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OP-ED: Biden Deserves Credit Not Complacency

NNPA NEWSWIRE — When President Biden took office, the country was in the grip of a global pandemic. Businesses were shuttering, schools were closing, and people were dying. The country needed leadership. Unfortunately, we had a showman at the helm when a statesman was needed. Forty-five was pre-occupied with scoring political points and securing media hits. And when voters were given a chance to express themselves, by a margin of nearly seven million votes, they chose statesmanship over showmanship.

Published

2 years ago

August 22, 2022

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By Congressman James E. Clyburn (D-SC), House Majority Whip

We all have heard the popular expression, “give credit where credit is due.” After hearing numerous critics over the past 18 months, it is refreshing to see President Joe Biden finally getting the credit he deserves for what is one of the most productive starts to a presidential term in recent history.

The Financial Times’ Associate Editor Ed Luce recently wrote an opinion piece entitled, “The unexpected triumph of Joe Biden: Recent legislative successes suggest a good political system in good working order, but complacency is misplaced.”

Mr. Luce made the case for why President Biden’s star is rising, but warned that despite his impressive legislative record, voters may not give him the credit he deserves because too many people respond more to style than substance. I agree with Mr. Luce’s assessment. Our media-driven culture seems to rate words and deeds that generate headlines over those that make headway. Joe Biden, and those of us who support him, prefer putting people over politics.

When President Biden took office, the country was in the grip of a global pandemic. Businesses were shuttering, schools were closing, and people were dying. The country needed leadership. Unfortunately, we had a showman at the helm when a statesman was needed. Forty-five was pre-occupied with scoring political points and securing media hits. And when voters were given a chance to express themselves, by a margin of nearly seven million votes, they chose statesmanship over showmanship.

Joe Biden was sworn in on January 20, 2021. On that day, the country’s unemployment rate was 6.4 percent. COVID-19 was infecting 193,030 Americans a day and people were dying at a rate of 3,167 a day. From day one, Biden focused on shoring up the shaky foundation left by the previous Administration.

On March 11, 2021, less than two months after he took office, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan (ARP) into law. It accelerated the American economic recovery by putting money in people’s pockets, getting children back in school and lifting nearly half of them out of poverty.

The ARP also prevented evictions and foreclosures for millions of America’s families, kept hundreds of large businesses open and reopened thousands of small businesses. It helped stem the deadly rampage of COVID-19 by expanding testing and access to vaccines. Republicans put their politics over people’s needs and voted unanimously against this legislation. Democrats put people over politics and started building a foundation for the country’s recovery.

The second corner of Biden’s foundation came on November 15, 2021, when he signed into law the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This legislation made historic investments in our crumbling and outdated infrastructure. It invested in high-speed internet, clean drinking water, a resilient electric grid, replacing lead pipes, making a down payment on clean energy transmission, and charging stations for electric vehicles. These infrastructure investments are creating jobs and strengthening critical links in our supply chain.

During all of this, President Biden nominated the first Black woman to the United States Supreme Court, a Black woman to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, and 26 other Black women to various federal courts, more than the combined total of all previous Presidents.

President Biden continued working, away from public view, to help get the final two corners of his foundation solidified, and on August 9, he signed the CHIPS and Science Act into law. This third corner of his platform restores America’s standing as a global science and technology leader by providing the resources and tools needed to make more products like semiconductor chips here at home. It will create good-paying jobs, invest in building a more diverse workforce, and bolster our supply chains.

The fourth and final corner of the Biden platform, the Inflation Reduction Act, passed the Congress with every Democrat voting for it, and every Republican voting against it. Under this new law, signed by President Biden on August 16, Medicare recipients will see their out-of-pocket prescription drugs capped at $2,000 annually and their cost of insulin capped at $35 monthly. It reduces the cost of health care for 13 million Americans by extending the Affordable Care Act subsidies for more than three years with an average savings of $800 per year. The new law includes provisions to increase taxes on corporations, address climate change, and decrease the prices of prescription drugs.

The IRA will help cut climate pollution by 40 percent by 2030, while building a new, clean energy economy and creating nine million new jobs. It invests in environmental justice by cleaning up legacy pollution most often found in communities of color and provides tax credits to ensure nuclear energy producers can continue to provide clean energy for consumers. The IRA will require corporations to pay a minimum tax of 15 percent and reduce the deficit by $300 billion over the next decade.

As Mr. Luce warns us, “complacency is misplaced.” Voters should see this “good political system in good working order” as motivation to go to the polls to support more positive progress. President Biden is finally getting some of the credit he is due. And, he and my fellow Democrats will continue putting the American people over partisan politics.

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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.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

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