The Greene County Democrat

Category: Newswire

  • Publishers’ granddaughter celebrates wedding – Mr. & Mrs. Donald Fondel, Jr.

    Cf wedding.jpgCydney Lauren Chatters and Donald Wayne Fondel, Jr., both of Lake Charles, LA, were united in Holy Matrimony on Saturday, September 2, 2017 at St. Augustine Catholic Church in New Orleans, LA. Cydney’s Maids of Honor were her sisters, Jodi and Drew Chatters. Donald’s brother David Fondel and friend Joseph Gallien, served as Best Men. Chase Zippert was Ring Bearer and Ava Alfred was Flower Girl. The wedding party included eight bridesmaids and accompanying groomsmen.

    Cydney is the daughter of Rachel Zippert Chatters and Benard Chatters of Lake Charles, LA. Donald is the son of Brenda and Donald Fondel, Sr., also of Lake Charles, LA. Grandparents of the groom are Mr. & Mrs. Clarence Mayes and the late Mr. & Mrs. Marion Fondel, Sr. Grandparents of the bride are Mr. & Mrs. Maynard T. Chatters, Sr. and John and Carol Zippert, Publishers of the Greene County Democrat.

    Cydney is a Pre-Med graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana and is currently a medical school student at William Carey University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Hattiesburg, MS. Donald received his B.S. Degree in Health Science from Dillard University, New Orleans, LA, and his Master’s Degree in Public Health fromTulane University, New Orleans, LA. He is currently employed with Cheniere Energy, Cameron, LA, as Environmental Health and Safety Specialist. Donald is a Certified Safety Specialist (CSP) from the American National Standards Institute.

  • Newswire : Congress must pass a $150 Billion Hurricane Harvey Emergency Relief package say Black Congressional Caucus members

    By Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18) and Rep. Al Green (TX-09)

    cbcgulfcoast_composite_web120-400x250
     Congress-persons Al Green, Bennie Thompson and Shiela Jackson Lee
    Historically, during times of national emergency, Americans unite to meet the challenge. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina altered the lives of thousands of Americans throughout Louisiana and Mississippi, damaging cities that have not been the same since. But, no matter our differences, we as a country have always come together in the face of tragedy. Now, it is time we act in unison once more.
    Since August 25, the city of Houston along with Harris and Fort Bend counties, have felt the effects of Hurricane Harvey. The unprecedented storm dumped an estimated 11 trillion gallons of water on just Houston alone. First responders, emergency personnel and the U.S. National and Coast Guards along with hundreds of volunteers, were on the frontlines of the battle ensuring all those affected by Harvey were safe and dry.
    As the natural disaster travels towards Louisiana and Mississippi, we ask for our great country to continue to stand with one another by volunteering, sending donations, and praying that for strength, hope and perseverance to weather this storm.
    Hundreds of people of color have been affected by the storm already. If anyone would like to lend a helping hand to the relief effort through donations, we are asking you give to local organizations that focus on people of color such as: The Black Women’s Defense League, Raices, ICNA Relief, BlackAmericaWeb.com Relief Fund or the South Texas Human Rights Center. Any contribution will be greatly received as we ask Congress and President Donald Trump to provide immediate emergency funding and resources to deal with the crisis at hand. We believe at least $150 billion will be needed just to aid Texas residents in reconstruction, with much more needed later as the storm continues to travel the Gulf Coast.
    In addition, Southeast Texas needs funding for storm surge protection research, just as New York and New Jersey received following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy.
    Congress should pass an aid package not only to help the people of Texas, but to also provide an assurance to the American people that their government will be there for them in a time of crisis. This legislative package should not be weighed down in political rhetoric and partisanship. Instead, it should be aimed at helping as many people affected by Harvey as possible.
    It is essential for the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to conduct a full and complete assessment of the entire Gulf Coast region’s infrastructure capabilities when it comes to flooding. Time and time again, we have seen our region suffer from hurricanes, and we must take steps to prevent another city from struggling to rebuild.
    Americans from around the country have offered themselves in service to help their fellow citizens. Now, we as Members of Congress must do the same. The best way for us to do so is with a comprehensive emergency funding package. Volunteers, first responders and so many others have stepped up to the plate, now it is up to us to hit the ball out of the park.
    When Congress goes back into session, let’s pass this package without unnecessary political debates. The people of the Gulf Coast are depending on us.
    Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) and Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) represent Gulf Coast residents. They are all members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

