Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from GIN

By Hazel Trice Edney

Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. PHOTO: Roy Lewis/Trice Edney News Wire

Rev. Al Sharpton PHOTO: Roy Lewis/Trice Edney News Wire

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Why is it that with the Black jobless rate astronomically high, schools crumbling in Black neighborhoods, low test scores and dropout rates plaguing Black children and home foreclosures, incarceration, death and disease soaring in Black communities, why is it that some Black people are saying they will not go to the voting polls because President Barack Obama agrees with same-sex marriage?

That is the question that brought the Rev. Jesse Jackson to tears on Saturday, Sept. 22, during a forum at the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference. The question also riles the Rev. Al Sharpton, who believes some people are actually being paid to advocate staying home on Nov. 6.

Rev. Jackson used a handkerchief to wipe away tears as he sat on the panel at the Saturday morning brunch, recalling how he was jailed on July 6, 1960 for trying to use a public library and still targets pervasive racial injustices across America. Given the atrocities he sees, he’s “not quite ready to prioritize same-sex marriage” as an issue in the Black community.

Teaching the audience a quick lesson that brought them to roaring and empathetic laughter, he asked them to respond to the following questions:

“How many of you have a relative in jail? Raise your hand…How many of you support Medicare and Medicaid? Raise your hand…How many of you support social security? Raise your hand…How many have or know someone with home foreclosure? Raise your hand...You know somebody in student loan debt? Raise your hand…You know somebody with credit card debt? Raise your hand…You know of voter suppression? Raise your hand…You know somebody who needs a job? Raise your hand.”

With nearly every hand raised in response to most questions, Rev. Jackson then hit the audience with the unexpected question: “How many have ever been invited to a same-sex marriage?...How many has ever had one in your church?” Not a hand was raised in the room of about 300 people, who broke into laughter – mainly at themselves.

“While we [should be] arguing about our option of Medicare, Medicaid, housing, jobs, and justice, we are arguing about whether someone has the right to engage in a wedding that you were not invited to,” Rev. Jackson said as the audience roared with applause and laughter.

Rev. Jackson said he believes the same-sex marriage debate in the Black community is being caused by right wing conservatives who have pushed their priorities onto the Black community. "I don’t want anybody to jump line and pull on us their priority,” he said.

Likewise, the Rev. Al Sharpton also believes the pervasive discussion on same-sex marriage is a sinister agenda on the part of a stealth right wing that might even be funding those Blacks who advocate not going to the polls.

“I would say that that is the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard,” Sharpton said in a brief interview during Saturday night’s CBCF Phoenix Awards Dinner. “First of all, we have disagreed with every president on something. Bill Clinton put bills through that hurt us – welfare reform..We’ve never talked about not voting. I think that some of the people who are saying this are sponsored by our enemies because show me anywhere in history where we’ve ever said we’re not going to vote because we disagree with the opinion of a president. He didn’t propose a law, he didn’t say he was going to campaign for a law. He gave an opinion and then all of a sudden they tell people don’t vote? Somebody’s sponsoring this.”

The Rev. Dr. Jamal-Harrison Bryant, who has aimed to register a million voters before the Nov. 6 election says he has been told directly by some pastors that they will not be voting because of President Obama’s stance on same-sex marriage. This position gives civil rights leaders an even greater urgency to inspire people to go to the polls.

“President Barack could actually win the debates and lose the election,” said Jackson.  “I would urge us to keep your eyes on the prize. Hold on. Hold on. Don’t win the same sex debate and lose the right to a house, health, education, jobs, and justice.”

Dr. Ron Daniels

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – As political observers prepare for three presidential debates and as activists continue to plan get-out-to-vote and voter protection efforts, at least one organization is focused on the next four years after the election, regardless of who wins.

“We don’t make any pretense that we have any capacity as a non-profit organization to impact the election,” says Dr. Ron Daniels, president of the Institute of the Black World – 21^st Century. “But, we want to be in a position after the election to do an assessment of exactly what happened in the election no matter who wins…And then we chart a course. We begin to talk about where we go from here as people of African dissent.”

This is the purpose of the State of the Black World Conference that Daniels has announced for November 14-18 on the Campus of Howard University. He describes it as “the first great gathering of Black people immediately after the election.”

The long list of more than 100 leading panelists, speakers and contributors are well-acquainted with Black America and its issues, including names like the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr.; Congressman John Conyers (D-Mich.); Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.); Rev. Al Sharpton and Dr. Julianne Malveaux.

