Istock Photo

Sept. 26, 2023

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - If you glance at a map of the District of Columbia from an environmental justice perspective, the gulf between class and race is illustrated by geography and zip code. The wards where Washington, DC’s poor, underserved and marginalized residents live are dotted with highways, landfills, hazardous waste, more concrete and fewer trees than the wealthier and more well-off wards uptown.

Kelly Crawford, a senior advisor for Energy and Environmental Justice at the US Department of Energy (DOE) illustrated this using a detailed slide presentation during a panel discussion at the CBC’s Annual Legislative Weekend showing the significant differences in air and water quality, dangerously high carbon levels, transportation inequities and related issues between communities.

“There are alarming differences between wards,” she said. “Ward 7 exceeded national air safety numbers next to I-295. We found transportation inequity and lack of access to healthcare.”

Crawford said Washington, DC’s extra air pollution burden is caused by racial segregation patterns. A study of asthma and race in Washington, DC also shows that Wards 5, 7 and 8 has the most emergency room visits.

There is 25 times the average of pediatric visits to the emergency room, Crawford said.

“There are deep disparities between children in DC,” she added. “These areas have the highest rates of every disease…Residents living in these wards have higher mortality, stroke, COPD and lung cancer ... Redlining is most evident in DC.”

Maryland State Representative Deni Tavares substantiated Crawford’s findings.

“I am a chemist. I worked at the EPA in enforcement of Super Fund sites. I saw the discrepancies. Prince George’s County has the worst air quality in the state. A landfill sits in Prince George’s County. All landfills sit in communities of color and there is a high degree of dumping in our community.”

Tavares, who represents District 2 in Maryland, said she is or has used legislation to target anti-fracking, eliminating Styrofoam and plastic straws. She said she is working resolutely to bring about transit equity and said environmental justice translates to preserve, protect and empower communities.

Antoine Thompson, executive director of the Greater Washington Region Clean Cities Coalition (GWRCC), a leading public-private entity that focuses on clean energy, transportation and environmental justice and equity, moderated the panel discussion. He told a Trice Edney News Wire reporter that environmental justice is definitely a human rights issue.

“The fact that we have so much data out there shows that based on zip codes and life expectancy, Black and brown people live shorter lives based on where water and transportation is,” he said. “It depends on the streetscape, the amount of cars and crime versus exercising … this is not by accident. Yes, it’s significant.”

The forum was sponsored by the GWRCC and Clean Fuels Alliance America as the launch of an Environmental Justice Community Forum Series, “a collaboration aimed at raising awareness and fostering dialogue on environmental justice (EJ) and the vital role of biodiesel in underserved or disadvantaged communities,” a statement described.

Thompson said asthma is not hereditary although that’s usually taught in many African-American households. “It’s fixable problem. Transportation is a big part of it. In DC, transportation is a significant driver … (and) zip codes matter …”

Thompson said having these conversations is critical.

“These conversations need to happen and are not,” he said. “There should be conversations about pollution from transportation, energy and the environment … 10,000 people are here (at the CBC Annual Legislative Weekend), there are 100 forums and just two are on environmental justice.”  

Dennis Chestnut, executive director of Groundwork Anacostia River DC, agreed that environmental rights has become human rights. One task facing activists and others is bringing together or at least being aware of all the disparate pieces of the environmental justice ecosystem.

“We have a handle on segments of the problem. It’s kinda like puzzles – one thing connecting to another, opening things up and moving us along,” Chestnut said.

As the conversation progressed, panelists emphasized that despite the often-deleterious effects of environmental injustices, there are numerous ways that individuals, organizations and governments are seeking to implement programs and strategies to address the issue.

Crawford and each of her colleagues on the panel went beyond diagnosing the various ills of environmental injustice and the attendant disparities and talked about programs, initiatives, campaigns, strategies and community collaboration and action.