  • Newswire : Treasury Secretary Mnuchin brushes aside questions about whether Harriet Tubman will appear on the $20 bill

    Harriet Tubman on $20 bill

    By Igor Bobic, Huffington Post

    WASHINGTON ― Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Thursday declined to support the idea of replacing President Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill with anti-slavery icon Harriet Tubman.
    “Ultimately, we’ll be looking at this issue,” Mnuchin said during an interview on CNBC. “It’s not something that I’m focused on at the moment.”
    Mnuchin said “the number one issue” the Treasury Department is concerned with is preventing the counterfeiting of U.S. currency, adding that any potential changes to denominations are “primarily related” to security concerns.
    Asked about the cultural significance of persons who appear on U.S. notes, Mnuchin demurred once more.
    “This is something we’ll consider,” he said. “Right now we have a lot more important issues to focus on.”
    Jack Lew, who served as Treasury secretary under President Barack Obama’s administration, announced the planned change to the front of the $20 bill in April 2016. He said the back of the bill would feature an image of the White House as well as an image of Jackson, the nation’s seventh president.
    Lew also announced that the movement to give women the right to vote would be featured on the back of the $10 bill and that the designs of the new bills would be revealed by 2020, marking the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
    During the campaign, candidate Donald Trump called the move to replace Jackson on the $20 bill “pure political correctness.”
    “I think Harriet Tubman is fantastic, but I would love to leave Andrew Jackson or see if we can maybe come up with another denomination,” he said.
    Subscribe to thewill Trump’s administration
    Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) responded to Mnuchin’s comment Thursday, tweeting that he should “commit to this popular effort that has bipartisan support.”
    Women on 20s, the nonprofit campaign leading the push to put a woman on the $20 by 2020, said it was “confident” that Mnuchin would discover that changing the face of the bill is in the nation’s best interest.
    “Security is mostly embodied in the advanced innovations in paper and ink that our money is printed on, not in the faces we choose to honor,” said Barbara Ortiz Howard, the group’s founder. “Including women on our currency can enhance our standing as a nation by bringing us together instead of tearing us apart.”
    A Treasury Department spokesperson did not elaborate on Mnuchin’s comments, noting that an updated $20 bill isn’t scheduled to be in circulation until 2026 at the earliest.
    Other political observers in Washington, D. C. suggested that this was another opportunity for the Trump Administration to reverse a decision of the Obama Administration and dampen his legacy.

  • Newswire : Trump selects ‘climate crisis skeptic’ Sam Clovis to be chief scientist at USDA

    By: Center for Food Safety

    Sam Clovis

    Sam Clovis

    In yet another attack on science, President Trump has nominated Sam Clovis — an Iowa radio talk show host with no scientific or agricultural background and a history of making racist, sexist, and homophobic remarks — to be the chief scientist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
    Clovis is an admitted climate change “skeptic”, saying that climate science is “junk science” and “not proven.” The Center says that farmers need USDA to help them address and adapt to a changing climate, not stick its head in the sand. We all know agriculture has a big role to play in being a solution to climate change, but that won’t happen with Clovis at the helm of scientific research.
    The position Clovis has been nominated for oversees a budget of nearly $3 billion and is responsible for agriculture and natural resource issues. The Farm Bill requires that the person in this position be a scientist, stating that the nominee “shall be appointed by the President . . . from among distinguished scientists with specialized training or significant experience in agricultural research, education, and economics.” The Center and other Washington ‘think-tank groups’ say, “He’s not an agricultural scientist, nor is he an agricultural economist. In short, he is simply not qualified for this position.”
    To make matters worse, Clovis has a history of making racist, sexist, and homophobic remarks. Clovis has made racist remarks about former President Obama, former Attorney General Eric Holder, former Labor Secretary Tom Perez, and Van Jones, among others; sexist remarks about House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and all Democratic women; and compared protecting marriage equality and LGBTQ rights to protecting pedophilia.
    The USDA proclaims that is serves farmers of all races, genders, and sexual orientations but this appointment goes against that spirit says the Center for Food Safety. They are urging all farmers to contact their members of the U. S. Senate to vote against the appointment of Sam Clovis to this critical position.

