First Happy, Then Sad, Then Hope By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

October 2, 2016

First Happy, Then Sad, Then Hope
By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – As an-African American, I was overjoyed to learn there would be an African- American History and Culture Museum on the National Mall. Without question, the truth of our story needs to be told.

Some may choose to blame our challenges on us; but, when I gave my donations for building "The Museum," I knew the purpose was to finally let our light shine. We can be proud to have survived the pain and indignity of slavery, Jim Crow, segregation, continuing discrimination and every conceivable form of bigotry; and, despite those trials, we thrive and grow while leaving a myriad of accomplishments along the pathway of our history.

Since I support Wal-Mart employees seeking justice in pay and working conditions, I chose not to enter "The Museum" on opening day. Even Wal-Mart's prominent role in support of the museum couldn't compel me to act hypocritically and allow that corporation to welcome me into OUR Museum. I’ve gotten ahead of myself, but I thought that bit of information was important for the reader to understand why I didn’t respond positively to my special invitation to be there.

I did, however, think it was important to witness the occasion because I know of the commitment and hard work devoted by many in order to bring "The Museum" to reality. While my conscience wouldn't allow me to go inside on opening day, I walked to "The Museum" and sat on the grass over 2 blocks away with people who might never be able to go inside.

Opening day was beautiful with a cool breeze reminiscent of a Caribbean beach. Initially, there was sunshine. Clouds came later, but without rain. They kept the temperature great.

As the ceremony began, we experienced a musical journey to the land of our ancestors through the angelic singing voices of a group of African sisters. Their song urged us to free ourselves from mental slavery and to reconnect with our history and culture - our common source of strength.

Two white women passed by wearing the whitest clothing. I commented that they were too dressed-up to sit on the grass, but they laughed and said, “It’s such a beautiful day for ALL of US!"—obviously suggesting that some whites also assumed 'ownership' of the greatness of the occasion.

People talk about weddings, birthdays and graduations being the proudest days of their lives. I’ve had all of those, but they can’t touch the pride I felt on that day while sitting on the grass of The Mall. Like a protective cocoon, people surrounded "The Museum" in every direction. This reminded me of President Obama's Inauguration. Attendees - walking, in wheel chairs and some limping with the infirmities of age - were there to witness the occasion and, with their presence, protect the sanctity of the event.

This was a day to be truly proud of our African heritage!

Patty LaBelle blessed us with “Change Gonna Come.” Stevie Wonder blessed us again with “Where is Our Love Song?” and told us that history has shown that we can rise. Oprah, Will Smith, John Lewis, George Bush, President Obama and others delivered messages of uplift and hope.

I thank God that we now have "The Museum" to showcase a portion of the richness of our people’s struggles and accomplishments. We have a small place to tell OUR great stories and a platform upon which we can nurture even greater vision for our future. We have a sanctuary from the mindless distraction of reality TV and pursuits that cause us to defer our dreams. I pray that "The Museum" will become the nexus of an increasingly meaningful history which will amplify the greatness of the history we have already created!

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

Why are the Poor Unmentionable? By Julianne Malveaux

October 2, 2016

Why are the Poor Unmentionable?
By Julianne Malveaux

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - There is no question that Hillary Clinton “won” the September 26 Presidential debate. She was knowledgeable, composed, unflappable, and occasionally even funny. Her opponent, who had the temerity to criticize her “stamina”, seemed to lack stamina of his own. By the time the 90-minute debate was over, the rude, sniffling, frequent water-sipping Mr. Trump looked like a candidate for enforced bed rest.

Mr. Trump was the loser, but he was not the biggest loser. The biggest losers were the unmentionables, the people who received scant attention, in the debate. There were 43.1 million poor people in the United States in 2015, 13.5 percent of the population. Yet they were barely mentioned. To be sure, moderator Lester Holt started the conversation between Clinton and Trump by asking a question about economic inequality. But neither Clinton nor Trump mentioned poverty or hunger, which remains a problem in the United States. Both talked about shoring up the middle class.

