http://nnpa.org/record-number-of-former-workers-without-benefits-by-freddie-allen/
CASH IN THE APPLE
3-19-15
By Cash Michaels
HISTORIC –
By now you know that the NNPA –
CashWorks HD Productions documentary, “Pardons of Innocence: The Wilmington
Ten “ has been selected to screen during the 2015 NC Black Film Festival in Wilmington March 26 – March 29th
(though we don’t know exactly what day, time and location the film is scheduled
yet).
Let there
be know doubt that we’re very excited about that. This will be the first time
that the film will screen in Wilmington since it’s April 5, 2014 premiere at
UNC – Wilmington, which saw over 500 people attend, so it’s great that the
people of Wilmington who missed it the first time, get a second chance to see
it during the festival.
But we’re
also very excited that the film will also be seen that very weekend, on
Saturday, March 28th, in the town of Burgaw in Pender County, in the
Pender County Courthouse, indeed in the very courtroom where the Wilmington Ten
were originally falsely convicted in Oct. 1972.
The
screening is being sponsored by the Pender
County Arts Council. Here’s their official announcement:
The
Pender Arts Council will sponsor the historic documentary, “Pardons of
Innocence: The Wilmington 10,” produced by Cash Michaels and the National
Newspaper Publishers Association, on Saturday, March 28, 2015, at 6:30 pm, in
the Main Courtroom of the Pender County Courthouse, in Burgaw, NC. The
admission is free.
This comprehensive film traces the Civil
Rights Movement, both nationally and locally, from the Supremacist Revolution
of 1898, in Wilmington, NC, through the trial, conviction and eventual pardon
of the Wilmington 10.
Film, as all art forms, is a reflection
of a culture and a vehicle for change; with the capacity to teach us about our
history so that we can understand our present, enabling us a to make a
thoughtful plan for our future.
By understanding the heavy price paid to
secure our rights, we are inspired to work for a healthy, positive future. When
we understand the struggle of those who have gone before us, it may open our
eyes to the responsibility which has been placed on our shoulders to work for
the best world we can make.
The Pender Arts Council is proud to show
this Pender County Premiere in the very courtroom where the Civil Rights
Activists, know as the Wilmington 10 were tried and convicted for offenses for
which they were later pardoned. It is a story of a troubled time.
It is our history. If viewed with the spirit of justice and
forgiveness, it can be the catalyst for the bright future to which we all
aspire.
Once again,
we’re very excited about this screening, because just as in Wilmington almost a
year ago, this is part of Pender County’s history. So there will be a special
electricity in the air on that evening.
Plus the
film will feature the last recorded interview with former Burgaw Mayor Clifton Moore Jr., who died in 2012 shortly after he
was interviewed for the film.
So we’re
looking forward to an exciting last weekend in this month of March, with
screenings in both Wilmington during the NC Black Film Festival, and in Burgaw,
Pender County at the courthouse.
More
information to come.
CREFLO,
PLEASE – By now you’ve heard how Atlanta
pastor Creflo Dollar went online to urge people to donate their hard earned
money to him so that he could purchase a $65 million luxury Lear jet, and fly around the world in
comfort doing the “work of the Lord.”
The scheme
(or scam) was so transparent, even the major news organizations picked up on
it, and in no time that webpage was gone faster than you can say, “Can I take
your bags?” Dollar has clearly lost his mind. He’s one of those ministers who
preaches the “prosperity” gospel, and while I have no problem helping people
earn a better life, asking folks to cough up $65 million just so that you can fly here and there in
the lap of luxury is not exactly what GOD intended, I’m sure.
If Jerry Lewis got on TV and asked for $65
million to help children suffering with muscular dystrophy, no problem. We know
the money is going for research to help those in need. If we ever caught wind
that Jerry had his hand in the cookie jar, we’d stop giving until someone
cleaned the mess up.
But Creflo
wants us to invest in his ministry to the tune of carpeting, jet fuel and
vintage wine. Sorry Cref, but no dice. If the members of YOUR church want you
to fly like the rich and famous, they’re free to do so.
But leave
the rest of us out of it.
And one
more thing…learn how to fly coach.
Make sure you tune in every Thursday
afternoon at 4 p.m. for my talk radio show, ''Make It Happen'' on Power 750
WAUG-AM, or online at www.waug-network.com. And read more about my
thoughts and opinions exclusively at my blog, ‘The Cash Roc” (http://thecashroc.blogspot.com/2011/01/cash-roc-begins.html).
