http://nnpa.org/rights-groups-call-for-congress-to-act-on-the-voting-by-freddie-allen/
http://nnpa.org/remembering-fannie-lou-hamer-part-i/
CASH IN THE
APPLE 7-3-14
By Cash Michaels
GRADUATION – Because my youngest
daughter, KaLa, attends year-round
school, she’s on a different schedule than traditional calendar students. Thus,
while other kids are deep into their summer vacations after leaving school over
a month ago, KaLa just graduated the fifth grade last Friday, and is involved
in one week of summer camp before starting her middle school career next
Monday.
This kind of dramatic change in
your child’s academic life makes you realize just how fast the pages of the
calendar are turning.
It was just the other day, it
seems, when you drove your little one to her first day of kindergarten classes
six years ago. And as you drove in, the both of you looked at all of those big
fifth graders outside, and wondered what the future held.
Last Friday during KaLa’s
graduation was that “future,” and it was a proud moment. Not only was my
youngest (can’t call her ‘little one” anymore) chosen to sing the National
Anthem, but beyond her certificate, KaLa also received two additional honors –
one for being the Spelling Been champ of the fifth grade (no small feat), and
another for her artistic excellence.
My daughter has gotten a good
education for the past six years, and that education has established a firm
foundation for her to go to the next level with confidence, and discipline. Her
middle school already knows that the child who starts sixth grade there next
week is indeed a gifted student who indeed takes on academic challenges with
rigor.
And that’s why I’m so very proud of
KaLa, and will never stop being proud of her as she continues to grow, learn
and challenge herself.
To me, this is what being a parent
is all about. Putting your child in position, with all of the tools needed, to
take the world on, and grow from it every day. Of course there will be mistakes
made on all sides. But the exciting part is turning those mistakes into
opportunities for further learning, and growing.
So right now, I feel very at ease
with the direction in which my young one is going. Both her mother and I are
making sure that KaLa has everything she needs to succeed. My job is to ensure
that KaLa knows her father is always there to guide and strengthen her, and to
remind her that every success she has in life is GOD’s will because she worked
hard for it. That’s the lesson I’ve been drumming into her head every day, and
will continue to do so until I know that it will never leave her.
Being a good father is more
important to me than being a good journalist, or filmmaker, or social
commentator, because my children are my ultimate contribution towards making
this a better world.
And if that be the case, then I
want to give this world my best.
That’s why I so proud of KaLa, and
her older sister Tiffany (who is
doing great things in New York City).
Thank you, Jesus.
THE OBAMA DOCTRINE – It has been
the worst kept secret in the world that any hope that Pres. Obama has of getting any meaningful legislation through
Congress stands a snowball’s chance in Hell. As long a Republicans remain in
charge of the US House of Representatives, we all know that they show up
everyday for one thing, and one thing only – and that’s to stop the president
from doing anything meaningful for as long as he is in office. And if the GOP
takes over the US Senate after this fall’s mid-term elections, the Obama might
as well go fishin’ for the remainder of his second term in office, ‘cause ain’t
nothin’ goin’ to get done.
But stopping the nation’s first
black president by routinely throwing his proposals in the trash heap
apparently isn’t enough for the Republicans in Congress. Now, according to House Speaker John “Orangeman” Boehner,
the very fact that Pres. Obama has the power to open and close doors by himself
is enough, to take him to court, and sue him.
That’s right. The president of the
United States, by virtue of the US Constitution, has powers to get certain
things done that apparently Republicans prefer he not have, and thus, Boehner
has announced that he plans to file a lawsuit against Pres. Obama, under the
premise that he is not “carrying out the laws of the United States of America.”
So, to be clear, if the president
decides not to sit on his hands and wait for Boehner and company to pass
immigration reform, and instead move forward, as he announced on Monday, to try
to make a difference to the extent in which his power as president allows, then
that is not something that Congress can allow.
Mind you, a majority of the
American people elected Barack Obama twice to carry out an agenda they
apparently have little problem with. And yes, it’s also true that some of the
American people elected congressmen and senators to representing an opposing
view. Some even elected folks to Congress to stop Obama.
That’s our electoral system.
But none of that means when you
don’t get your way, you start filling up the courtroom with frivelous election
year lawsuits designed to show your racist constituency that you hate Obama as
much as they do.
And yet, that’s exactly what’s
happening.