  • Newswire : Africa’s floods largely go unnoticed despite higher death toll

     

    Africa flood.jpg Women wades through flood waters in Niamey, Niger, west Africa

    Sep. 5, 2017 (GIN) – “Floods in Africa in August killed 25 times more people than Hurricane Harvey did.”

    That was the headline of a recent story in Quartz online by Lagos-based writer Yomi Kazeem. “Like severe floods in southern Asia, the disasters in Africa have been largely under-reported compared to similar events in Houston where Hurricane Harvey, a once in a “500-year storm” has wreaked havoc,” wrote Kazeem.

    Across Texas, 50 people have been reported dead due to the tropical storm but across Africa, intense rains and mudslides killed at least 1,240 people in August, he pointed out.

    Besides the mudslide in Sierra Leone, destructive floods have been reported in Niamey, Niger’s capital city. Last week, thousands of people in Niamey were advised to evacuate their homes following severe flooding. Back in May, the United Nations had warned that more than 100,000 people were at risk of the flooding and so far this year, the death toll has topped 40 people. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed forcing stranded residents to take shelter in local schools.

    In Ituri, DR Congo, over 200 people are believed to have died after a mudslide hit a fishing village in mid-August. At the time, Pacifique Keta, deputy governor of the northeastern province, said rescue operations were “complicated” given the mountainous terrain of the area and the continued adverse weather. Like in Freetown, residents in the area have mushroomed on steep hillsides over the years worsening the effects of floods.

    Similarly, in Benue, a state in Nigeria’s middle belt, more than 110,000 people have been displaced in after intense rains. In addition to thousands of homes, local markets and government offices were badly affected by the flood, according to the state emergency agency.

    While President Muhammadu Buhari says he’s received reports of the flood with “great concern” and has ordered relief efforts, very little has been forthcoming. Collins Uma, a Benue-based writer says most of the relief efforts made available so far are down to the “efforts of individuals and groups, not the government.”

    The floods in Benue are also not a new event. “This happens every year and will likely happen next year, but the government pays lip service to it,” Benue-based writer Collins Uma tells Quartz. “If we had working drainage systems, this would not happen.”

    Climate scientists have been warning for several years that global warming is contributing the rise of the oceans and the intensification of major storms, like hurricanes, typhoons and other natural phenomenon.

  • Newswire : Rev. Al Sharpton rallies 1,000 Ministers for historic Interfaith March On Washington

    It was held on the anniversary of the day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.

    By Lilly Workneh, Black Voices Senior Editor, HuffPost

     

    1,000 Ministers March
    1,000 Ministers March

    The Rev. Al Sharpton helped to rally 1,000 ministers for a march on Washington on Monday, which he said marks one of the largest interfaith gatherings to protest racism in America.
    The daylong Ministers March For Justice, which represents people of all religious backgrounds including Christians, Muslims, Jews and other faith-based communities, began at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and end outside of the Justice Department. Sharpton, who is leading the effort through his nonprofit organization the National Action Network, said it deliberately falls on the 54th anniversary of the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, during which King delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech calling for widespread racial equality.
    “In Dr. King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, he talked about voting rights, health care, criminal justice and economic injustice,” Sharpton told HuffPost. “All four of these areas are at risk.”

    The march is a direct response to the dangerous ways that Sharpton says President Donald Trump has embraced racism, and it intends to call out how Trump has further emboldened white supremacists. Sharpton, a longtime civil rights activist who has frequently spoken out against Trump in the past, said he is outraged at the ways the president and his administration have tried to roll back the civil rights progress America has made over the decades.
    Sharpton also shared his own grievances with religious groups, expressing dissatisfaction with the level of action faith-based communities have collectively taken to confront Trump and his administration. He says it’s one reason why this march marks a significant moment in the resistance.
    “The purpose of the march is to really put front and center leaders in the faith community that have not really made a real dramatic statement about the moral outrage that we’re looking at now in terms of the embrace of white supremacy and anti-Semitism,” Sharpton said.
    The march went through Washington, D.C., where the group made a brief stop outside of the Trump Hotel in the city to join in prayer. While Sharpton said he doesn’t expect Trump to embrace their message, he said, “We expect everyone in the Congress and Cabinet to say, ‘This we can’t scoff at.’”

