June 26, 2016

To Be Equal 
Class of 2016: Beating the Odds
By Marc H. Morial

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - “Education is a precondition to survival in America today. Investing in children is not a national luxury or a national choice. It’s a national necessity.” – Marian Wright Edelman, Founder and President, Children’s Defense Fund 

Congratulations, graduates. Whether you’ve walked across a stage to receive your high school diploma and begin your journey into a new world of independence, or you finally have your college diploma and are ready to step out into a world outside of lecture halls and dorms, you deserve much congratulations on your achievement.

Today, you are set to begin a new chapter in your life. Celebrate and bask in your well-deserved feeling of accomplishment now, because tomorrow is a new day and there is much work to be done. 

Two years from now, it is projected that over 60 percent of all jobs will require some college education. As you prepare to become a part of the American workforce with your degree securely in hand, our nation faces a looming crisis because we are not producing enough men and women like you: graduates. 

College enrollment and attainment rates have been steadily increasing in our country across racial and ethnic groups, but the problem is not that there are not enough people enrolling in college. The problem is that there are not enough people finishing college. And from among those who do attain that now vital postsecondary degree, large racial divides in degree attainment persist. If we, as a nation, do not commit to figuring out what it takes to graduate from college, we risk diminishing the lives of our citizens, who are more likely to find better and better-paying work with a degree. We risk the loss of critical skills and training that will keep our national economy prosperous and thriving. And we risk our country’s ability to remain competitive in the global, 21st century workforce. 

At the National Higher Education Summit hosted by the National Urban League and USA Funds, a nonprofit corporation that enhances preparation for, access to and success in postsecondary education, panelists addressed many of the obstacles that derail college completion for students of color. Many young men and women who dream and work hard to one day be in your shoes may see their dream deferred or discontinued because of financial need, academic unpreparedness and perhaps even coming from a non-college-going culture.    

When you translate those barriers to obtaining a college degree into hard numbers, the statistics are sobering. Over the period from 1990 to 2014, the gap between whites and Blacks attaining a bachelor's or higher degree widened from 13 to 18 percentage points, and the gap between whites and Hispanics widened from 18 to 26 percentage points, according to a study by the National Center for Education Statistics.

As long as large numbers of students of color remain ill prepared to navigate and succeed in our postsecondary system of education, we will continue to have an urgent, national conversation about income inequality. The lack of financial aid that doesn’t drown students in future debt, the lack of high-quality teachers in K-12 in communities of color and the lack of guidance from professionals about the college experience is a recipe for disaster that will continue to trap our nation’s future into poverty. You see, when a young man or woman is denied access to opportunity through education, we all lose. 

The solutions to college attainment and completion will be both economic and social—from providing students with grants and low-interest loans, to providing better teachers in our grade schools and middle schools and providing academic remediation for students who need support with college courses. A college educated populace and workforce is a national imperative that requires the across-the-board support and collaboration of all stakeholders, from families to education professionals, employers and politicians. 

Despite whatever obstacles you may have faced, you have earned a degree that is promised to reward you with a life you may not have had without that diploma. You have worked hard to be given access to jobs and opportunties that your degree merits. You have beat the odds.  Now go out and change the world!

June 19 2016

One Year After Charleston Massacre: Root Causes of Extremist Violence Remain Unaddressed 

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Southern Poverty Law Center

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - A year ago on June 17, a young White supremacist gunned down nine Black parishioners at a historic church in Charleston, S.C., marking the violent start to a lethal year of extremist violence in the United States.

• In San Bernardino, Calif., in the coming months, Islamist radicals would kill 14 people.
• In Colorado Springs, Colo., an anti-abortion extremist would shoot three people to death at a Planned Parenthood clinic.
• In Oregon, anti-government militants would take over a wildlife refuge, sparking a standoff that ended with one of the militants being shot and killed by authorities.
• And in Orlando, Fla., a gunman would slaughter 49 people at a gay nightclub, one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history.

The roll call of communities devastated by extremist violence in the year since the Charleston massacre is evidence that national and local leaders have not addressed the root causes of this violence, such as online radicalization and the mainstreaming of radical right ideas by politicians and other public figures. The country’s changing demographics as well as changes in the cultural and legal landscape – such as the acceptance of same-sex marriage – have attracted some segments of the population to these ideas.

“There was some progress in addressing symbols of hate after the Charleston shooting,” said Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) President Richard Cohen. “It was encouraging to see the Confederate battle flag removed from the Capitol grounds in both South Carolina and Alabama. We have, however, failed as a nation to recognize and address the underlying causes of extremist violence. And we won’t truly learn the lessons of Charleston until we address these causes.”

The suspected gunman, Dylann Roof, was indoctrinated into the world of White nationalism online before the shooting at Emanuel AME Church, although he apparently had no personal contact with hate groups or activists. During the attack, he told his victims that African-Americans “are raping our women and taking over the country.” Similarly, the murderer in Orlando may have been radicalized online, according to federal authorities.

