The Greene County Democrat

Category: Newswire

  • Newswire : Alabama Poor Peoples Campaign: State of Alabama drops charges against protestors for defacing Confederate monuments in Montgomery

     

    Pictured : Chalk on monument  and Jefferson Davis monument

    Rev. Carolyn Foster, Alabama Coordinator of the Poor People Campaign, A National Call for Moral Revival announced that the State of Alabama dismissed charges against 17 activists on the eve of their trial for tampering with and defacing Confederate monuments in Montgomery Alabama. “We are elated at this great victory for protestors arrested in weeks 4 and 6 of our forty days of moral witness of the Poor People’s Campaign in June of this year,” said Foster. Eight protestors were arrested on June 4, 2018 for tampering with the statue of Jefferson Davis, in front of the State Capitol in Montgomery, Alabama. After the Poor People Campaign held a rally in support of Medicaid expansion on the steps of the State Capitol, the eight protestors threw a sheet over the statue to symbolize Davis’ connection to the Klu Klux Klan. The protestors then squeezed catsup on to the sheet and statue to symbolize the bloodshed caused by the Confederacy, white supremacy and continuing racism. Monday, June 4 was the first business day after Jefferson Davis’ birthday on June 3. The State of Alabama is the last remaining state that observes Davis’ birthday as a state holiday, so state offices were closed that day. Two weeks later on June 18, nine protestors were arrested for throwing colored chalk on the Confederate Memorial, also on the grounds of the State Capitol. The 17 protestors were part of over 3,000 people arrested nationwide for peaceful civil disobedience in connection with the Poor Peoples Campaign. The group was scheduled to go to trail on Monday. October 1, 2018 in Montgomery Circuit Court before the cases were abruptly dismissed by state prosecutors on Friday. The group was preparing a classic “free speech defense” of their actions before the dismissal of charges made it unnecessary. Rev. Foster concluded her press release by saying, :”We must continue to work for equity and justice. There are a number of ways to become actively involved and stand up against systemic racism, systemic poverty, militarism, ecological devastation and confront today’s distorted moral narrative. Somebody’s hurting our brothers and sisters and we won’t be silent anymore !” Contact the Alabama Poor People Campaign for more information.

  • Newswire :  The unfulfilled power of the Black vote

     News Analysis By: Dr. Ron Daniels

     

     

    Black voting protest

    (TriceEdneyWire.com) – For decades I have been hammering home the point that in a low voter participation environment, the group that effectively educates, mobilizes and organizes its voters to turn-out on election day will wield power disproportionate to its numbers in the overall electorate. Put another way, a relatively small group that registers and turns out a high percentage of its potential voters will exercise greater influence than a much larger group that fails to register and turn-out a high percentage of its potential voters. This is a Daniels political axiom. And, as Frank Watkins, Advisor to Rev. Jesse Jackson puts it, “a organized minority is a political majority.” The United States has the lowest voter participation rate of any of the western democracies. I have suggested somewhat facetiously that the biggest political party in the U.S. is not the Democrats or Republicans but non-voters. A voter turn-out in this country in the range of 50-55% of the eligible electorate is hailed by political commentators as spectacular. This is absolutely abysmal when compared to western democracies where voter turn-out is routinely 80% or better. But, the reality of this low voter participation environment creates a major opportunity for Black voters to exercise power disproportionate to our numbers in the electorate. We may be out-numbered by Whites, but a large percentage of Whites don’t bother to vote. It is not by accident that Republicans are openly implementing polices to suppress or disenfranchise Black voters. They fear the Black vote. The forces of reaction realize that if Blacks maximize voter registration and mobilize/organize large voter turn-outs, it is a threat to their retrograde agenda. Rev. Jesse L. Jackson has relentlessly urged Black folks to register and vote in massive numbers to maximize our political power. At a session during the recent Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference, he shared data that illuminates the unfulfilled power of the Black vote. He noted that there are still 8 million Blacks who are not registered to vote, 4 million in the South. In 2016 some 2.5 million Blacks, who were registered, failed to vote in an election which was determined by less than 100,000 votes total in key battleground states with a large concentration of Black voters! Rev. Jackson’s point is that a potent key to political resistance and transformation is in Black hands, the ballot. The challenge is to organize/mobilize and turn-out the unorganized, Black people who, for whatever reason, do not believe that voting matters as a means of changing their lives. There is increasing evidence that a new generation of Black leaders, particularly women and young people, understand the potential of the Black vote as foundational to coalitions that can beat back the conservative tide of Trumpism by advancing people-centered, progressive policies. Stacey Abrams has an excellent chance to become the first Black Governor of Georgia by educating and inspiring hundreds of thousands of unregistered, “improbable” Black voters to register and turn-out in massive numbers on election day. Ben Jealous has launched a grassroots campaign to employ the same formula in Maryland. The polls in Boston showed Ayanna Pressley trailing long term Congressman Michael Capuano by 10 points among “probable” voters in the Democratic Primary. She won by more than 10 points because she organized/mobilized the unorganized; the improbable voters showed up in massive numbers as the anchor of her progressive coalition. Rev. Jackson points out that in Florida Andrew Gillum, who shocked the pundits by winning the Democratic primary for Governor, can win because there are more than 1.8 million Blacks who are eligible to register in that state coupled with more than 300,000 recently arrived Puerto Ricans who fled the Island in the wake of Hurricane Maria. When the improbable voters from these constituencies are energized to march on the ballot box, there is a very high probability that Gillum will become the first African American Governor of Florida. It is important to note that in the instances cited above, only 15 percent – 20 percent of forward-thinking White voters are needed to achieve victory. The Daniels’ Axiom applies: In a low voter participation environment, where large numbers of Whites will remain unregistered or will not vote, all that is required is for the unorganized, the improbable voters in the Black community and our allies to mobilize/organize and turn-out in massive numbers to achieve victory! So, the mandate is clear; Black leaders must devise strategies to educate, motivate, inspire and energize millions of unregistered, improbable Black voters to burst into the arena to become the cornerstone of progressive coalitions. These coalitions of the improbable have the potential to fundamentally alter the political landscape in the U.S. by ushering in an era of resistance to Trumpism and more importantly advancing progressive policies which can create a new America! Dr. Ron Daniels is President of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century and Distinguished Lecturer Emeritus, York College City University of New York. Dr. Daniels can be reached via email at info@ibw21.org