Keep in mind that many of these folks
are even talking about impeaching the president, in effect putting him on
public trial in an effort to remove him from office.
There is a school of thought that
Speaker Boehner is floating this Obama lawsuit jive in an effort to take such
talk off the table so that Democrats don’t get so annoyed that they show up in
record numbers, just like they did in the late 990s when the GOP went after
then Pres. Bill Clinton.
We thought folks had lost their
minds then. But what’s happening now with the Tea Party, and voter suppression,
the poor just being kicked to the curb, is extraordinary.
So I don’t know what the next shoe
to drop will be, but I do know that the president of the United States has
every right to stand up, tell the Republicans in Congress to kiss his backside,
and do everything that he can do with the power of his office to make a
positive difference in the lives of all Americans.
HAPPY 25TH – It is,
without question, one of the greatest films in American history, and this week,
its celebrating its 25th anniversary. Director Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” had special screenings in New York
and Los Angeles recently, and even Pres. Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama sent a video shout out congratulating
Spike. They reminded all that “Do the Right Thing” was the film they saw on
their very first date together in Chicago.
I shared the film with my youngest,
KaLa, recently, not only because I wanted her to see a great black film, but
also because I wanted her to get a taste of living in Brooklyn, NY was like.
She was impressed.
Happy 25th anniversary
to director Spike Lee and “Do the Right Thing.”
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).
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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TRIANGLE NEWS BRIEFS 7-3-14
RALEIGH CITY COUNCIL
REVISITS INCUBATOR PROJECT
Last year,
under allegations of corruption, the Raleigh City Council stopped funding the
Raleigh Business and Technology Center in southeast Raleigh, a small business
incubator that many said was making a difference. This week, the Council
revisited the project, asking for nonprofit groups to submit proposals to start
again with a new model to help new businesses. But Southeast Raleigh community
leaders are concerned that helping small startup black businesses will no
longer be the focus under new leadership. However, some of the possibilities
for the incubator include expanding the space; developing a partnership with
Shaw University; and helping new businesses launch crowdfunding campaigns. The
council will solicit groups to submit their proposals soon.
ROAD WORK FOR
“DANGEROUS” PART OF TRYON ROAD IN S.E. RALEIGH
A winding,
and some say dangerous part of Tryon Road in southeast Raleigh which connects
with South Wilmington Street will finally be fixed, according to the NC Dept.
of Transportation. Road work to widen and realign that portion, but also repair
the crumbling 77-year-old bridge that runs over the Norfolk-Southern Railway on
that same stretch will also begin starting this September, and ending in May
2017. NCDOT awarded a $7.8 million contract to a Wilson-based company to do the
work.
NCAA TO REOPEN PROBE
OF UNC – CHAPEL HILL ATHLETICS
Amid
charges that several UNC athletes could barely read, and a lawsuit by a former
UNC student advisor who made the explosive allegations, the NCAA this week
informed the university that it is reopening its 2011 investigation into
allegations of academic irregularities with student athletes. UNC was
reportedly told, “"NCAA has
determined that additional people with information and others who were
previously uncooperative might now be willing to speak with the enforcement
staff." The latest charges by a former player alleged that UNC TarHeel
Basketball coach Roy Williams knew that some of his black players were enrolled
in phony courses just so that they could remain with the team. Williams has
denied those allegations.
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STATE NEWS
BRIEFS 7-3-14
WILL TROPICAL STORM
ARTHUR HIT NORTH CAROLINA AS A HURRICANE?
[WILMINGTON]
At presstime Wednesday, forecasters were keeping a very close watch on Tropical
Storm Arthur along the east coast of the United States, which is expected to
become a hurricane as it travels near North Carolina. Current projections have "Hurricane" Arthur coming near the North Carolina coast as a Category 1 by
Thursday afternoon - Friday morning with 80 mph winds. The National Weather Service has issued a tropical storm warning for the entire North Carolina coast. A hurricane watch has been issued for the Outer Banks and Cape Lookout areas. Coastal towns are preparing for the worst, hoping that they’ll be able to
salvage some of the July 4th holiday weekend. Evacuation directives may be forthcoming for Dare and Hyde counties.