“We are focused on equity. From that equity will come racial equity and environmental justice … there are new and different initiatives coming that we’ve never had,” Crawford told the audience.

Steve Dodge, director of State Regulatory Affairs at Clean Fuels Alliance America, focused on renewable fuels, including biofuels, diesel liquid fuels and biomass-based diesel fuels. He said 97 percent of heavy-duty vehicles use diesel, while 70 percent of cancer risk comes from diesel. Dodge’s power point presentation listed cancers, asthmas, premature deaths, loss workdays and avoided cost as the human consequences of air and water pollution and exposure to chemicals, toxins and a range of other pollutants.

“There are substantial benefits from using biofuels,” he said citing a health benefits study. “… there’s lots being done in individual states. The feds, not so much. They are woefully behind in reducing carbon.”

Crawford said a clean air revolution is manifesting before our eyes in large and small ways. An example is the $62 billion allocated from the Inflation Relief Act and more money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which “invests $7.5 billion in EV charging, $10 billion in clean transportation, and over $7 billion in EV battery components, critical minerals, and materials ....”  

Thompson, a nationally recognized leader for environmental justice, green business, housing, diversity and urban policy, shared a solution that took place in Buffalo while he was a state senator.

For decades, it was customary for politicians, policymakers and city planners to build highways in the midst of African-American communities, disrupting and destroying vibrant, energetic living spaces for racist reasons under the guise of progress.

In East Buffalo, NY, Thompson said that in 2003, he was able to secure between $5 million to $10 million in funding to reconfigure and/or remove parts of Express 33 which ran through the Black community. The highway displaced residents, led to businesses closing and produced pollution and other damaging health problems while causing cancer, lupus and an assortment of health problems for residents.

“I was a lone person on this effort. But 20 years later, the governor and U.S. senators support it now. There’s about $1 billion for the project,” said Thompson. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021 has funding to reconnect communities by removing some of the highways which ran through Black communities.”

Thompson said, “The federal government has put [in] money but there’s nothing stopping the states from doing the same,” he said. “This requires leadership, community advocates and vision. It can be done …”

Tavares, who said she’s been trying to get mechanics to change combustibles to diesel and encouraging more fleet management conversions, said environmental justice activists and advocates have to “meet people where they are.”

Dodge said there are no simple solutions but said he was bullish on significant improvements in air and water quality, reducing carbon emissions and sees greater collaboration by the corporate sector, industries, businesses and communities.

“Technological know-how is changing every day. It’s all part of the puzzle,” said Chestnut. “We will have other challenges but we must increase capacity, be ready, make a plan and focus on any disruptions, natural or otherwise.”    

President Joe Biden addressing the audience at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Phoenix Awards PHOTO: Kea Taylor/Imagine Photography) 

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - After years of enduring Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill working to dismantle Civil Rights laws the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) concluded their annual conference last week, fired up and ready for a new season of political battles with a new generation of foot soldiers enlisted in the fight.

“Why are they trying to prevent economic prosperity and wealth-building in communities of color?” asked CBC Chairman Stephen Hosford (D-Nev.) during a forum. Flanked by Isabella Casillas Guzman, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), they vowed to fight conservative attempts to turn back the clock on Black economic and political progress.

The  SBA has temporarily suspended new applications to its 8(a) programs after the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee in July ruled against people using the “socially disadvantaged” category as a status to gain entry to the program.

But Hosford said “The Congressional Black Caucus will fight, defend, and (hold) the line” when it comes to these programs.

“It is very important that we create wealth and my question to these individuals who are standing in the way and filing these lawsuits is what are they afraid of? It is important for all of America to know who is bringing these lawsuits and why they are doing it.  They are attempting to take us back at a time when we are making so much progress.”

Whether voting right, economic or criminal justice, dozens of topics were covered during the conference mixed with parties and issues forums.

Trial lawyer Ben Crump held a forum at the convention center with the families of those killed by police brutality. “When you talk about equality, equity, and access,” whether it is through housing, education, employment, or healthcare we realize the power of our dollars,” he said.