Clinton and Trump aren’t the only ones who avoid highlighting hunger and poverty when issues of economic inequality are discussed. When Vice-President Joe Biden was charged with focusing on the middle class in his “Middle Class Task Force” early in the Obama Administration, there was a conspicuous silence about the status of the poor. While President Obama has lots of issues to deal with, the poor have not been a priority for him.

The Census Report that was released on September 13, Income and Poverty in the United States: 2015, documents improvements in our nation’s poverty status. Between 2014 and 2015, there were 3.5 million fewer people in poverty, and the poverty rate dropped quite significantly, from 14.8 percent to 13.5 percent. The poverty rate for African Americans dropped from 26.4 to 24.1 percent, and child poverty dropped from 36 percent to 32.7 percent among African Americans.

Either Clinton or Trump could have talked about this economic good news with the caveat that while the drop in the poverty level is encouraging, there is still way too much poverty in our nation. One in five children under 18 live in poverty, along with one in three African American children. One in five African American households (and one in eight households overall) have incomes below $15,000 a year. Further, there is significant “extreme poverty” in our country, people who earn less than half the poverty line. Half of all poor households are among the extreme poor. One in ten African American households qualifies as extremely poor, which means an income of less than $12,000 for a family of four.

How can someone earn so little? All it takes is a low-wage job with unstable hours. A minimum wage worker who works full-time, full-year earns a scant $15,000 a year, but many low-wage jobs aren’t full-time, full-year. Many low-wage workers get “flexible” scheduling, which means that their hours of work are not guaranteed. Sometimes they are called to report for work, but if business is slow they can be sent home. There are few protections for these workers, which is why the Fight for Fifteen ($15 an hour) has gained such momentum.

To his credit, President Obama signed an executive order that requires federal contractors to pay at least $10 an hour to their workers. He has also signed an executive order requiring that federal contractors provide paid sick leave for their employees. Clearly, this administration is not indifferent to poor people. They just don’t talk much about them.

But the poor should not be our unmentionables. They are the living proof that our predatory capitalistic system is terribly flawed. Thus, even as the 2015 report on income and poverty celebrates economic progress (with incomes finally rising after years of stagnation), it also suggests that too many hard-working people are living in a state of economic deprivation. More than 35 percent of African American households have incomes below $25,000. Many of these families have incomes above the poverty line, but not by much.

There are two more debates, one of which will be conducted as a town hall. If moderators do not bring up the issue of poverty, perhaps someone in the audience of the town hall will. While I know that Hillary Clinton has more compassion for the poor, and has articulated solutions that will help end poverty (Mr. Trump, on the other hand, once said the minimum wage was “too high”), I think it important to hear matters of hunger and poverty addressed in the context of the Presidential debates. Our flawed economy has pushed the poor to the margins, but candidates can shed light on their issues and garner mainstream attention for them.

Julianne Malveaux is an author and economist. Her latest book “Are We Better Off? Race, Obama and Public Policy” is available via www.amazon.com for booking, wholesale inquiries or for more info visit www.juliannemalveaux.com

New Museum is a Stunning Achievement by Jesse Jackson Sr.

September 27, 2016

New Museum is a Stunning Achievement
By Jesse Jackson Sr.

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Demonstrations continue in Charlotte, N.C., and protests have spread to Atlanta and elsewhere, sparked most recently by the police killing of Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Okla., and Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte. Against that backdrop, I joined thousands for the opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture on the mall in Washington, D.C.

The museum is a stunning achievement. It does not blink at our nation’s history, nearly 400 years since the first slave ship came to our land. But it is not a story of despair and suffering. It tells a story of transcendence, of injustices righted, of people — black and white, some famous and most unknown — who sacrificed and built, marched and protested, prayed and sang to make America better.

What the museum does, fundamentally, is change our sense of America’s narrative. It reveals that African-Americans are not at the bottom of America but part of its foundation, not parasites but central to the host. We are not debtors to America, but creditors. And with that recognition, our angle of vision changes, we are empowered by the knowledge of our past.

As the poet Sonia Sanchez put it in an interview with the Washington Post: “The great thing about it is that we came out of slavery and we built. And we build and we build, and that’s what we’ve done — in spite of all kinds of terrible things that have happened to us, we’ve built. We built churches and schools, and we built homes, and we said we’re here now, you’ve brought us here. We are a part of this great American landscape, and you are going to remember us. You’re going to remember us when you come to this museum.”