Though these are all orators, Daniels says the uniqueness of this conference is that it will be more focused on action than on talk.

“We hope to come out with a declaration of intent to heal Black families and communities. In other words, at the conference in working sessions, we’re asking people to do four things,” he says. They are:

• Determine what Blacks “can we do for ourselves as Black people.”

• Decide and document what we expect from private sector institutions like banks, retail establishments where Blacks spend billions a year. What are we asking them to do in terms of reinvesting in our community? “We will also decide how to use economic sanctions or boycotts. We’ve got to fight back.”

• As tax-paying citizens of the United States of America, decide what we must demand of government, including urban policy, targeted jobs, and economic development “in the hardest hit areas in the Black community where people are suffering so badly.”

• Decide which organizations or combination of organizations will be responsible for moving forward on specific actions that are agreed upon during the conference.

“Our theme, therefore, is ‘State of emergency in Black America – A Time to Heal Black Families and Communities,” says Daniels. “Joblessness, mass incarceration, crime, fratricide, violence – these issues require direct, specific targeted action at the Black community."

Daniels has a long history of activism in the Black community. He is perhaps best known for his leadership of the Haiti Support Project and his mantra, “For the love of Haiti.” He was also a key organizer and advisor to Rev. Jackson in his 1984 and 1988 bids for the White House. Registration information for the 2012 State of the Black World Conference can be found at Ibw21.org.

The Institute of the Black World held a similar post-election conference in 2008 in New Orleans as America basked in the historic triumph of the first Black presidency. While polls are currently projecting another likely win for President Obama, Daniels says strategies will differ depending on which candidate prevails on Nov. 6.

“As a political analyst, I’m very excited about the prospects of Barack Obama being re-elected. The reality is that there are huge issues that are unresolved in the Black community,” he said. “The expectation is that if Black people support President Obama – a projected 95 percent - the anticipation is that there will be friendlier ground given the overall philosophy of the Democratic Party and what some believe is the real heart of President Obama.”

He continued, “And so, during the first administration, there’s been some hesitancy to address issues. That does not mean that the accomplishments of the Obama Administration have not benefitted Black people. It certainly has in many, many, many ways. But, there are some particular issues that I’ve identified where there has been some reluctance,” he said. “Our hope is that in his second administration, President Obama will feel emancipated and free to speak out and not be so constrained and not feel as if he said something relative to Black people that somehow he’ll be accused of being pro-Black because he is President of everybody. That includes us too.”

On the other hand, if Romney is elected, “it would be a much more complex and much more difficult terrain which probably would require probably much more direct action in the streets, much more vocal, vociferous protests because their agenda is so antithetical to the agendas of Blacks, labor, women and so many groups.”

Daniels added, “If necessary, we would do the same thing with Obama,” however he believes there are enough Black organizations that he would listen to for the needs of African-Americans in a second term.

“I don’t anticipate that that is going to be an issue because a number of people have the president’s ear from the African-American community – Sharpton, National Council of Negro Women, Marc Morial and others,” Daniels said. “I would think that they will be stepping up to the plate and that they will be pushing the targeting of jobs to alleviate the state of emergency in Black America.”

The gist of the conference will be held on Howard’s main conference in the Blackburn Center. To attract students and other youths, he has invited anti-violence groups and Hip Hop activists.

“We’ve got to adopt a more fighting spirit in order for Black people to overcome the state of emergency that we face.”

By Christina Downs

Despite enthusiasm at President Obama's most recent rally in Virginia, some are concerned about Black voters assuming a win and staying home from the polls. PHOTO: Christina Downs/Howard University News Service

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Howard University News Service

WOODBRIDGE, Va. (TriceEdneyWire.com) — President Obama jogs up to a roaring crowd, sprinkled with signs reading “Forward” and the faint rumblings of chants echoing “four more years!”

He flashes his broad smile, then clasps his hands together and swings them from side to side as if going up to bat.

“On a day like today, this is not a bad place to be … out in the ballpark,” he says to a packed Pfitzner Stadium under clear blue skies on Friday, Sept. 21.

Wasting little time at the grassroots campaign stop, Obama went straight to addressing the latest campaign topic: the recently released recordings of former Gov. Mitt Romney’s comments at a fundraising dinner in May. The GOP presidential candidate said that 47 percent of voters think of themselves as “victims … dependent upon government” and that it is not his job to “worry about them.”

Obama said, “I don’t believe we can get very far with leaders who write off half of the nation as a bunch of victims…I don’t see a lot of victims in this crowd today.”

