By Barrington M. Salmon
Can Joe Biden Win? The Jury is Out

May 14, 2020

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – Former Vice President Joe Biden has the most delegates going into this summer’s Democratic Convention and is the presumptive nominee for president. But there is no consensus about whether Biden will be able to beat President Donald Trump in November.

Political analyst Dr. Avis Jones-Deweever said she’s been tracking polls, talking to colleagues and other people she knows and trying to read the tea leaves. Even though Biden is ahead in all the polls she’s seen, she said she’s still uneasy.

“Coronavirus is helping him because Trump is hurting himself a lot with ridiculous behavior,” said Jones-DeWeever, a highly-sought after women’s empowerment strategist, diversity counselor, author and political commentator. “People are seeing the devastation of that, the lies, incompetence, stupidity. All of that has to count.”

“Biden is leading in every poll. He’s run every single poll.”

Currently, Trump’s base is not enough to win or capture key states. What’s of vital importance is turnout, especially in the key states that Hillary Clinton lost in 2016 including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

“This is a very winnable election, not necessary a cakewalk,” De-Weever cautioned.

Jones-DeWeever said she’s aware that Biden just released a brand new agenda around Black people.

“It’s 20 pages long which suggests that he is doing more to address our problems,” she said. “It’s been hard for him to get media attention because of coronavirus. I’m very concerned because they’re not using social media to its capacity. They need talented staff to develop digital content because so far, it’s underwhelming.”

Jones-DeWeever said she is stunned that former Democratic presidential candidate billionaire Mike Bloomberg offered his digital staff to the Biden campaign and Biden lieutenants have not accepted it.

“I was like, ‘Jesus Christ, please.’ They’re so arrogant to ignore this offer. It’s making me very concerned. It’s making me feel like the Hillary Clinton campaign all over again.”

Despite positive polls for him, there are some who have sworn against Biden for what they deem to be principled reasons.

Leo Alexander, a Mobile, Alabama businessman, said he thinks Biden is a poor choice for the Democratic nominee and doesn’t deserve to be vying for president because he has never had the interests of Black people during his entire political career.

“In the early ‘70s, he was against busing, then he cozied up to segregation side of the Senate, he aggressively attacked Anita Hill in the ‘80s, and then he was instrumental in the Crime bill which many Black men still haven’t recovered from,” said Alexander. “He is not a friend of the Black man.

The only reason why he’s relevant is because President Obama chose him as his vice president. He ran three times and was a complete loser.”

For the past several weeks, Alexander has been very vocal about his support for New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo who he said has proven to be the most competent politician on the national scene and he said he’s looking forward to Cuomo being pushed forward as the Democratic nominee this summer.

Cuomo’s response to the Covid19 outbreak that has decimated New York has been masterful, Alexander said.

“Biden doesn’t have enough delegates to claim victory,” he explained. “Bernie (Sanders) kept his delegates which was a smooth move because that opened the door to a brokered convention. And it opens the door for a backdoor candidate to step in.”

“I think Cuomo would take it. Some people are chosen like Cuomo. Coronavirus has done the same thing for Cuomo. He’s saying the right thing, that he doesn’t want post. He’s keeping his mouth shut and doing a helluva job.”

Alexander said Cuomo is perfect is that he’s progressive but comes from the Establishment wing of the party.

“Cuomo will bring the party together. It’s gonna be a beautiful thing. Must-see TV,” Alexander said with a hearty laugh.

The novel virus pandemic has hit America hard with this country exhibiting the highest number of cases in the world. On Tuesday morning, there were 1,218,472 confirmed cases in the US with more than 70,000 people succumbing to the disease.

For well over a month, about 80 percent of the country has been under locked down or under mandatory stay-at-home orders. More than 26 million people have applied for unemployment, an estimated 40 million Americans have lost their jobs and businesses are either closed for the foreseeable future or in danger of being shuttered permanently.

Uncertainty still persists about how the disease is spread, who is infected and who is asymptomatic. Testing is haphazard and sporadic and the contact tracing and surveillance needed to track and contain the disease has been absent because of the lack of coordination from the federal government, critics say.

Prince George’s County, Md. voter Latine Halstead said she believes Biden will be victorious.

“I think he’ll win. I have to believe that. Yeah, I think he will win,” she said with a chuckle. “They’ll put up a good fight. We’ll see some trickery, the Russians may be involved again, but Biden will win.”

Halstead, a businesswoman who transports students to and from school, said Biden’s very affectionate nature has caused him problems but attributes that to a generational thing.

“I don’t think it’s a big thing and doesn’t compare to the predatory actions of Trump and Bill Clinton,” she said. “What’s very important too is that the virus has really brought all these ills to the surface. The healthcare system and the country’s medical infrastructure is inadequate and is being strained to the breaking point. Republicans have shown that they really don’t care. They don’t want to talk about healthcare. If we had universal healthcare, it would have driven the need for masks and people going to the doctor.”

Halstead said she is looking forward to a Democratic president and Democratically-controlled government that cares more about people than property.

When asked if Biden will win, Michele Watley, a strategic communications and political advocacy consultant, said, “You never know …”

“He’s spun a good narrative, taken coronavirus and framed it as war, has pinpointed a source and made it political,” she said of President Trump. “He’s blamed Democrats, said they won’t open businesses.”

“The economy was a major anchor that was keeping the administration afloat and now Covid19 has tossed it awry,” said Watley, who served as director of African-American Outreach during the 2016 campaign. “It will be interesting to see after coronavirus what the process is in terms of going to work, who voters blame for difficulties that arise and the businesses that had to close.”

When asked about if Biden should pick a Black woman as vice president, Watley mulled the question.

“Who he chooses will affect his race. How? I’m not sure,” she said. “This is where it becomes problem in the campaign sense. Rep. James Clyburn has said Biden doesn’t have to choose a Black woman. He is taken as the voice of all Black people but he doesn’t speak for me…When people vote, you vote for a payoff and support candidates who vote your interests. Do you ask Black women to wait again? Where is the payoff?”

By Barrington M. Salmon

Arizona Apache Tribe Steps Up Fight With Copper Mine Over Sacred Land

OPINION14:00 GMT 07.11.2019(updated 14:01 GMT 07.11.2019) Get short URL1111Subscribe

WASHINGTON (Sputnik), Barrington M. Salmon – Imagine standing on the rim of a crater almost two miles wide and anywhere from 850 to 1,500 feet deep that is not a naturally occurring phenomenon, but man-made.

To the dismay of Native Americans and environmentalists, a crater this size could become reality and devastate native land in the southwestern state of Arizona if Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto’s Resolution Copper venture is granted permission to begin extraction from what is believed to be the largest undeveloped copper deposits in the world.

For more than a decade, Resolution Copper has been trying to gain control of the territory above the copper deposits, land that is held sacred by a number of indigenous peoples including the San Carlos and Yavapai Apache tribes, as a gathering place, ceremonial spot and burial site.

One of the areas under threat is Oak Flat (Chi’Chil’Ba’Goteel in Apache), which is both a sacred cultural place for Native Americans as well as a national treasure. About four years ago a federally-charted preservation group listed Oak Flat among America’s most endangered historic places.

San Carlos Apache tribal leader Wendsler Nosie, Sr. stated that a combination of corporate greed and the government’s callous disregard for Native American culture will lead to the decimation of the tribe’s spiritual home at Oak Flat.

“By desecrating it [Oak Flat], eliminating it forever, it will affect the next generation and ties to this religious place”, Nosie, who is also a former tribe chairman and councilmember, said. “What Resolution Copper wants to do brings great fear to all Indian nations in this country”.

Anatomy of a Betrayal

On 7 November, the government is set to release a final environmental impact statement on the Resolution Copper project involving public land located nearly 30 miles outside the Arizona state capital of Phoenix and just over 160 miles north of the Mexico border.

However, the report itself could end up being an exercise in futility because politicians in Washington deceptively pushed through legislation that guarantees the rights of the company regardless of the potential environmental impact.

US Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake, both from Arizona, led an effort in 2015 to tip the scales in Resolution Copper’s favour by slipping a rider into a must-pass defence budget bill at the proverbial eleventh hour that authorised a land swap involving sacred tribal territory.

As a result, Section 3003 of the 2015 US National Defense Authorisation Act allows Resolution Copper to seize a roughly 2,400-acre parcel of federally protected public land in the Tonto National Forest in exchange for about 5,000 acres from other spots around the state.

In addition to portions of Tonto National Forest, indigenous tribes are trying to protect other areas that will be affected by the copper mining project including Oak Flat, Devil’s Canyon, and nearby Apache Leap – an important historic site where 75 tribe members jumped off a cliff to their deaths rather than be captured by the US cavalry.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, these historic sites and sacred lands also happen to sit atop the world’s largest undeveloped copper deposits, estimated to contain a mineral resource of 1.7 billion metric tons at an average grade of 1.52 percent copper. Resolution Copper officials say they will extract about 132,000 tons of rock daily from the ore body, which is 7,000 feet below ground.

However, a USDA report also warned that the Resolution Copper mineral extraction process will produce 1.5 billion tons of waste tailings that could further degrade the environment.

