Sept. 19, 2016

CBC Puts Laser Focus on Mobilizing Voters, Voting Rights
By Barrington M. Salmon

 

April Ryan, veteran White House correspondent for American Urban Radio Network,
was moderator for the CBC-ALC Town Hall meeting. Here she discusses voting rights and
the Black Agenda with economist Dr. Julianne Malveaux and Black Lives Matter co-founder Brittany Packnett. PHOTO - Roy Lewis/Trice Edney News Wire

The annual Town Hall meeting drew a packed house. PHOTO: Roy Lewis/Trice Edney News Wire

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - A common mantra repeated by members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) during press conferences, at Brain Trust sessions and scattered in panel discussions during the Annual Legislative Caucus was the call to arms: “We want a record turnout of Black voters this November.”

A succession of speakers painted a stark picture of the challenges facing African-American voters who are being thwarted by Republican governors and legislators with an assortment of voter suppression methods.

A well-known White House senior staffer said the GOP is using the boogeyman of voter fraud as the motivation for introducing these punitive and onerous measures, intended to lower voter turnout Nov. 8.

“One hundred voting rights cases have been initiated by Attorney Generals (Eric) Holder and (Loretta) Lynch,” Obama senior advisor Valerie Jarrett told a standing-room-only audience at the Annual Legislative Conference National Town Hall. “I want anyone to show me voter fraud. North Carolina and Texas are fighting (the latest US Supreme Court ruling). You also have to vote. That is the most important civic duty that you have. It’s something a lot of people died and fought for.”

A Supreme Court ruling in the summer of 2013 unleashed these conservative, right wing political and legislative forces seeking to capitalize on the gutting of the landmark Voting Rights Act (VRA). During the final days of the 2013 session, the court ruled 5-4 that Section 4 of the Act is unconstitutional, arguing that this key provision of the historic 1965 law was outdated.

The Voting Rights Act was established in 1965 under the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson “to address entrenched racial discrimination in voting … that had infected the electoral process in parts of our country for almost a century.”

And after uncovering significant and pervasive evidence of continued discrimination, Congress reauthorized the Act in 2006 for the next 25 years. Yet US Supreme Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., a conservative legal scholar who is known to have had argued passionately while with Reagan administration  against the Voting Rights Act—effectively eviscerated the law by allowing the nine states covered under the preclearance rules to change their election laws without federal approval.

To that end, the CBC and staffers from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation announced during a Sept. 14 press conference the first-ever Voter Protection Series as well as plans to have a Black Voter Turnout day to be held in October.

The Voter Protection Series was comprised of two policy panel discussions where experts, members of Congress and a wide range of stakeholders strategized on ways to blunt the dilution of African American voting rights while discussing the implications of voter suppression. The discussions were centered on ways to ratchet up voter mobilization, maximizing turnout of African Americans, young people, seniors, the disabled, and the poor. Panelists also explored policies, programs, and initiatives from Congress to the grassroots with key recommendations, fact sheets, social media voter outreach campaign, and a Voting Rights toolkit for audience members to take home and to share within their communities.

CBC members and staffers warned those within the sound of their voice not to be complacent.

“The stakes for African-Americans has never been higher this election cycle. The CBCF has long championed the importance of civic engagement through initiatives like the Center for Policy Analysis and Research and the inclusion of all voices in policy decisions,” said Dr. Menna Demessie, vice president of policy analysis and research at the CBCF in a statement. “We are working to prepare the next generation of leaders to take on issues impacting Black America both during and after this election. The Voter Protection Series is an extension of this work.”

Yet US Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. put the onus on Congress to re-work Section 4 but almost three years later, despite pressure and pleas from Cong. John Lewis and his Republican counterpart Jim Sensenbrenner, Republicans continue to stonewall.

Moderator April Ryan captured the tenuous circumstances in which African Americans find themselves.

“This is a very interesting, exciting time for the country,” said Ryan, White House correspondent and Washington bureau chief for American Urban Radio Networks. “I’ve been at the White House covering three presidents. There’s a lot at stake when we talk about  number 45.”

On Nov. 8, the American electorate will choose between Hillary Clinton, former US senator, first lady and secretary of state, who’s being judged on issues that she’s been involved in during the 25 years she’s been on the public stage. There have been questions in the media about her honesty, transparency and conflicts of interest arising from The Clinton Foundation. Her opponent is a man who’s shown himself to be a liar and a bigot, a xenophobe and a misogynist who promises to build a wall between the US and Mexico, and has demonstrated a consistent pattern of condescension and patronizing behavior towards the African-American community.

