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Barbara Lee, Councilmember Kaplan Condemn Trump’s Actions to Advance Keystone, Dakota Access Pipeline
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump issued a freeze on all new grants and contracts awarded to states through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
This decision will cut off financial support for states wanting to clean up air and water pollution.
Jobs in California could also take a hit as grants and contracts given to communities for clean-up efforts create thousands of remediation jobs in the region.

Oakland City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan traveled to North Dakota in solidarity with #StandingRock families for Thanksgiving 2016
Lastly, redevelopment can’t move forward for commercial or residential property unless brownfield and superfund sites—like former gas stations and coal mines—are treated properly.
Cutting the state’s access to these funds will be most damaging for communities that have long been polluted and are often home to low-income families and people of color.
Last year, the Western United States received nearly $1.1 billion in investment from the EPA to clean up lands and protect communities.
California received nearly $400 million in investment funds in 2017.
Trump also signed a series of executive memorandums to revive construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines—two major projects halted by the Obama administration after months of resistance from Indigenous and environmental activists.
On Tuesday, Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan denounced the actions of the Trump administration and called on CalPERS to immediately divest all its funds from companies involved in the Dakota Access pipeline (DAPL).
CalPERS manages the state retirement fund for public employees in California.
“The people of California must not collude in this racism, nor in the destruction of land, water, and environmental sustainability. I call on CalPERS to immediately act to fully divest from any involvement in DAPL,” Kaplan wrote in a letter to CalPERS.

Rep. Barbara Lee
“The pipeline proposal not only threatens the health of the planet and the safety of the drinking water, it also represents a horrifying example of environmental racism,” she said.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee also condemned Trump’s executive action, which threatens to poison the drinking water for thousands of people and violates the treaty rights of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
“The American people decisively rejected both the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Keystone Pipeline. President Trump’s executive orders are a giveaway to the fossil fuel industry at the expense of our planet and its inhabitants,” Lee said in a press release.
“At every turn, President Trump has shown his allegiance is with billionaires and Big Oil, not working families. We must resist this dangerous agenda and fight for the future of our planet.”
#NNPA BlackPress
Tunisia: Raja Amari’s ‘She Had a Dream’ Doc Premieres on AfroPoP
NNPA NEWSWIRE — Amari is one of these artists and Ghofrane is an activist. Exploring how racism has shaped her life in all aspects including her early school days, her romantic life and everyday activities, Amari’s film showcases how Ghofrane uses her experiences as impetus to work to bring change to her country for all people. A compassionate and hopeful exploration of the life and aspirations of Ghofrane, She Had A Dream sheds light on women’s roles in Tunisia’s changing society and one woman’s battle to create change for her community.
The post Tunisia: Raja Amari’s ‘She Had a Dream’ Doc Premieres on AfroPoP first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

By Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D, NNPA Newswire Entertainment and Culture Editor
The documentary She Had A Dream by Tunisian filmmaker Raja Amari premieres on AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange series tonight at 8 p.m. EST on WORLD CHANNEL. Season 14 of the acclaimed documentary series captures Black artists and activists shaping and reclaiming culture, advocating for change and mobilizing for brighter futures. She Had A Dream offers an intimate portrayal of one young Black Tunisian woman’s quest for political office and her fight against racism and oppression in a society that often seeks to overlook both.
The documentary follows Ghofrane, a 20-something Black woman from Tunisia as she walks the path of self-discovery of young adulthood while running for political office in a homeland where many still view her as an outsider.
Watch the trailer below:
A dedicated, charismatic activist and a modern, free-speaking woman, Ghofrane in many ways is the embodiment of contemporary Tunisian political hopes still alive years after the Arab Spring. She Had A Dream follows Ghofrane as she works to conquer her own self-doubts while attempting to persuade close friends and complete strangers to vote for her. As audiences follow her campaign, they also follow the dichotomies of her life as a woman striving for a role in politics in the Arab world and as a Black person in a country where racism is prevalent, yet often denied.
“The 14th season of AfroPoP shines a light on the collective power, strength and resilience of Black people and movements around the world,” said Leslie Fields-Cruz, AfroPoP executive producer. “Viewers will see artists use their platforms to push for progress and human rights and see ‘ordinary’ people do the remarkable in the interest of justice.”
Amari is one of these artists and Ghofrane is an activist. Exploring how racism has shaped her life in all aspects including her early school days, her romantic life and everyday activities, Amari’s film showcases how Ghofrane uses her experiences as impetus to work to bring change to her country for all people. A compassionate and hopeful exploration of the life and aspirations of Ghofrane, She Had A Dream sheds light on women’s roles in Tunisia’s changing society and one woman’s battle to create change for her community.
She Had A Dream airs on AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange Monday, April 11 at 8 p.m. ET on WORLD Channel and begins streaming on worldchannel.org at the same time.
AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange is presented by Black Public Media and WORLD Channel. For more information, visit worldchannel.org or blackpublicmedia.org.
This article was written by Nsenga K. Burton, founder & editor-in-chief of the award-winning news site The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on Twitter @Ntellectual.
Follow The Burton Wire on Twitter or Instagram @TheBurtonWire.
The post Tunisia: Raja Amari’s ‘She Had a Dream’ Doc Premieres on AfroPoP first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
#NNPA BlackPress
Nairobi: Water Crisis Exploits Women & Girls
NNPA NEWSWIRE — “Sextortion” refers to sex being used as currency instead of money for services or products — in this case water. According to the Water Integrity Network (WIN), the testimonies collected from women over the past five years in Kibera and Mukuru Kwa Njenga, which are some of the largest informal settlements in Nairobi, point towards an invisible, unspoken, and sinister consequence of corruption in the water sector i.e. sextortion. Sex for water is not a new phenomena.
The post Nairobi: Water Crisis Exploits Women & Girls first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

