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There’s a Reason It’s Called ‘Super’ Tuesday

NNPA NEWSWIRE — After South Carolina’s primary victory breathed new life into his then-faltering campaign, Super Tuesday left the former vice president dominating the Democratic field across the southern states. Biden and his team have the strong support shown by black voters throughout the south to thank for the victories.

Published

4 years ago

March 6, 2020

Oakland Post

Biden also surprised everyone by winning Texas, a victory that the electorate kept a secret from pollsters, allowing the election’s results to declare their intentions.

Biden’s Domination in South Helps Claim Delegate Lead

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

Perhaps channeling energy from his and former President Barack Obama’s magical 2008 “Yes We Can” presidential campaign, Joe Biden turned in what one news outlet called “one of the most remarkable comebacks in modern political history.”

After South Carolina’s primary victory breathed new life into his then-faltering campaign, Super Tuesday left the former vice president dominating the Democratic field across the southern states. Biden and his team have the strong support shown by Black voters throughout the south to thank for the victories.

Biden sat down for an exclusive interview with The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) in Charleston, where he laid out his plan for Black America. During that interview, he predicted that the Black vote would likely determine the next Democratic nominee for president.

“It’s going to be the determining factor in who the nominee is going to be, and I hope that means who the next president is going to be,” Biden proclaimed. “The Black Press is the way I did my politics. You go where people are,” he continued.

“You walk into a Black barbershop or beauty salon, and your newspaper was there. It’s who we are. The neighborhood we come from. It’s incredibly important; you’re incredibly important. I never had the money, but any ads that I’ve ever purchased has only been in Black newspapers because it’s the single best way for people to get access to what I say and what I really mean.”

One day after Biden’s NNPA interview, he received the endorsement from powerful South Carolina Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn.

“Biden is going to be very successful, and he will be our nominee. I really deeply feel he will be the next president of the United States,” Clyburn stated.

After his victory in South Carolina, Biden’s campaign was further propelled when three former opponents: former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke, announced they were endorsing him.

Before South Carolina, it appeared that Vermont’s Senator Bernie Sanders was poised to place a stranglehold on the nomination and that Biden’s campaign had run out of steam. However, over two days in the Palmetto State, Biden’s fortunes began to turn.

Biden won 10 of the 14 Super Tuesday states, including North Carolina, Alabama, Virginia, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Massachusetts (home state to competitor and now former hopeful) Senator Elizabeth Warren — Maine and Minnesota (home of Senator Amy Klobuchar).

Biden also surprised everyone by winning Texas, a victory that the electorate kept a secret from pollsters, allowing the election’s results to declare their intentions.

To win the Democratic Party nomination on the first ballot at the National Convention this summer, a candidate must obtain 1,991 of the 3,979 total delegates. That requirement is why Super Tuesday, when voters in 15 states and territories select their choice for the party’s nomination, is the most important day of the Democratic primary.

A total of 1,300 Super Tuesday delegates are up for grabs with California awarding 415 (almost 25 percent of the delegate total required minimum to win nomination), and another 228 at stake in Texas.

If no candidate captures the nomination on the first ballot, all delegates become unpledged. A total of 4,750 delegates vote on a second – and any subsequent – ballot.

Early projections pointed to a hefty 351-280 Super Tuesday delegate count edge for Biden over Sanders, his sole remaining competitor for the nomination. However, even while still awaiting results from California and Maine, Biden had already racked up a total of 453 delegates, while Sanders earned 373.

“It’s a good night. It seems to be getting better. They don’t call it Super Tuesday for nothing,” Biden remarked during a rally in Los Angeles.

“Those who have been knocked down, counted out, left behind. This is your campaign. Just a few days ago, the press declared the campaign dead. And then came South Carolina. And they had something to say about it,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sanders carried his home state of Vermont as well as Colorado and Utah. As of early Wednesday, in a race too close to call, Sanders enjoyed a 36.6 percent to 24.9 percent lead over Biden for California’s 415 delegates.

At 14.3 percent, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who earned a Super Tuesday victory in American Somoa, finished third in the Golden State.

Of the remaining Super Tuesday-eligible candidates, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren had 39 delegates, while Bloomberg earned 18.

After failing to score any victories and losing her home state, Warren’s future in the race was determined when she announced her exit on Thursday. Likewise, Bloomberg, whose late start and lack of Super Tuesday voter support left no clear path to the nomination, also left the race. However, unlike Warren, who has yet to indicate who she will endorse, Bloomberg threw his support behind Biden and recommitted to his pledge to “do whatever it takes to defeat Trump.”

For his part, Sanders maintains that he will ultimately prevail because voters understand that he’s best positioned to defeat Trump. “What we need is politics that bring working-class people into our political movement. One that brings young people into our political movement, and which, in November, will create the highest voter turnout in American political history,” said Sanders during a campaign stop in Vermont on Tuesday. “You cannot beat [President] Trump with the same old politics.”

While young voters appeared among Sanders’ biggest backers in California, African American voters powered Biden’s South Carolina and Super Tuesday victories, according to exit polls taken by CNN.

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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.

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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.