Tailings are finely ground rock fragments, usually a mud-like material, which is often toxic and must be perpetually isolated. The storage and handling of tailings continues to be a major environmental issue worldwide.

Moreover, culling pure copper from the mine’s underground ore deposit would require an additional 6.5 billion gallons of water each year, enough to supply more than 65,000 households or half the homes in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe, the local East Valley Tribune has reported.

McCain’s action triggered widespread condemnation in indigenous communities across the country, among conservationists and environmental groups, those concerned about climate change, rock climbers, hunters, fishermen and women, those who enjoy hiking and camping and Arizona residents who live in towns like Superior, Globe, Queen Valley and cities as far away as Tempe and Tucson.

Rio Tinto, however, has said the company not only respects tribal culture but believes the Resolution Copper mining project will boost the local economy.

But the company’s assurances ring hollow for Tribal Chairman Terry Rambler, Nosie and other Native American activists and reverberates when put in the context of the American government’s treatment of indigenous people in this country.

History shows that the US government negotiated and signed as many as 500 treaties with Native American nations from the Iroquois to the Lenni Lenape to the Lakota to the Shoshone, to the Sioux to the Apache nation and broke almost every single one.

According to the treaties, Indians were to be treated as autonomous nations and dealt with diplomatically, like foreign governments. That did not happen. Reservations were ruled by unelected white agents from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, who outlawed native language and religion. But in past decades, reservations have established their own governments and, with bands of lawyers, have fought for – and, in many cases, won back – their treaty rights.

Elsewhere in 2019, Native Americans are under assault from President Donald Trump’s administration which is intent on opening up federal territory where indigenous peoples are shunted off to mining and oil interests including pristine land in Alaska and the coastlines of Florida and California.

However, US federal government discrimination and disrespect of indigenous peoples is not unique to Trump. In 2016, during the Obama administration, 120 tribes and scores of rights groups – including Black Lives Matter – joined the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in its bid to halt construction of the $3.7 billion Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).

The opposition was fueled by both environmental and human rights concerns especially over the way the decision was blatantly made to protect white interests while harming Native Americans.

In the initial proposal, the DAPL route went through Bismarck, the capital of North Dakota, where 92 percent of the 61,000 residents are white. After the US Army Corps of Engineers determined that the pipeline could contaminate drinking water, it was rerouted to pass by Standing Rock.

Protesters erected barricades to block machinery used to excavate the soil and prevented crews from burrowing beneath the Missouri River for fear oils spills would poison freshwater sources and destroy sacred lands. Local authorities beat, caged and brutalised demonstrators with an intensity not seen since the 1960s.

As if to substantiate the concerns of the Standing Rock protestors, 383,000 gallons of crude spilled into North Dakota wetlands last week from the Keystone Pipeline, triggering more anger and further cementing opposition to plans to lengthen the pipeline.

Meanwhile, ever since the Resolution Copper initiative began over a decade ago, mistrust has deepened between Arizona tribal leaders and the company partly due to what the tribes see as an unjust lack of transparency.

In public statements, during this period Rambler and Nosie said the company has repeatedly refused to provide details regarding the environmental, financial, and economic impacts of the project.

The US federal government, in the meantime, has moved the San Carlos Apache Tribe as many as five times, constantly uprooting the people when they found copper, gold and other natural resources, Rambler has said in testimonies over the years.

Rambler has also argued that the McCain bill would set a dangerous precedent by transferring a known sacred tribal area located on federal land to a foreign-owned mining company for activities that will ultimately destroy the area while circumventing consultation between the government and the tribes.

Government Study Fuels Anger

Years of protests, town halls, complaints delivered via letter and congressional hearings are coming to a head as the process that would finalise the land swap is nearing an end.

The US Forest Service (USFS) released a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on 9 August and has been entertaining public comment, from supporters and critics alike, about the mining project.

Sandy Bahr, executive director of the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter, said that she, Nosie and other critics have spoken at several of the public hearings over the DEIS.

“There’s strong opposition. We’re pushing to reduce this”, Bahr said. “I call it an abomination. It’s so unnecessary. There’s nothing we can do to stop them from mining on public land. To just put it [the land exchange] into a bill that is unrelated is just deplorable. We’re trying to figure out a way to stop it from going forward”.

The next step, she added, is for Forest Service staff to review comments, respond and come out with a final impact statement. Once that is done they will try to make the land swap, although Bahr hopes they can stop it or that the forest service pursues the “no action” alternative.

“The Forest Service dismissed from consideration other alternatives. Other options will not cause a big old crater”, she said. “I find it heartbreaking. I’ve lived 30 years in the area, but for indigenous people it’s been so much longer. It’s inexcusable and unjust [and] unfair”.

The concerns of all the people speaking at the public meetings about the project have been roundly ignored by a number of members of US Congress, Bahr said.

Nosie said opponents of the land swap are moving with greater urgency as the process moves squarely into the draft period.

“Resolution [Copper] bought property adjacent to Oak Flat. They have other mining permits and they have purchased other mining areas as far as we know, but their primary goal is to take Oak Flat”, he said. “The biggest challenge now is the urgency we have in this draft period”.

However, Nosie also warned that the draft process may end up being irrelevant.

“The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is a scam”, Nosie said. “The legislation reads that regardless of the report, the land transfer will take place”.

Hence, Nosie hopes people around the country can voice their opposition and pressure congressional leaders to abandon the legislation which has been proposed in both the US House and Senate.

Bahr contends that the 1,300-page DEIS is deficient in a number of areas.

“There’s not adequate analysis of where the tailings are going, the impacts to endangered species, and the DEIS has not seriously considered the cultural impact of this project”, Bahr said.

Roger Featherstone, executive director of the Arizona Mining Reform Coalition, noted he remains optimistic that the broad coalition of organisations, indigenous people and individuals will win this battle.

“You can’t engage in these battles without being optimistic otherwise what’s the point?” he asked. “I ultimately think we’ll win”.

If people did not fight back, companies would destroy everything, Featherstone argued.

“I think there’s a real disconnect between the higher-ups and what happens on the grounds. It’s a combination of hubris and testosterone”, Featherstone said.

Featherstone, who has been on the frontlines of this fight for at least a decade, said there are more things wrong with the DEIS than he can list.

“This document is remarkable because it’s long but doesn’t really say anything. What’s in it is troubling. We asked the Forest Service to take it back and do it again”, he said.

Among those issues troubling him include the fact the original tailings location is unclear, the water table of one location is higher and not at the same level at other testing locations.

And, he added, there are doubts about if the ground at one site is stable enough to build a dam. In addition, the report totally missed a fault in the ground along Dripping Springs Wash, Featherstone noted.

“The bottom line is this is an experiment. Mining has never been done at this depth”, he warned.

Residents of Superior, the nearly 3,000-person town that will likely be most affected by the mining operation, have expressed both hope and skepticism about the process and the future.

Superior Town Manager Todd Pryor stated that in October the city council voted to support the Resolution Copper mining project but detailed its concerns in a comment letter responding to the draft environmental impact study.

He said while the mining project is an economic opportunity, there are concerns from council members about the socio-economic impact.

“The current taxing structure doesn’t benefit Superior because the company is just outside the city. Also, we don’t get as many employees living in town as other projects in the past. Then there are concerns about the impacts of water. We’re working with the company to address these and other issues. We asked them to put together an endowment in perpetuity as a separate community foundation so that we can react to impacts unforeseen”, Pryor explained.

Trail of Disaster

It appears the San Carlos Apache and their environmental allies may be facing their last chance to halt the destruction and degradation of the tribe’s spiritual cradle and this week’s DEIS release marks a pivotal moment.

However, the diverse set of tribal organisationsand advocacy groups that have united to fight this corporate effort to exploit native land seem bent on continuing the battle especially given the historical track record of Rio Tinto along with partner entities like BHP Billiton.

There are even tribal members who have vowed to give their lives to ensure that Resolution Copper does not gain control of sacred land.

In 2007, Nosie told a House congressional committee that the Apache people cannot under any circumstances support the Resolution Copper plan.

“The foul environmental track record and history of shameful treatment of indigenous people by Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton are well known. Their record speaks volumes”, Nosie argued. “Both companies’ operations over the years have left a wake of environmental destruction, human rights complaints, and lawsuits filed worldwide”.

The Apache tribal leader noted that the Greens Creek Mine in Alaska, owned by Rio Tinto and two other companies, is alleged to be the state’s second largest discharger of toxic waste “releasing 59 million pounds of toxic chemicals in one year, and violating the Clean Water Act 391 times.”

Nosie also pointed out that in the UK Rio Tinto’s Capper Pass smelter dropped 1.3 pounds of emissions on residents each week, leading to a settlement with hundreds of claimants in which the company “refused to accept blame but provided compensation to those with cancer and other illnesses”.

On the other side of the world, he added, current and former residents of Papua New Guinea sued Rio Tinto alleging violations of international law including crimes against humanity related to its operation of a large scale mine.

In the same country, Rio Tinto partner company BHP Billiton was sued for more than $4 billion for destruction of the Ningerum people’s traditional lands.