BBC Africa is reporting Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya, is facing a water shortage because of changing weather patterns and aging water facilities. The article reports, “Residents in informal communities like Kibra pay private vendors for water, meaning they now control the supply and access to water in the community.” The privatization of water access has led to an increase in the exploitation of women and girls in exchange for water.
“Sextortion” refers to sex being used as currency instead of money for services or products — in this case water. According to the Water Integrity Network (WIN), the testimonies collected from women over the past five years in Kibera and Mukuru Kwa Njenga, which are some of the largest informal settlements in Nairobi, point towards an invisible, unspoken, and sinister consequence of corruption in the water sector i.e. sextortion. Sex for water is not a new phenomena. Check out the 2018 ANEW documentary short below:
The water crisis and the sexual exploitation of girls and women as a result of the water crisis shows no signs of slowing down.
This news brief was curated by Nsenga K. Burton, founder & editor-in-chief of the award-winning news site The Burton Wire. Follow Nsenga on Twitter @Ntellectual.
Follow The Burton Wire on Twitter or Instagram @TheBurtonWire.
The post Nairobi: Water Crisis Exploits Women & Girls first appeared on BlackPressUSA.
Activism
COMMENTARY: San Jose Congressman Norman Mineta: The Reparations Hero for Asian Americans
Congressman Norman Y. Mineta will forever be known as the man who got justice for the people incarcerated by the Japanese internment during World War II. He got reparations passed in a Republican administration.

By Emil Guillermo
When the Democratic candidates began the 2020 presidential campaign, there was a buzz about reparations for African Americans.
And then, the buzz died.
I mention that because last week, former San Jose Mayor and 13th District Congressman Norman Y. Mineta passed away at age 90.
Mineta will forever be known as the man who got justice for the people incarcerated by the Japanese internment during World War II.
He got reparations passed in a Republican administration.
Think about that. Reparations, the BIPOC holy grail. After Mineta got it done in 1988 under Reagan, it’s never been replicated.
Looking back, it seems like a magic trick. But it wasn’t. It was just hard work and politicking.
That’s why we all should revere the man who died somewhat appropriately in the first week of May, the month now known as Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Mineta was one of the first Congressional boosters to stretch what was originally a week, and then coined it Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.
His passing on May 3, 2022, is an important marker on the significance of diversity and representation at the highest levels of government, politics, and elected office.
Born in San Jose to Japanese immigrants, Mineta lived through every major moment in modern Asian American history.
For the barriers he broke, and the policies he established, he was simply the community’s father figure.
He was Mr. Asian America.
For a short-time, I got to be close to him.
In the 103rd Congress in 1993, I was Mineta’s press secretary and speechwriter.
I had been at NPR where I hosted “All Things Considered.” When I left that position, I thought as a Californian in Washington, I should at least get to know how democracy gets done from the inside. Ideally, I figured you can cross the line into the netherworld of politics once. You can even cross back from whence you came. Once. But Norm was no ordinary politician.
He was the embodiment of Asian America in public life.
He was our hopes and dreams. Our cries and sorrows. From the time he was a Cub Scout incarcerated with other Japanese Americans during World War II to the time he served in government, Norm was there for all of us.
He was our fighter and our redeemer when he co-sponsored the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, that got justice for internees. More than $1.6 billion was paid out to 82,200 Japanese Americans, according to the New York Times.
That was always the difference maker. Norm was in the fight to rectify the historical transgression that gives Asian Americans our moral authority to this day.
There were other Asian American politicians, of course. But few had the career arc of Mineta, who first served locally in 1971 as mayor of San Jose. He was the first Asian American mayor of a major U.S. city.
In 1974, he was first elected to Congress, leaving in 1995, when the divided government began to shape up with an aggressive GOP led by Newt Gingrich.
But Norm re-emerged in government with more Asian American firsts, as Commerce Secretary in the Clinton Cabinet, and then Transportation Secretary under G.W. Bush. Two administrations. Two different parties.
The Norm I knew was the 1993 Norm. The people’s Norm.
The Norm who drove a modest white Dodge Colt because he wanted an American car. I knew the guy who worked all day, then carried a huge bag of homework to read through for the next day. I knew the guy who was in the post-flow triumph of the Civil Liberties Act, always diligent, persistent, and searching for a way to make things better.
That’s what I learned about Norm the most. Remember, this was in the early ’90s. Washington was getting nastier, more divisive, and gridlocked.
But Norm had friends like the late Republican Sen. Alan Simpson. They met as Boy Scouts in Wyoming. One incarcerated at the internment camp, the other free. Later as congressmen, they stood for a kind of bipartisanship that is rare these days.
That was perhaps the most significant political lesson I learned from Mineta. Legislation is one thing, but we’re all still human beings. And the goal is to turn adversaries into friends and to have your friends stay friends. You keep the channels open. You create new alliances, like the ideal public-private partnerships.
The point is, Mineta was always seeking solutions, working together with others to make things better.
He passes as the country is bitterly divided on everything. His life should serve as a playbook on how to keep the fragile nature of our democracy whole.
Remember Norm Mineta. He was the Democrat who got reparations passed in a Republican administration.
Today, that would make him a political Superman.
Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. Listen to his talk show on www.amok.com Twitter@emilamok
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