were obtained,” Perdue, a Democrat who steps down on Jan. 5^th, said in her Dec. 31^st statement.

“Justice demands that this stain finally be removed. The process in which this case was tried was fundamentally flawed. Therefore, as Governor, I am issuing these pardons of innocence to right this longstanding wrong.”

The Wilmington Ten - nine black males and one white female – were activists who, along with hundreds of black students in the New Hanover County Public School System, protested rampant racial discrimination there in 1971.

In February 1971, after the arrival of Rev. Benjamin Chavis to help lead the protests, racial violence erupted, with white supremacist driving through Wilmington’s black community, fatally shooting people and committing arson.

A white-owned grocery store in the black community was firebombed, and firemen came under sniper fire. It wasn’t until a year later that Rev. Chavis and the others were round up and charged with conspiracy in connection with the firebombing and shootings.

The Ten were falsely convicted, and sentenced to 282 years in prison, some of which they all served.

It wouldn’t be until 1977, after years of failed appeals in North Carolina courts, that the three state’s witnesses all recanted their testimonies, admitting that they perjured themselves.

Amnesty International issued a blistering report declaring the Wilmington Ten “political prisoners of conscience.” The CBS News program “60 Minutes” did a one-hour expose’ proving that the evidence against the Wilmington Ten had been fabricated by the prosecution.

And after then NC Gov. James B. Hunt refused to pardon the Ten, but did commute their sentences in 1978, two years later, the US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned all of the convictions, based on gross prosecutorial misconduct and various violations of constitutional rights.

The appeals court directed North Carolina to either retry the defendants, or dismiss all charges, but the state did nothing for the past 32 years.

In March 2011, the National Newspaper Publishers Association, at the urging of Wilmington Journal publisher Mary Alice Thatch, voted to pursue pardons of innocence for the Wilmington Ten. That effort got underway in earnest in January 2012, and after a series of NNPA stories based on an investigation that revealed never-before-seen court records proving prosecutorial corruption, the mainstream media, including the New York Times, caught on, and began editorially pushing for pardoning the Wilmington Ten.

Change.org, the NAACP and the Wilmington Ten garnered over 144,000 petition signatures for the cause.

Gov. Perdue’s pardons legally mean that the accused did not commit the crimes they were convicted of.

The governor’s decision was roundly hailed.

“Gov. Perdue’s historic action today doesn’t remove the past forty years of injustice against ten innocent American citizens - North Carolinians who stood up for equal treatment under the law in our public education system,” the Wilmington Ten Pardons of Innocence Project, a justice outreach effort of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and the Wilmington Journal newspaper, said in a statement.

“But [the governor’s pardon] does correct the historical record, that Connie Tindall, Jerry Jacobs, William Joe Wright, Anne Sheppard, Wayne Moore, Marvin Patrick, James McKoy, Willie Earl Vereen, Reginald Epps and the Rev. Dr. Benjamin Chavis, were indeed innocent of all charges falsely assessed to them by a corrupt prosecutor who, to this day, has not answered for what he did.”

 Governor Perdue agreed that revelations of the racist and illegal trial tactics of Wilmington Ten prosecutor Jay Stroud – which included documented handwritten evidence of seeking “KKK and Uncle Tom-type” jurors; bribing witnesses to commit perjury; hiding exculpatory evidence of a witness’s mental illness from the defense; and deliberately forcing a mistrial so that he could get both the judge and jury that would guarantee convictions – corrupt the criminal justice system, and shamed the state.

 Perdue called it “naked racism.”

 “This conduct is disgraceful,” the governor said in her statement. “It is utterly incompatible with basic notions of fairness, and with every ideal that North Carolina holds dear. The legitimacy of our criminal justice system hinges on it operating in a fair and equitable manner, with justice being dispensed based on innocence or guilt – not based on race or other forms of prejudice.”

 “That did not happen here,” Perdue continued. “Instead, these convictions were tainted by naked racism and represent an ugly stain on North Carolina’s criminal justice system that cannot be allowed to stand any longer.”

 “This is a great day for the people, and the movement,” Dr. Benjamin Chavis, leader of the Wilmington Ten, told the Wilmington Journal Monday. “This is a very rare victory.”

Civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton agreed.

“It was a significant victory and all of you should be commended,” Sharpton, who pushed the pardon effort on both of his radio programs last weekend, said in congratulations.

NC NAACP Pres. Rev. William Barber, who partnered with the Wilmington Ten Pardons of Innocence, noted the history.

“Not only will the civil rights and human rights communities honor this act, but history itself will record this day as groundbreaking,” Barber told reporters in Raleigh Monday. “On the eve of the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, Governor Perdue has proclaimed a contemporary emancipation for these freedom fighters.”

“These pardons are not only for North Carolina but also for the nation and for the world,” Barber continued. “We honor the Governor's noble, courageous and righteous decision today and we commend her heart's steadfast commitment to justice.”

By Dr. Wilmer J. Leon III

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - During the 2012 campaign President Obama told the electorate that he would raise taxes on those making over $250K in order to generate much needed revenues and avoid going over the fiscal cliff. President Obama won reelection with a convincing margin; some would say a mandate even though Republicans still control the House.

There we stood on Friday, December 28^th on the edge of the ledge that is the fiscal cliff; seemingly no closer to a deal than we were a month ago, or are we?

Last week House Majority Leader Boehner (R-OH) threatened America by walking away from the negotiations and tried to bully President Obama with his “Plan B” vote.  Boehner said that after Plan B passes the House, “Then, the president will have a decision to make…He (the president) can call on Senate Democrats to pass that bill, or he can be responsible for the largest tax increase in history.”  In spite of all of Boehner’s bravado, the “Plan B” vote failed.  Boehner could not slap enough backs and twist enough arms within his own caucus. Alas, the Emperor has no clothes.

