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CASH IN THE APPLE FOR
12-01-16
By Cash Michaels
SO WHAT ARE
WE SEEING? – After having spent the last nine months surviving cancer, I’ve
decided that the last thing I’m going to do is allow the incoming Trump
presidential administration to do me in. After all, I’ve lived through Richard
Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush, and those five
took us from ultimate government corruption to the country being bankrupt. Now
we potentially have all that in the next Republican president.
C’mon,
we’re black folk, so we’re used to troubled times and folks hatin’ on us. We
always knew it would be no time soon that racism would be buried once and for
all, and in fact also always knew that it could get worse.
Enter
President-Elect Donald Trump.
The man
hasn’t even taken the oath of office yet, and already we have a glimmer of an
idea as to how chaotic and corrupt his four years in the White House are going
to be, assuming he lasts that long. By that, I mean that Trump is likely to be
impeached, because we all know how much respect for the law and the
Constitution he has (can you say “NONE” boys and girls?).
Just look
at the public backbiting and infighting happening within his transition team
already. Look at some of his appointments – some people with absolutely no clue
with how government is supposed to work, and others, like former NY Mayor Rudy
Giuliani, who believe war against people of color isn’t “hell”, but home.
Rudy wants
to be our US secretary of State. Probably wants to carry a gun on the job too!
Trump has a
billionaire who will serve as US commerce secretary. This is like allowing a
lion to run the meat locker. Can we really trust a man who will see his main
job as attracting foreign business for himself and his boss?
And how about
the lady Trump appointed to head up the US Education Dept.? Hear she has
absolutely no educational experience at all, unless you call working to
actually destroy public schools as a “worthy” goal?
But the
king of them all, obviously, is Donald J. Trump, the man many in the white
nationalist movement have poured blessings on ever since his earth-shaking
election several weeks ago. If fact, at last reports, a whole bunch of Ku Klux
Klanners are scheduled to march and rally somewhere in North Carolina to
celebrate Trump’s victory this Saturday.
Has he
tweeted a message to this people to find something else to march and make noise
about? Of course not, and we all know how much that man loves to tweet.
What’s real
promising is that major media across the nation are gearing up to following
President Trump’s every move, every misstep. We cab all feel how he’s gearing up to turn
the federal government into a great big personal piggy bank. I’ll be amazed if
he doesn’t plant a big ole’ “TRUMP” sign on the White House with plenty of
casino parking.
You know,
maybe I’m wrong. Maybe the kind of dishonesty and corruption that is coming is
a type we’ve never seen before. Well if it is, I can honestly say that I’m
ready.
I wonder if
I can say the same thing for the racists who put Donald Trump in the Oval
Office in the first place!
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NCCU ALUMS REMEMBER
CHANCELLOR
SAUNDERS-WHITE
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
The proud
Eagle Nation of North Carolina Central University continues in deep mourning
for the loss of its leader last Saturday, Chancellor Debra Saunders-White.
Dr. Saunders-White,
59, died November 26th after a courageous battle with kidney cancer,
which she was diagnosed with in 2015. She took a medical leave last August.
“So many of you
have told me how strong I am with kind adjectives to reinforce it. While I am immensely
appreciative of your kind expressions, I must say that as a child of God, I am
only here today because of His continued grace and mercy, along with the
reassurance of you all, Saunders-White wrote to all of her supporters in an
open letter in October. “Please know that my head is still held up high,
delighted to continue to serve my Master as humbly as I know how. I am
incredibly grateful for your compassion and love.”
She signed it,
“Deb.”
The eleventh chancellor in NCCU’s
history, Saunders-White came to the school on June 1, 2013. Ms. Avon Ruffin,
former member of the NCCU Trustee Board until 2015, served as vice-chair of the
Search Committee, and remembers how impressed the panel was with her commitment
to educational excellence.
“In the interview process, we realized that
there was something there, and we thought that [she] would be a tremendous
asset for North Carolina Central University. So she quickly rose to the top of
our list at we looked at potential candidates.”
“It’s a tremendous loss for us,”
Ruffin, a 1975 alumnae and widow of UNC System Board president, the late
Benjamin Ruffin, said. “As a person, she was a sweet spirit. I believe that she
had faith,…and her caring for the students of North Carolina Central and that
university, and all that she did to pull us out of some really tough times, is
an example of the greatness of her leadership.”
In a statement from the NCCU Cape Fear Alumni Chapter,
Sabrina Hill-Black, chapter president, wrote, “Debra Saunders-White was our Chancellor. We stress the word
our. She had a vision for the future and caused us to see it and get excited
about it. She touched all sectors of the Eagle family. Chancellor
Saunders-White was loved by students, faculty, staff, alumni and all Eagle
supporters.”