Cash in the Apple - honored as the
Best Column Writing of 2006 by the National Newspaper Publishers Association.
Columnist Cash Michaels was also honored by the NNPA for Best Feature Story
Journalist of 2009, and was the recipient of the Raleigh-Apex NAACP’s
President’s Award for Media Excellence in Sept. 2011.
Until
next week, keep a smile on your face, GOD in your heart, and The Carolinian in
your life. Bye, bye.
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STATE NEWS BRIEFS 3-19-15
SENS. BURR AND
TILLIS AMONG THE 47 GOP’ERS WHO SIGNED
IRAN LETTER
[WASHINGTON,
D.C] Among the 47 Republican US senators who signed and sent a open letter to the Iranian government in hope of crippling
Pres. Obama’s negotiations over their nuclear capabilities, were North Carolina
senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis. Burr is the chairman of the Senate
Intelligence Committee. The letter, spearheaded by Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas,
warns the Iranian government that any deal reached with the Obama
Administration regarding their having a nuclear weapon will be changed once he
leaves office in 2017. The 47 have been blasted by the White House for
undermining the president’s authority.
GOVERNOR HAS YET TO GRANT PARDONS OF INNOCENCE TO TWO FALSELY CONVICTED MEN
[FAYETTEVILLE] It has been six months since Henry McCollum and bios half-brother Leon Brown were exonerated and freed from prison for a 1983 rape and murder DNA evidence proved that neither had committed. A Superior court judge found them not guilty after a review of their case, but neither man can collect restitution of their over 30 years in prison until Gov. Pat McCrory issues pardon of innocence to each of them. In the meantime, according to a story in The New York Times this week, both men are struggling to rebuild their lives with little income and few prospects until the governor steps in. McCrory's office says reviewing the case is a top priority for him, even though over 180 days have passed since their exoneration.
GOVERNOR HAS YET TO GRANT PARDONS OF INNOCENCE TO TWO FALSELY CONVICTED MEN
[FAYETTEVILLE] It has been six months since Henry McCollum and bios half-brother Leon Brown were exonerated and freed from prison for a 1983 rape and murder DNA evidence proved that neither had committed. A Superior court judge found them not guilty after a review of their case, but neither man can collect restitution of their over 30 years in prison until Gov. Pat McCrory issues pardon of innocence to each of them. In the meantime, according to a story in The New York Times this week, both men are struggling to rebuild their lives with little income and few prospects until the governor steps in. McCrory's office says reviewing the case is a top priority for him, even though over 180 days have passed since their exoneration.
LEGISLATIVE LEADERS
TO APPEAL COMMISSIONS RULING
[RALEIGH]
Gov. Pat McCrory accused state House and Senate leaders of overstepping their
constitutional bounds, and a three-judge state appellate panel agreed with him.
The Legislature had no right to create three independent environmental
commissions to oversee coal ash cleanup, oil and natural gas drilling, and
mining in the state. That duty constitutionally belonged to the governor,
McCrory, along with former governors Jim Hunt and Jim Martin, claimed in a
lawsuit that the appellate court agreed with this week. State Senate President
Pro tem Sen. Phil Berger an d House Speaker Tim Moore issued joint statement
saying that they were “disappointed” in the ruling, and that they will appeal.
WHO SHOULD WIN THE
NORTH CAROLINA AWARD?
[GOLDSBORO]
What North Carolina citizen do you know of who has selflessly sacrificed to
make this a better state for all? From now until April 24th,
residents from Murphy to Manteo can go online at http://www.ncdcr.gov/NCAwards/Nominations/Submit,
secure a nomination form, and submit that form, a cover letter, at least three
letters of support and examples of the nominee’s work, and a bio of their
choice for who should receive the North Carolina Award this November from Gov.
Pat McCrory. Past honorees include author Maya Angelou, UNC Pres. Bill Friday,
musician Branford Marsalis and evangelist Billy Graham.
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TRIANGLE NEWS BRIEFS 3-19-15
STATE SENATE REDRAWS
WAKE COMMISSION LINES
Over the
strong objections of Wake County Democrats, the Republican-led NC Senate last
week passed a measure that redraws the voting districts for the Wake County
Commission Board. State Sen. Chad Barefoot [R-Wake] says the redistricting is
necessary to assure that small rural areas in the county have a voice on the
commission board. But Democrats counter that Republicans are striking back
after all four Wake Republicans were swept off the board last November during
mid-term elections. The Republican-led state House is expected to take up the
measure this week.