The panelists engaged in a lively, sometimes combative discussion as they moved through a palette of issues that take on added currency in this election year. These included mass incarceration, economics, leveraging legislative power, gaining access to mental health and general healthcare, and finding ways to be at the table when critical decisions affecting black people are made.

In much the same way that the Democratic Party is split between those supporting the status quo and young people demanding substantive change and a candidate who will deal with student debt, dismantling the war machine and the prison industrial complex, a similar division exists between Black Lives Matter activists and other millennials and those who support the Democratic Party and the electoral system. Both sides agree that Black and brown people face a brutal, entrenched system with institutions like police departments, prisons, schools, businesses and other interests which are in the business of continuing to oppress Black people.

“This was a very important discussion but it illustrates the divide between those invested in the system and those who challenge the system. Most young people are disillusioned with the system. This conversation has to happen or they will lose the support of the people,” said Dr. Melina Abdullah, an original member of the Black Lives Matter movement and chair of California State University’s Pan-African Studies Department in Los Angeles. “I will be voting but I may not vote for the people they tell us to. Those who are deciding who we vote for must do a better job. We have to address the second wave of lynching. There’s unemployment and underemployment that’s been consistent throughout our history. The conditions people live under is racist and oppressive. Black people’s lives haven’t been validated although we built this country.”

Sept. 18, 2016

Liberia Announces Moves Against Guns and Light Weapons

(TriceEdneyWire.com/GIN) – U.S. cities fighting to get guns off their streets are not alone in the struggle. Liberia is there too.

This week, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf declared by proclamation that all persons who surrender small arms and light weapons under a regional weapons collection program would be granted amnesty.

President Sirleaf’s concern went beyond guns linked to crime in the capital Monrovia. She also singled out three counties in particular - Grand Gedeh, Maryland, and River Gee – where weapons have been proliferating since political violence erupted in the Ivory Coast in 2010. Over 200,000 Ivorians fled to Liberia and many remain, unable to be repatriated.

Liberian territory is suspected of being used as training grounds for mobilizing and arming those loyal to the former Ivorian president, Laurent Gbagbo, currently on trial for war crimes at the International Criminal Court.

Human Rights Watch, years back, foundi that militants in Liberia were using children to conduct cross-border attacks on Ivorian villages. Some children, as young as 14, were being trained to attack Ivorians aligned with President Alassane Ouattara who live close to the border.

Despite volatility in the region, a U.N. Mission in Liberia, which took control of security in Liberia in 2003, has just ended its tour, leaving the country with some conflicts still simmering.

Waldemar Vrey, the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for UNMIL, acknowledged the challenges ahead. “We think that everything is not perfect - probably every country's security institutions will let you know that they don't have everything they need - but we think that with the support and with the functioning of all the different structures, they should be ready to take care of the future.”

That “everything is not perfect” may be an understatement, however. In an interview with the U.N.’s Radio Coffee Break, the Superintendent of Grand Gedeh Country, Peter Solo, confirmed that foreigners were crossing into Liberia through unofficial border points with single barrel guns and machetes.

Residents of the Gbakwo District were fleeing into other districts and towns as a result of the presence of Ivorians and Burkinabes, he told the interviewer.

Last spring, a Small Arms project with $5.6 million Euros of European Union funds was launched across six regions, including Liberia.

Deputy Defense Minister Jerome Labalee gave a statement: “This project should be seen as one intended to sustain peace and promote development rather than stigmatizing individuals and/or groups of people who provide information on hidden arms.”

Meanwhile, RECSA, the Regional Center on Small Arms, earlier this year announced a gift to Liberia of security equipment to control the entry of arms at various border checkpoints. The security package included a portable MS-Scope metal detector, 30 pieces of metal scanners, two hardcore Dell Desktop Computers, three CPUS and one Windows 2012 R2-Service. w/pix of Pres. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf

Sept. 18, 2016

New African American History Museum Expected to Boost Black Tourism in DC
By Barrington M. Salmon

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - With the opening of the Smithsonian’s Museum of African American History and Culture this Saturday, Sept. 24, organizers foresee a major boost in Black tourism in DC.

“We’re underrepresented in presentations on the Mall. We have the MLK memorial and this. We have very little going on down here. We’re glad to have the new museum because it will raise the profile that various African Americans are making and will be beneficial to us,” said Dr. Frank Smith, co-chair of the DC Host Committee, which held a press conference Sept. 7.

