NCNAACP PRES. BARBER LEAVES
IN
JUNE TO JOIN NAT’L
POOR PEOPLE’S CAMPAIGN
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
Though he
insists that he’s “really not leaving,” Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II,
president of the State Conference of the North Carolina NAACP, says he will be
“transitioning” from the state presidency next month to join a national “poor
people’s” campaign to address issues of poverty and social inequality.
“I’m not
going to run for another term [as president ] of the North Carolina NAACP, and
I will step down in June,” the civil rights leader said Wednesday during a
teleconference.
Maintaining
that the NCNAACP is “…strong in our legal victories; strong in our
organizational structure; strong financially and strong in the clarity of
agenda…,” the civil rights leader expressed confidence that the next state
president, coming from among the organization’s four vice presidents, will be
up to the task.
Barber has been president of the North
Carolina chapter, the largest in the South, since 2005. He led the once
troubled conference into national prominence with weekly Moral Monday
demonstrations at the North Carolina state legislature since 2013, and challenging
the state on controversial cases of alleged racial injustice.
The key to Barber’s success was his
ability to lead diverse racial and religious coalitions to demand change on
issues ranging from equal education to affordable health care. Subsequently the
Christian leader was invited to twenty-three states last year to do “moral
revival” training, sparking Moral Monday demonstrations as far away as Chicago.
In recent years, Rev. Barber has
been recognized as a key voice in the progressive movement nationally,
garnering him numerous appearances on MSNBC and CNN, and stories in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal; an address
during the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia; and the keynote
sermon at Riverside Church in Harlem last month commemorating the fiftieth
anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s April 4, 1967 “Beyond Vietnam”
address.
His numerous appearances across the
country gradually fueled speculation that Rev. Barber was steadily ascending to
national leadership. Last Wednesday, he confirmed that he will be “following a
deep calling” and “transitioning to an
expansion of the work around the country.”
“We found that there is a deep
hunger for a shift in our moral narrative in the nation, and I’ve been asked by
a number of moral leaders and impacted persons and advocates to join with them
in helping to bring some leadership, energy and unity to helping to build the
Poor People’s campaign, and a national call for a moral revival. “
Rev. Barber said the campaign will
focus on 25 states and the District of Columbia, with at least half of them in South,
including North Carolina, culminating with the 50th anniversary of Dr.
King’s 1968 Poor People’s Campaign.
“In the times in which we live, our
country still needs to address the issues of systemic racism, poverty, the war
economy and militarism, and our national morality,” Rev. Barber said. “We need
a moral narrative.”
Though Barber is leaving the North
Carolina NAACP presidency, he is not leaving the civil rights organization. He
says he’ll still be a member of the state conference, and still sit on the
national NAACP board.
The Christian pastor will not be
leaving his Goldsboro church either, Greenleaf Christian Church, saying that
doing so keeps him in close touch with the needs of the people.
He will join the national effort
under the banner of his own social justice group known as “Repairers of the
Breach,” which, in partnership with the Kairos Center
for Religions, Rights and Social Justice at Union Theological Seminary in New
York City, and other social justice and theologian activists, will sponsor “The
Souls of Poor Folk: Auditing America
50 years after the Poor People’s Campaign Challenged Racism, Militarism,
Poverty and Our National Morality” leading up to the 50th
anniversary of the Poor People’s Campaign.”
“In 1968, the Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. and others knew the nation needed a Poor People’s Campaign to
challenge extremism,” said Rev. Barber. “Today, we recognize that in order to
challenge the extremist policies that are being proposed at the highest levels
of government, which hurt the most vulnerable, we need a Moral Revival Poor
People’s Campaign. We must advance a moral movement in America, that can move
beyond the limited language of left versus right politics.”
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CASH IN THE APPLE FOR
5-11-17
By Cash Michaels
WHAT’S OLD
IS NEW AGAIN – Forgive me, but I’m 61 years old, I love watching old movies and
TV shows.
Why?
Because it is so much fun (at least to me), to try to see details of stories I
know only too well, in a different light and perspective from when I first saw
the movie/TV show.
As a kid
(mostly teenager), I watched purely to enjoy, and as well I should. After all,
that’s what entertainment is supposed to be about when you’re young, just
laughing and carrying on with your crew.
So now,
when certain show or films come on cable for me to watch again, I remember how
much fun I had as a kid seeing it the first time, and part of me wants to
relive those feelings again.
Another
part of me wants to confirm that what I saw many years ago was really that good
in the first place. And finally, yet another part of me (that would be the
61-year-old part) wants to pick it apart and see why it was so good in the
first place.
