STATE NEWS BRIEFS
NC APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS REV. BARBER’S CONVICTION
[RALEIGH] A May, 2017 arrest at the NC General Assembly of the Rev. William Barber, and subsequent conviction, has been upheld by the NC Court of Appeals. The state appellate court ruled that while Rev. Barber, then still president of the NC NAACP, had the right to protest, he was still guilty of second-degree trespassing when he refused to leave who told to go. According to the ruling, Barber led a group of 50 people who were “loud” in their chants outside of the speaker’s office, apparently causing a disturbance.
GOV. SAYS NC COULD SEE 10,000 OMICRON CASES A DAY
{RALEIGH] This week, Gov. Roy Cooper warned North Carolinians that COVID-19 case across the state are going back up because of the national outbreak of the omicron variant, and those who are not vaccinated are at greatest risk of serious illness and hospitalization. Indeed, outgoing NC Dept. of Health and Human Services Sec. Dr. Mandy Cohen said NC could see up to 10,000 new cases a day in January. Hospitals are once again taking patients, as omicron accounts for 73% of all new cases.
GOV. GRANTS HOWARD DUDLEY PARDON OF INNOCENCE
[RALEIGH] Gov. Roy Cooper this week granted a pardon of innocence to former inmate Howard Dudley. Dudley, who was released from prison six years ago, spent nearly 24 years in prison after being falsely accused and convicted of sexually assaulting his 9-year-old daughter. Dudley had been sentenced to life in prison, and had always refused to take a plea deal, maintaining his innocence. His daughter changed her testimony against him after his conviction. She said she had made up the story. Dudley is now eligible for compensation from the state.
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REDDGO LONG, JR
EXCLUSIVE
NAACP COMPLAINANTS
REFUSE TO ACCEPT NAT’L
OFFICE DECISION
By Cash Michaels
Staff writer
The leader of the NC NAACP complainants about the controversial Oct. 23rd executive committee elections is not accepting the national civil rights organization’s Dec. 14th dismissal of the election challenge, and vows to continue fighting.
In an exclusive interview to confirm that he did receive the written dismissal, Rev. Dr. Cardes H. Brown Jr of Greensboro, who leads a group of complainants known s the Justice Coalition, did not blame the national NAACP per se, but persons currently leading the national civil rights organization, especially Pres./CEO Derrick Johnson.
Brown recalls that contrary to established NAACP Constitution and Bylaws, Administrator Gloria Sweet-Love announced on Sept. 23rd that NC NAACP executive committee elections would be held in one month, on Oct. 23rd.
However, again, contrary to NAACP Constitution and Bylaws governing conference and chapter elections, there was no election supervisory committee selected and no opportunity for candidates to appeal to delegates for their support or vote.
“So now they are saying there is nothing that can be done, this is what it is, and it can’t be appealed……,” Dr. Brown opined. “These are people in place who have not given consideration of the (NAACP] Constitution. This just cannot be allowed got happen…not by the biggest, baddest, boldest civil rights organization in the world.”
Rev. Brown went on to state that it made no sense for the national NAACP to demand justice when it came to incidents of voter suppression or voting rights violations elsewhere, but then not be able to follow it’s own rules internally.
“Well, we’re not going to take it,” Dr. Brown vowed. “If they’re going to dig in, we’re going to dig out.”
The December 14th, 2021 NAACP missive, on letterhead, addressed to “Pastor Cardes Brown Jr., Religious Affairs Chair” of the NC NAACP, was signed by national NAACP Pres./CEO Derrick Johnson.
Rev. Dr. Brown is also a Life member of the NAACP, and leader of the Justice Coalition - the group of NCNAACP complainants who filed the Article 10 Election and Administrator Sweet-Love challenges.
The letter indicated that the complaint “…was presented to the entire Committee of Units and was dismissed …pending a final vote of the appropriate body.”
The NAACP letter to Rev. Dr. Brown went on to state that “In October 2020, the National Board of Directors (of the NAACP) voted to approve Ms. Gloria Sweet-Love along with Ms. Hazel Dukes as Co-Administrators of the North Carolina State Conference. By that vote, the Administrator has the authority to determine the timelines for elections and make other decisions for the state conference.”
Ms. Sweet-Love is also an NAACP Board member, and president of the Tennessee NAACP State Conference of Branches, and has been accused of alleged election manipulation before.
However, in a NC Black Press story dated October 17, 2019 titled “Rev. Gatewood, NAACP Mum on His Hearing Date,” it was noted that because Article 10 complaints had been filed by Gatewood alleging fiscal mismanagement in the NC NAACP, “…an administrator from the national office has been put in place to oversee conference operations.”
So the NAACP letter’s timeline on when Administrator Sweet-Love came is off by a year.
The letter continued, “…not only was the process of conducting all state elections via “Election Buddy” authorized by the Board of Directors in May 2021 for State Conferences across the Association, it was also determined that the National staff would oversee the election process.”
Continuing, “In 2019 the Board of Directors made the following ruling regarding elections conducted by national staff - Elections conducted by the National Office cannot be appealed.”
The letter goes on to state that “…if the National office is requested or has to intervene in a local or state election process, the Unit {conference or chapter] shall be charged for the travel and/or hotel expenses for staff and/or appointed persons who have been selected by the National office to conduct the election in question and the election cannot be appealed.”
Finally, the letter concluded, “…the issues raised in your Article [10] challenge would not change the outcome of the election.”
“Your [Article 10] against the Administrator [Gloria Sweet-Love] for election planning and process is also summarily dismissed.”
Needless to say, Rev. Dr. Brown was not pleased with the national NAACP’s dismissal of the Justice Coalition’s complaint.
Another source, that wished to go unnamed at this time, confirmed Rev. Brown’s contention that much of the current trouble had it’s roots in 2017, when the national NAACP failed to respond for two years to allegations of sexual harassment by former NC NAACP member Rev. Curtis Gatewood. The national office was forced to respond in 2019 when the alleged victim went public with her allegations against Gatewood, who maintained his innocence.
But after national NAACP Pres./CEO Derrick Johnson allegedly lambasted the alleged victim at the 2019 NC NAACP Convention in Raleigh, she filed a $20 million lawsuit against him and the organization which is still pending in Durham.
The unnamed source lays blame at the feet of Johnson, NAACP Chairman Leon Russell and Gloria Sweet-Love for their “failure to respond and protect” the young victim, among other charges. The source maintains as a result, because of that “failure” and many others, persons at the national have allegedly “targeted” the NC NAACP with a coverup and dismantling of NC NAACP leadership .
The national NAACP office has not replied to a Dec. 9th emailed request for comment from this reporter.
Meanwhile, the New Hanover NAACP chapter has now formally replaced it’s former president, Ms. Deborah Dicks-Maxwell, who is now the new NC NAACP State Conference president, and first woman to serve in that capacity.
Reddgo Long Jr. is the new New Hanover County NAACP chapter president. Long is the CEO/Executive Director of the A.C.T.S Movement, which provides relief to needy families in New Hanover County.
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HOW SEN. MANCHIN’S “NO”
ON BBB HURT NC AND THE
BLACK COMMUNITY
By Cash Michaels
Contributing writer
When conservative Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced on Fox News Sunday this week that his would be a “no’ on Pres. Joe Biden’s almost $2 trillion Build Back Better social spending legislation, it was more than just a loss for Biden and Manchin’s fellow Democrats.
North Carolina, and specifically the African-American community lost big as well. Part of the problem was that for all that was touted by Democratic elected officials, much of the public really had no idea what was in BBB, or how parts of it benefited them specifically.
That made it easier for Republicans to oppose, and Sen. Manchin to dismiss as just more liberal spending.
“Joe Manchin has been a liar all the way, “ said an outraged Rev. Dr. William Barber on Twitter Monday, referring to the over five months Manchin spent negotiating with the White House over the BBB. “The only way to deal with him is to expose him. And let his own people, low-wage workers, and religious leaders [in West Virginia] do it.”
Dr. Barber, co-convener of the national Poor People’s campaign, and president of Repairers of the Breach, has met with the millionaire West Virginia senator who sometimes lives on a yacht, when he voted against passage of the $15 per/hour minimum wage legislation earlier this year.
Barber blasted conservative minister Franklin Graham when he praised Manchin for “putting the American people first,” and was furthered angered by a report that said Manchin was afraid that BBB would allow poor families to buy drugs with their child tax credit money.
It was Vice President Kamala Harris who came to Charlotte on Dec. 2nd, touting how, if the U.S. Senate followed the U.S. House in passing BBB, it would help reduce the high cost of healthcare, child care, and address climate change in a meaningful way.
For North Carolina specifically, if passed. BBB meant millions toward the funding of child care and preschool programs for the next six years, limiting child care costs to no more than 7% of income for families with children younger than 6, and making less than $300,000.
The North Carolina Justice Center reports that the average North Carolina family spends an estimated 25% of it’s income on child care.
Per the child tax credit, 92% of North Carolina children under 18 years old (over 2 million children statewide) would benefit from the proposed expansion of the COVID-19 Relief Act, which expires at the end of this month. Approximately 137,000 children in the state under 18 would have been lifted above the poverty line.
Sen. Manchin’s home state of West Virginia ranks 46th out 50 states when it comes to the “economic well-being of it’s children,” reports MarketWatch.
Indeed, West Virginia is a poor state.
Per health care and senior care, BBB would have expanded Medicare to cover hearing devices for 1.9 million aging NC residents.
There would have also been an annual $2,000 cap on how much seniors on Medicare’s prescription program would have paid out for medicine.
BBB would have allowed four weeks of paid family and medical leave.
Even though North Carolina is one of 11 states that did not expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, BBB would have allowed 650,000 more North Carolinians to enroll.
In terms of education, all ten of North Carolina’s historically black colleges and universities would have benefited from $10 billion allotted by BBB for HBCUs nationwide.
Per affordable housing, BBB would have renovated or built over 1 million housing units nationwide and in North Carolina, as well as hell with rental and house down payments.
When it comes to the African-American community, BBB would have helped Black farmers, many of whom struggle to stay in business and need debt relief; addressing gun violence and violence prevention in the Black community; removing old lead piping in urban communities that have proven to cause illnesses in low wealth communities; and the expansion of high speed internet access and broadband capacity in poor and rural communities.
But now, thanks to Sen. Joe Manchin, none of these prospects will become reality with a now dead Build Back Better bill.
“The legislative process is messy and often disappointing, but the worst thing we can do is lose our will to work for the American people,” said Congresswoman Adams in a statement Monday. “We can’t let the Grinch steal Christmas.”
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