NEW WILMINGTON TO
CHARLOTTE BUS ROUTE
[WILMINGTON]
Now folks and families in Wilmington and Charlotte have a direct connection
without driving the miles. A new bus route by Horizon Coach Lines from Wave
Transit’s Forden Station on Cando street has buses seven days a week leaving
Wilmington at 7:20 a.m., arriving in Charlotte by 1:20 p.m., and a return bus
leaving the Queen City at 3:45 p.m., and arriving in Wilmington by 9:50 p.m.
that same evening. There are stops in Whiteville, Lumberton and Fayetteville
along the way.
UNITEDHEALTHCARE TO
SELL COVERAGE IN NC STARTING IN 2015
A third
health insurance carrier will serve North Carolina’s market via the federal
exchange under the Affordable Care Act starting in 2015. UnitedHealthcare, the
nation’s largest health insurer, submitted an application to the NC Dept. of
Insurance last week to sell federally subsidized coverage in direct competition
with Blue Cross – Blue Shield, the state’s largest carrier, and Coventry Health
Care of the Carolinas. All three insurers have filed for rate hikes, which
won’t be revealed until November. Over 357,000 North Carolinians are covered
under the ACA thus far.
-30-
GOP IGNORES NCNAACP
CALL TO
EXTEND EUGENICS CLAIM
DEADLINE
By Cash Michaels
Editor
Despite a
Democrat-sponsored bill filed a month ago, and a recent call by the NCNAACP to
do so, both Gov. Pat McCrory and Republican leaders in the North Carolina
General Assembly are refusing to extend the filing period for alleged victims
of the state’s forced sterilization program beyond the deadline which ended
Monday June 30th.
“This claim is another example
of Rev. Barber seeking to make a last-minute political statement instead of
assisting some of the very people he is charged to help,” said McCrory
spokesman Josh Ellis, in reference to the written call by NCNAACP President
Rev. William Barber to extend the deadline for another year. “Further delay of
the June 30 deadline will force eugenics victims to wait longer to receive this
long-overdue compensation while many victims are dying every year. The governor
is proud to be from the first state in the nation that will address the
injustice that was committed against eugenics victims.”
A
spokesperson for NC House Speaker Thom Ellis echoed the refusal.
“Extending
the deadline would delay the payment to some qualified recipients. The
bi-partisan House budget passed earlier this month would actually accelerate
the first payment date and extending the deadline would jeopardize that effort.
The Office of Justice for Sterilization Victims has actively sent a thousand
direct mail pieces, made hundreds phone calls and partnered with other agencies
to attempt to reach as many victims as possible. It’s time for the qualified
recipients to receive their compensation.”
From the 1930’s until the late 1970’s, poor black and
white women who were considered mentally unstable, or sexually promiscuous were
targeted by the state for sterilization. It wasn’t until 2003 when the story
was uncovered, that North Carolina formally apologized, and removed the
authorizing law off the books.
However, no
program for compensating the victims came about until Democratic Gov. Beverly
Perdue championed the cause during her 2009 administration, and the NC General
Assembly finally passed legislation establishing a $10 million fund for
compensation in 2013.
Thus far,
of the 1800 eugenics survivors believed to still be alive, only over 600 have
made application for compensation.
According to Rev. Dr. William
Barber, president of the NC NAACP, the state hasn’t done enough in trying to
reach all of the survivors since the compensation program began in earnest last
November. He says the deadline should be extended for another year.
A Democrat-sponsored bill to extend
the deadline for another three months, has been buried in the House Rules
Committee for the past month.
Barber decried what he believed to
be political recalcitrance.
“As of the middle of June, less than 600 of the estimated
1,800 victims have applied for their compensation,” Rev. Barber wrote in a
letter this week to Gov. McCrory, Speaker Tillis and Senate leader Phil Berger.
“Close observers believe the state has failed to launch a broad outreach
campaign to locate eligible North Carolinians, many of whom the state labeled
as mentally defective as the reason for sterilizing them.”
“Those familiar with the victims of the program were all
concerned about how to reach people and how to help them fill out all the forms
necessary to receive their compensation,” Rev. Barber continued. “There is no
master list of victims. Many of the state's records are incomplete. Many of the
victims lacked Social Security numbers in their early teens, when the majority
were sterilized, and the addresses in the records are 40-50 years old. People
have moved, married, and changed their names. Many are poor and without ready
access to legal advice. Some are functionally illiterate.”
