March 16, 2023
By Julianne Malveaux

The Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the 16^th largest bank in the United States, failed because its leaders used poor judgment in making ill-advised investments. They invested heavily in long-term Treasury bonds that had low-interest rate returns. As interest rates rose (which meant SVB was losing money), they didn't have the required reserves to cover their outstanding loans. Instability in the tech industries, where they were heavily invested, contributed to the bank’s denouement. While the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation usually insures deposits up to $250,000, President Biden agreed that the federal government would cover deposits "at no cost to taxpayers." Because SVB primarily served start-ups and heavy hitters, about 85 percent of its deposits were uninsured. Ordinary Americans don't get the bailout that SVB depositors got, but Biden and others justified it by saying they wanted to avoid further instability in the banking industry. While the president says that taxpayer dollars won't be used in the SVB bailout, that remains to be seen.

Financial experts will examine the reasons for the SVB failure for months, if not years. Daft Republican legislators, with absolutely no facts, have concluded that the failure of the bank is a result of "woke" business policies. They've not defined what they mean by such policies, but some see their vacuous rhetoric as a swipe at diversity practices to which most banks adhere. The intellectually challenged Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green (R-GA) wrote, "the fools running the bank were woke and almost because broke ."Donald Trump, Jr., the business icon whose daddy's companies have regularly declared bankruptcy, also weighed in on this matter. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who is pinning his presidential hopes on making anti-wokeness a national mantra, said the bank was “so concerned with DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) that they got diverted from their core mission." Wall Street Journal writer Andy Kessler suggested that the SVB board, primarily white male, may have failed because its 12-persin board – 45 percent women, with one African American and one GBLTQ+ member – was diverse.

Florida’s DeSantis is a leader among those who decry consciousness. His 2022 "Stop Woke Act" prohibits instruction on race or diversity that makes white folks feel "remorse or guilt ."The law prevents employers with more than 15 employees from mandating diversity training. DeSantis has rejected the Advanced Placement Black Studies curriculum for Florida public schools. These aren't dog whistles but outright shouts of racism and anti-blackness. These rabid Republicans will blame anything – bank failures, derailed trains, and more – on so-called "wokeness," and non-critical thinkers are perfectly willing to go along with those distortions. Would a bank with all white male directors have acted differently than the current directors of SVB did? One might argue that an all-white male board might have performed even worse. The financial press offers many reasons why SVB failed, and throwing "wokeness" into the equation is a distraction.

Though I get the concept, I've never been fond of "woke" rhetoric. It's been used as shorthand to describe conscious, racially and politically aware people, who are often progressive. A dear friend and diversity consultant, Howard Ross, says, "It doesn't matter whether you are woke or not; it's what you do when you get out of bed." In other words, anyone can mouth the rhetoric, but actions speak louder than words. It is unfathomable that a profit-making, predatory-capitalist bank led by white men can be described as mistakenly "woke" after its failure. Marjorie Taylor Green and her ilk are looking for excuses in the face of their stumbles, which include the loosening of Dodd-Frank regulation that might have prevented the SVB bank failure.

Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist, author and Dean of the College of Ethnic Studies at Cal State LA.

To Be Equal 
By Marc H. Morial 

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - “Ron DeSantis has clearly demonstrated that he wants to dictate whose story does and doesn't belong. He wants to control what our kids can learn based on politics and not sound policy ... He wants to say that I don't belong. He wants to say that you don't belong. Whose story does and doesn't get to count. But we are here to tell him, we are America. Governor, Black history is American history, and you are on the wrong side of history.” – Florida State Rep. Fentrice Driskell

Bayard Rustin, as most students of American history now know, was one of the key organizers of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was Rustin who introduced Martin Luther King, Jr., to the Gandhian tactics of non-violent resistance that guided the Civil Rights Movement through the 1950s and 1960s.

Because Rustin was a gay man at a time when same-sex relationships were criminalized, he often was forced to work from behind the scenes, allowing others to take the credit for his achievements. For decades, his transformational influence was downplayed and devalued. A warped history of the movement was allowed to take shape, one that historians only recently have begun to correct.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wants to shove the legacy of Rustin and others like him back into the shadows, perpetuating a warped history of the nation.

DeSantis’ reactionary move to ban an AP course on African American studies is loosely based on his opposition to what he calls Critical Race Theory, a legal concept taught in law schools and little understood by the general public.  Right-wing activists and politicians like DeSantis have co-opted and corrupted the term to undermine any effort to confront or even to acknowledge systemic racism.

As CNN political writer Brandon Tensley noted, “Because so many Americans don’t know what CRT is, it’s the perfect tool for scaring white conservative voters with made-up problems – for mobilizing them against the racial awakening of the past year.”