UNC REACHES $335,000
SETTLEMENT WITH WHISTLEBLOWER
UNC –
Chapel Hill has reached a $335,000 settlement with a former academic adviser
who blew the whistle that many students athletes there did not meet academic
standards. Mary Willingham will now see her legal fees covered, in addition to
receiving $40,000 in back pay. Willingham says the school retaliated against
her when she spoke out, changing her employment status in July 2013. She will
not get her job back under the agreement.
NC JOBLESS RATE
STALLS AT 5.4 PERCENT IN JANUARY
Even though
the actual number of people listed as unemployed in North Carolina has
reportedly gone down, the jobless rate statewide remained at 5.4 percent in
January, slightly lower that the nation’s 5.7 percent in January. The state
jobless rate has dropped 1.4 percent since January 2014.
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NC MINORITY WORKING
FAMILIES
FALLING BEHIND
Special to The
Carolinian
A
sharp racial/ethnic divide has emerged within the world of low-income working
families, posing a critical challenge to North Carolina and the nation, a new
study by the Working Poor Families Project concludes.
Unless
lawmakers in North Carolina are willing to pursue policies that would improve
conditions, African-Americans and Latinos will continue to emerge as a larger –
but under-prepared and underpaid – segment of the workforce. Unless
reversed, this disturbing trend will only worsen the potential for overall wage
growth and job creation in the state’s economy at large, since African
Americans and Latinos form a large and growing share of the state’s population.
Based
on new analysis of the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the
Project’s study sheds a fresh light on what’s happening inside the world of the
working poor, where adults are working hard but find it difficult if not
impossible to get ahead. And within this world at the bottom of America’s
economic spectrum, a stark divide has emerged between white and Asian families
compared to black and Latino families.
“In
2013, working families headed by racial/ethnic minorities were twice as likely
to be poor or low-income compared with non-Hispanic whites, a gap that has
increased since the onset of the Great Recession in 2007,” the authors write.
“The significant differences among racial/ethnic groups present a critical
challenge to ensuring economic growth and bringing opportunities to all
workers, families and communities across the United States.”
In
North Carolina, there are 371,000 low-income working families, meaning their
total income fell below 200 percent of the official poverty rate. Of that
total, 55 percent are minorities compared to only 26 percent who are white.
Some 53 percent of all black working families fall into the low-income
category, as do 70 percent of all Hispanic working families. And this comes at
a time when other research has shown African American unemployment
growing twice as fast as unemployment for whites.
“These
disparities impact our economy and harm the fabric of our communities here in
North Carolina,” said Allan Freyer, Director of Workers’ Rights Project at the
North Carolina Justice Center. “They hurt the state’s overall wage growth and
dramatically weaken support for local businesses who need rising incomes to
support increased hiring."
According
to a report released by the Budget & Tax Center last
year, if all racial and ethnic groups earned the same median
wages as non-Latino whites, total annual income would have increased by 8
percent and Gross Domestic Product would have been $1.2 trillion higher.
Disparities
cannot be erased overnight, but policymakers can start to reduce the gaps with
a two-pronged approach that simultaneously increases access to education and
training while enacting policies that “make work pay,” the researchers assert.
State governments have demonstrated success with policy initiatives including:
• Raising the minimum wage.
• Increasing need-based financial
aid for postsecondary education and expanding child care assistance and other
supports for students with children.
• Supporting programs that link
education to career opportunities and helping English language learners.
• Extending Medicaid benefits to
all who are eligible.
• Encouraging employers to
provide paid sick leave for all workers.
“Providing
all low-income families with the tools they need to succeed is critical to the
long-term health of North Carolina and our nation,” said Freyer. “North
Carolina’s leaders must take action to ensure the American Dream is once again
accessible to
all.”
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STATE UNEMPLOYMENT
HIT BLACKS
WORST THAN WHITES,
SAYS REPORT
Special to The
Carolinian
Seven years
after the Great Recession began, recovery still eludes much of North Carolina,
according to a new report from the Budget & Tax Center, a
project of the NC Justice Center.
The
unemployment rate for black North Carolina residents jumped more dramatically
over the last seven years than for white North Carolinians. Both groups still
have unemployment rates that surpass pre-recession levels, but black North
Carolinians struggle more, on average, to find jobs in the post-recession
economy.
“There are
not enough jobs for everyone who wants to work, wages are not keeping up with
inflation, and the recovery has completely bypassed huge parts of the state,”
said Patrick McHugh, economic analyst with the BTC and author of the report.