To this day, Nosie continued, villagers are no longer able to safely eat locally harvested fish or food grown from their own gardens.

“It is estimated that it will take 300 years to clean up the area of the contamination which the mining operation caused”, Nosie said. “It is often stated that history is prophesy. In this case, the historical conduct of Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton provide no assurances that these companies will keep their promise to protect Apache Leap, or for that matter, to protect the environment and respect the traditional culture and religious values of the Apache People”.

US, Copper Interests Push Back

The mining interests and US government agencies despite all of the negative feedback and opposition have stood by the process and the draft environmental assessment of the copper development project.

Resolution Copper spokesman Dan Blondeau lauded the release of the DEIS, saying it “marks a significant milestone” for Rio Tinto’s initiative.

“The EIS reflects more than 500 distinct engagements, an extensive study by the US Forest Service (USFS) and independent third-party analysis to shape the future development of the Resolution Copper project”, Blondeau said.

The USFS, he added, rigorously analysed dozens of alternatives to the original mine plan proposal including different locations for tailings and alternative mining methods.

Moreover, he said the USFS had extensive assistance from county, state, tribal and other local officials and jurisdictions and underscored the transparent nature of the assessment.

“The public was notably involved in the process by providing comprehensive feedback”, Blondeau noted.

The draft analysis also highlights cultural resources, tribal values and a plan for tribal training, he said.

The Resolution Copper representative also argued that extensive input from local stakeholders and a dozen Native American tribes led to the Apache Leap Special Management Area (ALSMA) to protect the historic Apache Leap mountain site in Superior, Arizona.

“We respect the sovereign nature of Tribal communities and recognise that Tribes have cultural interests that go beyond the border of their reservations”, Blondeau said. “It is our absolute aim to work together to preserve Native culture. Also, we want to work together to provide direct employment, job training, education, and commercial opportunities for Native American-owned businesses that will last for decades to come”.

This is not the first time the company has attempted to publicly fight the resistance. In 2015, former Resolution Project Director Andrew Taplin in a letter to critics said the project would create nearly 4,000 jobs and generate $61 billion in revenue.

Taplin pointed to examples of how the “mutual benefit framework” around mining is working including for Navajo tribes in New Mexico who took over ownership and operation of a mine.

He even noted how the San Carlos Apache are partnering with a mining company to sell water from their reservation to boost revenue for the tribe.

The former Resolution Copper official said the cases demonstrate industry and tribes can jointly develop projects, share the economic benefits, and still protect culturally and historically important areas.

The USFS, for its part, has been under fire from critics for acquiescing to Resolution Copper and other mining interests, although officials – in several public hearings – have said the law ties their hands.

“There is a mining law which tends to guide the process for starting a project such as this”, USFS spokesman John Scaggs said during a hearing. “Under mining law, the Forest Service has to analyse the mining impact or it would have to make changes. We have an environmental consultant who assists and content is drawn from that”.

At the end of the public comment period, Scaggs said USFS staff will compile and evaluate the applicability of the comments as it relates to what is in the DEIS.

The deciding official, Scaggs noted, is the supervisor for Tonto National Forest who has the authority to extend or not extend the project.

Last Sacred Stand

The tribes have noted the conspicuous absence of outrage emanating from religious circles within the United States to the San Carlos Apache struggle with Resolution Copper given the spiritual significance of the land.

Rambler, the current tribe chairman, in interviews and congressional testimony spanning several years made his position and that of his allies clear about the importance of the spiritual angle.

The Oak Flat area continues to play a vital role in Apache religion, tradition, and culture including centuries-old ceremonies, Rambler told the US Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources during a hearing in 2013.

“The Oak Flat area is a place filled with power – a place where Apaches today go for prayer, to conduct ceremonies such as Holy Ground and the Sunrise Dance that celebrates a young woman’s coming of age, to gather medicines and ceremonial items, and to seek and obtain peace and personal cleansing”, Rambler told the senators. “The Oak Flat area and everything in it belongs to powerful Diyin, or Holy Beings, and is the home of a particular kind of Gaan, which are mighty Mountain Spirits and Holy Beings on whom we Apaches depend for our well-being”.

Nosie himself has made comparisons to the Christian religion and argued that the sacredness of either shrines is no different.

“They are all in their place in a unique and irreplaceable region. The traditional cultural and religious values of these places for the Apache People, and the collective integrity of the entire area as a whole, will be destroyed by the surface subsidence and other aspects of the mining proposed by Resolution Copper”, Nosie said in testimony in 2007.

Nosie has argued that even if Apache Leap was protected from subsidence by the proposed conservation easement, the site would eventually be surrounded by 2,300 acres of land “that will be irretrievably damaged and defiled by the proposed mining project”.

“This would be akin to leaving the sanctuary of a church intact, but allowing for the desecration and destruction of the rest of the church, which destroys, in itself, the purpose of the church as community gathering place and place of worship”, Nosie argued.

There are tribal members who have vowed to give their lives to ensure that Resolution Copper does not gain control of sacred land.

“The Apache People cannot, under any circumstances, support this result, especially where the devastating impacts from the mining activities to be conducted on, around, and deep underneath this sacred place will be felt forever once the mining is finished, leaving our future generations to suffer the legacy of damage left behind”, Nosie said.

The tribal elder’s daughter, Vanessa Nosie, an activist in her own right, stated that she has opposed the Resolution Copper proposal “from day one” but is not surprised where the situation is headed.

She also stressed the fact that the struggle against Resolution Copper was more than a tribal issue.

“This is not just an Apache or Indian fight, it’s a fight to save all creation”, Vanessa Nosie said.

The federal government’s tactics against tribal peoples including the Apache have not changed over the centuries, she observed.

“They [US government] have tried complete genocide. They imprisoned us, put us in concentration camps. From our past history to the present, nothing’s changed. The system is still the same – they always go back to divide and conquer, Manifest Destiny”, Ms Nosie said. “They still want to divide and conquer, still want to kill the Indian but save the man”.

The Apache tribe is still dealing with trauma and depression, Vanessa added, but she still sees the beauty and resilience of the people.

Ms Nosie said that although she hopes lawmakers will step in and prevent the Resolution Copper plan from going forward, the tribe will ultimately succeed because they are blessed by spiritual gifts.

“We hope Congress will stop this, but, they [Resolution Copper] can be stopped because we’re a spiritual movement. We will take this and push back against the evil of [US] Congress. We have spirituality and live with the blessed gift of the Creator. The Creator plays a huge part in this fight”, Vanessa Nosie concluded.

The views and opinions expressed in the article do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.

Barrington M. Salmon, Special to The Informer January 7, 2020

Jacqueline “Jacquie” Luqman likes to joke that she “accidentally fell into activism,” but in the days since she was in high school protesting South Africa’s white minority government and its odious apartheid policies, activism has become an essential part of her life.

The longtime social and racial justice advocate said her interest in government process and policy began in high school in the 1980s while she was in the Close-Up program. While working as a receptionist for a D.C. lobbying firm after graduation, she said, her exposure to the real inner-workings of influencing legislation for special interest groups further piqued her interest in politics.

“I was a receptionist at the Wexler Group. I met a lot of people and politicians and saw the influence and money involved,” she said. “I met [former Secretary of Commerce and head of the Democratic National Committee] Ron Brown. We talked while he sat waiting to meet with Anne Wexler. I learned a great deal.”

Luqman said what she learned about politics and lobbying convinced her that those paths were not her calling. Although she didn’t have college degrees, she always loved to read and write and was always able to get good jobs. In her personal time, she said her interest turned from pursuing work in politics to grassroots political and community activism. She immersed herself in protests in support of ACT UP, AIDS research, and gay rights; with Trans-Africa in the effort to end Apartheid in South Africa; for peace for Central America & Southern Africa; against the Gulf War; for Immigrants’ Rights; for D.C. Statehood; against the Iraq War and all global U.S. military intervention since.

“Right out of high school, I met a handsome musician in a punk rock band,” she recalled with a chuckle. “I spent a revolutionary winter in front of the White House. I grew up knowing about the Black Panthers and got involved on the ground.”

For more than 15 years, Luqman has also been involved in community and local activities, supporting community cleanups, neighborhood watches, clothing, food and school supply distributions, community policing/liaison, and local government community advocacy for more.

On Dec. 1, she began a new job — co-host of “By Any Means Necessary” on Sputnik Radio — that allows her to bring her potpourri of activism and lived experiences to the table. She replaces Eugene Puryear, who hosted the radio program with co-host Sean Blackmon. The popular program connects political, social and economic movements shaping the world with a sensibility informed by movements from Black Power to #BlackLivesMatter and a dash of Occupy. The show elevates the people and narratives, which while often ignored, are driving some of the most important changes in the world.

Luqman credits her husband, Abdusshahid, for where she is.

“I was a business analyst and he encouraged me to do this. I wouldn’t be here without him,” she said.