    Sharpton has led countless marches in the past, but he said Monday’s gathering will mark a historic moment as hundreds within the interfaith community will march through Washington in the name of civil rights. While many have criticized the effectiveness of marching as a means of protest, Sharpton said that it is not the only method of protesting and that he is far from the only civil rights advocate pushing for racial equality. Although strategies and personal attitudes around activism in the black community vary, Sharpton said that there is nothing wrong with “a respectful difference in tactics” and also acknowledged the power of nonviolent youth-led activist groups and mass movements like Black Lives Matter.

    “Many people criticize marching yet do not understand what marching is for. The job of marching is to dramatize an issue,” Sharpton said, pointing to King as an example of someone who was not an elected official yet used his voice and the power of protest to effectively amplify issues. “MLK dramatized issues and made the office holders have to come up with anti-segregation and voting laws. If you don’t raise or dramatize an issue, then no one will be forced into legislature on local or national levels to deal with it.”
    Sharpton said he hopes Monday’s march sent a strong message about the faith community’s intolerance toward racism and religious discrimination ― and that it draws deeper meaning considering it is held partly in memory of King and the day his powerful words rang through Washington.

  • Newswire : The real story behind that ‘Blacks for Trump’ guy at the Arizona rally

    Maurice Symonette pushes wild conspiracy theories and once followed a killer cult leader.

    By Nina Golgowski, Huffington Post
    Blacks for Trump.jpg

    Black man with sign and T-shirt at Arizona rally

    Waving a “Blacks for Trump” sign behind President Donald Trump on Tuesday night, he was impossible to miss. Maurice Symonette, who has also called himself “Michael the Black Man” and Maurice Woodside, was an eye-catching figure during the rally in Phoenix. Trump supporters lauded him on social media for his T-shirt reading “Trump & Republicans Are Not Racist.”
    Perhaps they should have checked him out first.
    Between his signs and his shirt that night, Symonette was also showcasing two websites: blacksfortrump2020.com and gods2.com. Click on either and you’ll be taken to honestfact.com, which spews a range of rambling conspiracy theories.
    One claims to link Hillary Clinton with the Islamic State and the criminal gang MS-13. Another declares that “Cherokees are the real KKK Racist Slave Masters, not White Gentiles who are Black Peoples Republican Emancipators!”
    Symonette has uploaded a number of long-winded videos on YouTube, often as “Michael the Black Man.” There he discusses his theories on race wars involving Democrats, gentiles, Canaanites and the Cherokee.
    Speaking to a Chicago radio station on Wednesday, Symonette said that he arrived early at the Phoenix rally and that allowed him to secure a prominent place close behind the president.
    “I wasn’t placed [behind Trump], I put myself there,” he told WLS-AM 890. “I’m glad I was there so I could get the message out, tell people what’s going on with Democrats and the Cherokee Indians that are absolutely destroying the black man and the white man of America.”
    When the radio hosts expressed surprise that he would get such a coveted seat, Symonette added, “I don’t really know how it works. They have seen me a lot of times.”
    Photos posted online certainly support that statement. Symonette’s Facebook page shows pictures of him posing with a number of high-profile Republican politicians and Trump supporters, including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and the president’s oldest son, Donald Trump Jr. There are also videos of him at a rally with Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) and celebrating with Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway outside what appears to be Trump Tower in New York City.
    And last year, the Miami New Times reported that Symonette and his signs had scored prime seating at more than one Trump rally in Florida.
    Symonette has popped up in a number of mugshots as well. His rap sheet lists arrests for racketeering, firebombing, conspiracy in 14 murders, and grand theft auto, the New Times reported in 2011. None of the charges stuck, however.