“Simply put, North Carolina’s economy is not working for everyone.”
The worst of
the recession is behind us, but the lingering damage continues to weigh down
communities and families across the state, the report said. When you look at
how the recovery in North Carolina stacks up to the nation, there is more cause
for alarm than celebration. North Carolina job creation has generally followed
the national trend over the course of the recession and recovery. However, most
of the improvement in North Carolina’s economy in the last few years is the
result of the U.S. economy returning from the brink of depression.
While
economic output has rebounded, there are still many ways in which the comeback
in North Carolina has been decidedly wanting. The state has failed to create
enough jobs to keep pace with its growing population. The percentage of
employed North Carolinians is still well below pre-recession levels, and the
state has also fallen below the national average for employment, where it had
been consistently ahead of the nation prior to the recession.
Wages and
salaries have also been remarkably flat for the last seven years. Paychecks are
failing to keep pace with inflation and have fallen behind the national average
since 2007.
"North
Carolina workers are still doing their part to support economic growth, but
they are increasingly left out of the prosperity that their toils create,"
McHugh said.
Employment
has declined in industries that have served as the foundation for middle-class
North Carolina families while many of the new jobs being created are in
low-wage industries. The average income in industries that have increased
employment over the last seven years is almost $10,000 lower than the average
income in industries that have seen employment decline. The bulk of the job
growth has been at the bottom of the wage scale in industries such as Waste
Services, Health Care Assistance, and Food Services, all of which pay less than
the state average.
Recovery has
also been wildly inconsistent across the state. The recovery has largely been
limited to urban and suburban areas, with almost all of the counties that
posted employment gains located in or near a major metropolitan area, with a
handful of others benefiting from tourism or military installations. Ethnic
disparities also persist.
“The last seven years have seen North Carolina partially recover from
the worst economic shock in generations, but the state remains on an uneven
footing,” McHugh said. “While it’s welcome news that the worst of the recession
is past, there is no time for complacency given the work that still needs to be
done.”
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GROUPS PUSHING GOP
FOR
LYNCH CONFIRMATION
by Cash Michaels
editor
WASHINGTON – African-American leaders this week urged the US
Senate to move ahead with the long overdue confirmation vote on Loretta Lynch’s
nomination for Attorney General.
Despite being indisputably qualified
and already twice-confirmed unanimously for U.S. Attorney by the Senate, Lynch,
a North Carolina native and currently US Attorney for New York’s Eastern
District, has had to wait longer for a confirmation vote than any nominee for
Attorney General in 30 years. Critics of the Republican-led US Senate say
Lynch, who would be the first African-American female Attorney General, is now
subject to another “absurd” attempt to block and delay her nomination that has
nothing to do with her qualifications or character.
“The Congressional Black Caucus is
disturbed that the confirmation of Loretta Lynch has taken four months to
receive an up or down vote and we call on the Senate to swiftly confirm her,”
US Rep. G. K. Butterfield [D-1-NC], chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus,
told reporters during a conference call Tuesday. “Ms. Lynch has had the longest
delay of any Attorney General in modern history and this is problematic. The
politics that Republicans have played with her nomination are deplorable and
opposition to her nomination is nothing more than a political ploy to once
again use any means necessary to show their disdain for President Obama.”
“We
need to wake up America, and see this for what it is,” Congressman Butterfield
continued. “This is a travesty. We should not deny the President of
the United States his choice of a qualified candidate. Every American should be
interested in ensuring Attorney Lynch is treated fairly.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell [R-KY] had originally scheduled a vote of Lynch’s nomination this
week, but on Sunday announced that he would hold it up until Democrats agreed
to support an anti-human trafficking bill that had an anti-abortion provision
attached to it. Thus far only four Democrats have joined Republicans in support
of the measure, but not enough to pass it.
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid
vowed that Democrats would filibuster the bill until the Lynch vote is held.
“Loretta Lynch’s qualifications to
serve as Attorney General of the United States have never been in dispute,”
said Rep. Marcia Fudge [D-Ohio]. “President Obama and our nation are left
waiting for a confirmation vote for no reason other than the petty and
mean-spirited political gamesmanship of Senate leadership. I urge the Senate
Majority Leader to bring Ms. Lynch’s nomination to the floor for a vote without
further delay. Anything less is an affront to all Americans.”
Sherillyn Ifill, president and
director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund echoed the cry.