Luqman’s work, her positions, the organizations and agencies she supports and the choices she makes, speak to a deep passion for racial justice, which is fueled by her own family’s experiences, as well as her love for the history of Black people in the context of social struggle in America. She said she’s committed and curious to learn and help others study and learn the history of the struggle for racial justice in America, and she’s grateful to be able to give voice to Black political and social thought in the expanding Progressive political space.

Going forward, African Americans, progressives and social and racial justice advocates have a daunting challenge, said Luqman, who with her husband currently hosts two shows on Facebook and YouTube: “Coffee, Current Events & Politics,” which focuses on politics and current events from a Black perspective; and “Brick by Brick” in Luqman Nation, which concentrates on the history that led to many of the issues we face today.

“We are on the precipice of a future-defining moment for this country,” she said. “This country has never had a soul. We’re fighting for what’s gonna be left. Change is coming. I think they’ll be pretty drastic change in the social fabric.”

America, Luqman said, continues to enrich itself from the benefits of white supremacy. Both political parties espoused the status quo. The Republican Party is a racist, white supremacist party and Democrats are collaborators.

“In essence, we have two clearly imperialist, capitalist parties. We’re in a perpetual state of oppression and revolution,” she said. “Collective wealth is siphoned off and given to the wealthy and super-wealthy. There is a shortage of public and affordable housing and public education is privatized and Black people are sold the charter school bullshit.”

“We need to do what I’m seeing politically aware Black people do: building community organizations, working on the sustainability of communities, and increasing grassroots efforts to cultivate state and local access and power at these levels.”

Activist-ministers like the Rev. Dr. William J Barber II and the Revs. Willie Wilson and Graylan Hagler have spoken at length about the renewed efforts in this generation by European Americans to blunt any progress made by African Americans, women and progressives in this country. America, they declare is in the midst of a Third Reconstruction, and Donald J. Trump is not the illness but a symptom of America’s moral rot and its unwillingness to confront and acknowledge its culpability in centuries of racism, discrimination, land theft and murder of Africans in America.

The white backlash is rooted in reaction to Barack Obama’s presidency and more so to the “browning of America,” which will see them become a minority between 2030 and 2050.

“We’re witnessing a fundamental changing of our demographics around the world, said Barber, former president of the North Carolina NAACP and president and senior lecturer of Repairers of the Breach in 2018. “We see extremist policies in America today and it’s driven by the growing blackening and browning of America and a fusion of every creed, color and class.”

“Those who embrace Make America Great Again slogan are willing to work hard and cheat to undermine what is evolving in America. This is white hegemony and white nationalism strengthened by enormous wealth.”

In the face of this retrenchment, social and racial justice warriors have to fight hard and smart.

“The GOP has been plotting a way to win the White House and take over the government with the religious right,” Luqman said. “The Tea Party came at the right time and showed what grassroots activism looks like. We tend to dismiss how smart racists are. You don’t sustain this system by being stupid and they’ve been playing the long game.”

The 2016 presidential elections showed how whites and white liberals really feel. Despite Sanders’ tone-deafness on racial issues, if he wins the Democratic nomination, Trump loses.

“He’s been wishy-washy on Palestine and Reparations but if you give him a platform, a big enough platform, Trump supporters will be convinced,” she said. “Sanders has given them something they can grasp. Trump can’t beat that, because people want better in their lives.”

In 2020 and beyond, Luqman made clear, activists need to network more, take information and advance a social and political agenda that will influence the U.S. and fight back relentlessly against those forces seeking to take the U.S. backward.

Article was originally published in The Final Call BY BARRINGTON M. SALMON -CONTRIBUTING WRITER- | LAST UPDATED: DEC 2, 2019 – 12:21:49 PM

Black women have proven over time to be the most dependable and consistent bloc of voters for the Democratic party, powering candidates to victories in Alabama, Virginia, New Jersey and other states and cities in 2017, the 2018 midterms and 2019.

Yet, that loyalty has not often been reciprocated, as Black women have been ignored by the Democratic establishment; been sidelined; have had to fight for their voice to be heard; demanded a place at the table; and pushed and prodded reluctant party brass to focus on their myriad issues, needs and concerns.

The Nov. 20 Democratic debate in Atlanta, Georgia, illustrated for a number of Black women interviewed by The Final Call, the tensions and unease that have frayed the alliance.

“Senators (Kamala) Harris and (Cory) Booker elevated issues of concern to Black people,” said Dr. Melanie Campbell, who spoke to a reporter while waiting at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for a flight home after watching the debate. “Cory and Kamala carried it the strongest. This is the challenge. The candidates haven’t spoken much about race, racism, voting and not a lot about criminal justice or policing reforms to any degree.” Dr. Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable Public Policy Network, said what she feels is missing is a debate with members of the Black press as moderators.

“The debate forum should focus on criminal justice and social reform issues, voting rights, domestic issues, economic justice, the attacks on Black people and things affecting people in their everyday life,” she explained.

But that hasn’t happened, said activist and organizer Zakiya Sankara-Jabar, because Democrats treat Blacks as pawns and fodder. “There are no real policies and practices showing that Democrats want to deal seriously with African Americans. They blame Black people when they lose and they will not talk about material conditions that people are dealing with,” said Ms. Sankara-Jabar, a resident of Silver Spring, Md., and co-founder of Racial Justice Now! “Every day working class people are hurting. We are not well. The Democratic Party has not done enough to remedy this or the courts dismantling Civil Rights and Affirmative Action,” she argued.

“The Executive Branch has failed us, the Legislative Branch has failed us and we’re about to get our ass kicked by the courts which Trump has been packing. That’s why we have to build our own party.” For Black people, voting and voting for the Democrats is harm reduction, said Ms. Sankara-Jabar.

“It’s a strategy, but it will never get us where we need to be,” she said. “People are suffering, dying, not having their basic needs met. It’s worse now than in the ‘90s economy. When White folks catch a cold, we catch pneumonia. We need to stop bleeding then deal with the underlying trauma.”

Kristal L. High Taylor, a Millennial activist, lawyer, policy advocate and entrepreneur, said there is a tension between Black people and the Democratic Party, an interesting dichotomy, she said, where party officials have never addressed “a full and complete reckoning of the issues.”

“More broadly I would say that the system works if the goal is to keep in power the vested interests who have always controlled the country—wealthy White men,” the Raleigh, North Carolina resident said. “The party mechanism has to change, and a new definition of the party process has to be made clear.”

That means replacing the current system of “retail politics” with one that accommodates people who are diverse, committed, have fresh ideas and a solid work ethic, she said. It is also critically important to reform the campaign finance structure so that people other than the very wealthy or those tied to wealthy donors have a chance to run for office and win.

“Given the demographic shifts and the people who vote for them, you’d think Democrats would focus on this but that’s the ‘challenge,’” Mrs. Taylor said. “There’s a tension between engagement and where you’re seeking strategic counsel. How are Democratic leaders leveraging this bloc?”

They’re not, Ms. Taylor said, because the Democratic establishment continues to cling to the misguided belief that attracting the White working class and Reagan Democrats back to the party is a winning strategy.

“People of color show up but instead of acknowledging this group, Democrats have moved in the opposite direction,” said Ms. Taylor. “In some ways it’s weird but it’s predicated on fear. The idea exists that the only way White people can survive and thrive is by oppressing others. Some level of that has always been engrained in America.”

Tamieka Atkins told The Final Call she didn’t watch the debate because she customarily catches up a day or two later. But she said she’s read all the think pieces and analysis in the debate’s aftermath.

“It’s more an exercise in futility and posturing,” she said of the debates. “There’s some good talk but not good plans. Healthcare is very important to African Americans and a big part of their quality of life but no one’s talking about it in a way to help those listening. Folks are looking for easy comparisons but they’re not getting it.”

The Atlanta resident said she’s completely non-partisan but added, “the Democratic Party doesn’t take us seriously.” Ms. Atkins is executive director of ProGeorgia, Georgia’s state-based non-partisan voter engagement advocacy organization. She was the founding director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Atlanta Chapter.

She is one of a cadre of organizations and individuals in the South who well before 2017 ratcheted up the ground game—crisscrossing the state, knocking on doors in neighborhoods and communities where some Democratic politicians and operatives never thought to go, talking to residents, listening and encouraging them to register and then making sure they made it to the polls.

“We registered 24,000 people in 2019 and 8,000 in 2017,” said Ms. Atkins, a member of the State Voices National Network of Tables. “When I knock on doors as a part of these grassroots programs, people aren’t demoralized. People are definitely engaged. They have a deeper curiosity and make the decision to stay involved. Folks are asking a lot more questions about voting machines, polling stations and other things.”

Ms. Atkins is working on voter mobilization and organizing in Georgia, which is widely acknowledged as the epicenter of voter suppression and voter manipulation by the Republican Party, aided and abetted by Gov. Brian Kemp. As Secretary of State, Mr. Kemp orchestrated voter purges and blatantly used other forms of voter manipulation and intimidation. For example, his office struck more than 1.5 million voters from the rolls between 2012 and 2016.

