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PRESS ROOM: 100 Years of American Energy

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Partnering with the best and brightest technical experts from government, academia, and industry, The American Petroleum Institute (API) has developed almost 700 standards to enhance the safety of our workers and protect the community and environment.

Published

5 years ago

April 1, 2019

Oakland Post

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Historically, the oil and gas industry hasn’t been known for diversity and inclusion efforts with its businesses regularly comprising a demographic that’s about 90 percent white and male.

However, the American Petroleum Institute (API), which counts as the largest U.S. trade association for the oil and natural gas industry, has worked to change the landscape by putting in place strategic and definitive initiatives that address diversity and inclusion.

2019 marks the 100th anniversary of API, which has established industry standards and disseminates best practices across the industry, nationwide and globally.

With alliances with NNPA, – the Black Press of America with more than 215 African American owned newspapers and media companies – and the National Association of Hispanic Publications, the American Association of Blacks in Energy and others, API hopes to encourage minorities and women to be petroleum engineers, geologists, welders, electricians, accountants, business managers and fill other necessary posts.

“The Black Press, probably more than any organization in the nation has a history of communications with the Black community, reaching policy leaders in the community as well as young folks,” said Frank Stewart, a consultant for API and president of Frank M. Stewart & Company.

“We believe we have a unique opportunity and the way to reach the community is by [aligning] with the people they trust,” Stewart said.

“The analogy is also [true] with the Hispanic Press,” said Dr. Carlos Rodriguez, an API consultant.

Additionally, API has an Energy Research Collaborative (ERC) with strategic partners focused on workforce development and engagement with nontraditional allies.

The ERC also includes Asian Americans in Energy, the Environment and Commerce, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, Hispanics in Energy, National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development, The Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and others.

The group meets regularly and continues to provide feedback and recommendations to API, which traces its beginning to World War I, when Congress and the domestic oil and natural gas industry worked together to help the war effort.

“The U.S. energy industry has always been at the forefront of powering positive change – from supporting the war effort during World War I, to the energy revolution that has made the U.S. the world’s leading producer, refiner, and exporter of natural gas, and No. 1 reducer of emissions,” said API President and CEO Mike Sommers during a recent celebration of the organization’s 100th anniversary.

API’s member companies still play a central role in America’s security, Sommers said.

API establishes industry standards and disseminates best practices across the industry, nationwide and globally.

Partnering with the best and brightest technical experts from government, academia, and industry, API has developed almost 700 standards to enhance the safety of our workers and protect the community and environment.

Certification programs developed by API’s Global Industry Services division help companies operationalize standards, providing consistency, interoperability, and reliability.

The United States leads the world in production of natural gas and oil, and in reduction of carbon dioxide emissions – supplying affordable, reliable energy while serving as the world’s gold standard for safe, environmentally responsible energy development.

The U.S. has reduced CO2 emissions to their lowest levels in a generation while the rest of the world’s emissions have dramatically risen. The energy landscape is evolving to meet consumer needs in cleaner, safer and more reliable ways.

Just 15 years increasing imports and peak oil were a focus, and some didn’t even mention clean U.S. natural gas as an electricity source, Sommers said.

Due to dramatic technological innovations, the US now leads the world in natural gas and oil production, fueling the world’s growth and adhering to the safest and most environmentally responsible standards in the world, he said.

Affordable energy gives U.S. manufacturers and major competitive advantage, and is a key factor revitalizing communities across the nation.

The U.S. energy industry is producing energy at record levels – meeting record demand and decreasing reliance on foreign suppliers.

The EIA forecasts that the United States will be a net exporter of crude oil and petroleum products by 2020 – boosting economic growth and enhancing energy security for the United States and allies.

Projections confirm a need for more natural gas and oil, not less, in the decades ahead, Sommers said.

U.S. success demonstrates the reality that people can reduce emissions and increase production of the energy that powers economies and supports modern daily living.

Growing energy demand means better, safer quality of life for billions living in poverty around the globe, API officials said. Nearly 1 billion people in the world don’t have access to electricity, and 2.1 billion live without safe drinking water at home.

“Energy is the key to improving health, security and opportunity for millions. And the United States is the world leader in meeting demand growth safely and cleanly,” Sommers said.

“With API’s leadership, we’ve set the world’s goal standard for safe, environmentally responsible operations and enhanced America’s energy security. As we honor a century of industry-driven progress, we also look ahead to a future made safer, brighter, and more prosperous for communities around the world by continued energy innovation,” he said.

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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.