The SPLC has documented how the internet has been effective in radicalizing so-called “lone wolves” like Roof and, apparently, Orlando killer Omar Mateen. It has also found that rhetoric once confined to the radical right is now being parroted by many mainstream politicians and other public figures. Most recently, Donald Trump has called for a ban on Middle Eastern immigrants, suggested that a judge was unable to impartially preside over a case because of his Mexican ancestry, and hinted that President Obama is actually on the side of Islamist terrorists like Mateen.

This environment has allowed extremism to flourish. The SPLC has documented a 14 percent rise in the number of hate groups in 2015, from 784 groups in 2014 to 892. Antigovernment “Patriot” groups – armed militias and others animated by conspiracy theories – also grew 14 percent during the same period, expanding from 874 groups to 998. That compares to a mere 149 such groups in 2008, before Obama was elected.

“When you look at the carnage in the year since Charleston – as well as the growth of extremist groups – it’s clear that there’s a combustible atmosphere in our country right now,” said SPLC Senior Fellow Mark Potok. “It is beyond reckless to exploit the anger and polarization that’s out there. Unfortunately, that’s not stopping some people. The attack in Charleston should have been a wake-up call. We’ve paid the price as a nation for ignoring it.”

June 20, 2016

New Report Says Voter Suppression Threatens 2016 Elections
By Barrington M. Salmon

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Since the US Supreme Court invalidated Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, states that were once required to get permission from the US Department of Justice to enact voting laws have been free to implement limits to voting that activists say could have a negative impact on the 2016 presidential elections.

The high court ruling against the federal government in the Holder v Shelby case in 2013, was followed closely by several primarily southern states, enacting a series of draconian laws that have made it increasingly more difficult for African-Americans, Latinos, students and the elderly to cast their ballots. The Republican legislators supporting these bills claim that the measures are an effort to block voter fraud. Their critics contend that the laws are a way to disenfranchise voters who are more likely to vote Democratic.

But, a national coalition of voters, advocacy groups and voting rights activists as well as in the Department of Justice, have been fighting back in the courts, statehouses and city council chambers. These advocates have now released a new report, showing the adverse impact of the Shelby case.

“This is really an important report. It is an effort to identify problems that have already arisen,” said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund. “We’re witnessing a virtual renaissance of voter restrictions. If they persist, they could have a very serious effect on the upcoming elections. It is an insidious and sophisticated way to shave off a few points in key races. It is a particular problem to minorities…It is a concern of national importance, one that Congress should pay particular attention to.”

The report, titled, "Warning Signs: The Potential Impact of Shelby County v. Holder on the 2016 General Election", was compiled with the collaboration of national civil rights organizations, including the Leadership Conference Education Fund, the ACLU, the Advancement Project, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the Brennan Center for Justice, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the NALEO Educational Fund.

It finds that, since Shelby, the states of North Carolina, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, and Virginia – once under the Section 5 preclearance mandate — have engaged in deceptive and sophisticated practices to disenfranchise voters that will have an impact on the 2016 election. These states are locations of competitive 2016 contests that will have 84 Electoral College votes, two Senate seats, and one governor’s seat up for grabs.

“As we approach the first presidential election in 50 years without the full protections of the Voting Rights Act, we’re seeing the perfect storm of a diversifying electorate and a set of states and localities responding by implementing a broad array of voter discrimination tactics,” said Scott Simpson, the report’s co-author and director of Media and Campaigns for The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund.  “In 2016, it is entirely possible that the presidency, control of the Senate, and a number of governorships could be determined by the voter discrimination made possible by Shelby.”

Simpson added, “Changes are happening in the dark of night. There’s no public notice, no transparency …This report looks at the intersection of states in competitive races. In those five states they’re using every tactic in the books. Those engaged in this tend to be Republicans. A lot of it is happening out of fear. Generally, it is happening with city councils, local elections, school boards. They are afraid that Blacks will gain control and continue to exert influence in these five states. For everything we’ve found, this is just a fraction of what’s actually happening.”

When announcing the Shelby ruling, Chief Justice John Roberts left it to Congress to reauthorize the VRA. To date, that has not happened.

Meanwhile, states and locations once protected by the VRA, have remained rogue, according to the report.

For example, the day after the Shelby decision, the speaker of the North Carolina House introduced H.B. 589, one of the most restrictive pieces of election legislation in the country, which came to be known by local advocates as the “monster bill.” The bill included a strict ID requirement as well as a range of additional voting restrictions, including significantly shortening the early voting period; eliminating same-day registration; prohibiting the counting of out-of-precinct provisional ballots; eliminating a pre-registration program for 16- and 17-year olds; and making challenging voters easier.

“What we are seeing in North Carolina is that more people are being disenfranchised than the margin that decided our recent governor’s election and other recent elections in our state,” said Anita Earls, executive director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, which has played a key role in fighting voter suppression in North Carolina. “These voter suppression measures passed in the wake of Shelby – like ending same day registration, ending out-of-precinct voting, and others – are truly having an impact on our ability to vote. We hope that these measures will not be in place in November 2016.”