  • Newswire : Betsy DeVos slammed for wanting to use ESSA funds to purchase guns in school

     By Lauren Poteat, NNPA Washington Correspondent

    parents protesting guns in schools

    After the unveiling of explosive reports where U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, openly considered allowing schools to use federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) funding, to purchase firearms and provide firearm training to educators, members of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (TLC) have stepped in with an open letter to the same administrator—in protest. Comprised of over 200 national organizations working together to promote and protect civil and human rights of all people, the open TLC letter was released on Sep. 17, demanding that “the department immediately publicly clarify, that ESSA funds could not be used for weapons.” “On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights… we write to share our significant concern regarding the Department’s reported contemplation of the use of Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants provided to states under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for purchasing firearms and firearms training for school staff,” the letter stated. Questioning the department’s intent, the letter further went on to the explore the risks of increased violence that this option could potentially cause. “The Department’s consideration of this use for the funding is inconsistent with both congressional intent and evidence-based educational practices, working against ESSA’s purpose to ‘provide all children significant opportunity to receive a fair, equitable, and high-quality education, and to close achievement gaps.’ Having more firearms in schools would expose children and school staff to a greater risk of gun violence and make everyone in schools less safe,” the letter continued. Since issuing these statements in late August, that were said to be sparked by requests from Texas and Oklahoma to tap into federal money to pay for “school marshals, Devos has ultimately left the decision to local districts to decide on how they would like to use the ESSA grant money. In her letter to Congress, DeVos stated that she would not take “any action concerning the purchase of firearms or firearms training for school staff,” however, Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League and a member of TLC, reflected that an ‘option’ such as this, should have never even been presented. “This is whole idea is just lousy and makes no sense,” Morial said. “ESSA money should be used to by books and give disadvantaged youth a chance at better education. African Americans already face large amounts of gun violence outside of school, so to even propose such an idea is an added insult to injury.” “School should be a safe haven for students and there is not one scant of evidence that shows children are safer around guns. The National Urban League does not want or support this,” Morial continued. In agreement with TLC’s belief that ESSA funding should not be used to support guns in school, last week the state of New York issued their own memo to school district leaders, stating that they would not allow schools to use federal or state money to buy guns. “We simply cannot afford to use federal education dollars that are intended for teaching and learning to pay for weapons that will compromise our schools and communities,” New York Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia wrote. In a report done by CNN, Black Americans (particularly males), were shown to be more likely to die and to be involved with gun violence over their White counterparts, a startling statistic that the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund (LDF), an legal organization devoted to fighting for racial justice,fears might spill into the classroom, should states actively pursue such an option. “We need the department of education to immediately and publicly clarify, that ESSA funds cannot be used for weapons,” Nicole Dooley, a LDF general counsel member said. “The only thing that this option will do is place more students at risk, especially African Americans, who experience implicit bias daily. The purpose of ESSA is to improve educational opportunities, not to create more dangerous practices.”

