Government
VP Harris Unveils $1 Billion African Investment During Historic Continent Visit
Vice President Kamala Harris’ historic trip to Africa continued with the launch of global initiatives on the economic empowerment of women, totaling more than $1 Billion. America’s first Black and female vice president spoke fervently during the trip about how “immensely powerful and moving,” the visit to the Motherland was. She further was moved while visiting Ghana’s Cape Coast Castle, where the vice president reflected on the painful horrors of where heartless slave owners captured their prey.
By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia
Vice President Kamala Harris’ historic trip to Africa continued with the launch of global initiatives on the economic empowerment of women, totaling more than $1 Billion.
America’s first Black and female vice president spoke fervently during the trip about how “immensely powerful and moving,” the visit to the Motherland was.
She further was moved while visiting Ghana’s Cape Coast Castle, where the vice president reflected on the painful horrors of where heartless slave owners captured their prey.
“The horror of what happened here must always be remembered,” Harris stated. “It cannot be denied. It must be taught. History must be learned.”
Harris and President Joe Biden have made outreach to Africa an important initiative of the administration.
In addition to Ghana, the vice president visited Tanzania and Zambia.
In each country, Harris touted investments that would bring economic and gender equity to Africa.
The vice president convened a roundtable with several African women business owners where the discussion centered on how America and private-sector businesses could form a partnership with African nations that would advance gender equality.
“Promoting gender equity and equality is a cornerstone of U.S. foreign policy in Africa and around the world,” administration officials said in a Fact Sheet.
“Advancing the economic status of women and girls is not only a matter of human rights, justice, and fairness—it is also a strategic imperative that reduces poverty and promotes sustainable economic growth, increases access to education, improves health outcomes, advances political stability, and fosters democracy.”
The digital gender gap undermines women’s full participation in the 21st century economy, officials asserted.
Globally, approximately 260 million more men than women were using the internet in 2022—and this gap has increased by 20 million in the last three years.
The gap is especially acute across Africa, where International Telecommunication Union data show that sixty-six percent of women do not use the internet.
To address this disparity, Harris pledged that the administration would continue to work with other governments, private sector, foundations, and multilateral organizations to help close the digital divide, improve meaningful access to equitable digital finance and other online services, and address social norms that prevent women from participating fully in the digital economy.
More broadly, the Biden-Harris administration would continue to promote the economic empowerment of women, the vice president stated.
In support of those goals, Harris announced a series of investments and initiatives that total $1 billion.
She also made a series of announcements to foster women’s political, economic, and social inclusion in Africa, building upon initiatives launched at the U.S.-Africa Leaders’ Summit in December 2022, including the Digital Transformation with Africa (DTA) Initiative.
Harris made clear that education remains key.
She hammered home that point as a message to Republican governors who continue to ban history in school curriculums.
“All these stories must be told in a way that we take from this place — the pain we all feel, the anguish that reeks from this place,” Harris reflected as she traversed Cape Coast Castle.
“And we then carry the knowledge that we have may gained here toward the work that we do in lifting up all people, in recognizing the struggles of all people, of fighting for, as the walls of this place talk about, justice and freedom for all people, human rights for all people.”
She continued:
“So, that’s what I take from being here.
“The descendants of the people who walked through that door were strong people, proud people, people of deep faith; people who loved their families, their traditions, their culture, and carried that innate being with them through all of these periods; went on to fight for civil rights, fight for justice in the United States of America and around the world.
“And all of us, regardless of your background, have benefited from their struggle and their fight for freedom and for justice.”
Business
Longtime BWOPA Member Brendalyn Goodall Appointed to California Workforce Development Board
Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed longtime Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) member Brendalynn Goodall to the California Workforce Development Board. Goodall, an Oakland resident with decades of experience in public service, has held leadership positions focused on
Gov. Gavin Newsom has appointed longtime Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA) member Brendalynn Goodall to the California Workforce Development Board.
Goodall, an Oakland resident with decades of experience in public service, has held leadership positions focused on employment, aging services and assistance for underserved communities.
“Brendalynn will be a great addition to this Board,” said Gay Plair Cobb, who served as former state Assemblyman Sandre Swanson’s alternate to the California Workforce Development Board (CWDB).
“She understands that California’s non-profit organizations serve persons who have the most significant barriers to their labor market success and that the Board should help these groups navigate the complicated requirements of state funding.
“In other words, she will be a strong advocate for our most marginalized populations. Her voice is needed now, more than ever.”
CWDB works with the governor to shape workforce policies, programs and investments designed to strengthen the state’s economy. It collaborates with employers, workers, labor organizations, educational institutions, community groups and California’s 45 local workforce development boards to expand access to quality jobs and respond to regional employment needs.
According to the board, its work includes coordinating state programs and guiding investments in workforce training and development.
BWOPA California celebrated the appointment, describing Goodall as a dedicated advocate for workers, families and older adults.
“Her appointment reflects a lifetime of leadership, service, and unwavering commitment to strengthening California’s workforce and expanding opportunity for all,” the organization stated in a press release.
Goodall served as summer jobs program coordinator in the Oakland Mayor’s Office from 2012 to 2014. In that position, she helped connect young people with employment opportunities and job experience.
Before joining the Mayor’s Office, Goodall was division manager for Aging and Adult Services in the City of Oakland Human Services Department from 2002 to 2011. She previously served as senior services supervisor and program director for the city’s Department of Aging, Health and Human Services from 1990 to 2002.
Goodall is also a member of the California Commission on Aging, which advises the governor and state officials on policies and programs affecting older Californians.
Featured
‘Passing a Law Isn’t The Finish Line’: California Assembly Evaluates Implementation, Results
A separate review found that the California Public Utilities Commission’s implementation of AB 2316 had not fulfilled the law’s intent or produced new community solar projects. In response, Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) introduced AB 1813, legislation to overhaul the state’s renewable energy program and increase access to solar technology.
