http://nnpa.org/wisconsin-ruling-proves-voting-rights-act-can-still-be-effective-by-freddie-allen/
http://nnpa.org/from-detroit-to-la-naacp-prez-has-history-of-selling-out/
http://nnpa.org/black-unemployment-dips-to-5-year-low-by-freddie-allen-2/
STANDING FOR KIDNAPPED NIGERIAN SCHOOL GIRLS - Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair Marcia L. Fudge (OH-11), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-13), Rep. Karen Bass (CA-37) and Rep. Janice Hahn (CA-44) met with Nigerian officials at the Nigerian Embassy to discuss how the international community can work together to rescue nearly 300 girls and young women abducted by Boko Haram in Nigeria. The Members identified Boko Haram as a terrorist organization and strongly condemned the targeting of girls and women as casualties of war around the world. The Members also called on the international community to create a relief fund to support Nigerian girls and young women who have been victims of Boko Haram. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus will meet with Secretary of State John Kerry today, to discuss the situation in Nigeria among other critical foreign affairs issues.
TRIANGLE NEWS BRIEFS
5-8-14
LOCAL PRIMARY
ELECTION RESULTS
In the
Democratic primary for Wake District Attorney, Wake Clerk of Superior Court
Lorrin Freeman won convincingly over Wake prosecutor Boz Zellinger, 58 to 42
percent. Freeman will face off against the July runoff winner of the GOP
primary, where Wake prosecutor Jeff Cruden and defense attorney John Bryant re
apparently headed after both top vote getters failed to reach the 40 percent
threshold, garnering 34 and 33 percent respectively in a four-candidate field.
For Wake
Clerk of Superior Court, Sam Bridges outpolled Blair Williams 54 top 46 percent
in the Democratic primary, while over in the Republican primary, Jennifer Knox
outdistanced candidates Barbara Moore and Joe Teague by 42 percent.
For Wake
County Commissioner, incumbent Joe Bryan easily won his Republican primary by
77 percent.
In Durham
County, Roger Echols dominated a three-candidate race by 61 perent in the
Democratic primary. Incumbent Sheriff Michael Andrews won by 56 percent over
two challengers in the Democratic primary for sheriff. For Durham County Board
of Education, Mike Lee, Sendolo Diaminah, Matt Sears and incumbent board member
Natalie Beyer were all winners Tuesday.
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STATE NEWS BRIEFS 5-8-14
AIKEN EDGES CRISCO IN
CLOSE DISTRICT 2 DEMOCRAT PRIMARY RACE
[RALEIGH] Shocking most political experts, former
“American Idol” celebrity Clay Aiken unofficially edged former Perdue
Administration official Keith Crisco in Tuesday’s three-way Democratic primary
for the Second Congressional District nomination. With less than 400 votes
separating Aiken and Crisco, the entertainer garnered just over the required 40
percent of the vote to Crisco’s 39 percent. The third place candidate, Toni
Morris, got almost 20 percent of the vote. At press time, Crisco had not
conceded, and was expected to call for a recount. The result could be either an
all-out win for Aiken, or a runoff between the two during the summer. The
Democratic nominee will face Republican incumbent Congresswoman Renee Elmers,
who won her primary contest against challenger Frank Roche, 59% to 41%.
TILLIS WILL FACE HAGAN
IN NOVEMBER US SENATE RACE
[CHARLOTTE]
With almost 46 percent of the eight-person field in Tuesday’s Republican
primary for the US Senate race, NC House Speaker Thom Tillis withstood a tough
Tea Party challenge from Dr. Greg Bannon, 46 to 27 percent, to win the right to
face US Senator Kay Hagan in November. Hagan easily won her three-way
Democratic primary with over 77 percent to retain her nomination for
re-election. The Tillis primary was seen nationally as a test of the GOP
establishment versus the ultra –conservative Tea Party. Every establishment
candidate in the nation Tuesday night won their primary against Tea Party
challengers. Tillis, who is being backed by big business and former White House
Republican political director Karl Rove, is seen as key in helping the GOP to
win back the US Senate if he can defeat Hagan.