    In the early 1990s, Symonette, who then went by the name of Maurice Woodside, was arrested along with other members of an African-American cult called the Temple of Love, the New Times reported. Its leader, Yahweh ben Yahweh (formerly known as Hulon Mitchell Jr.), was later sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for conspiring to commit murder. Symonette was acquitted.
    During Wednesday’s radio interview, Symonette defended Yahweh ben Yahweh as “not violent.” He had told the New Times that he was 21 when he met the Temple of Love leader and became enthralled by the man’s preachings. “He got me by just walking up and saying, ‘All white people are the Devil,’” Symonette recalled. “I was a real militant race warrior right then, so I said, ‘Whoa! Yeah, that’s right!’”
    Symonette has said he started following Yahweh ben Yahweh, after the cult leader came up to him and declared “all white people are the Devil.”
    Symonette’s views have changed over the years. Long after Yahweh ben Yahweh went to prison, his former follower started participating in political protests against Barack Obama. In 2008, Symonette reportedly claimed that then-Sen. Obama had tried to have him assassinated.
    Last year, he tried to paint Hillary Clinton as the presidential candidate who was too close to racists, by accusing her of once “kissing the head of the Ku Klux Klan” and saying, “That’s my mentor.” The trouble with that conspiracy theory was that the man Clinton greeted was the late Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), who by the time she praised him had long since evolved from a one-time member of the KKK to a strong supporter of advancing civil rights.

  • Newswire : Ten ways to fight hate: Experts estimate more than 260,000 hate incidents per year

    Special to the Trice Edney News Wire from Southern Poverty Law Center
    (TriceEdneyWire.com) – Hate in America has become commonplace. A presidential candidate wins election after denigrating Muslims, Latinos, women and people with disabilities. A young White man opens fire and kills nine African-Americans who welcomed him into Bible study at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, telling his victims, “I have to do it.” A Muslim woman is seated on a bench in front of a coffee shop in Washington, D.C., when a woman begins screaming anti-Muslim epithets. A swastika and other anti-Semitic graffiti appear at an elementary school in Stapleton, Colorado. A lone gunman carrying an assault rifle and a handgun storms a well-known gay club in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 people and wounding 53 others.
    What can we do to stop the hate? Bias is a human condition, and American history is rife with prejudice against groups and individuals because of their race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or other characteristics. As a nation, we’ve made a lot of progress, but stereotyping and unequal treatment persist. When bias motivates an unlawful act, it is considered a hate crime. Most hate crimes are inspired by race and religion, but hate today wears many faces. Bias incidents (eruptions of hate where no crime is committed) also tear communities apart and can escalate into actual crimes. Since 2010, law enforcement agencies have reported an average of about 6,000 hate crime incidents per year to the FBI. But government studies show that the real number is far higher — an estimated 260,000 per year.
    Many hate crimes never get reported, in large part because the victims are reluctant to go to the police. In addition, many law enforcement agencies are not fully trained to recognize or investigate hate crimes, and many simply do not collect or report hate crime data to the FBI.
    The good news is that all over the country people are fighting hate, standing up to promote tolerance and inclusion. More often than not, when hate flares up, good people rise up against it — often in greater numbers and with stronger voices.
    This guide sets out 10 principles for fighting hate in your community.
    1. ACT – Do something. In the face of hatred, apathy will be interpreted as acceptance by the perpetrators, the public, and — worse — the victims. Community members must take action; if we don’t, hate persists.
    2. JOIN FORCES – Reach out to allies from churches, schools, clubs, and other civic groups. Create a diverse coalition. Include children, police, and the media. Gather ideas from everyone, and get everyone involved.
    3. SUPPORT THE VICTIMS – Hate crime victims are especially vulnerable. If you’re a victim, report every incident — in detail — and ask for help. If you learn about a hate crime victim in your community, show support. Let victims know you care. Surround them with comfort and protection.
    4. SPEAK UP – Hate must be exposed and denounced. Help news organizations achieve balance and depth. Do not debate hate group members in conflict-driven forums. Instead, speak up in ways that draw attention away from hate, toward unity.
    5. EDUCATE YOURSELF – An informed campaign improves its effectiveness. Determine if a hate group is involved, and research its symbols and agenda. Understand the difference between a hate crime and a bias incident.
    6. CREATE AN ALTERNATIVE – Do not attend a hate rally. Find another outlet for anger and frustration and for people’s desire to do something. Hold a unity rally or parade to draw media attention away from hate.
    7. PRESSURE LEADERS – Elected officials and other community leaders can be important allies. But some must overcome reluctance — and others, their own biases — before they’re able to take a stand.
    8. STAY ENGAGED – Promote acceptance and address bias before another hate crime can occur. Expand your comfort zone by reaching out to people outside your own groups.
    9. TEACH ACCEPTANCE – Bias is learned early, often at home. Schools can offer lessons of tolerance and acceptance. Host a diversity and inclusion day on campus. Reach out to young people who may be susceptible to hate group propaganda and prejudice.
    10. DIG DEEPER – Look inside yourself for biases and stereotypes. Commit to disrupting hate and intolerance at home, at school, in the workplace and in faith communities.
    For more detailed information, contact: https://www.splcenter.org/sites/default/files/com_ten_ways_to_fight_hate_2017_web.pdf