The group discussed a path forward for police reform since the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act has still not been passed in Congress. Families will discuss what reforms have been successful on the local level with lawmakers.

“I gotta believe a greater good has to result from my son being killed,” said RowVaughn Wells, the mother of Tyre Nichols, who died after he was beaten by Memphis police officers Jan. 7.

Other participants included:

Mona Harden, mother of Ronald Greene; Gwen Carr, mother of Eric Garner; Tiffany Crutcher, sister of Terence Crutcher; Allisa Findley, sister of Botham Jean. The lawmakers present included: Rep. Lucy McBath; Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Rep. Steven Horsford, and Sen. Cory Booker.

On Saturday morning, Karen Clarke Sheard and Reverend Dr. Gina Stewart were the special guests at the CBC Day of Healing, formerly the CBC prayer breakfast, at the Convention Center.

The Day of Healing was a new feature of the ALC, that offered moments of reflection and rejuvenation for various communities.

 Nicole Austin-Hillery, President and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, said, “In the spirit of this year’s conference theme, Securing Our Democracy, Protecting Our Freedoms, Uplifting Our Culture, the Day of Healing grounds us in our purpose and fortifies our will to remain steadfast in our commitment to community empowerment.”

On Saturday night Vice President Kamala Harris introduced President Biden during the CBC’s annual Phoenix Awards, A Black Tie event that is the highlight of the ALC.

“The CBC has always been a conscience of our country, a truthteller.  Truths about where we have been and where we must go,” Harris told the audience Saturday night. 

“Tonight, let us continue to speak truth.  Across America there is a full-on attack on many of the hard-fought, hard-won freedoms that the CBC has achieved: the freedom to vote; to teach America's full history; to address inequity and diversity; to love who you love; to access education, healthcare, and economic opportunity; and the freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body,” she said to applause.

During his speech President Biden singled out a number of CBC members.

He described House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries “a leader with integrity and courage.  Courage.  Courage.”

He also pointed out Justin Jones, 28, member of the Tennessee House of Representatives, calling him "a new voice who gives us hope for the future.”

The audience chuckled as Biden pointed out Hip Hop artists LL Cool J and MC Lyte in the Ballroom: “LL J…Cool J…uhh…(laughter)…By the way, that boy has got, he’s got, I think that man has got biceps bigger than my thighs…and MC Lyte.”

 But Biden concluded on a serious note by reminding those present that the CBC has come a long away after six decades.

“In February of 1971, the year before I got to the United States Senate, 200 years ago,” he said to laughter. “13 Black members of Congress, determined to create a better future and leverage their collective strength, formed the Congressional Black Caucus, the conscience of Congress, calling us to follow our nation’s North Star;  A light for the dreams and the pains of centuries of enslaved people in America.”

He said the CBC was created to fight for “The idea - once the most simple and the most powerful idea in the history of the world - that we’re all created equal and deserve to be treated equally throughout our entire lives.  We’ve never lived up to that fully, but we’ve never walked away from it either.”

Sept. 25, 2023

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - As a sitting vice president, it remains to be seen if Kamala Harris will eventually follow the political pathway of Joe Biden and ultimately ascend to the highest office in the nation. Harris, who graduated from Howard University in 1986, has already made history by becoming the first vice president to have graduated from an HBCU. Harris’s historic election was a proud and inspirational moment not only for the Howard University community but for the entire HBCU family.

The HBCU legacy of shaping and educating future Black entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, public servants, teachers, architects, and engineers continues to be fulfilled despite the challenges resulting from limited funding and resources. The struggles facing all HBCUs are no secret, but they are deep-seated, and the root causes behind the struggles are complex. Many people would not have the opportunity to obtain a college degree had it not been for an HBCU. Despite being underinvested institutions with small endowments, tight budgets, and higher percentages of students depending on Pell Grants, these schools serve a critical mission. HBCUs were always faced with having to do more with less, but this should not be the case for the HBCUs federally designated as land-grant universities.