Now this
isn’t just limited to show and movie I liked. There were lots of shows and
movies I didn’t like many moons ago, that I’ll now take a peek at and see if I
still feel that way, and why, or why not.
The result
of all of this belated re-exploration is, what I think, a valuable lesson that
things aren’t always what they first seem to be. Sometimes they’re much better,
sometime they’re much worst. But time has a way of changing your perspective on
things. That’s the result of maturity, experience, and even a change in
attitude.
Sometimes,
you also learn to re-look at something through another person’s eyes and perspective,
deliberately trying to understand what and why they are seeing something
different. Watching old TV shows with young people is a perfect example of
this. My youngest is quick to point out how flimsy the special effects are,
while I’m trying to convince her that the story is what she be paying
attention.
But I guess
what I really find fascinating is just how much better storytelling was then.
You see, since special effects weren’t all that great back in the day,
filmmakers had to come up with compelling stories to tell – real stories with
depth and meaning, with actors who actually knew how to act!
That means
taking another look at “The Godfather” to really examine how two acting masters
– Marlon Brando and Al Pacino worked their craft.
Or watching
Sidney Poitier in any of his movies from the 1960s.
Or maybe
actresses like Bette Davis or Joan Crawford – performers who took pride in
their work, and knew how to bring audiences to their feet.
And paying
close attention to how master filmmakers like Hitchcock or Spielberg used light
and shadows to paint a picture with textures and hues.
And of
course the music, always a major character in any film or TV show.
The way
they used to do it all, with skill and class, is a lost art in a world today of
loud noise and constant explosions with very few characters you really enjoy.
I don’t
know about ten years from now, but it won’t be as much fun as looking back
today.
We old
folks know real art when we see it.
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CONFUSION ABOUT TRUMP
STATEMENT ON HBCU
FUNDING
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
Is
President Donald Trump standing by his stated earlier commitment to support
historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), or is he backing off,
using some oblique constitutional reason not to do so?
Last Friday
afternoon, the Trump White House issued a statement upon signing H.R. 244, the
Consolidated Appropriations Act 2017, which was recently passed by Congress to
fund the federal government by $1.1 trillion through September 2017.
What was
notable about the law was that even Democrats, like Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC-12),
were pleased with it.
“This is a clean bipartisan budget that’s good for the 12th
District,” she said in a May 3rd
statement. “Students across the 12th District will now have access to
year-around Pell Grants, increasing access to higher education and
opportunity.”
Rep. Adams concluded, “This budget is a reflection of
what Congress can accomplish when we work together.”
But in Trump’s May 5th signing
statement on the law, the Republican president delineated which provisions of
the bill “…would, in certain
circumstances, unconstitutionally limit my ability….” as commander-in-chief.
Towards the
end of Trump’s statement, he continued, “My Administration shall treat provisions that allocate
benefits on the basis of race, ethnicity, and gender (e.g., Division B…
"Historically Black College and University Capital Financing Program
Account) in a manner consistent with the requirement to afford equal protection
of the laws under the Due Process Clause of the Constitution's Fifth Amendment.
According to The Hill, a Washington, DC online newspaper, the 25-year-old “…financing program lets the Education Department
allot federally-backed loans to historically black colleges and universities to
help them fund construction on their campuses,” in this case, $20 million in
federal loan subsidies in fiscal year 2017.
In North Carolina, Bennett College
for Women in Greensboro, know the value of that program first-hand.
"Bennett College has benefitted greatly from the HBCU
Capital Financing Program," said LeRoy Summers, Jr., interim Vice
President for administration and finance. "In 2009, the College borrowed
program funds to construct a new Honors Residence Hall, a Global Learning
Center and an Intergenerational Children's Center. Funds were also borrowed to
refinance an existing loan from the Department of Education. The interest rates
on these loans were lower than rates offered by financial institutions, thus
saving the College money.
But POLITICO, another online DC-based newspaper, reported, “…where the bill conflicts with the White House’s
interpretation of the president’s powers under the Constitution, he will go
with the Constitution.”
In other words, because the program was exclusive to HBCUs,
Trump was hinting that he might not approve of funding it.
It didn’t take long for Trump’s critics to interpret his
statement as a betrayal of his February 28th executive order that
HBCUs will be “…an
absolute priority for this White House.”
Trump made that declaration during a
meeting with over 80 HBCU presidents and chancellors then in the Oval Office
for a photo op. He promised no increased funding at the time, but Republicans in
Congress ensured that HBCUs would see considerable support. Democrats, on the
other hand, were weary.
After Trump’s May 5th contradictory
signing statement, his critics pounced.
News stories suggested that the
president was “hinting that financing for HBCUs may be unconstitutional.”