Ms. Hill-Black continued,” We know God does not make mistakes
and we are grateful for the three and a half years she walked with and led us.
We can only imagine what she could have done with more time but that mission is
left to us. We must be that light in the darkness. We must all become even more
special people. We must continue to strive for Eagle Excellence. We must
continue to show “Eagle Pride, Amplified”. We are thankful for the positive
influence she had on the lives of many through her role at the University of
North Carolina at Wilmington and the many friendships she formed. Thank you,
Dr. Saunders-White, for giving a little of yourself with each of us!”
A native of Hampton, Va., Dr.
Saunders-White earned her bachelor’s degree
in history in 1979 from the University of Virginia, and a master’s in
business administration from The College of William and Mary in 1993. In 2004,
Saunders-White earned a doctorate in higher education administration from
George Washington University.
In addition to her academic
credentials, Saunders-White spent 15 years in the corporate sector, working at
IBM in 1979 a systems engineer, rising to marketing and management before she
left. She later taught college preparatory math in Newport, R.I.
In 1999, Saunders-White became
provost for technology at Hampton University, and in 2006 she went to
UNC-Wilmington to become vice chancellor of information technology systems.
While there, Dr. Saunders-White improved emergency communications for campus
safety and cost effective classroom technologies.
May of 2011 saw Dr. Saunders-White
accept an appointment by the Obama Administration to serve as Deputy Assistant
Secretary for Higher Education Programs (HEP) , administering more than 60
programs totaling nearly $3 billion annually.
In February 2015, she was chosen to
become the first permanent female chancellor in NCCU’s history, assuming the
post in June of that year.
“Chancellor Saunders-White was an
effective leader, steering the University toward innovative teaching with a renewed
focus on STEM programs,” says Congressman G. K. Butterfield (D-NC-1). “She
always encouraged her students to strive for "Eagle Excellence."
Her vision for NCCU and passion for uplifting all HBCUs left a lasting
mark on the future of our students.”
“Chancellor
Saunders-White will be sorely missed, but her legacy will not be
forgotten."
A
memorial service was held on the NCCU campus Monday evening, followed by a
candlelight vigil with students, faculty and administrators.
In her honor, a ‘Celebration of Life Tribute’ will be held on
Friday, Dec. 2 at 2 p.m. in NCCU’s McDougald-McLendon Arena. Saunders-White’s
funeral is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 3 at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic
Church (414 Buckroe Avenue, Hampton, Virginia 23664) in Virginia.
-30-
NCNAACP THREATENS
CIVIL
DISOBEDIENCE IN VOTE
COUNT
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
If state
lawmakers insert themselves into deciding North Carolina’s next governor, or
changing the state Supreme Court to nullify Justice-elect Mike Morgan’s
victory, there will be mass demonstrations and civil disobedience, promises NCNAACP
President Rev. William Barber.
“We believe either attempting to
stack the Supreme Court or deciding the governor’s race in the legislature is,
and would be a major civil rights violation of the right to vote and equal
protection under the law,” Rev. Barber told hundreds of demonstrators during
Monday night’s Moral Monday march and rally at the state Capitol in Raleigh “We
pledge to fight with every legal and moral tool we have, including if necessary,
mass civil disobedience.”
Rev. Barber joined the ranks of
those concern that the Republican majority in the Nc General Assembly would
appoint two new justices to the state’s High Court in order to offset the 4-3
Democratic majority Morgan’s Election Day victory resulted in. Thus far, GOP
legislative leaders claim that they haven’t discussed it with their caucuses.
Barber’s warning comes as the State
Board of Elections posted new unofficial number tallies in the gubernatorial
race between Republican incumbent Gov. Pat McCrory, and his Democratic
challenger state Atty. Gen. Roy Cooper. With all but 13 counties reporting in,
Cooper leads McCrory by 9, 716 votes of 4.7 million cast, what some observers
are saying is an insurmountable lead for the governor to overcome despite his
legal action demanding a statewide recount, and specifically a recount of over
90,000 ballots in Durham County which were tabulated hours after polls closed
on Nov. 8th because of mechanical problems.
McCrory
wants those Durham ballots recounted by hand, but the Durham Elections Board
previously rejected his campaign’s petition. At press time, the state Board of
Elections was scheduled Wednesday to decide whether to order the Durham Board
to proceed with the recount.