He was able to do that because Republican legislators, since 2013, doubled down on the opportunity to roll back voting rights for Blacks after the U.S. Supreme Court gutted a key provision of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act. This removed Department of Justice oversight of Georgia and its 159 counties and eliminated the need for preclearance from the federal government of any changes to the voting apparatus and/ or procedures. Mr. Kemp and state election officials cut back early voting, closed 214 polling stations— the majority in Black districts—and blocked 53,000 voters from casting a ballot in 2018 because of the “exact match” program.

Ms. Atkins said she and members of the Domestic Workers Alliance have been on the frontlines of the fight to secure affordable health care for Georgia residents who qualify. She said Georgians have two options, private healthcare insurance and Medicaid waivers that are offered to one-third of the residents who quality. Georgia is one of 14 states where state officials refuse to expand Medicaid.

“They took the power to expand Medicaid from the governor and gave it to the Legislature and now two-thirds of the legislature would have to vote for expansion for it to be implemented,” she said. “Who gives away power? We were pissed because we (the Domestic Workers Alliance) had been working on this for three years.”

Dr. Monique Gamble said she appreciated Sens. Harris and Booker picking up the slack and articulating the issues of concerns that resonate with Black people. She singled out Julian Castro for also centering his campaign on race and racial issues, saying what few of his colleagues have uttered or articulated.

Mr. Castro, former Housing and Urban Development Secretary in the Obama administration and former mayor of San Antonio, Texas did not qualify for the recent debate. “The Democratic Party is supposed to be the big tent but there are unique challenges,” said Dr. Gamble, visiting assistant professor of political science at the University of the District of Columbia. “We need challenges, but this is a blessing and a curse. Being a big tent is a good thing but if you have tough issues you’re wrestling with, that makes it more difficult,” she said.

“There’s nobility in embracing a diverse group of people and it is respectable, but it also could inspire cowardice. Diverse groups have diverse issues and it takes courage to face and deal with them.”

Dr. Gamble also faulted the Democratic Party for reaching backwards for Reagan Democrats and wished aloud that more Democrats would take former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams’ political tack and adjust to the current political climate where Republicans are doing whatever they need to stay in power, while Democrats call for politeness, civility and unity.

“Hundreds of thousands of people who could use the attention are ignored,” said the Alabama native. “They have a preoccupation with the White working class which is illustrative of where the Democrats’ policies and interests are and what they’re focused on. Black and Brown people are most consistent— no one wants part-time love.”

Dr. Gamble said the centrist-progressive split is real and used her father as an example. He’s a centrist who voted for Reagan and George Bush. He’s a military veteran who is uncomfortable with the progressive agenda.

“I’m not where he is but I’m not as far left as Sen. Elizabeth Warren,” she said. “My healthcare position is Medicare for All while centrists prefer Obamacare. The overhaul of American institutions is scary for some people. For older Millennials and Gen Xers, life is harder. The problems we are inheriting are deep and big. Incremental bites is not enough.”

The interviewees agreed that Mr. Trump has ushered in an era of open racial hostility and aggression, has emboldened White nationalists and other hardline White people, embarked on dismantling the administrative state as he promised during his campaign and has opened a Pandora’s box of racial animus, hatred and White privilege that will continue to haunt this country long after he’s done.

Dr. Campbell said the Democratic Party must focus on diversity and inclusion, invest in the organizations and leadership and continue to hire Black staffers who are self-assured in their Blackness and their expertise. Ms. Taylor and Ms. Atkins spoke of the need to learn the lessons from the past and put a laser focus on local and municipal elections.

Ms. Atkins said she and her colleagues are paying close attention to voting, the 2020 census, the legalization of marijuana and the reduction in the incarceration rate.

“We’ve learned how quickly things can change after eight years,” Ms. Atkins said. “We’re living it. It should be a lesson to us. There are structures that allow White supremacy to flourish at the federal level. We have to challenge local positions of leadership where White men are over-represented.

“White political operatives came to us, but they have their own agenda. We’re just doing our own thing. We started the Women of Color Initiative and have been touring and having listening sessions. At the end of the day, we’ll develop our own agenda, develop our shared collective vision,” she said.

Dr. Gamble said she has concerns about the threat of the toxic racial environment on Black people. She doesn’t believe that Joe Biden is the answer and is fearful about the upcoming election because she’s not fully convinced someone won’t manipulate the electoral system again.

“Nothing has stopped since 2016,” she said. “We could have a viable candidate and someone could throw a bomb like (former FBI Director) James Comey did just before the 2016 election.” Mrs. Sankara- Jabar said she supported Sen. Bernie Sanders in 2016 and supports him now even though some parts of his platform and agenda does not completely align with hers. She fears that the Democratic Party might do in 2020 what it did 2016 and sabotage Sen. Sanders so he doesn’t get the party nomination.

“It’s complete bulls*** to say he’s too far left. This is really about neoliberalism,” she said. “People don’t want a … neoliberal. If Democrats chose this, they will continue to lose.”

Meanwhile, she said Africans in America need to build their own party.

“We need to strategically work together. I believe in theory and practice that we have to build Black independence and self-determination but still interact with our allies,” she said. “We don’t have a choice. I’m a supporter of reparations because we’ve never been made whole. We have to have a ‘two-ends’ strategy of building in the midst of White extremist terror as African Americans did during Reconstruction.

“Ultimately, my politics is about liberation. And we can learn from the past because we have the blueprint from which to learn.”

Article was originally published in The Final Call BY BARRINGTON M. SALMON -CONTRIBUTING WRITER- | LAST UPDATED: NOV 6, 2019 – 10:18:39 AM

A $20 billion lawsuit is headed to the Supreme Court and a loss could mean erosion or loss of major civil rights tool

A $20 billion lawsuit is headed to the Supreme Court and a loss could mean erosion or loss of major civil rights tool

Media mogul Byron Allen poses for a picture, Sept. 5, in Los Angeles. The Supreme Court will hear arguments Nov. 13 in a $20 billion lawsuit Allen filed against Comcast, with the outcome also affecting a $10 billion case he filed against Charter Communications. If Allen wins, it will become easier for Black-owned businesses to bring and win civil rights lawsuits like his that allege discrimination in contracting.

WASHINGTON—Entertainment mogul Byron Allen said the genesis of a $20 billion lawsuit he filed against Comcast Corp. came from a conversation and a question posed to him by Obama administration officials.

Disgusted with the racism—veiled and otherwise—and tired of the institutional barriers put in place to economically stifle Blacks in the business sphere, he said he decided to file a lawsuit against cable giant Comcast and Charter Communications.

Mr. Allen has offered scathing criticism of Comcast’s position and tactics. Their behavior has been racist and deeply disrespectful despite his being able to amass eight cable networks, 43 syndicated TV series, The Weather Channel, a movie studio and a movie distribution company, according to Mr. Allen.

That was in 2015. After a bruising four-year battle in the lower courts in which the Ninth Circuit court ruled twice in his favor, on Nov. 13 the case is slated to be heard in front of the justices in the U.S. Supreme Court.

“The Obama administration came to me and said some media companies wanted to get bigger, buy bigger assets,” Mr. Allen recently told the crew at The Breakfast Club, a hip hop-oriented radio and internet broadcast. “(They) said Comcast wanted to buy this and Charter wanted to buy that blah, blah, blah. They asked if they were good corporate citizens. I asked if they wanted the Hollywood answer or the real answer. They said they wanted the real answer so I told them, ‘Not no, but hell no,’ they’re not good citizens.”

“They said how do you figure? The industry spends $70 billion in licensing cable networks. Seventy billion dollars and African American-owned media get zero. And that’s not fair. They said we hear that a lot. They asked what I’m willing to do. They said people were afraid to speak up because of repercussions and I said I’ll speak up and do it in a way that it wouldn’t be a problem again. So I filed a lawsuit.”

Mr. Allen, who owns media assets he says total $1 billion, filed a federal lawsuit against Comcast and filed a $10 million lawsuit against Charter. The suit, filed in California, contends that Comcast racially discriminated against him when it refused to carry his cable-TV channels on its systems. He is also challenging the fact that Comcast spends $25 billion a year on licensing channels but less than $3 million of that pot is spent on “100 percent African American-owned media.”

While Mr. Allen hopes to win his case, there is growing speculation that a win could change the way discrimination is handled.

The lawsuit is causing increasing concern among civil rights organizations who worry that if Comcast wins, the Trump administration may take the opportunity to weaken or gut a key provision of discrimination protections in labor and contracts for Blacks, while erasing a 153-year-old post-Civil War civil rights bill that ensured “that all people in the United States—(specifically Blacks)—h(ad) the same rights to make and enforce contracts enjoyed by white citizens.”

Kelly Charles-Collins, a Tampa-based lawyer, said the case has enormous implications.

“With the way that our courts are set up, they’re not the biggest supporters of civil rights, although there are laws intended to protect,” said Atty. Charles-Collins, an American employment law attorney, award-winning TEDx speaker and CEO of HR Legally Speaking, a human resources consulting firm. “The NAACP now understands the importance of this case. It’s not just about his getting his stations on Comcast.”

“This is a really huge issue that people don’t see the nuance in. The bigger issue is being able to contract. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King talked about economic inclusion. This is what this case is about: the ability for us to be included in the economic success of this country.”