And the rest of the speech followed along those same lines -- the president standing on a stage between the home plate and third base of the Potomac Nationals, swinging for his opponent.

Whether he will hit a homerun in Virginia is still a major concern for some who are working hard on voter turnout.

“The polls show that we’re ahead, but I’m worried about the apathy in the African-American community. A lot of people are not coming to the rallies. They assume the election is over and we’ve got five weeks to go,” said Va. State Sen. Henry L. Marsh III, also a prominent civil rights lawyer, in a brief interview following the Michelle Obama speech during the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference.

“The difference is in the turnout," said the veteran Democrat. "If we don’t turn out, we still could lose Virginia. I hope they don’t believe the polls and the newspapers. They’ve got to vote…As someone who’s been around a long time, I’m afraid we might celebrate too soon.”

An editorial in the Sept. 27-29 Richmond Free Press, Virginia’s dominant Black weekly, expressed the same concern. The editorial, headlined “The danger of overconfidence”, questioned “whether the Obama campaign can motivate black voters and other minorities to repeat on Nov. 6 their historically high numbers” that gave Obama the first Democratic presidential win in Virginia in 44 years.

Because of the uncertainty of which way it will go, Virginia is considered a critical battleground state among others, including Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, New Hampshire, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin.

Despite concerns, those at the rally did not lack enthusiasm. Amy Rivera, who waited in line since 9 a.m. to make it to the rally, Romney’s “47 percent” stance only further confirmed her suspicions.

“He is an idiot,” she said. “He’s completely out of touch with what the people want.”

Rivera wants to see that the middle class is taken care of, something the president has been working on, she says.

“We succeed when folks at the top are doing well, but also when folks in the middle and people trying to get in the middle are doing well,” Obama said.

In a recent study, 49 percent of Americans surveyed identify themselves as “middle class,” according to the Pew Research Center.

Along with job creation, the solution to looking after the “middle” lies in education, Obama said.

“Education is the gateway of opportunity,” he said. “It was for me. It was for Michelle. It’s the gateway for many of you. It’s the gateway to a middle class life.”

The president stressed the importance of cutting the costs of college education with a time-worn anecdote about a child’s “dream deferred” because of the cost of tuition.

“Let’s work with colleges and universities to cut the growth of tuition costs, because we don’t want our young people loaded up with debt,” he said.

It’s a story that is all too real for Rashila Petteway, a Virginian and recent graduate of George Mason University.

Petteway, who studied art and visual technology, is now a freelance designer.

“Debt over my head is scary,” she said. Petteway used the consolidation program, which allows students to combine their loans to one bill, lowering their payments but extending the repayment period. She said it helped ease the financial burden.

Even with the plan, which came as an executive order in 2011, Petteway says the transition has been difficult.

As he listens to his daughter talk about her experience, Malcolm Petteway nods, agreeing with the hardships of sending his two daughters to college. He’s also had to factor in caring for his mother and mother-in-law, emphasizing his concern about the persistence of resources like Medicare and Medicaid.

It’s one of the many reasons why the nation cannot afford to be inactive during the upcoming election, he said. “We can’t afford to get complacent; There’s too much at stake.”

The story of the Petteways reads much like those of many of the close to 10,000 people at the rally.  When asked where they are from, most point behind the stadium and say “just down the road” in Prince William County.

Many were the same people who watched as then Sen. Barack Obama made promises of change in 2008 and then voted for him, helping Obama become the first Democrat to win the battleground state in 44 years.  They are the people who plan to vote to make sure history repeats itself in November.

Hafsatou Wann’s story is different.

Seven years ago, Wann traveled from Guinea to the United States and now studies business administration at Northern Virginia Community College. Her son screams whenever he sees Obama on television and even has a letter he wrote to the president that he’s debating to mail off.

Because of immigration reasons, Wann won’t be able to vote in this election.

“If I could vote for (Obama), I would,” the mother of three says.

But what about the people who are able to vote? Will Obama’s 14 visits to Virginia this election season prove successful, let alone pull a victory for the country?

In a closing nod to the uncertain road ahead in the election, the president assured the country that his commitment would not waver.

“I don’t know how many people are going to vote for me this time around,” he said. “But I’m telling the American people I will be fighting for you no matter what. I will be your president no matter what.”

Christina Downs is editor-in-chief of The Hilltop at Howard University. Trice Edney Wire editor-in-chief, Hazel Trice Edney, contributed to this story.