Smith is also founder of the African American Civil War Museum, which will host satellite events before during and after Saturday’s grand opening. “This museum is a rising tide. It is a great presentation of art, music and artifacts. I look forward to joining in the celebrations,” he said.

Smith said he wants young people to be intricately involved and engaged so that they can learn about African-American history and culture in new and interesting ways.

“Young people who go to museums do better in school and lower-income people tend to go less,” he explained. “Our challenge is to bring children to museums regardless of zip code and geographical location. I’m so excited. We need to get our people fired up.”

Longtime DC resident and Committee member Chuck Hicks agreed.

“This is the most important thing in our lifetime. The museum tells our story of African-American people through African-American eyes. One hundred thousand people will be here. There’s nothing more important to have people come and make them feel welcome. We want people to know that there are Black places to eat, to go and see, Black places of worship. We will continue to be the host city for people who’ll be coming here in droves.”

The museum is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history and culture, said John W. Franklin, director of partnerships and international programs for the Smithsonian. He is also the son of renowned historian and scholar John Hope Franklin. So far, he said, the African-American history museum has collected more than 30,000 personal artifacts that capture the richness, vibrancy and power of the experiences of Africans in America since the first Africans were brought to the US in the early 1600s.

Congress established the NMAAHC by an Act of Congress in 2003, culminating decades of efforts by a wide cross-section of supporters from around the country advocating for a museum to single out and promote the contributions of African Americans. Nearly 100,000 individuals are now charter members of the museum. And when it opens, it will be the 19th and newest museum of the 170-year-old Smithsonian Institution.

More than 150,000 people are expected to attend the museum’s official grand opening ceremonies. President Barack Obama will be the keynote speaker.

“It is a major event. A president’s event. Consider it on the small scale of an inauguration,” said Franklin.

He said the museum’s grounds extend to 17^th street and there will be large-screen TVs along the length of the National Mall and around the Lincoln Memorial. The 400,000 square foot museum will be open from 8am to midnight with extended hours all through the first week. It will be open every day except Dec. 25.

The host committee’s 75 volunteer members has organized 25 events around the opening of the museum with celebratory activities beginning on Sept 18 and going through the Sept 24 opening.

The following are some of the satellite activities:

Thursday, September 22, 6 – 9 pm:
DC Host Committee’s Official opening ceremony and reception sponsored by the Phi Sigma Chapter (Washington, DC) of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. www.SGRphisigma.org
Official Host: DC Mayor Muriel Bowser
African American Civil War Memorial Museum
1925 Vermont Ave. NW.

Saturday, September 24, 10 am. – 12 Noon:
A series of Watch Parties to view the grand opening of the African American History Museum:
African American Civil War Memorial Museum, 1925 Vermont Ave. NW
Ben’s Chili Bowl, 1213 U St NW
Florida Avenue Grill, 1100 Florida Ave. NW

Saturday, September 24, 11:00-2:00 pm:
Descendants Presentation by Carol Cromwell – Private Richard Cromwell, 39^th USCT
African American Civil War Museum
1925 Vermont Ave, NW

Saturday, September 24, 2:00-3:30 pm:
Theatrical Presentation – Battle Hymn of a Freedman
Performance of dramatic stage play written by Clarence Anthony Bush, descendent of a member of the 2^nd Regiment US Colored Troops
Play tells the story of the Fort Pillar Massacre of 1864 in which more than 300 Black soldiers were killed.
African American Civil War Museum
1925 Vermont Ave. NW

Saturday, September 24, 12:30-1:30 pm:
Musical Performance – Malcolm X Drummers and Dancers
African American Civil War Memorial
10^th and U street NW

Saturday, September 24, 2:30-3:30 pm:
Musical Performance – East of the River Steel Band
African American Civil War Memorial
10^th and U street NW

Sunday, September 24, 12:00-3:00 pm:
Theatrical Presentation – Battle Hymn of a Freedman and VIP Brunch Champagne Reception
Performance of dramatic stage play written by Clarence Anthony Bush, descendent of a member of the 2^nd Regiment US Colored Troops
Play tells the story of the Fort Pillar Massacre of 1864 in which more than 300 Black soldiers were killed.
Performance includes a VIP Champagne Brunch $100
African American Civil War Museum
1925 Vermont Ave. NW

Franklin said he’s been working on the museum project for 11 years. The museum will tell the African American story, including the importance of African Americans outside of the US and the influence of Africans from abroad.

