#NNPA BlackPress

Support Swells for Black North Carolina Justice Amidst Partisan Investigation

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “The investigation into Justice Earls is a clear attempt to stifle a powerful Black woman who fearlessly speaks out against injustice,” stated Johnson, who staunchly affirmed the NAACP’s unwavering backing of Justice Earls, lauding her relentless pursuit of civil rights on both state and national fronts. Johnson also decried the assaults on Justice Earls as part of a broader pattern aimed at undermining and discrediting elected Black women, urging the North Carolina Judicial Standards Commission to take proactive measures to enhance diversity within the judiciary.
The post Support Swells for Black North Carolina Justice Amidst Partisan Investigation first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

7 months ago

September 26, 2023

Stacy M. Brown

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

The Advancement Project and the NAACP have rallied behind North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls, the lone Black justice on the bench, as she faces a litany of Republican attacks threatening her seat on the state’s highest court.

“We are closely monitoring what is happening,” Carmen Daugherty, the Deputy Director of Advancement Project, emphasized on the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s Let It Be Known Morning show. Daugherty said Earls might be the most deeply accomplished voting rights justice in the entire United States, whether federal or state. “We need her expertise very badly at this time,” she stressed, underlining the urgency of retaining Earls’ invaluable contributions,” declared NAACP President & CEO Derrick Johnson.

“The investigation into Justice Earls is a clear attempt to stifle a powerful Black woman who fearlessly speaks out against injustice,” stated Johnson, who staunchly affirmed the NAACP’s unwavering backing of Justice Earls, lauding her relentless pursuit of civil rights on both state and national fronts. Johnson also decried the assaults on Justice Earls as part of a broader pattern aimed at undermining and discrediting elected Black women, urging the North Carolina Judicial Standards Commission to take proactive measures to enhance diversity within the judiciary.

A coalition comprising the NAACP, Advancement Project, and leaders from 14 other civil rights organizations implored the North Carolina Judicial Standards Commission to cease its investigation into Justice Earls. Instead, they urged the Commission to redirect its energies towards addressing the pressing issues highlighted by Earls concerning racial bias and the glaring underrepresentation within the state’s court system.

“Justice Earls comes to the bench with decades of experience fighting against the very thing that is permeating throughout the bench—the miscarriage of justice due to racism and sexism,” added Judith Browne Dianis, Executive Director of the Advancement Project. “Yet she is being attacked for calling out racial and gender bias in a judicial system that we all know should and must be fully impartial.”

Added Browne-Dianis: “No other group is more scrutinized, targeted, and attacked than the Black woman, especially those in power. Justice Earls has a right under the First Amendment and an ethical obligation to call out bias in the judicial system to guarantee the fair administration of justice in North Carolina.”

The coalition asserted that Justice Earls is being subjected to an improper investigation for criticizing:

the Court’s lack of diversity and implicit bias within the North Carolina judicial system;
the manner in which fellow judges and lawyers mistreat her and other Black women within the legal profession and
the recent rollbacks on court diversity efforts under Chief Justice Paul Newby.

Justice Earls occupies a significant position in the state’s legal landscape as only the seventh African American judge in the history of the North Carolina Supreme Court and the ninth woman to serve on the North Carolina State Supreme Court. In a disturbing trend, the coalition pointed out that similar efforts to investigate and silence Black female leaders are emerging nationwide, as evidenced by the suspension of Florida State Attorney Monique Worrell and the investigation of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in Georgia.

In addition to the NAACP and Advancement Project, a coalition of prominent civil rights organizations stands united in support of Justice Earls. They include The Black Voters Matter Fund, BlackPAC, Center for Constitutional Rights, Color Of Change, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, National Bar Association, National Black Justice Coalition, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, National Council of Negro Women, National Urban League, National Women’s Law Center, Rainbow PUSH, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and UnidosUS.

“By targeting and silencing the only Black female judge on the state’s supreme court, the Judicial Standards Commision would perpetuate the very harm Justice Earls described, eroding public trust in the North Carolina justice system in the process,” the coalition wrote in a letter. “This is compounded by actions taken by the new Chief Justice, Paul Newby. Since taking the post, Chief Justice Newby has disbanded a committee established to review racial and gender bias in the court’s hiring practices and refused to appoint members to the Supreme Court’s Commission on Fairness and Equity, created in 2020, which was tasked with recommending plans to ultimately eliminate disparate treatment, impacts, and outcomes in the North Carolina judicial system.”

The post Support Swells for Black North Carolina Justice Amidst Partisan Investigation first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

Posts by Stacy M. Brown

Up Next

PRESS ROOM: Allstate Debuts Coaching Mural to Develop Youth Soccer Players

Don't Miss

[ENCORE] The Healing Circle – Stories of Our Elders

Stacy M. Brown

Click to comment

#NNPA BlackPress

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.

Stacy M. Brown

Posts by Stacy M. Brown

#NNPA BlackPress

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

Posts by Stacy M. Brown

#NNPA BlackPress

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.