Rep. Adams, co-chair of the Bi-partisan
HBCU Caucus in Congress, was one of several black congresspeople to express
outrage. “I am surprised and troubled by President Trump’s signing statement
on the FY17 omnibus, which specifically singled out our Historically Black
Colleges and Universities,”
Adams continued,
“Any action taken to weaken the HBCU Capital Financing Program would undermine
their financial stability, harming both students and alumni alike. The president
needs to keep his word and prioritize supporting these important institutions.
The economic prospects of hundreds of thousands of Americans depends on
it."
At Bennett
College in Greensboro, the concern was real.
"It is imperative that the Trump
administration recognizes the program's value to our institutions and the
community at large and leaves it intact,” Vice President for Administration and
Finance Leroy Summers said. “Aside from the financial benefits to HBCUs, doing
so is also important for maintaining good relations between HBCUs and the Trump
administration. In late February, Bennett College Interim President Dr. Phyllis
Worthy Dawkins and other HBCU presidents and chancellors met in good faith with
Trump and his administrators. If funding for the HBCU Capital Financing Program
is cut, that would detract from the progress that was made during those
meetings."
Other HBCU leaders, like Chancellor Elwood Robinson of
Winston-Salem State University, held their fire, choosing instead to remind The
White House of what HBCU’s bring to the table.
“While Winston-Salem State University does
not currently have a project funded through the program President Trump was
addressing, we believe that historically black colleges and universities play a
critical role in the nation’s higher education landscape,” Robinson said in a
statement. “Our 25,000-plus alumni demonstrate the incredible outcomes and the
enormous economic impact we have on the region and the nation. We continue to
strive to ensure that policymakers are aware of the value of HBCUs — and the
historic underfunding of our institutions — and support us at both the state
and federal level.”
Still
others in the HBCU community, like Cheryl Smith, senior vice president of
public policy and government affairs for the United Negro College Fund, said
she was “puzzled
by this provision and [was] seeking clarification from the White House as to
its meaning.”
Even the spokesman for Republican
Congressman Mark Walker of Greensboro (R-NC-6) was confused, especially since
Walker was a GOP leader pushing for more funding for HBCUs in Congress.
“We saw this over the weekend and have some questions,” said Jack
Minor, Rep. Walker’s communications director. “We are seeking clarification
from the Administration on the signing statement.”
The Thurgood Marshall College Fund, which also advocates
for more HBCU funding, also weighed in.
“We have shared with the White House our assertion that the HBCU
program is not at all a race-based government effort and therefore doesn't
raise any equal protection or due process concerns because participation in the
program is limited to HBCUs,” the TMCF said in a weekend statement. “HBCUs
serve some of the most diverse populations in this nation and three TMCF
member-schools enroll more white students than black students:”
With criticism mounting, the Trump Administration finally
decided Sunday that a clarification was in order.
“The statement that accompanied my signing of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017, sets forth my intention to spend the
funds it appropriates, including the funds for Historically Black Colleges and
Universities (HBCUs), consistently with my responsibilities under the
Constitution,” Pres. Trump said. “It does not affect my unwavering support for
HBCUs and their critical educational missions.”
“In a few days,
my Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos will give the commencement address at
Bethune-Cookman University, a school founded by the great Mary McCleod Bethune
and committed to leadership and service. Secretary DeVos chose an HBCU as
the venue for her first commencement address to demonstrate my Administration's
dedication to these great institutions of higher learning.”
The president
continued, “I look forward to selecting an Executive Director and Board for my
HBCU initiative and continuing this important work with HBCUs throughout the
nation.”
But even with
that clarification, Democrats were not convinced that when it comes to HBCUs,
that Pres. Trump can be trusted,
"Sadly and shamefully, HBCUs, including
the schools that President Trump met with, are left to wonder whether he wants
to help or hurt them," said Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La), chairman of the
Congressional Black Caucus and Rep. John Conyers (D-Mi.) in a statement.
NCNAACP BLASTS UNC
BOARD ATTEMPT
TO CRIPPLE CIVIL
RIGHTS CENTER
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
The
president of the NC NAACP is critical of a UNC Board of Governors subcommittee proposal
that wants the UNC Center for Civil Rights at UNC-Chapel Hill to cease filing complaints motions, lawsuits or
other legal claims, usually on behalf of poor people or communities, against
any private person, company or government, or acting as or employing legal
counsel.
“This is another attempt by the extremist Republican-led General
Assembly and its allies to roll back civil rights and undermine any group or
policy that fights for civil rights, voting rights and the principle of equal
protection under the law embedded in our constitution,” says NCNAACP Pres. Rev.
William Barber. “It reveals how afraid they are and how deeply they
realize that the policies they are promoting, when exposed, are found to be
driven by racism and are an affront to justice.”