  • Newswire : Kenya, going green, slams the door on plastic bags

    Kenyan man with cloth bag
    Kenyan carrying cloth bag at market
    Aug. 28, 2017 (GIN) – If it’s a choice between suffocating seabirds, strangling turtles or the convenience of a plastic bag, Kenya is taking the side of marine animals.

    Starting this week, citizens producing, selling or even using plastic bags will risk imprisonment of up to four years or fines of $40,000. It’s the world’s toughest law attacking plastic pollution which threatens land and sea.

    Throughout Kenya, plastic bags are found everywhere — on roofs, on walls and clogging drainage. Kenyans are estimated to use 24 million bags a month. “It is a toxin we must get rid of,” Judi Wakhungu, the country’s environment minister, told reporters. “It’s affecting our water. It’s affecting our livestock and, even worse, we are ingesting this as human beings.”

    In Nairobi’s slaughterhouses, some cows destined for human consumption have had bags removed from their stomachs. “This is something we didn’t get 10 years ago but now it’s almost on a daily basis,” said county vet Mbuthi Kinyanjui as he watched men in bloodied white uniforms scoop sodden plastic bags from the stomachs of cow carcasses.

    Plastic bags take between 500 to 1,000 years to break down.

    Kenya’s law allows police to go after anyone even carrying a plastic bag but enforcement will initially be directed at manufacturers and suppliers.

    More than 40 other countries have banned, partly banned or taxed single use plastic bags, including China, France, Rwanda, and Italy.

    What’s good for the turtle, however, is not necessarily a welcome idea for manufacturers who complain that some 176 companies with thousands of workers producing plastic bags will have to close. Kenya is a major exporter of the bags to the region.

    “The knock-on effects will be very severe,” said Samuel Matonda of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers. “It will even affect the women who sell vegetables in the market – how will their customers carry their shopping home?”

    Meanwhile, in Nairobi, many supermarkets have switched from plastic bags to reusable, cloth sacks, but a quick drive around Nairobi revealed that plastic bags are still in use. So far, there have been no reports of any enforcement actions.

  • Newswire : Steve Bannon, most controversial Trump advisor, leaves White House post