Mrs. Charles-Collins said what’s at issue is that Mr. Allen is arguing that race was a factor and insists he can prove it. “With ‘but for,’ the difference is whether race is a factor versus whether it was the factor … but how do you prove that? Very rarely do you have direct evidence of racism. Someone can argue that their decisions are or were race-neutral and under current law is very nearly impossible to prove.

“And now the Department of Justice is involved and looking for ways to erode sections of the Section 1981,” she explained.

The Trump administration through the Justice Dept. signed on as a friend of the court, siding with Comcast. Critics say the feds apparently plan to focus on Section 1981 of the 1866 Civil Rights law in an effort to erode the law. The Trump administration position is in keeping with the government’s hostility to Black people, employee protections and its business-friendly pronouncements and policies, say critics.

Cori Harvey, a Florida-based attorney who specializes in business law, economics and entrepreneurship, said the case could be consequential.

“This could represent a significant lowering of the barrier to justice,” she explained.

“It’s a fundamental question of who has access to legal recourse. The defendant has information needed such as if anything happened in emails, correspondence, etc. The plaintiff is in the dark. There’s power in darkness in shielding the defendant.”

Mr. Allen will “be able to get access to emails … this forces them to deliver into the public sphere information previously hidden,” said the attorney.

“The Ninth Circuit gave Mr. Allen a shot. It forces Comcast to open secret chambers. That doesn’t happen too often. This leaves Comcast exposed and vulnerable.”

Mr. Allen’s lawyer, Louis R. “Skip” Miller, managing partner of Los Angeles law firm Miller Barondess LLP, said he hadn’t expected the case to reach to the Supreme Court.

“We won in the 9th Circuit District Court and I thought it was the end of it because the U.S. Supreme Court takes just a few cases,” said Mr. Miller, one of Los Angeles’ top litigators. “So I wasn’t really expecting this case to be considered but this case is really important.”

Mr. Miller, who has been practicing law for 45 years, said that right after the Civil War, Section 1981 prohibited racial discrimination in contracts to allow freed slaves to move towards economic self-sufficiency.

“It was upheld over the years and construed broadly,” he said. “In our case we say race has to be a motivating factor not one factor. They could say they don’t have the bandwidth and not wanting to add channels. Non-racial, racial, it doesn’t make sense. Racial discrimination is bad. It’s pretty clear that you can’t discriminate.”

When asked, he said he wouldn’t be arguing the case before the Supreme Court. The person Mr. Allen has hired for that task, he said, is Erwin Chemerinsky, who became the 13th dean of Berkeley School of Law in 2017.

“He’s an expert trial lawyer,” said Mr. Miller of Mr. Chemerinsky, who is the founding dean of the University of California Irvine’s Donald Bren School of Law and served from 2008 to 2017. He has argued a number of cases before the Supreme Court.

Mr. Allen has offered scathing criticism of Comcast’s position and tactics. Their behavior has been racist and deeply disrespectful despite his being able to amass eight cable networks, 43 syndicated TV series, The Weather Channel, a movie studio and a movie distribution company, according to Mr. Allen.

He has also inked deals with Dish Network, DirecTV, Verizon FiOS and AT&T/U-Verse.

He accused Comcast of repeatedly lowballing him in negotiations and disrespecting him because of his race. Examples? He said an employee told him a Comcast executive said they didn’t intend to create another Bob Johnson, referring to the billionaire founder of Black Entertainment Television. Another allegedly told his governmental affairs person that Comcast doesn’t negotiate with terrorists.

“They treat us like we’re like a bunch of monkeys looking for a banana. They told me drop the case and we might meet with you, might work for you. That’s racist,” he said on The Breakfast Club. “First of all, we won twice and I didn’t bring it to the Supreme Court. They should do it the same way as they do with all White people … I asked them to sit with me and they said no.”

“Have respect sit down with me, work it out and it goes away. Don’t jeopardize 100 million minorities for this,” he said.A host of civil rights organizations agree with the case’s importance. The NAACP, the National Urban League, Color of Change, and the National Action Network are among those who have filed briefs in support of Mr. Allen’s lawsuit. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund filed a separate brief that included 10 other organizations, including the ACLU, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the National Women’s Law Center. Senators Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Richard Blumenthal and Ron Widen signed friendly briefs but only eight members of the Congressional Black Caucus did the same.

Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, said on Twitter, “Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 is literally one of the nation’s oldest civil rights statutes. We are proud to stand with @NAACP @NAACP _ LDF & @civilrightsorg in calling on the #SCOTUS to reject Comcast’s attempt to cut the heart of this historic law. @LawyersComm.”

The Lawyers’ Committee brief represents 22 organizations, including the Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the National Council of Jewish Women, and the National Organization for Women Foundation.

She described the case elsewhere as “the most important civil rights case to be heard by the Supreme Court in term. A negative ruling stands to all but shut the courthouse door on a vast number of victims of discrimination all across the country.”

The NAACP, Color of Change and other civil rights groups have called for a boycott of Comcast because the media giant seeks to change a seminal civil rights law.

In a fundraising letter, Color of Change said, “Comcast and its executives are seeking to roll back landmark civil rights protections for Black people, while also seeking to profit from our pain and the history of struggle … we cannot allow a corporation to set a dangerous precedent with our rights, while also profiting from the painful past that led to the passing of the very civil rights act it is challenging.”

Comcast officials have dismissed Mr. Allen’s claims set forth in his lawsuit.

Comcast said race had nothing to do with rejecting Mr. Allen’s channels, noting that they had low ratings. In response to an earlier NAACP statement, Comcast spokesperson Sena Fitzmaurice said in an email to a Philadelphia Inquirer reporter: “This case arises from a frivolous discrimination claim that cannot detract from Comcast’s strong civil rights and diversity record or our outstanding record of supporting and fostering diverse programming from African American-owned channels.”

“We have been forced to appeal this decision to defend against a meritless $20 billion claim, but have kept our argument narrowly focused. We are not seeking to roll back the civil rights laws—all we are asking is that the court apply Section 1981 in our case the same way it has been interpreted for decades across the country.”

“Given the makeup of the Supreme Court and what the DOJ (Justice Dept.) presents, there may be an opportunity to set forth certain standards in the law,” said Los Angeles attorney Dawn Collins, co-founder of CollinsKim LLP and a specialist in employment law.

“But it may be a opportunity to establish higher standards and burden of proof. The standard from 1866 could change and make it harder to get a trial. That’s the scary part,” she said. “This could have a lasting impact on legal standard and making it more difficult for the plaintiff, making it a lot harder to open the door, get through the door.”

Mr. Allen said he didn’t ask for his case to be considered by the Supreme Court, but asserts he will not withdraw his lawsuit and remains confident that he will prevail.

“Unfortunately, Comcast has chosen to use the U.S. Supreme Court to maximize its own profits. If Comcast thinks that we are wrong, it should go to trial and make its case. It should not challenge and put at risk all minorities’ ability to prove discrimination under the Civil Rights Act that has been in place for 153 years,” Allen said in a guest column in Deadline in August this year. “Meanwhile, I hope that people of conscience will let the U.S. Supreme Court, Donald Trump’s DOJ, and Comcast know, enough is enough.”

“Four hundred years after the start of slavery in America, every day, America kills African Americans in the classroom by making sure we don’t get a proper education; in the boardroom by making sure we don’t have true economic inclusion; and in the courtroom with Jim Crow laws and massive incarceration, long before you watch us bleed to death in the streets. I hope that America takes this historic opportunity to make sure that we have equal rights for all and don’t allow Comcast—headed by CEO Brian Roberts—to manipulate civil rights laws in partnership with the Donald Trump administration, which will hurt millions of Americans, for Comcast’s own financial gain.”

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Since its release, ‘No Shade’ has captured the film-going public’s imagination as it explores the hardships dark-skinned women in Britain face in the dating world and is reigniting some difficult conversations in Black and other circles.

Clare Anyiam-Osigwe, a first-time director, is enjoying the type of success usually reserved for veteran filmmakers. Her film debut, ‘No Shade’ is a witty, wry romantic story that shines a bright light on the troubling issue of colorism.

Anyiam-Osigwe, a Nigerian-British entrepreneur and an emerging talent in the film industry, wrote and directed the film, which she completed in six-and-a-half days. Produced by the British Urban Film Festival (BUFF), the film had successful premieres in Cannes, France; Washington, DC; London; as well as a world festival premiere at the Rio Cinema in Dalston in this past June. It was the official selection at the Women of The Lens Film Festival, Da Bounce Urban Film Festival, BUFF and the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival.

The independent filmmaker said that earlier this month, she and her husband Emmanuel negotiated a deal with Diarah N’Daw-Spech, director at Artmattan Productions, which acquired US rights to the film.

On November 28, Artmattan will screen the movie at the NY African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) in New York, followed by a limited release with digital and home entertainment releases to follow exclusively across North America.

And on November 30, the film will open in New York City at the Cinema Village Theatre.