BARFIELD FACES ROUSER
IN THE FALL FOR DISTRICT 7 SEAT
[WILMINGTON]
New Hanover County Commissioner Jonathan Barfield won the Democratic primary
for the Seventh Congressional District 7 seat currently held by departing
incumbent US Rep. Mike McIntyre, 58 to 42 percent over Walter Martin Tuesday
evening. Barfield will now face former State Sen. David Rouser, a Republican
who lost to McIntyre by just over 500 votes two years ago, for the seat in
November. Rouser won the GOP District 7 primary over NHC Commission Chair Woody
White, and Chris Andrade with 53 percent of the vote.
REP. ALMA ADAMS WINS
DEMOCRATIC 12TH DISTRICT RACE PRIMARIES
[GREENSBORO]
In perhaps the most unique congressional primary race situation of the year,
state Rep. Alma Adams [D- Guilford] won both the Democratic primary race for
the 12th Congressional District by 43 percent, and the district race
to finish out the unexpired term of former 12th District Congressman
Mel Watt, who left Congress last January to become head of the Federal Housing
Finance Agency, by 44 percent. Adams led a field of six for the unexpired term,
and seven to run in November against Republican Vince Coakley.
In other
primary night news, incumbent Republican Congressman Walter Jones, Jr.
withstood a strong challenge in the GOP District 3 primary to win by 51
percent. Jones had become unpopular with the Republican establishment, who
wanted him out. Democratic incumbent Rep. G. K. Butterfield won his primary
convincingly by over 81 percent. He’ll face Republican challenger Arthur Rich
in the fall. And for the state Supreme Court, Democratic incumbent Robin Hudson
with face challenger Judge Eric Levinson in November for Hudson’s seat. Hudson
and Levinson finished first and second respectively, with Justice Hudson
garnering 43 percent to Judge Levinson’s 37 percent.
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CASH IN THE APPLE 5-8-14
By Cash Michaels
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY – With all the
love I can muster, Happy Mother Day to each and every Mom out there. We can’t
live life without you. You are indeed our best friend in the world, and
throughout life. In many, many cases, we simply don’t deserve you.
So have a very Happy Mother’s Day this weekend!
RALEIGH’S FREE “PARDONS” SCREENING
FRIDAY NIGHT – We had a small crowd, but a great one at the Hayti Heritage
Center in Durham for the May 1st free screening of the NNPA –
CashWorks HD Productions documentary “Pardons of Innocence: The Wilmington
Ten.” We didn’t have as many young people there as I would have wanted, but
nonetheless, we had a seasoned audience who watched intently for 2 hours, and
then stayed an hour more discussing the film (we were only supposed to stay
just 30 minutes more, so I was very pleased).
In all, the audience enjoyed the
film, and particularly enjoyed the documented history that led up to the
Wilmington Ten trials in the 1970’s, culminating over 40 years later with the
black newspapers of the NNPA leading the drive for pardons of innocence, which
Gov. Beverly Perdue granted in December 2012.
One thing that the audience
insisted on, and we agree, is that our young people – black and white – see this
film for its history, because Lord knows they’re getting precious little of it
elsewhere.
So everyone in Durham who came out
to see it; Angela Lee, Marc Lee, John Paul and the entire staff of the Hayti
Heritage Center; and those who weren’t able to make it but supported the free
screening last week…thank you much. It was really appreciated.
Raleigh, this Friday night, May 9th,
at 6:30 p.m. at Martin Street Baptist Church, 1001 East Martin Street in
Raleigh, is your turn to see the FREE screening of “Pardons of Innocence: The
Wilmington Ten.” Seating is limited, so get to the Family Life Center pronto,
and prepare yourselves for a powerful two-hour film that we hope opens your
eyes to the true story of the Wilmington Ten, and what kind of state we were over
40 years ago when such an injustice that was perpetrated on them could happen
at all.
Any high school or college students
reading this, we very much want you there because we want to hear your thoughts
afterwards. The NNPA and CashWorks HD Productions produced this film primarily
for our young people, so come one, come all. You are most welcomed.
Finally, to Pastor Earl Johnson and
the fine staff at Martin Street Baptist Church in Raleigh, in addition to the
Raleigh- Wake Citizens Association, thank you for opening your doors and
allowing this film to be shown to our community. We believe this film is worthy
of the support it has thus far gotten.
LINGERING STERLING THOUGHTS – Now
that the smoke has died down in the Donald Sterling racist comments controversy,
it’s interesting to see who is crawling from under many rocks to try and defend
this character.
As you know, Sterling is the owner
of the NBA Los Angeles Clippers team, who was secretly recorded telling his
alleged mistress that he didn’t want her taking pictures with black people, or
bringing them to his games. The uproar that spurred when the website TMZ
released those tapes forced the NBA to ban Sterling for life from its ranks,
and the NBA Board of Governors, comprised of the other 29 owners, are now
moving diligently, we’re told, to selling the team away from Sterling,
something he has indicated he will fight.
First of all, if the NBA can do it,
I say go for it. They have every right to expel Sterling from their ranks. He
allegedly violated the league’s Constitution (one Sterling reportedly signed on
to), so the case seems crystal clear…until it gets to court, of course.
And yes, I would love to see Magic
Johnson, or Oprah Winfrey, of some other wealthy African-American buy the team.
It would be sweet justice indeed.
But to those folks who are now
trying to defend Sterling, saying that he had a right to feel the way he did,
and the only reason why we know about it is because someone illegally taped him
as he was running his big mouth.
True, and in a court of law, that
recording would probably be thrown out. But in the court of public opinion, and
apparently the NBA, just the confirmed knowledge that Sterling feels the way he
does black people is enough to make him pay. Yes, his previous racist actions
related to being a slumlord should have been enough to can him a long time ago.
But thankfully, Sterling’s bad attitude has caught up with him now. So we take
what GOD has given us, and go from there. If folks want to prosecute the person
who illegally taped him, be my guest. Frankly, I don’t have a whole lot of
sympathy for the crazy alleged mistress either.
A VOTING JOURNALIST – This is an
age-old debate, namely should journalists participate as voters, especially if
they cover politics.
Personally, I think it’s one of the
stupidest questions ever asked. Keep in mind, I firmly believe journalists
shouldn’t ever run around talking about whom they voted for, or against. That I
think is certainly unfair and professional, and leads to charges (fair or unfair)
that you’re using your work to front for candidates you support.
That’s called discretion, the same
kind you employ for other personal matters. Voting, in my mind, is a personal
matter. You support candidates at the polls on Election Day for the expressed
purpose of representing the issues you feel are important in the society you
and yours live in. That’s a fundamental American right.
Thus, as a citizen, regardless what
your job may be, you should be fully participatory in the very society you
report on and to. The purpose of good journalism is inform the public, and more
specifically your readers, so that they can make important and well-informed
decisions about the town, city, county, state and nation they live in and pay
taxes to.
Well, aren’t you, the journalist, a
citizen too? Don’t you also keep yourself informed (indeed you’re obligated
too)? Don’t you take part in civic events and activities that help improve the
community? Doesn’t your voice count?
Being a journalist doesn’t absolve
you of civic responsibility. In fact, in my way of thinking, it actually
enhances that civic responsibility to lead by example. How can it be possible
that you make a living reporting about right and wrong, and what the status of
societal standards currently are, but when given the civic opportunity to help
maintain or improve those standards, you go run and hide behind your pen, pad
and digital recorder?
In my opinion, journalists have
every right to vote, and should. They should NOT, however, campaign for
candidates or be telling anyone whom they should be voting for.
Any objections?