In response to his failure, Boehner issued the following statement saying in part, “Now it is up to the president to work with Senator Reid on legislation to avert the fiscal cliff.”   Boehner’s counterpart in the Senate, Minority Leader McConnell (R-KY) has said, “Look: It’s the president’s job to find a solution that can pass Congress. He’s the only one who can do it…This isn’t John Boehner’s problem to solve.”

Both Boehner and McConnell’s analysis would be correct except for one minor detail, the Constitution of the United States.  Article 1; Section 7 states, “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.”  If we move beyond the political rhetoric and focus on the Constitution it is Boehner’s job to lead his hypocritical, obtuse, and obstructionist caucus towards the solution that works out best for the American people. Keep this clause in mind the next time a member of Congress rants about overspending. Since “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives,” instead of blaming the President; Congress should first look at themselves.

We’ve come to the 11^th hour.  The last payable week for all claimants receiving federal unemployment benefits will be the week ending Saturday Dec. 29^th. They will receive their last payment the first week of January.  If a solution is not agreed to by January 1, 2013 the average combined tax increase on a family making over $50K per year will be approximately $3,500.

Why are Republicans holding their ground?  They believe that President Obama will cave in at the last minute. He said during the 2008 campaign that he would not sign Health Care Reform legislation that did not contain the public option; he did.  He said during the 2010 mid-term elections that he would not sign legislation extending the Bush Era tax cuts; he did.  During the 2012 DC-Autonomy Bill debate President Obama threw in the prohibition against the District government using its own funds to pay for abortions.  President Obama is reported to have said, ““John, I will give you D.C. abortion, but I am not happy about it," Obama infamously told House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) at the time, referring to language in the budget bill that would prevent D.C. from using its own locally raised funds to help women pay for abortions.”

In this current round of fiscal cliff negotiations President Obama has gone from increasing taxes on income over $250K to increasing taxes on income over $400K. Also, President Obama has conceded to make changes to Social Security that are unnecessary.  According to Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), “The people of this nation are depending upon us to be true to our word…I don’t know how many members ran on a promise not to cut Social Security.  Now, without any hard proposal to raise taxes on the rich, some are using Social Security as a carrot to get a deal.  We cannot, and we must not play with the lives of senior citizens.”

Boehner in his Plan B wants $1M base to increase revenues.  I hope I’m wrong but I predict the deal will get cut (if it’s not already).  Why else would Boehner allow the House to stay away for the Holiday’s?  The “deal” will look very similar to Boehner’s failed Plan B with extensions to unemployment benefits, and unnecessary Social Security cuts thrown in for good measure; leaving many to ask was this compromise or conspiracy.

Happy New Year!

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. For more information, please visit www.lawyerscommittee.org.

By E. Faye Williams

 (TriceEdneyWire.com) – As we approach the end of one year and the beginning of another, it’s hard to believe that 365 days have passed since January 2012. One thing I can say with complete certainty is that it’s been an eventful year. We’ve had extreme highs and lows, wins and losses, triumphs and tragedies. Through it all, we’re still here and looked to 2013. We can always hope the next year will be better—no matter how bad or good the last one was!

Reflecting on 2012, I say a prayer for friends and families of those who began 2012 with us, but are no longer here to witness 2013. Many have passed on, yet remain in our hearts and have become indelible parts of our memory. I feel privileged to have become fellow travelers with them in our collective journeys through time and space. Among my friends who passed on in 2012, I pay tribute to Congressman Mervyn Dymally, Jesse Hill, Barbara Lett Simmons and Lawrence Guyot and many more that I didn’t know personally, but were meaningful in my life.

Among the highlights of 2012 was the reelection of President Barack Obama. When I heard his keynote address at the 2004 DNC convention in Boston, I knew he was destined for greatness, and that he’d make a significant contribution to shaping the historical landscape of our nation and the world. He did not disappoint. Despite the negative polls and pundits, a turbulent economy and social trials and tribulations that many of us faced, we were able to rally together to fight those who attempted to disenfranchise us. Through our collective effort and our combined resources, we were able to mobilize a political effort that beat back the regressive intent of eccentric billionaires and other wealthy donors who had evil and selfish intent even though their actions would hurt the least of our people. We were blessed in the end that so many of us were able to work together to renew the opportunity for enlightened leadership.

I can say with total honesty that I look forward to the coming year projecting positive outcomes for our nation. We’ve learned lessons of our power at the ballot box. We’ve seen the potential for influencing positive change. We’ve learned that the only way to overcome aggressive and evil intent of our opponents is to mobilize and combine the power of our votes with others.

We’re blessed to have our great First Lady, Michelle Obama, for four more years. I kept waiting for someone to give credit to her for the meaningful work she’s done the past four years, but seeing little, I want to remind all of us of the great work she has done to get us moving—especially our children.

Recently theWashington Post did almost a page on improving child nutrition in India, but I saw nothing there or in any paper I read about the First Lady’s work on that subject. I even checked out the Style Section where many papers place important information just because a woman did or said it, but I didn’t see it. I’m grateful for the work she did with her Let’s Movecampaign. I’m sure it helped to move the needle down a little on childhood obesity. Several of our youth chapters in the National Congress of Black Women chose Let’s Move as their project. I’m especially proud of our Columbia, SC Chapter for the work they’re doing in this area with their praise dancing.

It’s so easy to make a positive difference so let’s think of something we can do to make 2013 a better year for somebody! There’s no better time than now to start so we can all look forward to a greater new year in 2013!

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