Land-grant institutions are universities or colleges that benefited from the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890—proposed when Sen. Justin Morrill of Vermont served in the House of Representatives, the Morrill Land Grant College Act of 1862 set aside federal lands—wrongfully taken from Indigenous nations—to create agricultural and mechanical schools exclusively for white students. With the passing of the Agricultural College Act of 1890 (the Second Morrill Act), 19 HBCU land-grant institutions were established to provide a similar education system for Black students, primarily in the South. This Reconstruction Era legislation aimed to provide a “just and equitable” allocation of funds between the 1862 and 1890 universities. Unfortunately, the reality of racial discrimination will always undermine any law recognizing that people of all backgrounds don’t start in the same place in society; therefore, fair adjustments must be made to adjust the imbalances.

By taking advantage of ambiguous legislative language, the states created a loophole to use when providing greater appropriations to white land-grant institutions. States’ unwillingness to fairly support the 1890 institutions shows you can change laws, but laws do not automatically change hearts. The funding disparity and shortchanging of HBCUs are obvious to many philanthropic groups, resulting in millions of dollars donated to HBCUs. But states should never be let off the hook. The Biden administration is taking note of the more than $12 billion disparity between HBCUs and white institutions. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack sent a letter to 16 state governors calculating how their respective state land-grant HBCU institution was underfunded from 1987 to 2020.

For example, North Carolina A&T University has a $2 billion funding disparity compared with North Carolina State University, an original 1862 land grant institution. Likewise, Prairie View A&M University in Texas and Southern University and A&M in Louisiana have $1.1 billion in underfunding compared to the 1862 land-grant institutions in their states. The letters were sent to the governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. The question remains: what will be the long-term response by each state? The dismantling of segregation laws in the 1960s did not mean states fully ended discrimination when funding HBCUs. The legal doctrine of “separate but equal” was always a sham that never provided equal protection, accommodations, or facilities for all people.

 The “separate but equal” doctrine is a mindset of inequality and injustice that never intended to have a society with equal provisions and conditions for the education of Black students on either the K through 12 or collegiate level. For decades, unequal funding forced HBCUs to function without adequate resources for campus infrastructure, research and development, and student support services. The current disparity in financial support shows that HBCUs are often seen as an after-thought, and in other cases, a continuation of the “separate but equal” mindset where states’ rights perpetuated a racial culture where governors and state lawmakers were emboldened to do whatever they wanted to do against people of color. The Biden administration appears willing to take the incremental steps necessary to dismantle the long-term effects of “separate but equal.” Having a U.S. vice president who is an HBCU grad should be a constant reminder that HBCU students are well worth the investment.

David W. Marshall is the founder of the faith-based organization TRB: The Reconciled Body and author of the book “God Bless Our Divided America.” He can be reached at www.davidwmarshallauthor.com

Sept. 20, 2023

Byron Allen

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from BlackManStreet.Today

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Media mogul Byron Allen, founder and CEO Allen Media Group and Entertainment Studios, has bid $10 billion to buy Walt Disney's ABC television network, a spokesperson for Allen said on Friday, according to various media reports.

A Disney spokesperson said that the company was "open to considering strategic options for its linear business." The company has not decided yet on selling ABC or any other property.

The discussions come after Disney CEO Bob Iger said in July that the company could sell some of its traditional TV assets, which struggled for years because of the rise of streaming services.

ABC comprises a national TV network and eight regional stations. It has affiliation agreements with about 240 local television stations reaching almost all U.S. television households.

In 1993, Allen founded the Los Angeles, California-based Entertainment Studios, a division of the Allen Media Group, a global media company. Allen’s enterprise has grown over the years, expanding to encompass offices in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Raleigh. The company also owns the Weather Channel.