TRIUMPHANT WARRIOR – Wayne Moore of Ann Arbor, surviving member
of the Wilmington Ten whose wrongful conviction in the 1970s made him a
national symbol for social and racial injustice at the age of 19, is releasing
a memoir, "Triumphant Warrior: Memoir of a Soul Survivor of the Wilmington
Ten," on Mother’s Day weekend.
He has
written a powerful piece, from the flames of racial hatred during the turbulent
times of change and desegregation in Wilmington, N.C., from 1968 to 1971.
Desegregation had come at the expense of the closing of the only all-black high
school, a move that some blacks in Wilmington described as “like a death in the
family.”
"Triumphant Warrior" describes how state and federal officials
conspired together to unjustly frame arrest, try and imprison members of the
Wilmington Ten who were actively protesting the institutionalized racial
discrimination and hostilities surrounding the closing of Williston Senior High
School and forced, court-ordered desegregation of the public school system in
New Hanover County and Wilmington.
Moore served more than four years in prison after being tried and
convicted of firebombing a grocery store and conspiracy to assault emergency
personnel following three years of racial unrest in Wilmington.
For more on the book, go to the Wilmington Ten Foundation for Social
Justice website online.
AMAZINGLY HORRIBLE SPIDER-MAN 2 – I
wasted two hours of my life, and that of my youngest daughter’s life, seeing
“The Amazing Spider-man 2” last weekend. I truly don’t want to waste more than
five minutes more telling you that this film – which is full of action and
great special effects – is some of the worst storytelling I’ve ever seen (next
to “The Lone Ranger” with Johnny Depp, which I also saw for the first time last
weekend on cable).
Andrew Garfield as “Spidey” has
gotten a bit whiny. The rest of the cast is expectedly over-the-top (comic book
movies ate supposed top be that way). So the only saving grace is giving them a
story where they can be comfortably over-the-top, and entertaining at the same
time.
But alas, the storytelling has no
real direction. Stuff is just thrown at the audience to accept without any real
context. More importantly, the flick insults your intelligence.
I get it…”The Amazing Spider-man 2”
is supposed to be a spring blockbuster for mostly teens (and ignorant ones at
that, I imagine). But so was ‘The Avengers” and “Iron Man 1, 2 and 3” and “Star
Wars” and the list of great comic book blockbusters can go on and one. I’m by
no means saying any or all of those famous titles were perfect. Many of them
had a few moments that got on my nerves.
But none of those titles, or even
the two Spider-man movies from 2002 and 2004 starring Tobey Maguire, stunk as
bad as this flaccid thing. Even the majority of film critics are all up into
how idiot this thing is.
Trust me, save your money, wait
until it either comes on cable or is renting for a buck 20. “The Amazing Spider-man
2” is the worst!
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.myWAUG.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).
I promise it will be interesting.
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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EXCLUSIVE
CHAVIS PUSHING FOR
ELECTION
YEAR YOUTH
INVOLVEMENT
By Cash Michaels
Editor
The Rev.
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. says he’s coming back “home” to North Carolina to
help jumpstart a voter empowerment movement for young people during this election
year. And according to Chavis, the activist community of Durham is best suited
to lead the charge.
Dr. Chavis
made his remarks Sunday , April 27th during a “Get Out To Vote
Rally, sponsored by the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People at
Covenant Presbyterian Church, where activist Rev. Jimmy Hawkins is the pastor.
Chavis said
it was crucial that the power of young voters be harnessed in order to combat
the Republican drive to build on their iron grip on state government, and the
“negative” policies, like voter ID that have ultimately resulted.
“These are
some rough times,” Chavis told those gathered. “[But] I’m here today to remind us that we’ve
had rough times before.”
“What’s
going in the state Legislature, what’s going on in the Governor’s Mansion
represents not just those Republicans? It represents a larger reality…somebody
voted to put them in power. All of these bad things they have done to hurt
people [in North Carolina]…just didn’t happen by themselves,” Dr. Chavis
continued.