The course itself is organized into four major units: Origins of the African Diaspora, including topics such as “The Strength and Reach of West African Empires” and “Intercultural Forces in African Kingdoms and City States;”  Freedom, Slavery, and Resistance, which covers the period from the origins of the transatlantic slave trade to abolition; The Practice of Freedom, focused on African-American experiences since abolition including Reconstruction and the Negro Renaissance, and Movements and Debates, which examines the Civil Rights Movement, Black feminism and intersectionality, and the diversity within Black communities.

DeSantis’ feeble efforts to rationalize the ban are so vague they are essentially meaningless. “Intersectionality is foundational to CRT,” his Department of Education howled, without even attempting to explain why either concept represents a threat. His “concerns” reflect a profound ignorance – or deliberate misrepresentation – of both the curriculum and the legal theory he claims to oppose, but the ignorance is largely the point. The ban, like the ludicrous Stop WOKE Act that the course allegedly violates, is less about the details of a specific curriculum and almost entirely about weaponizing white grievance and resistance to a multicultural democracy.

DeSantis has charted a course to the White House that cuts straight through the swamp of white supremacy.

After all, if white people experience “guilt, anguish or other forms of psychological distress” as a result of acknowledging systemic racism, they might be inspired to alleviate that distress by dismantling systemic racism.  That’s a terrifying prospect for people who are so accustomed to the status quo that even the slightest effort to level the playing field feels like an earth-shattering cataclysm.

It’s impossible to know whether DeSantis genuinely shares that fear. But it’s undeniable he’s eager to exploit it for political advantage. His opponent in his first gubernatorial campaign famously remarked, "I’m not calling Mr. DeSantis a racist.  I’m simply saying the racists believe he’s a racist."

Three Florida students are poised to sue DeSantis if he does not lift the ban and allow the AP African American studies to be taught in schools. But because the College Board has agreed to revise the course, it’s likely that future students will be taught a watered-down curriculum that avoids the harsh realities that cause “distress.”  This injustice gives DeSantis and his allies the power not only to distort the past, but to shape a future where structural inequalities persist and racism is allowed to flourish.

Jan. 9, 2023

EDITORS, THIS COLUMN ALSO APPEARS AS A NEWS ANALYSIS IN THE LEAD STORIES SECTION. PLEASE USE AS DESIRED.
By David W. Marshall

(TriceEdneyWire.com) - The first speech given by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to the newly-seated 118^th Congress was a proud moment in history. In life, our elders often play important roles in our development and the fulfillment of our purpose. We often look to those elders for wisdom, knowledge, and direction when elevating to the next levels of life. For Jeffries, those elders include but are not limited to Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, and Jim Clyburn, who played critical roles in his progression to the next level as house minority leader. Early in his speech, when acknowledging them, he said, “Thank you, Madam Speaker for all that you have done. It’s an honor to stand on your broad shoulders as well as the shoulders of the great Steny Hoyer and the great Jim Clyburn. Two consequential leaders in their own right.” As the American people witness the continuation of great legacies, we should sincerely appreciate those who paved the way before us.

After 14 failed ballots to elect the next House speaker, the contrast between the Democratic and Republican caucuses cannot be any clearer. Unity and professionalism were seen on one side versus infighting and dysfunction on the other. The message is evident: the Democratic caucus is in good hands due to the smooth transition of leadership. It is also clear that Hakeem Jeffries is a true and inspiring leader. True leaders often work to build productive partnerships with individuals and groups representing diverse interests. Jeffries made it clear that the Democrats will look to find common ground with the Republicans on behalf of the American people. Time will tell if any number of Republicans accept the offer when the nation’s best interests call for compromise. A true political leader understands that despite having two major political parties that differ in ideology, America is a melting pot where our diversity is a strength. The nation’s diversity should never be downplayed or ignored. We benefit when people representing all backgrounds and cultures are allowed to contribute their best. Jeffries’ speech spoke of how the late John Lewis reminded members of Congress that we might have come over on different ships, but we are all in the same boat now.

He continued by listing what can be referred to as the ABCs of democracy. Jeffries said, “House Democrats will always put American values over autocracy, benevolence over bigotry, the Constitution over the cult, democracy over demagogues, economic opportunity over extremism, freedom over fascism, governing over gas-lighting, hopefulness over hatred, inclusion over isolation, justice over judicial overreach, knowledge over kangaroo courts, liberty over limitation, maturity over Mar-a-Lago, normalcy over negativity, opportunity over obstruction, people over politics, quality of life over QAnon, reason over racism, substance over slander, triumph over tyranny, understanding over ugliness, voting rights over voter suppression, working families over the well-connected, xenial over xenophobia, “Yes we can” over “You can do it” and zealous representation over zero-sum confrontation.” While the story of the 118^th Congress is just beginning, it is a moment of transition, and Hakeem Jeffries has already given the Democratic, Republican, and Independent voters much to consider for 2024.

