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Jesse Jackson Visits Richmond to Discuss the Continuing Fight for Equality

Published

9 years ago

February 2, 2015

Civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson delivered a moving message to a packed audience this past Sunday at Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Richmond.

Rev. Jackson weighed in on what he sees as a continued struggle for the Black community to gain social equality in society. He likened the struggle for voting rights during the 1960s to the current fight to end diversity disparities that exist within major corporations’ boardrooms and workforce.

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“What we now have is disparity by class and culture,” Jackson said. “Too few got too much.”

Jackson challenged the audience to join the fight to close the “opportunity gap,” by holding corporations accountable, particularly corporations in Silicon Valley where he recently convened a meeting to promote diversity in the tech industry.

He reminded people that the Civil Rights Era may have ended, but the struggle has not yet been won.

Rev. Jackson said: “Some of us talk about ‘back in the civil rights age.’ I think, ‘when did it end?’”

The packed audience of community members, clergy and elected officials burst into laughter and roaring applause.

Jackson briefly touched on police and community relations, a topic that has fueled protests across the country in recent weeks.

“Police shouldn’t shoot people, and people shouldn’t shoot police. They are the gatekeepers, they are not holding us back. It’s the institutions, not the police, that inhibit upward mobility,” he said.

Rev. Jackson said the “Black Lives Matter” movement is a response to the rising number of African-American men killed by the police, which is fueled by a “fire bomb of poverty.”

The problem can in part be addressed by making more job opportunities available to these men, he said.

Jackson shared his thoughts on the Academy Award-nominated film “Selma,” which he believed romanticized the struggle leading up to the passage of the Voter Rights Act of 1965.

“You’d think we just crossed the bridge and got the right to vote. But there was so much more before, and there is more after,” Jackson said.

In his final remarks, Jackson encouraged community members to come to the altar and sign up in support of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Richmond Chapter, which will have details forthcoming for interested members.

Jackson founded the Rainbow PUSH Coalition in 1996 to combat discrimination and racism in society and the economy.

Prior to Rev. Jackson’s speech, Richmond Mayor Tom Butt presented a proclamation declaring January 25 “Rev. Jesse Jackson Day” in Richmond.

“It’s an exciting day for me and Richmond,” Butt said as he introduced Rev. Jackson and presented him with a certificate. The audience rose and applauded.

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Oakland Post: Week of September 20 – 26, 2023

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 20 – 26, 2023

Published

1 day ago

September 22, 2023

Oakland Post

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 20 -26, 2023

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WATCH LIVE! — NNPA 2023 National Leadership Awards Reception

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Welcome to the NNPA 2023 National Leadership Awards Reception
The post WATCH LIVE! — NNPA 2023 National Leadership Awards Reception first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

1 day ago

September 22, 2023

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The post WATCH LIVE! — NNPA 2023 National Leadership Awards Reception first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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OP-ED: Delivering Climate Resilience Funding to Communities that Need it the Most

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Just last month, FEMA announced nearly $3 billion in climate mitigation project selections nationwide to help communities build resilience through its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) national competition and Flood Mitigation Assistance program. In total, more than 50% of these projects will benefit disadvantaged communities, and in particular, 70% of BRIC projects will do the same.
The post OP-ED: Delivering Climate Resilience Funding to Communities that Need it the Most first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

2 days ago

September 22, 2023

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By Erik A. Hooks, FEMA Deputy Administrator

We know that disasters do not discriminate. Yet, recovery from the same event can be uneven from community to community, perpetuating pre-existing inequalities. Recognizing these disparities, FEMA and the entire Biden-Harris Administration have prioritized equity when it comes to accessing federal programs and resources.

The numbers tell the story.

Just last month, FEMA announced nearly $3 billion in climate mitigation project selections nationwide to help communities build resilience through its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) national competition and Flood Mitigation Assistance program. In total, more than 50% of these projects will benefit disadvantaged communities, and in particular, 70% of BRIC projects will do the same.

These selections further underscore the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to equity and reaffirm FEMA’s mission of helping people before, during and after disasters, delivering funding to the communities that need it most.

Building on this momentum and our people-first approach, FEMA recently announced the initial designation of nearly 500 census tracts, which will be eligible for increased federal support to become more resilient to natural hazards and extreme weather worsened by the climate crisis. FEMA will use “Community Disaster Resilience Zone” designations to direct and manage financial and technical assistance for resilience projects nationwide, targeting communities most at risk due to climate change. More Community Disaster Resilience Zone designations, including tribal lands and territories, are expected to be announced in the fall of 2023.

These types of investments have, and will yield a significant return on investment for communities nationwide.

For example, in my home state of North Carolina, the historic community of Princeville, founded by freed African American slaves, uses BRIC funding to move vulnerable homes and critical utilities out of flood-prone areas.

In East Harlem, BRIC dollars will provide nature-based flood control solutions to mitigate the impacts of extreme rainfall events in the Clinton low-income housing community.

While we are encouraged by these investments, we know more must be done.

Not every community has the personnel, the time or the resources to apply for these federal dollars. Fortunately, FEMA offers free, Direct Technical Assistance to help under-resourced communities navigate the grant application process and get connected with critical resources. Under the leadership of FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, this assistance has been a game-changer, reducing barriers and providing even more flexible, customer-focused, tailored support to communities interested in building and sustaining successful resilience programs.

In Eastwick, Philadelphia, FEMA’s dedicated support helped the city with outreach to multiple federal agencies. Together, we built a comprehensive community-led flood mitigation strategy. When applied and implemented, this will make this community more resilient to hazards like flooding, which was negatively affecting many neighborhood blocks.

In DePue, Illinois, we worked hand-in-hand with communities to improve their ability to submit high-quality funding applications for hazard mitigation projects. We are happy to share that DePue is the first Direct Technical Assistance community to be selected in the BRIC national competition. And, we know they will not be the last. Thanks to this assistance and their ambition, DePue was awarded more than $20 million to build a new wastewater treatment plant, which will reduce flooding and raw sewage back-up into the basements of homes.

In total, our agency is working with over 70 communities, including tribal nations, to increase access to funding for mitigation projects that will make communities more livable and resilient.

With extreme weather events becoming increasingly intense and frequent due to climate change, we must keep pressing forward and continue investing in ways to better protect ourselves and our neighbors. And we are encouraged that local officials are engaging with us to learn more about the benefits of the BRIC non-financial Direct Technical Assistance initiative—just last week, we saw hundreds of participants nationwide register for a recent webinar on this important topic.

We want to see even more communities take advantage of this initiative, and, ultimately, obtain grants for innovative and forward-looking resilience projects. To that end, FEMA recently published a blog with five steps to help local communities and tribal nations learn more about the benefits of this non-financial technical assistance to access federal funding. I hope your community will take action and submit a letter of interest for this exciting opportunity and increase meaningful mitigation work throughout the country.

With the pace of disasters accelerating, communities can utilize federal resources to reduce their risk and take action to save property and lives. FEMA stands ready to be a partner and collaborator with any community that is ready to implement creative mitigation strategies and help build our nation’s resilience.

The post OP-ED: Delivering Climate Resilience Funding to Communities that Need it the Most first appeared on BlackPressUSA.