The report, a collaborative effort between The Leadership Conference Education Fund, the ACLU, the Advancement Project, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the Brennan Center for Justice, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the NALEO Educational Fund, warn that the restrictions are spreading.

Marion Warren, Registrar of Voters for the City of Sparta in Hancock County, Ga., said since 2015, voter rolls were purged, removing registered voters prior to two mayoral elections that removed registered voters.

Voting officials mailed out ballots late and have “refused to make registration voter-friendly,” Warren said. “They have moved polling stations into police departments, closed six of 10 polling stations, and some people have to travel 35 miles to get to the polls. There has been an outcry from the public and I got the Department of Justice to look into that particular situation…It seems it’s harder for a minority to vote now in the state of Georgia than it was in 1965.”

In the battleground state of Arizona, tens of thousands of voters are believed to be disenfranchised after elections officials closed polling stations and scrubbed voter rolls.

Monica Cooper, and Juliana Huerena, are two Arizona voters who say they were disenfranchised during the 2016 primaries. They are plaintiffs in a voting rights lawsuit against Arizona and Maricopa County.  

“On Election Day, I depended on Dial-a-Ride [a paratransit service] to get to and from the polling place, and was not able to vote because the lines were so long it took over two hours to get inside the polling place,” Cooper said. “I am very angry that I was not able to cast my ballot and that I was left out on Election Day.”

Huerena said, “I’ve been voting in Maricopa County for nearly 10 years and I’ve never seen lines like this before. The line wrapped around the building,” she said. “It was important to me to wait and cast my ballot, but I saw many people get frustrated after waiting for hours and eventually leave without voting. In the end, I waited four and a half hours to cast my ballot.”

Henderson, Simpson and their colleagues said this electoral debacle can be avoided if Congress acts and acts quickly. The point to the Voting Rights Advancement Act is to blunt voter suppression. The Act, they say, would not only restore preclearance protections to voters in states with the worst histories of discrimination, it would have a national impact, requiring preclearance for any proposed electoral change historically associated with discrimination.

“A lot of the problem is that some members of Congress are refusing to see discrimination happening,” Simpson said. “There are two bills with the House Judiciary Committee that have not moved. Republican leaders have shown no interest or inclination to move these bills. They’re burying their heads in the sand and doing everything they can to ignore what’s happening.”

June 19, 2016

New Civil Rights Data Shows Persistent Inequalities in U.S. Schools
By Zenitha Prince

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Afro American Newspaper

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Inequality in SchoolsBlack students were more likely to receive out-of-school suspensions and less likely to enroll in top-scoring elementary or middle schools than were white students in a recently released report. (AP Photo Jaime Henry-White)New data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reveals persistent inequalities in the nation’s public schools in areas such as discipline, college preparation courses, retention, access to early learning and teacher quality.

The 2016 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), a survey of more than 95,000 public schools in the 2013-2014 school year, showed that while there was overall improvement in areas such as out-of-school suspension, which decreased by nearly 20 percent since 2011-12, gaps in equal opportunity persisted.

“The CRDC data shines a spotlight on the educational opportunities proffered, and denied, to our nation’s sons and daughters in schools every day,” said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Catherine E. Lhamon in a statement. “We urge educators, researchers and the public to join us in using this data to its full potential to support students in realizing theirs.”

Among the more alarming areas of concern is the statistics on school discipline, which shows that Black children—especially Black boys—are overwhelmingly more likely to be suspended or expelled at the preschool and K-12 levels. African-American student are 3.6 times as likely to receive one or more out-of-school suspensions as White students at the preschool level, and 3.8 times as likely at the K-12 level. Black students also are almost twice as likely to be expelled from school without educational services as their White peers.

Other findings show that Black and Latino students have less access to high-rigor math and science courses; are underrepresented in gifted and talented programs and in Advanced Placement courses and are enrolled in schools with higher concentrations of inexperienced teachers.

This year’s CRDC included, for the first time, data on chronic absenteeism. Thirteen percent of all public school students—6.5 million—missed 15 or more days of the school year in 2013-14, according to the survey. And among Black students, specifically, 22 percent were chronically absent.

Lawmakers and activists say the OCR’s new data mirrors findings in a recently released report by the Government Accountability Office which showed increasing segregation among U.S. public schools and concentrated educational disparities.

“The report released today from the Department of Education is a disturbing reminder of what too many families already know, and what was confirmed in the report from the General Accountability Office (GAO) we unveiled last month,” said U.S. Reps. Bobby Scott, D-Va., ranking member of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, and John Conyers Jr., D-Mich., ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, in a statement.

“Our nation’s increasingly diverse student population is too often hyper-segregated in K-12 public schools and, sadly, educational opportunity is not available to all students of color on equal terms,” they continued. “This new data, and GAO’s study, are a call to action.”