    By Lauren Victoria Burke (NNPA Newswire Contributor)
    Civil rights leaders and members of Congress praised the dismissal of Chief Strategist Steve Bannon from the White House; Bannon’s exit is just the latest departure from the chaotic Trump Administration, that has yet to win a major legislative victory.
    Bannon seemed to be in good spirits after the White House announced that he would be leaving the coveted post.
    In an interview with The Weekly Standard, Bannon said that he felt “jacked up.” “Now I’m free. I’ve got my hands back on my weapons,” Bannon told The Weekly Standard. “Someone said, ‘it’s Bannon the Barbarian.’ I am definitely going to crush the opposition. There’s no doubt. I built a f***ing machine at Breitbart. And now I’m about to go back, knowing what I know, and we’re about to rev that machine up. And rev it up we will do.”
    He also told the magazine that he could be more effective without the constraints of the White House. “I can fight better on the outside,” Bannon said. “I can’t fight too many Democrats on the inside like I can on the outside.”
    In a statement about Bannon’s dismissal, Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Cedric Richmond (D-La.) said that Bannon needed to go, but so do other White supremacists working in the Trump Administration.
    “Firing Steve Bannon is not enough, because the issue of him working in the White House has never only been about him,” said Richmond. “It’s also been about the racist and discriminatory policies he’s helped draft and implement which hurt African Americans.”
    The CBC released “A Top Ten List of the Trump Administration’s Racist and Discriminatory Policies.” The list included:
    1. Voter Suppression Commission
    2. Supporting Texas’ Discriminatory Voter ID Law
    3. Reinstating the War on Drugs
    4. Attacking Affirmative Action at Colleges and Universities
    5. Rolling Back Consent Decrees that Keep Police Accountable
    6. Muslim Ban
    7. Mass Deportation
    8. Rolling Back Civil Rights Enforcement Across Federal Agencies
    9. Reinstating the Use of Private Prisons
    10. Refusing to Protect Americans and the Nation from White Supremacists
    In a separate statement on Bannon’s removal, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) called the ousted Breitbart chief the standard-bearer for the worst instincts in American society.
    “Whether Bannon personally trades in violence, racism, and bigotry, he allowed Brietbart, his media organization, to become a platform for White nationalism, misogyny, anti-Semitism, and anti-immigrant sentiment of the worst kind,” said Conyers. Although Conyers said that he was pleased that Bannon was no longer serving in the White House, he added that Bannon’s removal will not undo the damage that has already been done and it will not reconcile the hate-filled agenda of the Trump Administration.
    “President Donald Trump has shown us his true colors,” said Conyers. “He sided with un-American White supremacists, neo-Nazis, and all those who give racism and hatred a voice. Trump’s failure to reflect on his dangerous rhetoric continues to embolden these groups and ideals.”
    Civil rights leaders also voiced their support of Bannon’s exit.
    Kristen Clarke, the president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law said that Bannon was the driving force behind the racial turmoil that threatens to tear this country apart. “Such a divisive figure has no place in the White House,” Clarke said in the statement.
    Vanita Gupta, the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said that Bannon’s departure was the right result, but not for the right reason. “The president, who continues to sow hate and division, clearly did not fire Bannon because of his White supremacist views and ties to the so-called ‘alt-right,’” said Gupta. “Someone like Bannon should have never worked in the White House to begin with.”
    Gupta continued: “President Trump must address the deep wounds he has created by ridding his administration of Sebastian Gorka, Stephen Miller, and any other staffers who stoke bigotry, hate, and division. Unless and until the president calls out evil; disavows neo-Nazis, White nationalists, and White supremacists; fires these staffers; and abandons his administration’s anti-civil rights agenda, he will continue to have no moral credibility.”
    White House insiders have claimed that Bannon submitted his resignation letter earlier this month, but the announcement was delayed, because of the violent White supremacists’ rally in Charlottesville, Va., that left one dead and 19 injured.
    Since July 21, four senior staffers have departed the White House; Press Secretary Sean Spicer, Chief of Staff Reince Preibus, and Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci.
    Derrick Johnson, the interim president and CEO of the NAACP, said that the group was glad to see Bannon out of the White House.
    “Ousting one key staffer, however, can’t erase the words used by President Trump this week in defense of domestic terrorists, neo-Nazis and White supremacists,” said Johnson, in the statement about Bannon’s dismissal. “President Trump provided permission for these hate groups to exist. Following the tragedy in Charlottesville, Virginia, numerous other rallies and White supremacist groups are being mobilized across the country.
    Johnson continued:” These groups are not rallying for peace, or for the preservation of Confederate memorabilia. They exist purely to foment hatred and violence. And they march with the president’s blessing.”
    Lauren Victoria Burke is the White House Correspondent for NNPA and a writer and political analyst. She appears on NewsOneNow with Roland Martin every Monday. She can be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke