Monday, March 26, 2018

THE CASH JOURNAL FOR 0-3-29-18

SEN. PATTY MURRAY CONVENES MEETING WITH REP. ALMA ADAMS, AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM SOME OF THE NATION'S HBCU's DURING LAST WEEK'S HBCU/STEAM DAY OF ACTION [photo courtesy of Rep. Adams' Office]

ADAMS WINS FOR HBCU’s
IN 2018 OMNIBUS BUDGET
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer

Who says there’s nothing but bad news coming out of our nation’s capital?
Despite her usual blunt and frank assessment of what she routinely sees as the “negative” policies of the Republican majority in Congress, and President Donald Trump in particular, Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC-12) had little to complain about last week.
Beyond announcing Sunday that she will seek a third-term in office representing Charlotte-Mecklenburg and parts of surrounding counties that make up the 12th Congressional District, and then on Monday being inducted into the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Women’s History Hall of Fame, Adams was pleased that many of her district and issue priorities, especially relating to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in North Carolina and elsewhere, were addressed in the $1.3 trillion federal budget that Pres. Trump had threatened not sign last week, but after a little veto drama, eventually did.
Besides more money for the military, and the staving off of another government shutdown, the new budget gave HBCUs:

· The maximum award for Pell Grants is raised by $175 however; this does not include an index to inflation, a shift to mandatory funding, or a restoration of Pell Grant eligibility.
· Increases TRIO and GEAR Up funding by $60 million and $10 million, respectively;
· National Park Service’s (NPS) HBCU Historic Preservation Program is funded at $5 million, in line with the Clyburn-Adams amendment to the House Interior Appropriations bill;
· Increases funding for the HBCU Capital Financing Program by $10 million to allow schools experiencing financial difficulty due to their loans a deferment on payment for 3 to 6 years.

Congresswoman Adams, the co-chair of the Bipartisan Historically Black Colleges and Universities Caucus, was elated.
“I’m thrilled to see the critical resources for HBCUs that our coalition advocated for, such as the expansion of the capital financing program, included in the 2018 omnibus. This measure will ensure security for nearly a dozen HBCUs and the students they serve, including Bennett College in North Carolina, through expanded access to essential funding for campus infrastructure and student programs,” she said. 
“I led the effort to include this change in the omnibus because, as a professor at Bennett College for 40 years, I witnessed first-hand the opportunities that HBCUs provide their students.  I’m pleased that this bipartisan measure was included and I will continue to review the bill in its entirety to make certain that it is inclusive of our 12th District priorities.”
Ratification of the Omnibus budget came on the heels of the successful HBCU STEAM Day of Action on Capitol Hill, where the Bipartisan HBCU Caucus joined forces with the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) Caucus, and, according to Rep. Adams’ office, “… brought HBCU presidents and administrators from thirty-four schools, including NC A&T, Johnson C. Smith University, Shaw University and Fayetteville State University,  and industry leaders,  to Capitol Hill to meet with key members of Congress and senior staff from both parties and in both chambers. The meetings allowed the coalition to advocate for bipartisan priorities impacting HBCUs and increased efforts to diversify the workforce. Those priorities include increased resources for 1890 land-grant universities through the Farm Bill, reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, STEM initiatives, and appropriations.
“HBCUs graduate top minority talent, including more than 40% of African American engineers-we cannot diversify our workforce without their inclusion,” Rep. Adams said in a statement. “Despite this fact, HBCUs are not receiving equal resources and opportunities as their peer institutions. The Bipartisan HBCU Caucus is proud to host the first ever HBCU STEAM Day of Action to push for bipartisan legislation to continue fighting for increased resources for our schools and 21st century opportunities for all.”

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50 YEARS AFTER DR. KING’S DEATH,
REV. BARBER SAYS “PICK UP THE BATON
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer

It is not widely known, but 50 years ago next week, on April 4, 1968, civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was supposed to be in Wilmington, NC, to take part in a voter registration campaign sponsored by the local branch of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
But a few days earlier, Dr. King called to postpone his appearance, saying that he was needed in Memphis, Tenn. to support the sanitation workers there, who were going on strike.
As King stepped out of his room on the second-floor of the Lorraine Motel to speak to an aide down in the parking lot, a gunshot rang out at 6:05 p.m., and the civil rights leader was fatally struck in the face. 
After being rushed to a nearby hospital, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was officially pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m.
Next week, the nation, and indeed the world, will commemorate that fateful day when, as has been said many times since, “They killed the Dreamer.”
The man who is seen today as “The Dreamer’s” natural successor, Bishop Dr. William Barber, II, former president of the NCNAACP, and current leader of another social justice organization, Repairers of the Breach, says with many of the basic rights Dr. King fought and died for still under assault – voting rights, civil and equal rights, fair housing , equal employment, etc. -  today’s generation of freedom-lovers should remember King’s legacy and sacrifice, with careful consideration, and determined non-violent action.
“To say that here, years after his assassination, is something we should think about deeply,” Dr. Barber said. “But we dishonor the memory of Dr. King, and all those who suffered, if we simply commemorate his assassination.”
“You do not commemorate an assassination of a leader or a prophet,” Dr. Barber continued. “You certainly don’t celebrate. There’s only one thing you do -  you go to the place where they were killed, and you reach into the blood, and you pick up the baton, and you carry it the next leg of the way.”
“That is our calling [now]. And I know that would be Dr. King’s dream for us, because, as he said in his last sermon, “Nothing would be more tragic, than for us to turn back now.”
The man who succeeded Dr. Barber as president of the NCNAACP, Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman, also believes that the baton for freedom, justice and equality must go forward, but believes firmly that, just like in Dr. King’s day over 50 years ago, young people are rising to the challenge, and demanding change, as dramatically seen last weekend during the state and nationwide March for Our Lives demonstrations in cties like Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Durham and Raleigh.
“I was a sensitive 16 year old when Dr. King was killed,  and can still remember how the traumatic news of his death sparked an array of emotion in me,” Dr. Spearman recalls. “That trauma still lingers in my body 50 years later, and moves me to continue fighting for the justice.”
 “King was, and still is my hero. His death did not stop the movement, as movement ordered by God is never stopped with the death of the leader. It did, however, take on new dimensions as some of us struggled to find our fit in the movement. There are many who have picked up the torch, including the youth of #MarchingForOurLives. They respect and are equipped to carry on the legacy today.”
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STATE NEWS BRIEFS FOR 03-29-18

STUDY SAYS UNC BLACK MALE ATHLETES HAVE LOW GRAD RATES
            [CHAPEL HILL] According to a new study by the University of Southern California’s Race and Equity Center, black male athletes at UNC-Chapel Hill have the lowest graduation rates of any Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) school. Sixty-five schools were studied for the USC report, conducted by USC Prof. Shaun Harper. Forty-three percent of black male athletes who attended UNC-Chapel Hill between 2007 and 2010, graduated within six years – the lowest rate in the ACC. That’s contrast to 90 percent of all UNC students attending during that same period. Some observers at UNC attest the poor numbers to racism n “old admissions practices.”

OUTRAGE AFTER SHAW UNIVERSITY SELLS RADIO STATION
            [RALEIGH] Shaw University says the sale of its 50,000-watt radio station, WSHA-FM, is a move towards progress that will allow it’s communications department to grow and expand. But critics see the sale the station’s 88.9 frequency to a white Christian broadcasting company as a sellout for “a few pieces of silver,” said one Facebook poster. The station went on the air fifty years ago, and was one of the first owned and operated by an HBCU. It plays a mixture of jazz and public affairs programming, and has become a voice for Raleigh’s African-American community. The school will retain the call letters and the radio tower, and will go online with its programming.

GREEN PARTY NOW OFFICIALLY ON NC BALLOTS FOR THE MIDTERMS
            [RALEIGH] As of Tuesday, the progressive Green Party is now officially on North Carolina’s election ballot. The party qualified for automatic access on the ballot in 35 states across the nation during the 2016 presidential election. The Republican-led NC General Assembly approved the automatic ballot access, and even congratulated the Green Party. Many feel, however, that the GOP did so, hoping that the Green Party would attract voters away from the Democratic Party.

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Monday, March 19, 2018

THE CASH JOURNAL FOR 03-21-18

ECONOMIC BARRIERS REMAIN
FOR NC BLACKS 
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer

In 2016, the U.S. Census found that 23.4 percent of black North Carolinians lived in poverty, while only 12 percent of white state residents were struggling in the same condition, according to a recent report by the Economic Policy Institute.
That is one of the latest entries in the NC Budget and Tax Center’s “Prosperity Watch” series, which frequently gauges the economic progress, or lack thereof, of North Carolinians.
According to that Economic Policy Institute report, African-Americans have made progress “…in absolute terms…” over the past fifty years, but  that progress is “…limited in removing [historic] barriers that maintain persistently high differences in outcomes for African-Americans relative to whites.”
For instance, using the same measure for North Carolina, 38.7 percent of black families in 1970 lived in poverty compared to 11.1.percent of white families.
Again, in 2016, it was 23.4 percent black, compared to 12 percent white living in poverty. So there definitely has been progress in the state since 1970. EPI researchers maintain that the racial barriers in employment, education and housing still exist to a certain degree.
Nationally, researchers found, 21.4 percent of African-Americans lived in poverty in 2016, compared to just 8.8 percent of whites.
However, when it comes to unemployment, the gap between blacks and whites has actually widened over the past 50 years, EPI researchers found. Whereas the unemployment rate gap between blacks and whites was 4 percent 50 years ago (6.40% to 2.70%), in 2016, it was 5 percentage points (9.79% to 5.02%).
“African-Americans in North Carolina must still confront large economic barriers,’ confirms Rob Schofield, of NC Policy Watch.
Indeed earlier this year, the NC Budget and Tax Center reported that nationally, while the unemployment rate for black workers dropped to its lowest level on record (6.7 percent), “…[in North Carolina] the unemployment rate for black workers is still 2.3 times higher than that for white workers,…according to the latest available data from the third quarter of 2017 on unemployment rates by race and ethnicity in North Carolina.
The January 15, 2018 report continued, “The unemployment rate, a measure of those out of work and looking for work, was 7 percent for black people in the third quarter of 2017. The last time the state’s overall unemployment rate was at 7 percent was in 2013. The persistence of such an elevated unemployment rate for black people five years past the overall unemployment rate has declined from such levels signals the barriers that have remained in place for black people in particular.”
The NCBTC report continued, “The failure of job growth to reach evenly across geographies, the persistence of barriers to employment like the lack of affordable retraining for new careers, and the concentrations of black workers in the public sector are particular factors explaining unemployment differences in the recent period.”
And what about the much-hailed economic recovery that the Trump Administration has touted for the past several months?
“…the supposed recovery has done little to unmake economic systems that disproportionately benefit white people in North Carolina, the NC Budget and Tax Center reported last December, noting that “Recovery ha not addressed racial barriers to economic opportunity and prosperity.”

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NC PUBLIC SCHOOLS RESEGREGATING
AT AN ALARMING RATE
by Cash Michaels
contributing writer

            There are more high poverty schools, containing more poor children of color, across North Carolina now, resulting in an alarming resegregation.
            That is the contention in a new report, “Stymied by Segregation: How Integration Can Transform North Carolina Schools and the Lives of Its Students” by Kris Nordstrom, a policy analyst with the NC Justice Center, a non-partisan progressive policy group.
            The report analyzes the past ten years on trends in public school segregation in North Carolina, and notes that the number of racially and economically isolated schools has increased; economic segregation is on the rise, even though the racial distribution in various school districts is mixed; larger school districts aren’t doing enough to integrate their schools; school district boundaries are still used to maintain segregated school systems; and charter schools tend to “exacerbate’ segregation.”
            The report then states that the NC General Assembly  “…increasingly considers bills that would further exacerbate school segregation.”
            One of those prospective measures, House Bill 704, is already being discussed by the Joint Legislative Study Committee on the Division of Local School Administrative Units. That committee held its first meeting March 13th to discuss the consequences of breaking up large school districts like Wake and Charlotte-Mecklenburg, and turning them into smaller ones.
            While mostly Republican state lawmakers tried to make the case that smaller school districts would be better for North Carolina’s students, Sen. Joyce Waddell (D-Mecklenburg) weighed in to ask the obvious question that none of the Republicans broached.
            “What measures do you have in place that would prevent [students of color from being harmed], that discriminatory factors would not be the major factors in North Carolina as we move forward to breaking up large school systems?” 
            Indeed, many critics of the GOP efforts to even consider breaking up large school districts across the state suggest it’s a thinly disguised attempt at resegregation. “What measures do you have in place that would prevent that from happening, that discriminatory factors would not be the major factors in North Carolina as we move forward to breaking up large school systems?” asked outgoing state Sen. Angela Bryant (D-Nash).
            According to the National Equity Atlas (NEA), “…one of every three students of color in North Carolina attends a high poverty school,” defined as “…schools in which 75 percent or more of the student body qualifies for federal free or reduced price lunch.” NEA goes on to state that “…concentrated high-poverty schools are often the result of economic and racial segregation.”
            The expanding achievement gap between black and white students in North Carolina is seen as a direct result  of increasing segregation in the public schools.           
            If we do not address the proliferation of high-poverty schools,” writes NEA author Brian Kennedy, “… many of our students will leave high school unprepared for post-secondary education and underqualified to participate in the workforce.”
            According to the “Stymied by Segregation” report, school districts in New Hanover, Guilford, Mecklenburg and Wake counties, among others have the largest increase in income-based segregation.
            Charlotte-Mecklenburg has the most racially segregated school district in North Carolina. Guilford and Forsyth counties are among the ten most segregated school districts in the state.
            In closing, the report, in promoting school integration, says, “The state’s public schools are becoming increasingly segregated by income, and while the trends in racial school segregation in North Carolina are mixed, the overall level of racial segregation remains far too high.”

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STATE NEWS BRIEFS 03-20-18

ST. AUG STUDENT REMAINS IN CRITICAL CONDITION AFTER SHOOTING
[COLUMBIA, S.C.] A St. Augustine’s University student remains in critical condition with a serious spinal injury in a Columbia hospital after he was one of three innocent bystanders shot Saturday evening in the Five Points section of the city.
Howard Boone, Jr., 23, is said to be under sedation after undergoing surgery to the back of his neck where he was shot. Boone, a member of the campus ROTC , and a criminal justice major. His mother says he has been in the US Army Reserves since 2013, and plans to seek a commission as a US Army officer after he graduates in 2019.
The alleged shooter, Arthur Jones, Jr., 22, has been charged with three counts of attempted murder. One of the other three victims was shot in the face.

FOUR-YEAR-OLD RECOVERING AFTER POLICE DOG ATTACKS HER 
[SHELBY] A four-year-old child remains in the hospital after being attacked by a police dog over the weekend while Shelby police were chasing a suspect. Little Karmen Wilson happened to be in a car when the fleeing suspect opened the door, the K-9 dog to attack her, biting into her body. Karmen was in surgery Monday for reconstructive surgery. Shelby police justify the use of the K-9, saying that the suspect had multiple felony warrants. But community leaders counter that a police dog should not have been used. Karmen’s family is expected to file a lawsuit.

NO MORE IN-TOWN ALLIGATOR HUNTING IN BELVILLE
[BELVILLE] No more alligator hunting in the Brunswick County town of Belville, by order of the town commissioners. Why? Town leaders were concerned that the hunting of female alligators would hurt the overall gator population. Alligator hunting in the state is by permit only. The NC Wildlife Resources Commission has approved an Alligator management plan, establishing a one month hunting season from Sept. 1 to oct. 1. Alligator hunters are allowed to kill only one alligator per season.

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Monday, March 12, 2018

THE CASH JOURNAL FOR 03-12-18

ADAMS OPPOSES, BUT TRUMP
BACKS ARMING TEACHERS
By Cash Michaels

            12th District Congresswoman Alma Adams is four-square against arming teachers in the classroom.
            “As an educator of over forty years, I know that a ‘well-armed teacher” should have new text books, a decent salary, and access to technology for every student in the classroom, not a weapon,” the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Democrat said recently.
            “Arming teachers increases the likelihood of fatal accidents in classrooms and more loss of life during crisis situations.”
            Adam’s North Carolina congressional colleague, Rep. G. K. Butterfield, has called for congressional hearings on gun violence, and definite action from a GOP-led Congress..
            The refusal of the Republican majority to act on gun violence prevention legislation is disturbing,” Butterfield said.
However, the Trump White House isn’t listening to either Rep. Butterfield or Adams.
            On Sunday it was reported that the Trump Administration released a plan that “…vowed to help provide ‘rigorous firearms training’ to some schoolteachers…,” reported The Washington Post. “…[S]pecially qualified” teachers and staff were later indicated in the proposal.  This in response to last month’s high school gun massacre in Parkland, Fla. that saw 17 killed by a gunman with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.
            Arming teachers was among “…a series of policy proposals that focus largely on mental health and school safety,” The Post report continued. Thus far, the National Education Association, among other teachers groups, has opposed the Trump
            The report also indicated that Pres. Trump is establishing a Federal Commission of School Safety, chaired by Betsy deVos, secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Education.
            Reportedly, the zeal behind the president’s wish to arm teachers, among other measures, is to “harden our schools against attack,” according to the plan.
            According to NBC News, 18 states currently allow teachers to carry weapons on school property.
            Here in North Carolina, state House Speaker Tim Moore recently announced that he was forming a new legislative study committee to recommend how to improve safety in North Carolina schools. Moore confirmed that arming NC teachers may be one of the proposals on the table for consideration.
            “We want to hear what the local school districts want to do on that,” Moore said during a Feb. 20th press conference. “What does law enforcement believe is appropriate on that because right now it’s the law enforcement officers who are stationed in schools right now who are the front line of defense…”
            Various polls have been taken across the state of citizens, and teachers in particular, and in every case, the majority hs leaned against arming teachers.
            But at least one conservative Republican lawmaker is all for arming teachers. In fact, he feels that it’s long past due.
            “We have to get over this useless hysteria about guns and allow school personnel to have a chance to defend their lives and those of their students,” Rep. Larry Pittman [R-Cabarrus], told the Joint Legislative Emergency Management Oversight Committee recently.
Congresswoman Adams, however, believes differently.
“As lawmakers, we must seek greater protections for our students and commit to passing real commonsense gun reform, not absurd propaganda from politicians more concerned about campaign contributions than public safety.”

                                    -30-

COLEMAN CAMPAIGN ALLEGES
RUSSIANS INVOLVED IN LT. GOV. RACE
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer

            First there was evidence of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election in North Carolina, when a Russian-backed “black” group attempted to exploit a fatal police shooting in Charlotte to suppress the black youth vote.
            Now, the “Linda Coleman for Congress” campaign for the Second Congressional District, is alleging that there was Russian meddling again, this time targeting her 2016 campaign for lieutenant governor.
            “…[S]taffers for the Linda Coleman for Congress campaign discovered that the domain name for Ms. Coleman’s Lieutenant Governor campaign website, LindaforNC.com, was recently purchased by a Russian citizen,” the campaign said in a March 7 press release. “We believe that this serves as further evidence that there is significant efforts by foreign entities to significantly influence our electoral processes and interfere with our democracy.”
            On Friday, Ms. Coleman, a former NC House member and chair of the Wake County Commissioners, who lost the 2016 race of lt. governor by a slim margin, held a press conference to make clear that her campaign has already been in touch with the FBI, State Board of Elections and the NC Attorney General’s Office.
            "Underhanded and deceptive strategies like this one only thrive when people choose not to speak out about what they see before them," she said.
            The NC Democratic Party says it’s not aware of any other campaign in the state that may have been affected by alleged Russian meddling.
Dallas Woodhouse, executive director of the NC Republican Party, was markedly dismissive about Coleman’s claim, telling a local Raleigh television station, "Seems like they should direct these questions to the Clinton Campaign and the DNC, since they were conspiring with the Russians."
Ms. Coleman is vying to become the third African-American to represent North Carolina in Congress, hoping to join Rep. G. K. Butterfield (D-NC-1), and Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC-12) if she’s victorious during the upcoming 2018 midterm elections.
In the Democratic primary, Coleman faces Gregory Chesser, Kenneth Romley, Japeth Matemu, and Wendy May.
The winner of that primary will face Republican incumbent George Holding in November.
Last month, Derrick Johnson, president/CEO of the national NAACP, in a Feb. 20th statement, called for “…a complete investigation” into allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections.           
“As important, we also call for a thorough assessment of our election system to determine any potential weaknesses that could allow for the suppression or interference of votes during the upcoming midterm elections.”
            Johnson continued, “The midterm elections have the potential to shift the entire balance of power in Congress, and it remains critical that the integrity of the voting process cannot be questioned,” later adding, ““It is clear that the Black vote has been targeted by both internal and external forces and the NAACP is committed to challenging any attempt to reduce or diminish the political power of the African-American community, communities of color and the nation as a whole.”
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           STATE NEWS BRIEFS FOR 03-5-18

TWO BLACK CHURCHES VANDALIZED IN BRUNSWICK COUNTY
            BELVILLE – Two African-American churches were vandalized over the weekend, Brunswick County authorities say, but there was no sign of entry, and nothing reported stolen. The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Dept. says the vandalism – smashed glass windows and doors – was done between 5:30 p.m. Saturday, and 8 a.m. Sunday morning. The churches – Blackwell Chapel AME Zion Church and Providence Missionary Baptist Church – are at least a half-mile apart from each other, leading investigators to believe that the vandalism is the work of the same person. Authorities are still investigating.

FORMER ASHEVILLE POLICE OFFIOCER CHARGED IN JAYWALKING BEATING
            [ASHEVILLE] The white former police officer seen in a controversial video beating a black man who was accused of jaywalking, has been charged with assault by strangulation, assault inflicting serious injury and communicating threats. Christopher Hickman, the former officer, is seen in the August 24, 2017 stopping, and then chasing and finally beating Johnnie Rush, an African-American, primarily across the head and face.
The Asheville City Council issued the following statement upon release of the police bodycam footage:
            "Like you, we are angry. We are angry that a black man walking home from a long day at work was stopped for jaywalking — something most of us do regularly without consequence," the statement reads. "We are angry that Johnnie Rush was attacked, beaten, choked and tased by a white police officer in violation of city policy and common decency."

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Saturday, March 10, 2018

THE CASH JOURNAL FOR 03-15-18

COLEMAN CAMPAIGN ALLEGES
RUSSIANS INVOLVED IN LT. GOV. RACE
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer

            First there was evidence of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election in North Carolina, when a Russian-backed “black” group attempted to exploit a fatal police shooting in Charlotte to suppress the black youth vote.
            Now, the “Linda Coleman for Congress” campaign for the Second Congressional District, is alleging that there was Russian meddling again, this time targeting her 2016 campaign for lieutenant governor.
            “…[S]taffers for the Linda Coleman for Congress campaign discovered that the domain name for Ms. Coleman’s Lieutenant Governor campaign website, LindaforNC.com, was recently purchased by a Russian citizen,” the campaign said in a March 7 press release. “We believe that this serves as further evidence that there is significant efforts by foreign entities to significantly influence our electoral processes and interfere with our democracy.”
            On Friday, Ms. Coleman, a former NC House member and chair of the Wake County Commissioners, who lost the 2016 race of lt. governor by a slim margin, held a press conference to make clear that her campaign has already been in touch with the FBI, State Board of Elections and the NC Attorney General’s Office.
            "Underhanded and deceptive strategies like this one only thrive when people choose not to speak out about what they see before them," she said.
            The NC Democratic Party says it’s not aware of any other campaign in the state that may have been affected by alleged Russian meddling.
Dallas Woodhouse, executive director of the NC Republican Party, was markedly dismissive about Coleman’s claim, telling a local Raleigh television station, "Seems like they should direct these questions to the Clinton Campaign and the DNC, since they were conspiring with the Russians."
Ms. Coleman is vying to become the third African-American to represent North Carolina in Congress, hoping to join Rep. G. K. Butterfield (D-NC-1), and Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC-12) if she’s victorious during the upcoming 2018 midterm elections.
In the Democratic primary, Coleman faces Gregory Chesser, Kenneth Romley, Japeth Matemu, and Wendy May.
The winner of that primary will face Republican incumbent George Holding in November.
Last month, Derrick Johnson, pres./CEO of the national NAACP, in a Feb. 20th statement, called for “…a complete investigation” into allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential elections.           
“As important, we also call for a thorough assessment of our election system to determine any potential weaknesses that could allow for the suppression or interference of votes during the upcoming midterm elections.”
            Johnson continued, “The midterm elections have the potential to shift the entire balance of power in Congress, and it remains critical that the integrity of the voting process cannot be questioned,” later adding, ““It is clear that the Black vote has been targeted by both internal and external forces and the NAACP is committed to challenging any attempt to reduce or diminish the political power of the African-American community, communities of color and the nation as a whole.”

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Monday, March 5, 2018

THE CASH JOURNAL FOR 03-08-18

                        PASTOR DIERDRE PARKER LEADS WORSHIP AT SPEAKS TEMPLE AME ZION CHURCH SUNDAY AFTER THE RACIST HATE LETTER IS EXPOSED [Cash Michaels Photo]

COMMUNITY EMBRACES CHURCH
TARGETED WITH RACIST LETTER
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer

            [WILMINGTON] They came to Speaks Temple AME Zion Church to show concern and support.
            They left with a message that they needed to do more to love.
            The pews were filled Sunday at predominately black Speaks Temple, with many white people attending, outraged by the angry racist letter sent to the church and its pastor, Diedre Parker, a week earlier.
            They wanted show that the unnamed racist who sent the inflammatory missive that talked about “porch monkeys…big lipped ape men…and blue gummed people [with illegitimate children everywhere]…” as being “Nigger town, of course...” did not represent how they thought, or their respect for the black community.
            In fact, at least two white couples brought their black adopted toddlers, as a symbol that they were willing to stand up to racism for them.
“Lord…the one who sent this…let’s call it what it is…a hate letter…,
 prayed Ken Sharpe, a visiting white minister,  “… Father God, we don’t condone what this person did at all, we’re not a part of that. But we also just lift him up in prayer to you as well…that he would come to know the right, from the wrong, and that hatred is not you. You are love.”
As much as Pastor Dierdre Parker said she intended to conduct a worship service, even she couldn’t ignore the outpouring of support, the new faces in the church, and the opportunity to use the ugly incident as a way to teach that racism is wrong, and God’s children need to come together to combat it.           
“We are here, Father, to let a hateful world know that there is love, and love exists, and love is action….Pastor Parker prayed passionately, as the congregation clapped and said ‘Amen.”
“I thank you [Father] for those who don’t look like me, and those who don’t believe like me, but thought enough of me to show up today!”
During her sermon, Pastor Parker was blunt, asking rhetorically that if it wasn’t for the hate-filled racist letter, “...would we all be worshipping together right now?”
She then gave a social justice lesson to her white visitors, chiding the church overall for mostly staying silent in the face of rampant racism; criticizing those who call African-Americans “racebaiters” if they openly complain about unfair and unjust treatment at the hands of whites; and that even though she was deeply appreciative of the many who attended service to support Speaks Temple Sunday, “ this is not a moment, but a movement.”
“You can’t go home to your everyday life thinking that you ended racism just because you went to a black church one Sunday…,” she declared, later adding, “So where’s the love? We have only been giving lip service to love, for love is action!”
Parker urged that whites adopt the same policy that government officials have suggested when you see something suspicious you know is inherently wrong – “When you see something, say something.” In other words, if you see racism, challenge it, either right on the spot, or later when it counts.
Rev. Parker said black people face being forced to live by a different set of rules every day, because there are whites who openly dispute the fact that racism does exist.
“It’s time for us to stop being so afraid to have the hard conversation,” Parker continued, noting that blacks and whites are fearful of having a frank discussion about race. “If we don’t have these conversations, they will always be hard.”
Parker concluded her sermon on race by saying,” When we get so cool…that I can come to your house and go into your refrigerator, and you can come to my house and go into [mine], then…that’s when things will change!”
Meanwhile Wilmington Police had a patrol car parked across the street to monitor  the church for safety. They say they still have no idea who sent the racist, unsigned hate letter a week ago, postmarked from Charlotte.
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STATE NEWS BRIEFS FOR 03-08-18

GOVERNOR SAYS COURT GOT ELECTION BOARD RULING WRONG
            [RALEIGH] A three-judge panel got it wrong when it only struck down part of a Republican law pertaining to membership of a combined state Board of Elections and state Board of Ethics Enforcement. The court should have struck down the entire law, and allowed the NC Board of Elections stand alone with a majority Democratic membership, says Gov. Cooper. He was railing about the original GOP law that mandated eight members on the combined Elections and Ethics Enforcement Board, saying that the legislature had no right encroaching on his executive right to appoint members. The court agreed, but only slashed that portion of the law. Gov. Cooper’s attorneys have now petitioned the court to take another look, and kill the entire law before it becomes law next week

A MONTH LATER, FAYETTEVILLE TEACHER ARRESTED FOR ABUSING STUDENT
            [FAYETTEVILLE] According to an arrest warrant issued by the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Dept., Dawn Owen, a Fayetteville high school special needs teacher, allegedly hit a disabled student on the head with a ruler, and then grabbed the student by the hair and walked across the room. However, the arrest warrant is dated March 5th. Officials have a hard time explaining why it took a month to issue the warrant, especially since Owen was placed on leave as soon as the incident occurred. Owen, who has been a special needs teacher since 2003, is currently on paid leave.

