Nov. 11, 2017

Victory
By Dr. E. Faye Williams

(TriceEdneyWire.com) -  I've always drawn a measure of comfort from watching and listening to "Grandmother" type clocks. There's something soothing about the consistent tic-tic-tic of the clock as time moves on. In my abstract thinking, I find significance in the movement of the pendulum and the intersection of time, physical laws of nature, and human behavior. There is comfort in the thought that evil doesn’t last forever and that, as the pendulum swings, principled ideas and action will renew.

It was with those thoughts that I watched the 11/7/17 election results into the morning hours of 11/8/17.  I’m not one to abandon the television after election results are announced.  I’m just as interested in the election process and the mechanics of election victory and loss.

It was reassuring to see the obvious repudiation of #45’s administration that remains ill-prepared and unsuited to govern responsibly. It was gratifying to see the denunciation of hap-hazard leadership and the rejection of policies that’re based solely in envy, jealousy and the goal of destroying the legacy of enlightened leadership by a superior predecessor. Needless to say, I was overjoyed with a victory that, some will say, began in Virginia and spread from "sea to shining sea."

Looking to 2018 and beyond, it's reassuring to learn that many who were apathetic in 2016 now understand that voting is not a responsibility that can be passed-off to someone else.  It was just as gratifying that many had opened their eyes to the lies of an opportunist narcissist and have committed to holding the line against #45's further encroachment upon the norms and values that’ve already made us great.

Having learned a lesson from 2016, the DNC invested $1.5M and $500K in the top of the tickets in Virginia and New Jersey, respectively.  Less publicized was the election of Manka Dhingra in Washington State that flipped the state senate from republican to Democrat.  Party investments also secured mayoral wins in Charlotte, NC and St. Petersburg, FL, among other mayoral and legislative races across the nation.

Voters showed us how important healthcare is to them. Moving backward to when the value of one's life was measured by the depth of her/his bank account is unacceptable.  Although no Federal office-holder was elected, the balance in several state legislatures was tipped in favor of Medicaid expansion. A Maine referendum overwhelmingly affirmed Medicaid expansion for its citizens.

As a woman, I’m pleased that women received recognition for 2017 election success.  My greatest disappointment is the apparent lack of appreciation of the Black and Latino vote, especially women!  Although media sources noted that over 80% of Black voters voted for Democratic candidates and Black women voted at our usual and reliable 90%+, I’m still waiting to hear more leaders issue a special, yet simple, Thank You to Black people, especially Black women, and Latinas.

When women of color vote, we know how to vote. We honor the sacrifices of our ancestors when we vote, but we’re past being overlooked because we vote for our HERSTORY and self-interest. Leaders must ask how different this election would’ve been without us. Rather than attempting to reclaim voters who reject the message of fairness and equity for all, my Party should focus on initiatives that get more of us out to vote - more resources for Black and Latino GOTV advertising.

Congratulations Black people, especially Black women. I'm proud of the Black women who voted, those who ran for office, those who won against great odds, as well as the Black women who taught us one vote does make a difference like my Mom did. Happy 95^TH birthday today Mother!  We’ll keep on keeping on. Maybe the Party that enjoys our loyalty will someday appreciate the victories we provide for God’s people.

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

Principal Royston Maxwell Lyttle with one of his students. Photo courtesy: Royston Maxwell Lyttle

 (TriceEdneyWire.com) - As educators, we have an obligation to give our students every opportunity to succeed. Parents rely on us to ensure their children are armed with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive once they leave our classrooms.

Over my more than 15 years in education, I have learned that to fulfill this responsibility, schools must give children the opportunity to learn from men of color. The profound impact Black male educators can have on the trajectory of a child's life cannot be overstated. And it's time we acknowledge it.

At a time when non-White students outnumber White students in U.S. public schools, the need for a diverse teaching force has never been greater. At Eagle Academy Public Charter School, diversity is something we not only celebrate, but aggressively pursue.

We constantly look for ways to expose our students to different experiences, perspectives and methods for coping with challenges. And this starts with diverse educators.

It should come as no surprise that men and women bring different perspectives to the classroom, and the same is true for individuals of varying backgrounds and ethnicities. Especially in early education where children develop the foundation for the rest of their lives, it is crucial that schools cultivate a diverse and stable environment to facilitate this development.

I have seen firsthand that when children learn and grow in a diverse community, they begin to challenge stereotypes that have for far too long prevented children from reaching their full potential.

With men representing only 2.5 percent of preschool and kindergarten teachers and 21.5 percent of elementary and middle school teachers, the chances of having a male educator (let alone a Black male educator) before reaching high school are slim.

Royston Maxwell Lyttle is the principal for grades 1-3 of the Eagle Academy Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. He strongly believes that all students should be provided a high-quality education and that all students can reach their full academic potential regardless of their social or economic background.

The environment children are exposed to in their first years of education has a profound impact on how they view the world. Therefore, there should be a sense of urgency among early educators to combat stereotypes.

When children see a diverse teaching staff working together in the same profession, they not only learn the importance of equality, but are also encouraged to ignore gender and racial stereotypes associated with certain careers. As a Black man working in early education, I have seen how these societal constructs negatively affect children and have dedicated my life to breaking them down.

Young boys who come from disadvantaged backgrounds may not have a strong father figure at home, and often come to school hoping to fill that void. As a leader of a 98 percent African-American student body, I feel it is important for students to find someone they can see themselves in, look up to and aspire to be.


Boys who grow up with only female teachers and role models don't have this opportunity. Children tend to mimic influential individuals in their lives. They benefit from strong, Black male teachers who lead by example.

This is something I learned from a student while working in Washington, D.C.

He was a young boy whose behavioral issues were hindering his ability to learn. Without a father figure in his life, his mother was struggling to get through to him. Upon sitting down with the boy in hopes of identifying the root of these problems, I was surprised to find he had just one request: to spend time together.

After our first outing to the movies, his attitude and school work improved dramatically. I didn't have to employ any complicated learning tactic or psychological theory to help this child-I just had to be there and listen. Over the remainder of the year, I watched him grow into a successful and happy student. That experience left me determined to be someone my students can always rely on and look up to in and outside of the classroom.

I also challenge my fellow Black men who are passionate about education to buck the norm, ignore the stigma and put the children first.

As a Black male principal, I feel it is my duty to spread this message and be a catalyst for change in order to create a more diversified environment for our children to learn in. I have found there is nothing more rewarding than seeing a student succeed against all odds due to the lessons you have taught them. I encourage more Black men to join me in this journey.

This article originally appeared on EducationPost.org. Royston Maxwell Lyttle is the principal for grades 1-3 of the Eagle Academy Public Charter School in Washington, D.C. He strongly believes that all students should be provided a high-quality education and that all students can reach their full academic potential regardless of their social or economic background.

Nov. 5, 2017

All Eyes Fixed on West Africa as U. S. Role in Combat Grows

 

 

 

Logan J. Melgar and father

 

U. S. Army Sgt. La David T. Johnson

(TriceEdneyWire.com/GIN) – With the deaths of four American servicemen in Niger, a window has opened onto U.S. operations in West Africa – an area barely known even to U.S. legislators who have sent U.S. soldiers there in harm’s way.

 

The latest soldier to die on a tour in the French-speaking region is Texas-born Staff Sergeant, Logan J. Melgar, a Latino. His death in Mali is attributed to strangulation and two elite members of the US Navy Seal Team Six are being investigated for his murder.

 

Melgar’s Special Forces teammates were there at the request of Paul Folmsbee, U.S. ambassador to Mali for a previously undisclosed and highly unusual clandestine mission to support French and Malian counterterrorism forces battling Al Qaeda’s branch in North and West Africa, as well as smaller cells aligned with Al Qaeda or the Islamic State, according to the New York Times.

 

The Navy SEALs were assigned to help with training and counterterrorism missions. They took part in two operations in Mali before Melgar’s death, according to the Times.

 

While Americans are being deployed to “advise and assist,” as military officials say, and not engage in combat missions, military plans for the region suggest greater engagement with insurgent groups on the ground.

 

Few details are available about the attack that killed Sgt. La David T. Johnson, Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black, Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, and Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright in early October in a part of Niger where they apparently thought they would encounter no enemy fire.