California lawmakers are finding that laws passed in Sacramento do not always work as intended once implemented. A new Assembly oversight program has identified gaps in laws addressing wildfire recovery, insurance, foster care and clean energy.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) announced Aug. 17 that the Assembly had completed the first year of its Outcomes Review program. Billed as the first initiative of its kind in the nation, the program enlisted 15 Assembly members to evaluate 14 laws they authored or championed. Through public hearings and community meetings, lawmakers assessed whether the measures were producing their intended results.
“Passing a law isn’t the finish line,” said Rivas. “The Outcomes Review project makes sure we’re checking our work.”
The reviews identified both successes and shortcomings. The expansion of telehealth largely improved access to care and provided patients with greater flexibility. Affordable housing financing reforms also strengthened coordination among state agencies and could reduce duplicative paperwork, development costs and delays.
Other reviews uncovered more significant implementation problems.
One focused on Assembly Bill (AB) 238, which was enacted after the Eaton and Palisades fires to provide eligible borrowers with up to 12 months of emergency mortgage forbearance. The review found lender noncompliance, insufficient consumer complaint data and a need for stronger coordination between state and federal agencies.
Those findings helped shape AB 1842 and AB 1847, both victim-protection bills that are currently pending in the Senate.
After discovering that California’s FAIR Plan clearinghouse was failing to transition affected homeowners back into the private insurance market, Assemblymember Lisa Calderon (D-Whittier) introduced AB 69 to fix the issue.
A separate review found that the California Public Utilities Commission’s implementation of AB 2316 had not fulfilled the law’s intent or produced new community solar projects. In response, Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) introduced AB 1813, legislation to overhaul the state’s renewable energy program and increase access to solar technology.
Lawmakers also found that the FAIR Plan clearinghouse was not effectively helping homeowners move into the traditional insurance market, prompting the introduction of AB 69, legislation adding new reporting, notification, and access requirements.
The program identified additional implementation problems related to foster care placement protections, oversight of charitable fundraising and wage theft enforcement.
Rivas said the findings demonstrate the need for lawmakers to continue evaluating legislation after it takes effect.
“This isn’t oversight for its own sake — it’s what accountability looks like, and we’re just getting started,” he said.
The Assembly plans to expand the Outcomes Review program in 2027 by involving more lawmakers and holding additional public hearings and community meetings. The next phase, according to Rivas, will build on the pilot year as lawmakers seek to identify implementation problems earlier and improve how state laws work in practice.
Commentary
OPINION: Angie Nixon Will Turn You Into a Democratic Socialist If Donald Trump Hasn’t Already
The survey defined “comfortable” as spending 50% of income on necessities, 30% on “like-to-haves,” and putting 20% in savings. Are your percentages way out of whack? Like 100% on necessities?
The midterm elections are more important than ever as we fight back.
And we all know “affordability” is the No. 1 issue in the U.S.
So, how are you doing? A new survey says that, for a single person, being comfortable in California requires an income of $126,797. Or $302,682 for a family of four.
Did those numbers make you uncomfortable?
A single person making just $102,794 could be comfortable in Utah. But wouldn’t you rather just look at the Mormon Temple in Oakland from 580?
The survey defined “comfortable” as spending 50% of income on necessities, 30% on “like-to-haves,” and putting 20% in savings.
Are your percentages way out of whack? Like 100% on necessities?
What if the car breaks down? What if the kids need x, y, or z? What if overtime gets cut back? What if Social Security goes bankrupt?
Are you a democratic socialist yet?
That’s not where Blues go Red and turn communist. It’s about a government that puts people before profits. And cares for all of us. Not just the billionaires.
Angie Nixon
In last week’s Florida primary, people around the country saw Florida legislator Angie Nixon win the Democratic U.S. Senate primary with a stunning upset over Alex Vindman.
Vindman was well-funded ($16.3 million to Nixon’s $975,000), and well-connected nationally. But Nixon—an African American with state house cred, union organizing experience, and a fighter who was arrested protesting Gov. Ron DeSantis’ redistricting efforts— proved to be unbeatable. She’s officially aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
That means Nixon, 42, believes in universal health care, a/k/a “Medicare for all,” taxing the wealthy, and a minimum wage of $25 an hour.
Think back to that comfort level survey. At 40 hours a week, $25 an hour is just $1,000 a week or $52,000 a year. It’s not even half what that survey said was needed for a single person to be “comfortable” in California.
We’re forced to get 3-4 low-wage jobs.
Nixon and the DSA want to set the floor, so no one sinks into oblivion.
Republicans would simply let us all sink.
Nixon now goes up against Republican Sen. Ashley Moody in November. Florida’s Republicans outnumber Dems by 1.5 million voters. And Nixon’s DSA tag makes her a clear underdog, maybe even unelectable.
But the Dems are sticking with her. Voters seem to be turning out for someone who will directly and boldly address affordability.
Meanwhile, Trump is turning the Iran War, which has caused the oil price run-up and high inflation, into an economic war on the world. At the same time, he’s declared a tariff war on our good ally, Canada, guaranteed to raise prices on imports to America.
That could make Nixon the one in Florida 2026. And it would move Dems closer to flipping both houses of Congress, a vote for super normalcy.
Trump is so far down in the polls, he’s resorted to election disruption and voter suppression.
But the antidote in Florida at least is Angie Nixon, a woman worth watching, who’ll turn you into a Democratic Socialist if Donald Trump hasn’t done so already.
About the Author
Emil Amok Guillermo is a veteran journalist, commentator, and comic monologist. He does a micro-talk show on YouTube.com/@emilamok1
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