Since its release, ‘No Shade’ has captured the film-going public’s imagination as it explores the hardships dark-skinned women in Britain face in the dating world and is reigniting some difficult conversations in Black and other circles. Black women’s’ experiences are complicated by the fetishization of light-skinned women and their white counterparts by Black men. The film traces the travails of Jade, a photographer who has a series of jarring dates with oblivious interested in a certain type of woman but not her. The film is straightforward and raw, leaving viewers – particularly Black men – to ponder any number of questions about the people they choose and why.

“This is a film you can only pray for,” said Anyiam-Osigwe, reacting to the film’s success. “It has made me feel really proud. It was my first script, my first script ever.”

Too often, she said, a disturbing number of Black British men have no desire to date dark-skinned women, choosing instead to pursue relationships with Caucasian, light-skinned Black or racially ambiguous women. And professional Black men in the entertainment industry are notorious perpetuators of misogynoir.

Although she went to drama school, wrote for a number of publications, is an award-winning dermatologist and founded PremaeUK Skincare, Anyiam-Osigwe said the move to directing has been a smooth one.

“In all fairness it was pretty easy. My husband sold and produced films before and I did Public Relations,” she said. “I depended a little bit on unknown synergy but I was not poking too much in the dark. I had idea of what to do and who to call. While I was writing I couldn’t hide anywhere. I was still working as a dermatologist so I took time off of social media. The great thing about being a working professional is that you can set your own schedule.”

Anyiam-Osigwe, who also co-stars in the film, said she’s particularly proud of the fact that she and her husband made the film without the assistance or support of any studio or public or private funding. The topic, she said, is timely and socially relevant because the Blacks in Britain are grappling with colorism, beauty standards, and accepting themselves while building self-esteem.

“I feel really great that I’ve made something of social relevance,” she explained. “Black men, mostly West Indian men, are dating white women. It’s a conscious choice but there’s an awakening going on among Black Brits. There’s a lot of talk online. I don’t expect things to change overnight but I’m pleased that this film has really helped have a deeper context.”

“This is a complex issue. Because most black men don’t have a strong black man in their house, there is this disconnect,” said Anyiam-Osigwe, co-founder of BUFF Originals. “They’re already a feeling of abandonment and disadvantage. Hair? Skin? Loud voice? Attitude. It’s a serious thing to understand because your Black mum raised you. “

“The film is politically charged. It’s showing you some truths. The biggest thing for me is that you should be able to date and love whoever you want. Colorism is degrading the black woman. It’s very, very rare that black women will go out and talk about black skin. But as a beautician/dermatologist you talk to people and overhear so many conversations that you’re privy to. I pay attention and as someone trained as actress and director, I was trained to listen.”

Anyiam-Osigwe said a “real mix” of people – white, black and apprehensive mixed-race people – have been coming to see the film and the reaction has been very positive.

“The film is still hot on people’s minds,” she said. “People are still coming back since the first screening in June. It’s still on their minds and stirring discussion.”

Black women, she asserts, live in a hostile beauty environment. The problems they often face are socially wrenching and Anyiam-Osigwe recalled the angst of some of her friends who’ve been dismissed, marginalized or rejected by Black men. Some of those stories are in the film.

Anyiam-Osigwe said the corrosive nature of the men’s attitudes and the resulting internalized self-hatred and damage to Black women’s self-esteem is sometimes hard to overcome.

But there is another element of the equation too.

“A lot of my fair-skinned girlfriends will ‘thief’ a man up,” Anyiam-Osigwe explained. “They make him pay, rinse him. Light-skinned girls and white girls can get away with that. They know their power in the moment. The ‘hot lighties’ are fulfilling a fantasy for him and her needs aren’t usually being fulfilled. As teens, fair-skinned women lap up the attention, love the love. But in their 20s, they want more. But these same men don’t want to spend any money on a Black girl.”

The director, who grew up in foster care, said she was bullied as a child, called an “African bum cleaner,” and was told that she looked like a gorilla, but said she’s a proud Black woman. In a BBC film clip promoting the film, Anyiam-Osigwe went further: “The rhetoric for me since I was 14 was that I was pretty for a dark-skinned girl. This, to me, was deeply disrespectful, because I’m a very proud Igbo, Nigerian, British-born woman and my heritage, my mom, my aunties who have those traditional African features, I think they’re stunning.”

In August 2013, Anyiam-Osigwe was featured by Forbes Africa as one of the five most influential women in business and the youngest female entrepreneur to be featured in this category. And four years later, Queen Elizabeth II made Anyiam-Osigwe a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to dermatologists and for her award-winning creams and foundations from PremaeUK Skincare.

Now, she’s set on conquering the film industry.

“It’s kind of unheard of to have such coverage for a first-time filmmaker,” said Anyiam-Osigwe. “Historically, in the last 25 years of (British) cinema, I’m … the sixth black woman to get a UK theatrical release. And that’s a 7-day run. We’ve sold out at each venue, but they won’t give us a longer run. We see the body counts for some films and it’s nothing to what we brought through ‘No Shade.’ They say it’s a local black drama. There’s a part of me that likes to take a no and move on, but I prefer to show and prove. They say I’m not an auteur yet. How will I become an auteur if I don’t even get the chance? White independent filmmakers get funding, they get seen. Black girls struggle.”

Regardless of naysayers and the challenges, Anyiam-Osigwe said she’s intensely proud of her film.

“I consider this a work of art, a passion project,” she said. “It’s making people think more about female directors and black females. A couple of people said the film was very glossy. They weren’t expecting it to be that way. It’s about saying look at what we can do with a little.”

Barrington M. Salmon, Special to The Informer

Originally published in the Washington Informer March 9, 2020

Forty years after his death, the bounty of Bob Marley’s “tree” — his children and grandchildren — continues to bear musical fruit that would make their father proud.

Stephen Marley, the second son of Bob and Rita Marley, is carving out a legacy that has seen him expand the reggae genre with his richly textured productions, versatility as an multi-instrumentalist, his skill, vision and originality as a producer and through collaborations with artists such as Rakim, Black Thought, Shaggy, Dead Prez, Wyclef Jean, Pitbull, and brother Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley.

On Thursday, March 12, Marley and his daughter Mystic, will be performing at Howard Theatre in D.C. in an evening dubbed “Stephen Marley Acoustic Soul 2020 Tour — UNPLUGGED.”

Marley, an eight-time Grammy winner, said during a telephone interview he enjoys the acoustic sound, the intimacy it creates and its effect on his fans. This is the second year he and Mystic have taken acoustic soul on the road, he said.

“Yes, it definitely has caused a different reaction from the fans,” said Marley, who in 1993 founded Ghetto Youths International with his brother Ziggy as a means of controlling their own music and helping upcoming artists. “It touches people in a soulful, intimate way. It’s been going on so well that we’re on a next acoustic tour. If the response was lukewarm, we probably wouldn’t be doing it. But the fans really like it.”

Marley said the stripped-down, unplugged nature of the music is reflected in the musicians who will accompany him, including a flutist, a guitarist and “a likkle yute playing keyboard.”

Marley’s pride in his daughter emanated through the telephone.

“As a father, it’s a very proud moment to see her maturity,” he said. “One time, she liked ballet but she has a natural voice. She didn’t have to try hard. The music is in her blood. She has a soulful and naturally beautiful voice, has a very strong personality and is very commanding.”

Marley, 47, said he draws on an array of musical influences, people and music.

“I have a lot of respect for music and for our elders,” he said. “I still say the ’70s and ’80s was the best era because of the production and value of music. That’s why ’70s music is so popular and so many musicians and performers today are still trying to emulate that.”

His father has a special place in the hearts of many Jamaicans. While Bob Marley is remembered for being the first Jamaican reggae artist, who along with the Wailers attained superstardom, he was and is viewed in his homeland as mythic, viewed in mystical proportions and his roles of prophet, poet and musical shaman gave him a power that is the envy of many a politician.

Bob Marley and the Wailers propelled reggae to global prominence, but while he could attract a crowd of 100,000 in Milan, he was unable to make a dent in the American market during his lifetime.

In several interviews and in Timothy White’s acclaimed book, “Catch a Fire,” Marley expressed his consternation at playing to all-white audiences in the US. He could never understand why white Americans would pay to hear his music and Black Americans would not, especially given an African-centered message that should have resonated with a Black audience.

Since Marley’s death in 1981, however, reggae music has been embraced by African Americans with a vengeance. The blends of hip hop, soul, R&B, dancehall and conscious reggae can be heard crashing out of car speakers, in commercials, on radio stations and television. The proverbial orphan has become the staple of a mélange of popular music and commercial genres.

Stephen Marley has been instrumental in that effort. He said now is a different time from when his father sat atop the reggae firmament, but he works with a singular purpose to spread the music and find new ways and vehicles to move the music forward.

“It’s different now but at the same time we still have to work on it as far as attracting and including Americans and Black Americans,” he said. “We can’t step past doing the work.”

As he views the reggae landscape, Marley said, musicians, others in the reggae music business and Jamaicans generally, need to cherish and grasp its impact and influence and appreciate all it has to offer.