  • Newswire : Lawyer argues his client cannot get fair trial with Confederate monument outside Louisiana courthouse

     By: Associated Press

     Ronnie Anderson, left, an African-American man charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, stands with his lawyer Niles Haymer in front of a confederate statue on the lawn of the East Feliciana Parish Courthouse, in Clinton, LA. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) –

    NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A legal argument has been revived in Louisiana over whether a Black defendant can get a fair trial in a courthouse where a Confederate monument is displayed. Niles Haymer, a lawyer for defendant Ronnie Anderson, says the answer is no. He released copies Tuesday of his new motion to have Anderson’s case moved out of state court in the city of Clinton, where a Confederate monument stands outside the East Feliciana Parish Courthouse. But that same judge also threw out a serious firearms charge against Anderson. District Attorney Sam D’Aquilla has now filed a new felony charge against Anderson, involving illegal possession of a stolen firearm. That gives Haymer an opportunity to renew his argument that the 30-foot-high (9-meter-high) monument — a soldier on a pedestal erected in 1909 during the Jim Crow era — signals that a Black defendant cannot get a fair trial in East Feliciana Parish, which is about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Baton Rouge. “Defendant contends that this Confederate Monument is not just memorializing the Confederacy but revering the Confederacy and what it stood for, right in front of the very place that African Americans go to seek fairness and impartiality in the court system,” his motion reads. D’Aquilla confirmed in an email that he has filed the new felony charge. Asked to comment on Haymer’s new motion, he said he has commented in the past and his position hasn’t changed. Last month, he said it is “ridiculous” to think a statue would affect the fairness of Anderson’s trial. He said he doesn’t have an opinion on the statue, but regardless of whether it’s there the people inside strive for colorblind justice. A database compiled by the Southern Poverty Law Center lists 11 other Confederate monuments at Louisiana courthouses. In northwest Louisiana’s Caddo Parish, the governing body has voted to remove a Confederate monument from courthouse grounds. A lawsuit seeking to prevent removal is pending at a federal appeals court in New Orleans. Confederate flags and monuments have come under renewed scrutiny following the 2015 shooting by Dylann Roof of nine black churchgoers in South Carolina and the 2017 deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Supporters say the statues are a part of history honoring their ancestors; detractors say they, in effect, honor slavery and in many cases were erected during the Jim Crow era to intimidate Black people and bolster white supremacy

  • Newswire :  Michelle Obama co-chairs ‘When We All Vote’

     By: Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA

    Michelle Obama

    When We All Vote, a non-partisan organization inspiring voter turnout in the run up to Election Day in November, is working on a National Week of Action. Former First Lady Michelle Obama is serving as a co-chair. “When We All Vote, we get new ideas and new energy. We get leaders that share our values” says Mrs. Obama in a new commercial running on prominent digital platforms and on radio across the U.S. The commercial will air over the 14 days before voter registration deadlines. On September 20, When We All Vote launched a text message campaign allowing people to text WeAllVote to 97779 for voter registration information. The 2018 cycle has been propelled by two elements: Dislike of President Donald Trump and a record number of women running for office.According to NBC News, there were 53 female Senate candidates, previous record was 40 in 2016, and 476 female House candidates, with the previous record being 298 in 2012.Among the 476 women who ran for a seat in the U.S. House, about 75 percent were Democrats. Over 52 percent of Democratic House female candidates won their primary races. There percentage was higher than for Democratic men or Republican women.The 2018 election cycle is expected to be a record one for female candidates. Backlash to Trump’s presidency is widely seen as one of the main reasons as his disapprovals climb higher. When We All Vote is planning a Week of Action in which volunteers will host nearly 2000 events across the U.S.The purpose of the events will be to register voters and recruit volunteers. When We All Vote previously announced that Michelle Obama will headline events during a Week of Action in Las Vegas on Sept. 23 and Miami on Sept. 28. Along with the former First Lady, other Co-Chairs: Janelle Monae, Chris Paul, Tom Hanks and Faith Hill, will lead flagship events along with Loni Love, Keegan-Michael Key and Shonda Rhimes. When We All Vote arrives as part of several efforts to spike voter turnout in a crucial “off-year” election at a time when voting numbers have increased dramatically when compared to the previous off-year cycle.