Meanwhile,
the conservative Civitas Institute has filed a federal lawsuit, which will be
heard in court on Dec. 8th, seeking to stop any certification of early voting
ballots from same-day registrations, claiming that the addresses on those
registrations were not confirmed before the ballots were cast.
During his
remarks at the Moral Monday demonstration, Rev. Barber blasted what he saw was a deliberate manipulation of
the election process by Republicans to deny communities of color their voting
rights. He said NCNAACP lawyers would be in court Friday to challenge the
Civitas lawsuit.
Barber also
demanded that Gov. McCrory stop his attorneys from interfering with the post-election
vote canvassing process with their many challenges and, thus far, “bogus
allegations” of voter fraud.
“Pledge that after
the canvass and recount, you will not try to get the legislature to take
steps to unconstitutionally decide the governor’s race,” Rev. Barber added,
noting that if the final margin of victory for Roy Cooper is below 10,000
votes, state law allows the Republican-led legislature to decide who the next
governor will be.
Rev. Barber also warned that he
expects the NC General Assembly to follow the ruling of the US Fourth Circuit
of Appeals to redraw the congressional and legislative voting lines when it
reconvenes in January. Several months ago, the federal court found the 2011 district
maps unconstitutional because black voters were “stacked and packed” into “minority”
districts solely because of race.
“We will be watching to see if the
legislature continues to contemptuously thumb its nose at the federal courts,”
Rev. Barber said. “We will go back into court with the first sign the
legislature delays justice again, because justice delayed is justice
denied.”
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STATE NEWS BRIEFS FOR 12-01-16
CHARLOTTE POLICE
OFFICER CLEARED IN FATAL KEITH SCOTT SHOOTING
[CHARLOTTE] The
Charlotte-Mecklenburg County district attorney announced Wednesday that the
police officer who fatally shot Keith Lamont Scott last Sept. 20th was
legally justified in shooting the black man because Scott brandished a gun and
refused to obey orders to drop it. Scott
died at the scene. DA R. Andrew Murray told reporters Wednesday that Scott had
taken medication right before he was killed. Undercover officers saw Scott with
marijuana and a gun in his vehicle before deciding to approach him. Scott’s
killing set off several days of demonstrations and violence in Charlotte.
FEDERAL COURT ORDERS
SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE ELECTION NEXT YEAR
[RALEIGH] A
special legislative election will be held in 2017 after state lawmakers redraw
the 2011 legislative map. Earlier this year, US Fourth Circuit of Appeals ruled
28 voting districts unconstitutional because of racial gerrymandering. A
federal judge ordered the special election, setting next March 15th
as a deadline for the new legislative map to be drawn. A primary will be held no
later than next September, and the special election will be held in November
2017. Republican legislative leaders blasted the decision, but civil rights
activists praised it as giving North Carolinians “fair representation.”
JUDGE ISSUES
TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER BLOCKING
DEMOLITION OF
BELHAVEN HOSPITAL
[BELHAVEN]
A judge has issued a 10-day temporary restraining order preventing the
demolition of Pungo District Hospital in Beaufort County, according to Mayor
Adam O’Neal. Seven members of the Pantego
Creek LLC, the nonprofit group that currently owns the hospital, filed suit
claiming that they were misled by managers of the group to have the facility
torn down. Vidant Health closed the hospital in 2014, claiming that it was
losing money. The Belhaven town board and various community groups have sought
to purchase the building and reopen it as a health facility.
STILL NO WORD ON WHERE
KKK PLANS TRUMP VICTORY MARCH/RALLY
[RALEIGH] At
press time Wednesday, there is still no word on the time or location the Loyal
White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan plan to hold their victory march and rally
this Saturday, Dec. 3rd. The sponsoring KKK chapter is from Pelham,
NC, a small unincorporated community in Caswell County near the Virginia
border, 45 minutes north of Burlington. The group’s website is calling the
event “Victory Klavalkade Klan Parade – Trump’s race united my people.” In
August 2014, the group sponsored a rally against illegal immigration in Troy in
Montgomery County.
MORGANTON MAN PLEADS
GUILTY TO ISIS-INSPIRED TERRORISM PLOT IN STATE
[ASHEVILLE]
A 20-year old Morganton man has pleaded guilty in federal court to planning an
ISIS-inspired terrorist attack in either North Carolina or Virginia. Justin
Nojan Sullivan now faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. Authorities say
Sullivan tried to purchase an assault weapon with hollow-point ammo for using
in a mass murder at a concert or nightclub. An undercover FBI agent was
solicited to build a silencer for the gun. Sullivan wanted his parents killd
after hos mother found the silencer.
-30-