“This is a museum that deals with history and culture. You can’t look at the African American experience only from one perspective,” Franklin said. “It looks at resistance and slavery, segregation, creates the culture of music and oral traditions, its cultural expression based on African skills, based on the expression of music, art and architecture.”

Franklin concluded, “I’m absolutely thrilled that this moment is almost here. I’ve spent 29 years working at the Smithsonian and there were early rumblings of creation of the museum. I’ve followed it, tried to push for it … Civil War veterans in 1915 began to agitate for building this museum. We’re a patient people.”

For more information about the day’s events and details about free shuttle service from the Civil War Museum to the festivities downtown, go to dchost.org.

Sept. 18, 2016

For-profit Colleges: Valuing Profits Before Student Achievement
By Charlene Crowell

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Higher education is supposed to be about opening doors to a promising future. Fortified by training, skills and credentials, a personal pathway to the middle class is the presumed goal.

But in recent days, some higher education doors are closing, while others are writing checks for fines and refunds imposed by regulators. It’s almost enough for some consumers to wonder, ‘What is really going on?’

If a for-profit college is involved, the answer is money. From a consumer perspective, dollars are dedicated and debts created in the name of higher education. Multiple for-profit institutions all too often relegate education and matriculation to advertising and recruitment geared towards selling private loans.

In recent years, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has sued and levied large fines against a few of these large institutions. Although specific violations varied, the bottom line was that student borrowers were getting short shrift from the institutions that promised far more.

The latest unfortunate example came on September 12. CFPB charged the San Diego-based Bridgepoint Education, Inc., the parent institution for Ashford University and the University of the Rockies with engaging in “unfair, deceptive or abusive acts and practices”. As a result, Bridgeport will forgive and refund more than $23.5 million to students, including principal and interest and additionally pay an $8 million fine to the Bureau. According to its 2015 annual report, Bridgepoint enrolled a total of 49,159 students last year.

As early as 2009, Bridgepoint Education’s students were told they would pay only $25 a month for the institution’s private loans. By telling students the wrong monthly payment, Bridgepoint deceived its students and falsely advertised costs.

Another recent for-profit college development led to ITT Technical Institute having its accreditation reviewed, to a loss of new federal financial aid and then finally the September 6 closure of its 130 campuses across 38 states. The closure placed an estimated 40,000 students in disarray, along with more than 8,000 employees.

Under investigation by multiple jurisdictions, ITT Tech was overly dependent upon taxpayer dollars to keep its cash flowing. In 2015 alone, 68 percent of its students used federal grants and loans. To place that percentage in dollars and sense – yes, s-e-n-s-e -- we’re talking about $580 million of ITT Tech’s reported revenues of $850 million, came courtesy of taxpayers. In effect, taxpayers were underwriting ITT Tech’s profits.

ITT Tech was at risk of having its academic accreditation revoked, so the Department of Education required the college to post a higher bond to be used in the event of campus closings. The funds would be used to reimburse Education for liabilities related to investigations such as student refunds, student loan cancellations and other expenses. Additionally, Education banned ITT Tech from making any unusual expenditures without federal approval, and was forbidden from allocating paying raises, bonuses or severance packages to its executives.

In other words, the for-profit was sinking and no golden parachutes were allowed. From a strictly business perspective, complete closure might have seemed to be the only financial recourse.

But what about the students and families who trusted these for-profit institutions? Consider the time and money invested. The families affected by ITT Tech’s closure and Bridgepoint Education’s refunds probably trusted the institutions, faculty and staff.

Unfortunately, a segment of higher education has changed – and not for the better. These recent developments with ITT Tech and Bridgepoint follow a disturbing trend in the for-profit college market. Illinois’ senior U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, recently weighed in on the mounting evidence of problematic for-profit colleges.

“When we pay taxes, it goes into the Federal Treasury,” noted Durbin. “The money out of that Treasury is being loaned to these students to give to these schools. When the students default or if they are forgiven their loans, the Treasury is not paid back. Our tax dollars do not return to the Treasury to be loaned again.”

“So the taxpayers are the ultimate losers,” he continued. “It raises a very basic question. When is our Federal Government going to wake up to the fact that this for-profit college and university industry is causing great harm to a lot of innocent students across the United States and their families and ultimately to the taxpayers of this country?”

Nearly two years ago, CFPB sued Corinthian Colleges, Inc. – a now-defunct for-profit institution -- for its deceptive and predatory practices. It took another year of legal tap dancing before a federal court issued a default judgement, ruling in part, “in order to continue receiving those [federal] funds, which was the main source of Corinthian’s revenue, Corinthian burdened its students with this additional cost.”