  • Newswire : Kenyan runner sets new world record for Marathon

     

    Runner E. Kipchoge in center

    Sept. 18, 2018 (GIN) – The fastest man in the world – Kenyan track star Eliud Kipchoge – not only held onto his title but broke his own record at the Marathon held this week in Berlin. President Uhuru Kenyatta led Kenyans in congratulating compatriots Eliud Kipchoge and Gladys Cherono who retained their respective Marathon titles. “Congratulations my friend Eliud Kipchoge for breaking the World Marathon Record. Proud of you brother,” Harambee Stars captain Victor Wanyama tweeted. Kipchoge smashed the previous world record by compatriot Dennis Kimetto by a massive one minutes and 16 seconds, clocking 2 hours, 01 minute and 39 seconds , setting a new world record and cutting his own personal best by well over a minute. The 33-year-old had won twice before in Berlin. For a man who has the world at his feet, wrote the Kenyan paper Standard Media, Eliud Kipchoge is not your ordinary celebrity. At his Kapsisiywa village in Nandi County, Kipchoge loves herding cattle. He also likes joining in the banter at the shopping center when he is not at the training camp. He is also frequently seen in Eldoret, where he lives at the upmarket Elgon View Estate, and his humility is noticeable. He said he did not see why money should change the character of an athlete who has won half a million dollars. “An athlete with that much in his bank account can brag, but the uneducated farmer who uses the same amount to plant wheat in one season is not even noticed as he walks in town,” he said. At the training camp in Kaptagat, Kipchoge joins fellow athletes – some of them low-profile runners – in the daily cleaning routine, including toilets. “It was a performance so far superior to anything we’ve seen before that comparing it to another marathon feels inadequate,” the running-news website LetsRun.com said of Kipchoge’s new record. “This was Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in basketball, Usain Bolt’s 9.58 in the 100-meter dash.” “Kipchoge’s run was so remarkable it’s hard to give it its proper due,” said LetsRun.com. “In today’s age of hyperbole, this run deserves every accolade said about it. The lower the world record gets, the harder it is to be broken, and the less it should be broken by. Yet Eliud Kipchoge just broke the world record by more than any man in the last 41 years, and he ran the last 10 miles by himself.” In a recent profile in The New York Times, Scott Cacciola called Kipchoge a “philosopher-king of marathons” who has been quoted to say: ‘Only the disciplined ones in life are free. If you are undisciplined, you are a slave to your moods and your passions.’ And: ‘It’s not about the legs; it’s about the heart and the mind.’ And: “The best time to plant a tree was 25 years ago. The second-best time to plant a tree is today.” Kipchoge said modestly: “I am really grateful, happy to smash the world record.” Kipchoge will receive $139,614 for his performance on Sunday, which includes a bonus for keeping his time below two hours and four minutes. He holds a diploma in human resource management and plans to join university. He is a dairy and tea farmer as well as a real estate investor.

  • Newswire: Three African-Americans running for Governor in three states

    By Reginald Stuart, Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from the Richmond Free Press