“They can’t handle the truth,
so they try to stop the truth tellers,” Rev. Barber continued. “The UNC
Center for Civil Rights is under attack because of the work they do, and have
done, challenges the [repression] the General Assembly is doing, and wants to
do more of.”
The full UNC board is expected to vote on the matter this
month. Public opinion was solicited in Chapel Hill on May 11th.
Conservative
members of the UNC Board of Governors Education Planning, Policies and Programs
Subcommittee say legal centers on UNC campuses should not be involved in
litigation, only learning about it.
“We need to confine ourselves to our mission,
which is academic,” Raleigh attorney Joe Knott, a committee member says. “The
university is not a public interest law firm and doesn’t need to be.”
But supporters of the work at the UNC
Center – which was started in 2001 by civil rights attorney Julius Chambers,
say it provides an invaluable service to low wealth communities in the areas of
school desegregation, “... fair housing, environmental justice, community
inclusion and political participation….,” according to Theodore Shaw, a Julius
L. Chambers distinguished professor of law, and director of the UNC Center for Civil
Rights.
“The center works to dismantle structural and
racialized barriers to equality – the legacy of hundreds of years of slavery
and racial discrimination that have impacted our state,” wrote Shaw.
Indeed, according to UNC law
Professor Gene Nichol, Chambers at first hesitated to establish the Center
there, accurately predicting “They won’t
let you open a center to represent poor black people,” referring to conservatives.
“And if they do, and if we do our work, they’ll close us down.”
So it was no surprise when, in a February 14th memo, Raleigh
attorney Steve Long, another UNC Board of Governors member, wrote, “Filing
legal actions against the state or city and county governments is far outside
the primarily academic purpose of UNC centers. “
And yet, it was the UNC Center that sued years ago to ensure
that all North Carolina public school students were guaranteed the
constitutional right to “a sound, basic education, ” and sued to stop a toxic
waste dump in Brunswick County that threatened the black community there.
At North Carolina Central University’s School of Law in
Durham, there is also concern that two institutions – the Dispute Resolution
Institute and the Intellectual Property Law Institute, in addition to eleven legal
clinics for students there, would also be in jeopardy.
Irving Joyner, professor of law at NCCU’s School of Law, and
chair of the NCNAACP Legal Redress Committee, agrees that the UNC Board of
Governors proposal is partisan, and pointed.
“[This] is an
attempt to send the message to others who are in the University system that
efforts to advance, protect and support the rights of minorities and poor
people will be resisted by the UNC Board of Governors,” Prof. Joyner said. “These
efforts are shameful and will have the effect of subverting the University's
stated mission of providing education, services and resources to citizens in
this state, and to improve its quality of life.”
“Board members who support this effort, ignore
the fact and reality that citizens provide the authority and funds which have
been used by the university system to gain national recognition and those
citizens, particularly those who are often the targets of governmental over-reaching,
deserve an effective return of their investments to this system. By the
same acts, students are being denied the opportunity to benefit from the many
excellent learning labs which our universities have been able to utilize in the
past,” Joyner added.
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STATE NEWS BRIEFS 05-11-17
NC RANKS 35TH
IN TEACHER PAY ACCORDING TO NEA
[RALEIGH]
North Carolina has moved up from 41st in teacher pay nationally, to
35th, according to the National Education Association. Average
teacher’s salary in the state was $49,837 in 2016-17, $9,000 less than the
national average. Out of the 12 states that make up the Southeast, North
Carolina now ranks 5th, moving up from 9th.
SENATE LEADERS UNVEIL
$22.9 BILLION BUDGET PLAN
[RALEIGH]
The fine details weren’t available at press time Wednesday, but state Senate
leaders unveiled their $22.9 billion budget proposal Tuesday afternoon, touting
that it gives teachers, principals and
state employees pay raises, and cuts taxes by $1 billion. The proposal spends
$600 million less than Gov. Roy Cooper’s plan. The Senate plan, however,
provides no cost-of-living increases for retired state employees. Hearings on
the budget were scheduled to begin on Wednesday, with a senate vote by Friday.
The House is expected to present it’s budget plan shortly.
SEN. BURR TROUBLED BY
FIRING OF FBI DIRECTOR
[WASH. DC]
The chairman of the US Senate Committee on Intelligence says he is troubled by
the firing of FBI Director James Comey, and its timing. NC Sen. Richard Burr
also said he was troubled by the reasoning of Pres. Trump’s dismissal of Comey, giving that the FBI director was
heading up a probe into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential
elections. Burr, a Republican, had high praise for Comey, calling him “a public
servant of the highest order.
-30-
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