“There’s great, good things happening and lots of good young singers. But there are certain things I see that I don’t like, like some of the things I see what’s going on with dancehall,” he said. “Our culture is a Rootical culture. We can’t lose that cultural aspect. Could we lose it? Anything is possible if we neglect and not cherish what we have. If I and I have anything to say, we naah guh mek dat happen!”

According to his biography, Marley began his career as a precocious 6-year-old singing, dancing and playing percussion with his siblings in the group The Melody Makers whose first single “Children Playing in The Streets” was produced by their father in 1979 and released on Tuff Gong, the label founded by Bob in the late ’60s. While still a teenager, he assisted in the production of The Melody Makers’ albums including their three Grammy winners “Conscious Party” (Virgin Records, 1989) “One Bright Day” (Virgin Records, 1990) and “Fallen Is Babylon” (Elektra Entertainment, 1998).

He won the Grammy Award three times as a solo artist, twice as a producer of younger brother Damian Marley’s “Halfway Tree” and “Welcome to Jamrock” albums, and three more times as a member of Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers.

Despite a mantle full of Grammys, international recognition and critical acclaim, Marley said his drive to excel hasn’t diminished.

“Where I live, there’s a studio in my house,” he said. “Every morning I get up, walk into my studio and play the music from the day before then I start my day. Creativity is a beautiful thing. Music is an exciting thing to me. The music is still strong. I man have a legacy, come from a family of great purpose through music. I kinda free people with music.”

There is little doubt that Bob Marley — who would be 75 this year — is still the yardstick by which all reggae artists are measured. On the strength of Bob’s charisma, lyrics and energy, reggae hop-scotched from Kingston’s steamy, noisome ghettos to London, Nairobi, Havana, the Philippines and the world. One illustration of this Third World superstar’s enduring appeal is the more than 300,000 people who gathered in countries and cities around the world, including Kingston, Addis Ababa and Israel to celebrate his 60th birthday in 2005.

The MARLEY75 celebrations will be reflected in music, fashion, art, photography, technology, sport and film. Fans will get “unprecedented access” to archives from the legendary artist’s estate in what a press release describes as “new, thoughtful and innovative ways.” And new content is set to be released over the course of the year.

Bob remains the embodiment of roots, rock and reggae. He sang with a haunting conviction what he lived — the hunger, pain and anguish of the ghetto dweller. He became the voice of the dispossessed while vocalizing reggae’s redemptive qualities with a spiritual and emotional pull that was at once hypnotic, ecstatic and joyful.

In bustling cities as well as in remote communities globally, Marley’s infectious, ebullient music seems to be everywhere. Meanwhile, the Marley brand, in the form of T-shirts, tote bags, flags, banners and other paraphernalia reflects continued widespread interest in all things Marley.

It could easily be a problem for others with a famous parent, but Stephen Marley said it is “not a burden at all” to carry the Marley name.

“It’s a responsibility and a good way to keep I and I in check,” he explained. “It’s a moral and integrity check and what my father and mother were about. You can’t be bigger than the purpose.”

As the interview wrapped up, Marley joked that when he’s on the road, his favorite city is the next city, adding that he anticipates touring will be a part of his life and work for the foreseeable future.

‘I jus ah roll until the wheels dem drop off,” he chuckled. “I love what I do, really enjoy it. And we have the next generation, the young generation coming to ease the burden …”

At the time, the D.C.-based journalist and commentator said, she thought her experience was the norm for Black women. She had a very easy pregnancy, she told The Final Call.

Originally published March 17, 2019

By Barrington Salmon

UPDATED ON SEPT. 13, 2019: Desperate Housewivesstar Felicity Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in prison for paying $15,000 to boost her daughter’s SAT scores. The actress was also ordered by a federal judge to pay a fine of $30,000 and perform 250 hours of community service.

PREVIOUSLY:
The revelation that parents gamed the system by paying up to seven figures to get their children into elite colleges has many African Americans fuming.

On March 12, federal investigators announced 50 high-profile individuals, including actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, were charged in a scheme that involved changing college entrance test results, hiring proctors to take exams for children and superimposing their kids’ faces onto pictures of real student athletes, to guarantee college admission through athletics programs.

African American Reaction

Some prominent African Americans view the case as affirmative action for the rich and yet another example of white privilege.

“This is a question of a deeper revelation of the extent to which white privilege and white supremacy are institutionalized in every fabric of American society, including higher education,” Rev. Benjamin Chavis, Jr., a longtime civil rights activist and president and CEO of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, told Urban Hollywood 411.

“The rich have one standard of education and everyone else has another standard,” Chavis added. “This inequity isn’t just about wealth, it’s about race, ethnicity, culture and history.”

Chavis believes systematic racism made the scam possible.

“Those involved are embarrassed but will never acknowledge the longstanding history of racism that made their actions possible,” he said.

Federal officials said 33 parents paid amounts ranging from thousands of dollars to $6.5 million to get their children into top colleges, including Georgetown University, Stanford University, UCLA, the University of San Diego, USC, the University of Texas, Wake Forest, and Yale.

According to the 204-page indictment, Full Houseactress Loughlin and her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli — whose Mossimo brand was once a staple at Target stores — paid bribes totaling $500,000 to have their daughters pose as recruits for USC’s crew team, even though they never participated in the sport.

Huffman and her husband, Shameless actor William H. Macy, allegedly paid California-based Edge College & Career Network — run by businessman William Rick Singer — “a purported charitable contribution of $15,000 … to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of her oldest daughter,” court documents state.

The bribe allegedly afforded the couple’s daughter unlimited time to take the SAT, and she was given a private proctor who allegedly corrected her answers after the test. Macy was not charged. 

Charlottesville, Virginia entertainment attorney Elva Mason said many people view the scheme as a “huge injustice.”

“The overwhelming response is people asking if we all didn’t know this was going on. We just didn’t know the levels, the extent of how far people were willing to go to get an edge,” said Mason, who graduated from the University of Virginia (UVA) and the UVA Law School. “It’s galling for people to see students work hard to get something and a lesser person gets the job or the slot.”

“White privilege has always been here and isn’t going away,” Mason added.

Among those charged are business leaders, college coaches, administrators and CEOS, including Gordon Caplan, co-chairman of the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher; Manuel A. Henriquez who is co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Hercules Technology Growth Capital; Gamal Abdelaziz, former President and COO of Wynn Resorts; and Elisabeth Kimmel, former owner of KFMB television and radio stations in San Diego.

The Fallout

Hernandez stepped down, and Loughlin was dropped from her recurring role on Netflix’s Full House reboot, Fuller House. The Hallmark Channel, where the actress starred in the series When Calls the Heart and in the Garage Sale Mystery TV movies, also cut ties with her.

“We are saddened by the recent news surrounding the college admissions allegations,” Hallmark parent company Crown Media said in a statement. “We are no longer working with Lori Loughlin and have stopped development of all productions that air on the Crown Media Family Network channels involving Lori Loughlin.”

Meanwhile, several companies — including Sephora and TRESemmé — ended partnerships with Loughlin’s 19-year-old daughter, Olivia Jade Giannulli, who is a USC freshman, as well as a YouTube star and paid influencer.

Ringleader Pleads Guilty

Fixer-consultant Singer pleaded guilty in Boston federal court on Tuesday to money laundering, racketeering, obstruction of justice and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Federal officials said Singer accepted $25 million in bribes from parents between 2011 and 2018.

Officials said Singer acted as a corroborating witness in the investigation called Operation Varsity Blues, and wore a wire to record conversations with parents and other accomplices involved in the scam.

Much of the anger Black people feel is because of the scrutiny African-Americans routinely face in pursuit of higher education, and the obvious disparities in the sentences handed out to Black parents who have tried to give their children a leg up.

For example, Kelley Williams-Bolar was convicted of a felony in Ohio in 2011, for falsifying the home address for her two children so they could go to school in a better district. More recently, Florida high school student Kamilah Campbell has been fighting SAT officials who claim she improved her score too much –- without help –- and refused to validate her test results until she could prove she didn’t cheat.

Former Florida A&M University Law Professor Cori Harvey said Black students face a number of challenges, particularly when they attend predominantly white universities.

“Every black person at a white school has been asked some version of how did they get in, when they know that they (white students) got in because their father got them in,” Harvey said with a wry chuckle. “I think of it in terms of property rights. If a fair shot of getting into college is a property right -– we all have fair shot –- but it can be stolen from you, which is basically what they’re doing.”

The extremely competitive nature of elite schools and the handful of students admitted each year ultimately leads to cheating from elementary school up, said Harvey, a consultant and former criminal attorney who specializes in business and property law.

Judy Leak Bowers said she’s disgusted by what she’s heard but knows the perpetrators will probably get off with a slap on the hand.

“If that was Howard, Hampton, or Tuskegee, they would have closed them down. This is white privilege in every aspect of their lives — honest and dishonest — but they never suffer equitable consequences,” said Bowers, a master teacher who has been in the classroom for more than 20 years.

“This has been going on for eons. The whole set up is for them to succeed,” Bowers added. “This was a cadre of people involved in a conspiracy. A team of people were laundering money, lying, cheating and stealing.”