In the face
of Republican domination, the “challenge” is to reach out to the hundreds of
thousands of blacks, Latinos and youth people who currently are not registered
to vote, or are orientated to understand what freedoms they have lost since the
GOP takeover in North Carolina, and what more could they lose.
After
saying that he would “love to see” the Democrats take back the NC General
Assembly in the 2014 midterms, or the Governor’s Mansion in 2016, Chavis added,
“…and I don’t think that’s an impossible dream.”
“We not
only have to pray for what is right, but allow ourselves to be GOD’s
instruments for further change,” Chavis said, adding that all right-thing
people of good will, no matter what their color, must come together to work for
change.
“If you
work to make life better for black people in America, you work to make life
better for all people in America,” the former leader of the Wilmington Ten
said. “But we have to keep pushin’.”
Chavis
pointed to how One Stop – Early Voting numbers for the May 6th
primary were slack, and how something must be done to improve those numbers by
Election Day in the fall.
“Driving up
here I saw a lot of students…a lot of young people on the street. And I’m not
so sure how conscious they are that not only can they early vote, but what’s at
stake in this election.”
Dr. Chavis,
who was recently nominated to be interim executive director of the NC
Democratic Party before moderate Democrats led a smear campaign to kill the
effort, called Election Day “payback day,” saying that it is the day that
voters kick elected officials out of office who have not served in the public
interest.
“I think
the people in the Legislature and the Governor’s Mansion need to be paid back
for what they’ve done,” Chavis said to applause. “So who is going to pay them
back? I’m not so sure if the people of North Carolina are fighting ready.”
Chavis said
he is willing to come back, at his own expense, to help take part in “turning
North Carolina around,” but it has to happen county-by-county. He suggested that
Durham County lead the way in that effort because historically it produced
“intellectual giants and forward thinking.”
Young people, Dr. Chavis said, are
essential to that turnaround.
“Young
people voted in record numbers in 2008 because they got inspired. So what is it
on the short term, between now and [Election Day] that we can do in North
Carolina to inspire and make our young people vote again?’
Chavis said
there must be outreach to the youth, using social media and the modern
communications vehicles.
“There are
one million more Democrats than there are Republicans in North Carolina,” Dr.
Chavis said. “What kind of calculus is that? How is that mathematically
possible? You have one million more Democrats than Republicans, but the
Republicans win the elections. That’s a mathematical impossibility, unless we
and our allies have let go of not only our enthusiasm, but our sense of calling
every day.”
“There’s no
better feeling when you go to sleep at night than knowing that when you wake
up, you’re going to help somebody, because when you do, you also help
yourself,” Chavis said.
“Sometimes
you have to hit rock bottom before you can get right back up, he continued.
“We’ve hit rock bottom. I don’t think it’s possible to go lower.”
The former
executive director of the NAACP called for a “democracy revival” in North
Carolina, saying that the people’s spirituality, politics and economic outlook
must all come together to move forward.
“We have to
reassert ourselves. We’ve made so much progress politically, but I think we
have to make more progress economically, because one of the reasons why we’re
politically weak today is because we’re also weak economically.”
Dr. Chavis
says the African-American community needs to start an economic “war chest” so that it no longer has to take
money from figures like disgraced
Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who was banned
from the NBA this week after a recording of his racist rantings was made public
recently. Sterling had received a “life achievement award” from the Los Angeles
NAACP chapter in 2009 despite reports of his being a racist slumlord, and was
set to receive another on May 15th at the L.A. NAACP’s Freedom Fund
banquet.
The
president of that chapter has since been forced to resign.
That award,
which published reports say was the result of Sterling contributing thousands
of dollars to that branch, has since been withdrawn.
Chavis said
with the US Supreme Court rollback on voting rights and affirmative action, in
addition to the North Carolina Republican rollback on voting rights, social
programming and their assault on the poor and unemployed, are more than enough
reasons for people across the state to band together, and vote in the midterm
elections this fall.
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