”When a woman of Loretta Lynch's
impeccable qualifications appears before the Senate fully qualified and fully
prepared to become the top law enforcement officer of this country and faces
the longest delay in confirmation in modern history, all across the country
women are watching, African-African American women are watching, and the civil
rights community is watching.”
Even Lynch’s sorority weighed in.
“Lynch’s performance in her hearing
was flawless,” said Dr. Paulette C. Walker, national president of Delta Sigma
Theta Sorority, Inc., “…so much so that senators are not opposing her on her
record. Instead, her nomination is being held hostage to issues that are not
germane to her or how she would run the Department of Justice. Lynch is a
member of Delta Sigma Theta, but even if she were not, we would still be
calling for her immediate confirmation.”
The NC NAACP has also been pushing
for Lynch’s confirmation. On Tuesday the civil rights organization brought a
bus of 40 supporters to Washington, visiting the offices of Republican senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis, urging them to support the Greensboro/Durham
native.
Both North Carolina senators reportedly stood their ground against voting for Lynch, saying that she would likely continue the current policies of Attorney Gen. Eric Holder, and be in lockstep with Pres. Obama.
"While we remain concerned with Ms. Lynch’s stated desire to lead the Department of Justice in the same manner as Eric Holder and will not be supporting her nomination, we are grateful that the group came to Washington to talk about this issue and exchange ideas,” Burr and Tillis said in a statement.
Rev. William Barber, pres. of the Nc NAACP, called the republican senators' rxcuse for nonsupport "weak, bogus and deeply partisan."
Wade Henderson, president/CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, urged the US Senate to move forward, even though some observers say it’s more likely that the confirmation vote won’t take place until after the Easter break in mid-April.
"While we remain concerned with Ms. Lynch’s stated desire to lead the Department of Justice in the same manner as Eric Holder and will not be supporting her nomination, we are grateful that the group came to Washington to talk about this issue and exchange ideas,” Burr and Tillis said in a statement.
Rev. William Barber, pres. of the Nc NAACP, called the republican senators' rxcuse for nonsupport "weak, bogus and deeply partisan."
Wade Henderson, president/CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, urged the US Senate to move forward, even though some observers say it’s more likely that the confirmation vote won’t take place until after the Easter break in mid-April.
“The Senate Republican majority is
using every excuse it can find to delay or obstruct Lynch’s confirmation,”
Henderson told reporters Tuesday. “And the one thing these excuses all
have in common is that none of them have anything to do with the nominee
herself. We know that senators can walk and chew gum at the same time and that
this is just the latest turn in what has been the most mishandled and
manipulated confirmation process in memory.”
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NC LEGISLATIVE BLACK
CAUCUS
CONCERNED ABOUT STATE
HBCU’S
Special to The
Carolinian Newspaper
The North Carolina Legislative Caucus met Tuesday
evening with the chair, president and other officials for the UNC Board of
Governors. The following topics were included in the discussion: closure of
Elizabeth City State University, Winston-Salem State University and other
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); closure of the three
centers the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity at UNC-Chapel Hill, The
Institute for Civic Engagement and Social Change at N.C. Central University and
N.C. Center for Biodiversity at East Carolina University; and diversity of the
members on the UNC Board of Governors.
“There have been a lot of rumors and information floating around
in the media and concerns raised by residents, parents, students and alumni
across the state about our HBCUs. These are such important issues, we decided
to go straight to the source,” said Rep. Garland E. Pierce, chair, NCLBC.
There was a discussion of short and long term strategies to help
these institutions to be successful. Directly after the meeting the members of
the LBC voted unanimously to take the following positions: North Carolina
Legislative Black Caucus supports the appropriation of at least $3 million each
year of the biennial for enrollment growth strategies at Elizabeth City State
University, opposes the cap of development expenditures, supports enrollment
funding and opposes the closure of any Historically Black College and
University in North Carolina.
“We feel it was a constructive meeting,” said Pierce. “We agreed
to an ongoing dialogue between the Legislative Black Caucus and leadership of
Board of Governors,” he concluded.
The North Carolina Legislative Black Caucus is an
association comprised of Senators and Representatives of African American and
Native American heritage. The primary purpose of the Caucus is to operate as a
vehicle through which African Americans and people of color residing in the
State of North Carolina will be able to exercise their political power in a unified
manner. The Caucus ensures that the views and concerns of African Americans and
people of color are carried out by their elected representatives; and work to
develop the political consciousness of all people.
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