As President Barack Obama put it at the opening ceremony: “African-American history is not somehow separate from our larger American story. It is not the underside of the American story. It is central to the American story.”

Former president George W. Bush signed the legislation that authorized building the museum. His wife, Laura, sits on its board and dedicated hours and energy to bring it to fruition. As the opening ceremony, Bush captured the museum’s importance. First, “it shows our commitment to truth. A great nation does not hide its history.” Second, it shows “America’s capacity to change.” The founders summoned us to a high standard — that “all men (and women) are created equal” — and gave us democratic liberties to struggle and create a “more perfect union.” Third, Bush noted, the museum showcases triumph and success, the talent and contributions of extraordinary Americans. From Martin Luther King to the great jurist Thurgood Marshall, from Chuck Berry and Muhammad Ali to Aretha Franklin and Rosa Parks.

The museum grounds us in our history. It reminds us that slavery ended barely more than 150 years ago, the span of two long lives. We got the right to vote and ended legal apartheid within my own lifetime. We still deal with the economic and human costs of those injustices. Not surprisingly, we have still a long way to go to fulfill our own ideals.

And the museum reminds us that won’t happen unless people demand the change. Those demonstrators in Charlotte and Atlanta, the Black Lives Matter movement and the Dreamers demanding immigration reform are part of a long and honored tradition of citizens of conscience standing up, and making America better.

The museum will not be a passive spectator site. It will revive efforts to create a national day for remembrance of slavery. It should renew the drive to make lynching a federal crime. It should inspire the efforts to reform our criminal justice system, to offer equal opportunity to all. America’s great strength is to achieve triumph from tragedy, to find strength in differences, to contain multitudes. The demand for justice is rising once more. The need is clear; the call compelling. And as this museum reminds us, change is possible if citizens of conscience stand up.

Black Press of America, Other Civil Rights Groups, Declare 'Police Brutality State of Emergency' by Hazel Trice Edney

Sept. 27, 2016

Black Press of America, Other Civil Rights Groups, Declare 'Police Brutality State of Emergency'
By Hazel Trice Edney

Terence Crutcher

Keith Lamont Scott and his wife Rakeyia

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – As U. S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch takes on yet another case involving a police killing of an unarmed Black man, the nation’s largest trade association of Black-owned newspapers and media companies has declared that America is in a police brutality state of emergency.

“Millions of our readers across the nation are once again outraged at the latest fatal incidents of police brutality in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Charlotte, North Carolina. These are not isolated incidents, but are a deadly national pattern of police violence and prosecutorial misconduct. A state of emergency now exists in Black America,” said a joint statement issued to the press from the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), which represents 211 newspapers in 32 states.

Known as the voice of Black America, NNPA’s newspapers have long carried banner headlines exposing police brutality and other brutal treatment of Blacks in America. This “state of emergency” declaration comes after Keith Lamont Scott, 43, was killed by a Black police officer on Tuesday, September 20, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Violent protests ensued and have since calmed after the release of a video tape of the shooting, recorded by Scott’s wife, Rakeyia. Shortly afterward, police also released snippets of video tapes. Neither tape showed Scott threatening the police although they were shouting for him to “drop the gun”.

In the Sept. 16 death of Terence Crutcher by Tulsa, Oklahoma Officer Betty Shelby, she has been charged with manslaughter. Police confirmed that Crutcher had no gun. He appeared to have at least one hand up when he was shot. Shelby claimed he was reaching into his truck window, but video showed the window to be closed.

The statement from NNPA, also known as the Black Press of America, was signed by NNPA chair Denise Rolark Barnes, also chair of the Washington Informer; President/CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.; and NNPA board member Bernal E. Smith II, publisher of the Tri-State Defender, who also held a joint press conference.

The statement called on President Obama, Lynch and members of the U.S. Congress to immediately:

Appoint a special federal prosecutor on police brutality.
Establish a national police oversight commission on use of deadly force, training and cultural sensitivity.
Create a national police brutality and misconduct database that is publicly accessible.
And establish tougher federal penalties for police officers and prosecutors who violate constitutional rights.

No response from the officials had been reported by Trice Edney deadline. But, President Obama called Mayor Dewey Bartlett of Tulsa and Mayor Jennifer Roberts of Charlotte and urged protestors to remain calm. Lynch has announced a federal investigation into the Charlotte case.

“These tragic incidents have once again left Americans with feelings of sorrow, anger and uncertainty. They have once again highlighted – in the most vivid and painful terms – the real divisions that still persist in this nation between law enforcement and communities of color,” she said.

She cautioned against violent protests. “Protest is protected by our Constitution and is a vital instrument for raising issues and creating change. But when it turns violent, it undermines the very justice that it seeks to achieve.

NNPA was not alone among organizations calling for escalated actions against police shootings. The National Urban League issued a statement with its “10-Point Justice Plan for Police Reform and Accountability”

“As we peacefully protest the police-involved shootings in Charlotte, N.C., and Tulsa, O.K., we urge thorough and independent investigations of, and accountability for excessive use of force,” said the statement from NUL President/CEO Marc Morial. “These incidents, which seem now to occur with frustrating regularity, not only erode the trust between police departments and the communities they are sworn to protect, but also serve to alienate Black Americans at a time when our leaders and institutions need to be promoting unity.”

In a nutshell, the 10-Point Justice Plan calls for “recommends the mandatory use of body and dashboard cameras, comprehensive retraining of all police officers, and the appointment of special prosecutors to investigate police-involved shootings.”

The NAACP also pressed for legislation and policies protecting African-Americans from historic police violence.

“To end the parade of deaths of black men and women at the hands of police, we need to match our outrage with outcomes. We need to take to the streets and to the polls with a clear plan for reform,” said an NAACP release. “In our 2014 Born Suspect Report, we captured the magnitude and impact of racial profiling in urban communities, and we made substantive, data-based suggestions for nationwide reform and preventative legislation. Now, we are asking all elected officials and candidates to sign our Pledge to Preserve and Protect Our Lives. By signing the pledge, officials promise to take action to cut off funding to law enforcement agencies that discriminate and ensure independent investigation of law enforcement agencies, detailed data reporting about police stops and uses of force, comprehensive standards governing the use of force, and civilian oversight of policing. These reforms would increase policing transparency and accountability and are essential to rebuilding the broken relationships between police and the communities they serve.”

Afraid to Call 911: Black Life in America

Sept. 27, 2016

Afraid to Call 911: Black Life in America
By Nicole Lee

SPECIAL COMMENTARY

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Earlier in the week as the news swirled around the killing of Terence Crutcher in Tulsa and Keith Lamont Scott of Charlotte, I decided that my day was too busy to go out. I had a lot of writing to do and my Northwest DC home seemed the best place to do it. I live in a beautiful multiracial neighborhood, filled with kids and farmer’s markets. It is an oasis for me from the grim realities of human and civil rights work. In order to not disturb my writing flow, midday I decided to have lunch delivered. The delivery man, an older African American man, arrived on time with my order, but; as I opened the door it became clear that something was completely off with this transaction.

The first thing I remember seeing is the blood. There was blood all over the delivery man’s bag, down his arm, dripping onto the pavement on the porch. As I looked up at the man’s face and examined the rest of his body, I realized the blood flowing out of the opposite of the one holding the delivery.

“Are you OK?” I ask.

“I’m so, so sorry. I’m just so, so sorry.”, he answered.

Immediately I ran to get my phone and called 911. By the time I arrived back to check on him, his blood was pouring all over my porch and he was turning gray. I found out that he had just come from dialysis and couldn’t afford to take the day off. His fistula was bleeding uncontrollably.

“I have an emergency. I need you to come to my house immediately my delivery man is bleeding everywhere. I don’t know how to stop it.”, I blurted. The dispatcher took down all the information and gave me specific instructions as I tried to help him stop the flow of blood with kitchen towels.

In the midst of exchanging information with the dispatcher, I said something that I did not expect. “Please tell the first responders that we are expecting, that we are black.”

“What?” She replied.

“Please. Don’t I don’t want them to be…confused”, I stuttered. As surprised as I was at what I was saying I couldn’t take it back.

The ambulance arrived. The man, even after losing a lot blood, was calm and eerily coherent. He continued to apologize for being a bother to me and the emergency personnel. The man was taken to the hospital without incident and has recovered.

After the urgency of this situation was all over, I was forced to inventory everything that happened. This reflection looking at my own response to that situation.

In an emergency situation, all of us prioritize the information we are providing. For me, it was the following:

His name.
Is he breathing?
Can you stop the bleeding?
Is he still awake?
Please tell them the person they are there to help is black.

In the midst of all of this key information for survival, it was also necessary for me to know that the people helping this man in danger, were black. As concerned as I was about getting the man medical help, as a black woman, I was also concerned about how our help would judge us once they arrived. I had to be assured that when they found us on my porch the would know that we weren’t the threat. They would know that we were in fact the victims.

For some my concern that a 911 call could escalate into violence against me or the delivery man, is an overreaction. However, incidents of brutality against injured black people seeking help or assistance happens far too frequently. Let me share a few examples:

This past Wednesday in Baltimore County, MD, Tawon Boyd died after being beaten by police officers called the scene because Boyd was feeling “disoriented.” According to the family’s attorney, the purpose of the 911 call was to get an ambulance to take him to the nearest hospital. Instead of a positive outcome to what could have been survivable ailment, Tawon’s family now awaits an autopsy report.

The week before, in Hagerstown, MD, a 15 year old biracial girl was hit by a car while riding her bike. Officials say she declined medical treatment, but what ensued next is inexplicable.

According to the video, despite her physical condition and potential injuries, the girl was maced and slammed into the car. ‘All we want to do is make sure she’s OK,’ one officer tells a bystander, explaining that the girl might have lingering brain damage from the collision. Not even a minute later, an officer can be heard telling the girl to ‘put your feet in the car, OK, or you’re going to get sprayed.’ When the frightened girl does not immediately comply, the officers close the door and then spray out their canisters into a crack in the window. The girl can then be heard shrieking in pain, saying ‘I can’t breathe’ multiple times.

While we watch a week of protests in Charlotte, three years ago, Jonathan Ferrell, a star college football player, was in a car wreck and sought help by knocking on the door of a house near the crash site. The police arrived and shot and killed him as he ran towards them, very possibly running towards them for help. There was no justice in that case, just a hung jury and no political will to retry the case.

In that same city we watched Keith Lamont Scott’s wife pleaded with officers telling them he had a traumatic brain injury. Did that reality penetrate the officers’ minds as the pumped bullets into a man, moving slowly backing away from police officers, who Scott may not have realized were police officers?

African Americans who are in the midst of a mental health crisis face extreme uses of force by the police, even when they are told prior to their arrival that is the issue. One such call was for Natasha McKenna, who died after being restrained and repeatedly shocked with a stun gun. One the last things we hear Natasha say is “you promised not to kill me.”

Instead of rendering aid, all of these victims were met with force. At a time when they deserved comfort, all they received was malice, injury and, unfortunately death.

There is a painful and insidious message being delivered to black people in this country and need help in an emergency: Living as a Black person in this country means to never have needs or be vulnerable.

Even with a concussion, unstoppable bleeding or a mental illness you have to have enough control over your facilities so YOU don’t scare someone into taking your life. “Careful compliance” is difficult enough in the stressful situation of being pulled over by a cop; how possible is it when you are injured or sick.

Because of this, you shouldn’t be surprised that some African Americans talk about not using 911 when they are in crisis. They are worried that it could make a bad situation much worse. They can’t feel safe in crisis. Moreover, despite the taxes Black people pay for these services, more people are talking about creating community based alternatives to calling 911.

Sadly, our society has normalized the fact that even under the most extreme conditions, African Americans have earn their right to live against the founded or unfounded concerns of officers. In the case of my delivery driver, I am grateful the first responders were there to help and care for him. Yet it is equally disturbing and unacceptable that African Americans cannot assume that in a time of crisis we will be protected or served.

Nicole C. Lee is a strategist, advisor, and coach, grounded in human rights.