What happens in Congress during the next two years of Republican control should concern all Americans. Individuals who support and sympathize with the reasons and purpose behind the Jan. 6 insurrection are not limited to the foot soldiers who vandalized the Capitol building. Supporters and sympathizers also include members of Congress whose power and influence have gone unchecked by Kevin McCarthy. In an interview, Michael Fanone, a former Washington D.C. Metropolitan police officer present at the Capitol on Jan. 6, said then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told him that he couldn’t “control” the fringe members of the GOP regarding their opinions of the insurrection. As a result of concessions made by McCarthy in exchange for the speakership, members who downplayed the reality of that day are now in line to have more representation on House committees, including the influential House Rules Committee. They can offer more amendments on the House floor. They can now create an investigative committee to probe the “weaponization “of the federal government. One of the most disturbing concessions allows any member to call for a motion to vacate the speaker’s chair. After days of begging, pleading, and bartering, the most rebellious group in the GOP controls the House speaker and the Republican Party. To avoid having a House speaker beholden to the most hardline Republicans, it would have taken only six moderate Republicans to switch their votes for Hakeem Jeffries.

The destruction to the Capitol building by rioters has since been repaired. Walls, doors, and windows can easily be fixed. But can the potential damage to Congress as an institution and functioning governing body be repaired as easily after the next two years? Or will two years become four years? In this toxic environment, it was never realistic to believe six Republicans would turn and support Jeffries as House speaker. After two years of chaos, thereby making the political contrasts even more apparent, it is not that hard to believe enough Democratic, Republican, and Independent voters will find a way to make Hakeem Jeffries House Speaker after the 2024 elections.

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.

Nov. 30, 2022
By Toni Odejimi

Senator Raphael Warnock poses with his supporters in Omni Coffee and Eggs. 
PHOTO: Toni Odejimi

Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from Howard University News Service

ATLANTA (HUNS) -- It was all about early voting again for Sen. Raphael Warnock who recently spoke at Omni Coffee and Eggs in Atlanta as a part of his “One More Time” runoff campaign.

This is especially true on the cusp of his lawsuit win against Georgia state officials. Warnock and the Democratic Party of Georgia filed a suit against the provision that prohibited early voting on Nov. 26, and won. This allowed for early voting to occur in various participating counties, like Rockdale, Cobb and Gwinnett. Douglas and DeKalb counties started early voting earlier in the week. Early voting across the state will begin on Monday.

Warnock was pretty candid that the Nov. 23rd event wasn’t to encourage the people standing in front of him to vote. No, he already knew they were going do that.

“I didn’t come this morning to convince y’all to vote,” Warnock explained. “I came to convince you to convince others.”

This push to re-energize voters came after the 2022 midterm elections saw Democratic candidates lose up and down the ballot. Even Eshé Collins, the chair of the Atlanta Board of Education, understood that some voters were feeling reluctant to hit the polls again. She stressed that voters, particularly the 18-35 and 65+ crowd, need to run it back and vote.

Despite the push to get voters back to the ballot box, Warnock’s supporters in attendance didn’t see this runoff as a time to despair. No, they saw it as a time for hope. They were aware of the voter fatigue, some of them even admitted that they have it. But, to Takara McGee, there’s quite literally no other choice.

“He has to win,” McGee said. “There’s no other choice as far as Black people, women.”

McGee was referring to Herschel Walker, who believes that abortion should be illegal regardless of the reason as he denies allegations from women that he has encouraged and paid for their abortions.

In his speech, Warnock maintained his stance on keeping politicians out of the abortion clinic. He also criticized Walker’s comments on how diabetes can be avoided with proper nutrition and exercise in reference to insulin pricing. Warnock has been pushing to reduce insulin’s cost, which he eventually did by lowering it to $35 for people covered under “traditional Medicare.”

But insulin and attacks at his contender aside, Warnock still holds faithful that he’ll win his reelection.

“We have a lot of momentum behind this race. And we’re going to win,” Warnock said.

Nevertheless, Davida Huntley, a Warnock supporter and former candidate in a school board election, said turnout for this year’s midterm was disappointing.

Huntley said more people should have turned out for early voting, especially with the money spent on campaigning, which she described as “deplorable.” Overall turnout in Georgia was 3.96 million, or 57 percent, of the 6.95 million registered voters, according to the Secretary of State. About 2.9 million voters cast early ballots in person.

Why are these voters not coming out? Huntley thinks it’s down to a lack of faith within the election system. And she has some words for that.

“Everything you do is political,” Huntley said. “There is no such thing as ‘I’m not political. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t affect me.’ If you’re living and breathing, if you have a heartbeat, you are a part of the political process. And as long as you’re of the correct age, you should participate.”

Toni Odejimi is a student at Georgia State University and reporter for HUNewsService.com. She is part of the election team and has been covering the Warnock-Walker race.