"These victims were targeted by the zealous eugenics
program in the first place because they were marginalized, poor and without a
voice, and now there has been little to no effort or resources from the state
to locate these people and help them prepare their applications," said
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II, president of the NC NAACP. "This state has
a moral responsibility to find these men and women. Its responsibility did not
end with setting aside money for victims to apply for. We call on our state
lawmakers to extend this deadline by a year until June 30, 2015 and to commit additional
energy and resources to an aggressive outreach campaign in the media and at the
grassroots level. Let the state be as zealous locating the between two and four
thousand victims and their heirs as it was when it tracked them down in their
early teens, convinced the eugenics board they were defective people and then
removed their reproductive organs. The extension will not significantly delay
payments, since according to the present law no one receives payment until July
2015.”
Rev. Barber continued, “The NC NAACP with our over 200
coalition partners addressed the issue of wrongful sterilization with the
adoption of the coalition's 14-point agenda in 2007. Since that time, obtaining
compensation for the victims of the forcible sterilization program has been a
mainstay of our agenda. Ten years have passed since the state offered a formal
apology to victims of the involuntary sterilizations in 2003. These victims
have suffered for years, in some cases enduring immense physical and
psychological trauma. Compensation will not make these victims whole. But it is
a sign that the State of North Carolina wishes to repair the injuries it caused
some of her citizens."
-30-
Pres. Lyndon Baines Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964.
ON THE 50TH
ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1964
CIVIL RIGHTS ACT,
WHAT HAS CHANGED?
By Cash Michaels
Editor
Fifty years
ago this week, on July 2nd, 1964, Pres. Lyndon Baines Johnson, with
civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. looking on, signed the
historic Civil Rights Act into law.
The federal
law would dramatically give African-Americans the right to full citizenship,
striking down segregation and racial bias in public accommodations, voter
registration, and employment, among other areas. As a result, the quality of
life for African-Americans vastly improved in the 50 years hence.
And yet
there are those who suggest that while progress has indeed been made, a closer
look reveals that more could have been accomplished.
A just
published numerical comparison of various racial categories released by the US
Census Bureau, using the most recent data available, illustrates in stark
figures what the Civil Rights Act has, and has not accomplished for black
Americans.
POPULATION
In 1964,
African-Americans comprised 10.8 percent, or approximately 20.7 million of the
United States population.
In 2013,
blacks made up 13.2 percent, or 41.6 million of the total estimated American
population.
GEOGRAPHY
In 1960, 59.9 percent of the US
black population lived in the South.
In 2010,
that figure dropped to 56.5 percent, though the South still retains the largest
concentration of African-Americans anywhere in the nation.
SCHOOL
ENROLLMENT
In 1964,
there were 4.6 million African-American children enrolled in elementary school,
with an additional 312,000 enrolled in kindergarten. 1.6 million were signed up
for high school, and 306,000 were attending college.
In 2012,
4.9 million black school children were enrolled in elementary school, in
addition to 646,000 in kindergarten; 2.7 million in high school (a 41.7 percent
increase since 1964); and 3 million enrolled in college.
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES
In 1964,
25.7 percent of African-Americans (roughly 2.4 million), age 25 and over,
completed at least four years of high school.
In 2012,
those numbers were dramatically improved, as 85 percent (20.3 million) of
blacks age 25 and over, earned at least a high school diploma.
COLLEGE
GRADUATES
In 1964,
only 3.9 percent, just 365,000 blacks age 25 and over, completed at least four
years of college and earned a bachelor’s degree.
In 2012,
21.2 percent of African-Americans age 25 and over (5.1 million), completed at
least four years of college and walked the stage with a bachelor’s degree.
MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME
In 1964,
$24,840 (in 2012 dollars) was the median family income for blacks, with $27,403
and $17,235 9in 2012 dollars) the median income for black men and black women
respectively who worked full-time year-round.
In 2012,
the median family income for the single-race black US population was $40,517.
Median income for black men was $39,816, and for black women, $35, 090.
POVERTY
In 1966,
the national poverty rate among all races was 14.7 percent. In the black
community nationally, it was 41.8 percent.
In 2012,
with a national overall poverty rate of 15 percent, the rate among blacks was
27.2 percent.
VOTING
In 1964,
while 69.3 percent of the total US population 18 and older voted in that year’s
presidential election, 58.5 percent of the total black population 18 and older
actually cast a ballot for president.
In 2012,
56.5 percent of the total US population 18 and older voted for president. Of blacks
18 and older, 62.0 percent went to the polls that year.
-30-