NCNAACP LEADER LIKENS TRUMP JUDICIAL CANDIDATE TO ADOLF HITLER
            [WASHINGTON, DC] In an effort to undermine the upcoming US Senate vote confirming conservative Raleigh Atty Thomas Farr to a lifelong appointment to the  Eastern District federal bench, Rev. T. Anthony Spearman, president of the NCNAACP, likened Farr, who used to work for the late North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms, told reporters while visiting Washington last week, “Tom Farr in the Eastern District with the legal authority to decide the fate of African-Americans — hear me somebody — is tantamount to Adolf Hitler wreaking havoc among our Jewish sisters and brothers, and Saul, who later became the apostle Paul, breathing out cruelty to Christians,”
” The NC Republican Party quickly countered that statement, issuing its own, saying, “There is simply no place for a state leader to refer to those who have different political philosophies as Adolf Hitler.” No word yet on when the full US Senate will vote on Farr’s nomination.

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BUTTERFIELD TO EVANGELICALS:
TRUMP IS NOT A MORAL LEADER
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a definition of the term “evangelical” means, “…being in agreement with the Christian Gospel…,” and “ …emphasizing salvation through faith…through personal conversion….” 
And yet, when it comes to Pres. Trump – whose alleged ethical shortcomings range from sleeping with a porn star four months after his wife gave birth to their son, to dabbling with white supremacists -  evangelical leaders, like Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, and Rev. Franklin Graham, whose iconic father, Evangelist Billy Graham died at age 99, and was buried last week, are quick to turn that definition on its head, because for the first time in a long time, they believe they have a president who will do their bidding.
But not so fast, North Carolina Congressman G. K. Butterfield (D-NC-1) warns them.
“Evangelicals may have a seat at the table, but the political interest that’s driving [Trump’s] agenda does not include evangelicals, because the president could care less about moral values and ethics, and respect for human beings,” Butterfield said in a recent interview with the Black Press. 
“This president is about making money for himself, and for his friends. He is completely unqualified to serve as president. The American people know it, and I’m waiting for the day…and it’s not far out….when the American people will say, “We’ve got to have an ethical president.”
According to Franklin Graham, conservative and Christian Americans have exactly what they need in Donald Trump.
“Our country’s got a sin problem,” Rev. Graham recently told MSNBC. “We certainly don’t hold him up as the pastor of this country, and he’s not. But I appreciate the fact that the president does have a concern for Christian values, he does have a concern to protect Christians — whether it’s here at home or around the world — and I appreciate the fact that he protects religious liberty and freedom.”
Indeed, white evangelicals voted overwhelmingly for Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign. In interviews with The Washington Post, evangelicals say they are well aware of Trump’s flaws, but “…perceive him as a fellow sinner willing to fight the forces of the establishment on their behalf.”
Label those “forces of the establishment” as liberal, represented by the media and the Democrats. As long as Pres. Trump continues fighting those “forces,” evangelicals say they will stick him.”
Rev. Dr. William Barber, co-chair of Repairers of the Breach, which is leading the upcoming Poor People’s Campaign, says the problem is much bigger than Trump.
“We can’t just lay this reality of what we’re seeing at the feet of Trump,” Dr. Barber told the program “Democracy Now” recently. “Trump is a symptom of a deeper moral malady. And if he was gone tomorrow or impeached tomorrow, the senators and the House of Representatives and Ryan and McConnell and Graham and all them would still be there. No matter how crazy they call him or names they call him or anger they get with him, it’s all a front, because at the end of the day, they might disagree with his antics, but they support his agenda.”
Rep. Butterfield agrees.
“You know, politics certainly has its place,” he said, “… but we also have to have a moral leader, and Donald Trump is not a moral leader.”
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