 

"Claiming troops are only ‘assisting’ or ‘training’ local forces is the way the US military establishes a foothold in a country while telling everyone they don’t engage in “combat”, says free speech activist Trevor Timm, writing in the British Guardian news. “Then, when they inevitably do get in a firefight and a soldier gets killed – as happens time and time again – it provides an excuse to expand the mission even more.”

 

“Niger is the perfect illustration of America’s permanent war posture around the world,” Timm added, “where Special Forces fight various militants with little or no public scrutiny and no congressional authorization.”

 

“You’re going to see more actions in Africa, not less; you’re going to see more aggression by the United States toward our enemies, not less; you’re going to have decisions being made not in the White House but out in the field,” South Carolina Sen. Lindsey O. Graham said after a briefing by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on a possible expansion of the U.S. military's ability to use lethal force in Niger. 

 

Meanwhile, neither the U.S. nor France has offered a plan to lift Nigeriens out of extreme poverty and French companies maintain a stranglehold on Niger’s uranium mining, setting prices, and keeping most of the profits. 

GLOBAL INFORMATION NETWORK creates and distributes news and feature articles on current affairs in Africa to media outlets, scholars, students and activists in the U.S. and Canada. Our goal is to introduce important new voices on topics relevant to Americans, to increase the perspectives available to readers in North America and to bring into their view information about global issues that are overlooked or under-reported by mainstream media.

Oct. 24, 2017

American Express’s Chenault to Retire 
He kept the company together after the 9/11 terrorist attack

By Frederick H. Lowe

Kenneth I. Chenault

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from NorthStarNewsToday.com

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - American Express Co. announced that Kenneth I. Chenault, chairman and CEO of the New York-based credit and charge card issuer, and one of the nation’s few top black executives, will retire February 1, 2018 after a challenging tenure that began in the very early days of his career in the company’s corner office.

Chenault’s first year in office was 2001, a difficult time for him, his senior management and the company because in September of that year, two passenger jets crashed into New York’s World Trade Center complex, where American Express is headquartered, instituting a new reality for the nation’s security and the business world that relied on the security.Some analysts believed that American Express was doomed but under Chenault, the company survived and later thrived.

The business on Wednesday reported a third-quarter net income of $1.4 billion on revenues of $8.4 billion.“We’re starting a new chapter from a position of strength and this is the right time to make the leadership transition to someone who’s played a central role in all that we have accomplished,” said Chenault, who will be succeeded by Stephen J. Squeri, who board members on Wednesday elected CEO and board chairman.

Squeri has been American Express’s vice chairman and since 2015. Prior to that, he was Group President of the company’s Global Corporate Services Group.Chenault earned a law degree from Harvard and an undergraduate degree in history from Bowdoin College. But what he faced during the first year of his tenure as CEO wasn’t a case study he could refer to in text books at the time.On September 11, 2001, shortly after Chenault took over, two jets hijacked by Islamic militants crashed into New York’s World Trade Center, heavily damaging American Express’s world headquarters and killing 11 employees.

Chenault guided American Express after the 9/11 terrorist attacks that damaged American Express’s headquarters and killed employees. A plane can be seen flying toward a second tower.Chenault was working in Salt Lake City. He ordered his senior management to meet in his New York City apartment to determine a plan going forward.

“Spending on the travel business was in disarray and spending was dropping. Many people were writing us off. Still, the company had to lay off 15,000 workers. It tested us at the highest levels,” Chenault said.Since American Express could not use its headquarters building, the company’s employees were dispersed to three separate locations in the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. All the employees met in Madison Square Garden where Chenault spoke to them.“I told my management team that it was our job to lead this organization,” Chenault said during a 2016 interview.Warren Buffet, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, American Express’s largest shareholder, praised Chenault’s tenure.

“He led the company through 9/11, the financial crisis and the challenges of the last couple of years. American Express always came out stronger. Ken never went for easy short-term answers, never let day-to-day challenges distract him from what was right for the moderate and long term.”

Chenault, 66,  joined American Express in September 1981 as Director of Strategic Planning. In 1989, he was named president of the Consumer Card Group and 1993 he became president of Travel Related Services, which included all of Amex’s worldwide card and travel business in the United States. He was named president and chief operating office in February 1997.