    Three candidates for Governor (TriceEdneyWire.com) – President Trump has angered and mobilized voters across the nation to the point that many have been challenged to turn out en masse this fall to register and vote for candidates who reject his oft time bitter rhetoric. For sure, Black Americans have clinched historic roles in the battle to halt and reverse President Trump’s agenda, with a record three African-American candidates running for governor this November in three states — Florida, Georgia and Maryland. Each is trying to return their state’s governorship to Democratic control. In the process, political analysts said, the three contenders represent a new chapter for the Democratic Party. They reflect the emerging leadership that is younger, more female, broadly diverse and socially progressive, according to analysts. With the exception of Maryland, their Republican opponents are hard-line Trump supporters, dissenting from his agenda quietly when they do. “All of these candidates are pragmatic progressives,” said Emory University political science professor Andra Gillespie, a Richmond area native who earned her degree at the University of Virginia. “They are hoping to present plans to address the economic anxieties of the average working family.” All three gubernatorial contests present distinct challenges to the contenders, regardless of party, based on the views of political analysts.In Florida, where Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum scored a surprise win in last week’s Democratic Party primary, the challenge is stitching together party leaders who all endorsed him after the primary contest, then raising interest among others. Gillum won only 34 percent of the vote to clinch the party nomination. He has to build from there. In Georgia, where Spelman College graduate and tax lawyer Stacey Abrams swept the Democratic primary decisively, winning 70 percent of the votes, the challenge is to continue her impressive campaign to register more historically unregistered voters and to get out the vote by knocking on doors house by house. As for champions backing her cause, Abrams, a former Georgia state legislator, has the support of former President Obama and civil rights icon and Georgia Congressman John Lewis. The Maryland contest, pitting former national NAACP chief Ben Jealous against current GOP Gov. Larry Hogan, presents a different set of tough challenges, analysts said. Not only did Jealous divide the Democratic vote to win the primary, he defeated Rushern Baker, chief executive of heavily Democratic Prince George’s County and one of Maryland’s most respected Democrats with a history in state government. Gov. Hogan had marginal competition in the Republican primary despite his repeated criticism of President Trump and solid opposition to most of Trump’s agenda. Gov. Hogan, a former Howard County executive, has enjoyed high bipartisan ratings during his four years of working with a Democratic-controlled state legislature. Jealous lacks strong broad-based Democratic support and trails Gov. Hogan by a long distance in fundraising. “They have a governor who is really popular in the state,” said Bowie State University government professor William Lewis. Gov. Hogan has been “very cautious” not to disrupt the civil, bipartisan relationship between leaders of the two political parties. All three gubernatorial candidates have plugged into the national network of African-American sororities, fraternities and other civic and social organizations to raise money for campaigns that could land them in the history books of their states. Former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, who in November 1989 became the first elected African-American governor in the nation, could not be reached to discuss the three new candidates. But political scientists who have followed Wilder’s career and public service offered some comparisons. Wilder, a longtime state senator who was elected Virginia’s lieutenant governor in 1985, was a seasoned politician who learned and earned political footing with years of public service, political scientists said. The record of service and his high profile in the state’s capital city made him easier to accept as the state’s leader, they said. Before his bid for governor, he had proven leadership skills and was a fiscal conservative, much like his Republican predecessors, analysts said. Also, the political climate in Virginia was more tolerant then than it is today, they said, attributing the souring climate to President Trump. “The younger generation of Blacks are beginning to percolate,” said historian Alvin Thornell, a veteran political scientist who spent decades at Howard University. “The older Whites have become inactive as illustrated in the recent political contests in New York and Massachusetts. They just were aging and dropping out.” The Democratic effort this election season will hinge on “New Deal” Democrats returning to the ranks as they did in the 1960, and the candidates’ and party’s success in recruiting and getting new voters to the polls, Dr. Thornell and other analysts said. They estimated nearly one-third of traditional Democrats have become conservative Republicans or dropped from political participation. This loss must be made up with new registration and participation efforts, like that launched in Georgia by Ms. Abrams.“All of these candidates see whites as part of their coalition,” said Dr. Gillespie, noting that Democrats need to build from the ancestors of traditional Democrats, continue courting Latino voters and register and get to the polls people who have not voted in the past.

  • Newswire: Waters: Trump would rather put children in cages than prepare nation for natural disasters

     

     

    Congresswoman Maxine Waters

    (D-CA) WASHINGTON D. C, — In response to the recent release of documents showing the transfer of $9.8 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) emergency preparedness funding to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for its detention centers, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), made the following statement: “The Trump Administration’s transfer of $9.8 million in FEMA emergency preparedness funding to ICE for its detention centers at the beginning of this year’s hurricane season is a travesty. This President is more interested in cruel policies that put children in cages and separate them from their parents than ensuring that our nation is prepared for natural disasters. “To make matters worse, on the eve of another major hurricane’s expected landfall, Trump is trafficking in despicable conspiracy theories and denying the devastating death toll in Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. Every day, Trump shows the American people just how unfit he is to be President.” As a 2018 National Preparedness Month Congressional Co-Chair, Ranking Member Waters is working to raise awareness of the importance of flood insurance and other forms of emergency and disaster preparedness. Additionally, she has continued her efforts to push for a long-term reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), that ensures the affordability and availability of flood insurance. Most recently, she was selected to serve on the 2018 Farm Bill Conference Committee, where she urged her colleagues to protect Section 12609 of the 2018 Farm Bill, which would extend NFIP through January 31, 2019. She has also expressed longstanding concerns about NFIP’s stability and the need to improve FEMA’s flood maps. See her September 2017 op-ed on NFIP at her website. In 2014, Waters led bipartisan legislation to provide homeowners with flood insurance rate relief. The law struck an important balance between addressing affordability concerns, bringing accountability to FEMA, and protecting the financial stability of the NFIP.

  • Newswire: CBCF Phoenix Awards Dinner revives political titans of Black America

    By Hamil R. Harris

    Rev. William Barber, keynote speaker and Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. and his wife, Jacqueline, receives the Phoenix Award for Lifetime Achievement from CBCF Board Chair Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas); U. S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and U. S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill) PHOTO: Roy Lewis/Trice Edney News Wire

     

    (TriceEdneyWire.com) – The Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference concluded with the 48th Annual Phoenix Awards Saturday night. But, before the night ended, the event felt more like a political revival meeting where the titans of Black America challenged to pick up the baton of service and sacrifice. “So this is not the time for us to not know who we are,” preached the Rev. William Barber, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, in his keynote speech to the applauding audience of thousands. “James Baldwin said it like this: We made the world and we are the ones who are going to have to make it over. We don’t belong to a people who shrink back when times get tough. America needs a conscious. We need it in the streets. We need it in the Congress. We need it at the ballot box!” At the end of his speech, Barber responded to the oft-heard use of the word, “socialism” in describing the beliefs of politicians and rights leaders who believe in helping the poor. He said, “If caring for people is socialism than the constitution is a socialist document…Jesus was a socialist…If caring for people is socialism then bailing out businesses is wreckless social behavior. We must be the conscious of this nation otherwise the soul of this nation will be fatally wounded…Our vision must be bigger than Trump, our vision must be to save this nation.” Recalling the rolls of historic civil rights patriots, Barber concluded, “Fannie Lou hammer is not coming back…Martin is not coming back….Malcolm is not coming back….It’s our time.” The dinner, themed “The Dream Demands,” was hosted by actress /producer Vivica A. Fox and actor/activist Lamman Rucker who narrated the program that honored Civil Rights veterans, the icons of Black America and the new members of Congress who are people of color. The glitzy, black-tie event, held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, is the political equivalent to the Oscars with the political, civic and social stars of the Black community. But the dinner was transformed into church with Rev. Barber’s speech, titled “Knowing Who We Are In Times Like These.” Barber began with advice on Black America’s response to President Donald Trump. He said, “Whatever Donald Trump’s mental status, don’t just focus on him. America has never had the ability to talk about racism and White supremacy.” Reflecting on Dr. Martin Luther Kings’s April 3, 1968 “I Have Been to the Mountain Top” speech that took place in Memphis on the eve of the assassination, Barber said many people focus on the hoop and not the “gravy,” in what King said. “Dr. King looked at the sickness of our society and he said nothing would be more tragic than to turn back now.” Early in the program, the Caucus had a video tribute to some of the icons of Black America who died in the last year. The list included: former Congressman Ronald Dellums, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Winnie Mandela, Rev. Wyatt T. Walker, Roger Wilson, Joe Jackson, Journalist Les Payne, Ebony Magazine Editor Lerone Bennett and Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul. Speaking of Dellums, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Ca.) told the gathering, “Ron embodied service. He was a former Marine, a psychiatric social worker. He loved the CBC with all of his heart.” The Awards included: Georgia Gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, former minority leader (Georgia House of Representatives) received the Adam Clayton Powell Award for her “groundbreaking accomplishments as a legislator at the local and national levels.” Bryan Stevenson, lawyer, social justice activist, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, and a clinical professor at New York University School of Law received the ALC Co-Chair’s Award. Lee Porter, executive director of the Fair Housing Council, received the ALC Co-Chair’s Award for her “exemplary leadership in community advocacy.” Aretha Franklin received the John R. Lewis Award of Courage for setting the highest standard of dedication, ability and creativity. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Mi.) honored Franklin and the niece and nephew of the Queen of Soul accepted the award. Lewis said “Aretha Franklin was one of a kind, without her the Civil Rights movement would have been a bird without wings.” Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. and his wife, Jacqueline, received the CBCF Chair’s Lifetime Achievement Award. During the Jackson presentation, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) said “I don’t care how many times we have done it before, we are going to honor him again and again because he deserves it.” Rep. Shelia Jackson, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, said “For me, Rev. Jackson and Sister Jackson are American and International Heroes.” Rep. Bobby Rush said, “Thank you Rev. Jackson for saving my life.” Rush added that had it not been for Jackson running for President in 1984 and 1988, there would not have been a Chicago Mayor Harold Washington nor a President Barack Obama. Jackson told the audience “Our best days are ahead,” and “Let nothing break your spirit.” Mrs. Jackson offered practical advice that included, “Leave room in your life for God to manage all of your shortcomings.” \