New Jersey Gov. Christie - Smarter than the Average Rep-ugh-blican

-->

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Hello All:

First of all my condolences to the family of US Senator Frank Lautenberg.  He was truly a great man.  I met him on several occasions during the time I resided in Jersey City.  It was Senator Lautenberg who recommended Glenn D. Cunningham to become the first U.S. Marshall from New Jersey.  It was also Senator Lautenberg, along with Jon Corzine, recommended and backed Cunningham to become the first Black mayor of Jersey City.  Mayor Cunningham, unfortunately, died suddenly of a heart attack in 2005, and Jersey City, just like New York City, can't seem to get its act together to elect another viable Black man (or woman) to that office.  Hmmmm .... the Hudson River - could it be there's something debilitating in the water?

Bear with me, folks, I'm making a point here:  Chris Christie was also a friend of Glenn Cunningham.  They were aligned through their coinciding roles in law enforcement.  And frankly, I never knew, until he ran for governor, whether Chistie was a Democrat or Rep-ugh-blican.  Of course I found out later - kind of disappointed, if you know what I mean.

Up until Hurricane Sandy most of us had considered Christie somewhat of a buffoon - a tool for the rep-ugh-blican party - one who could be easily manipulated.  But that fateful day in October changed things considerably - it appears Christie found his manhood.  It appeared he realized, once and for all, what was more important - not political affiliation, but the welfare and needs of his constituency.

It was clear to Christie, that had there been a Rep-ubh-blican president in the White House, the people of the state of New Jersey might have been waiting until hell froze over for help.  He also realized that President Obama walked his walk, and was sincere about his desire to have a bi-partisan American government.  So he took the step seen round the world and asked for help.  And he expressed his gratitude in a way that only a real human being could - he hugged the President -on camera - in front of the whole rep-ugh-blican world - you could hear the combinations of cheers and jeers around the world.

Now, with the demise of Senator Lautenberg, the Rep-ugh-blicans were looking for Governor Christie to appoint a rep-ubh-blican to his unexpired democratic seat.  There was much debate on radio and TV.  Much speculation about what he would do; what it would mean to the party; how it would affect Obama, yada yada yada...

I got into a debate with an associate of mine as well - and I'm happy to say that I WAS RIGHT***! (Damn!  I spoke too soon - it appears - as per Corey Platt  of the DGA - see below)

I knew Christie could not in good faith put a rep-ugh-blican in Lautenberg's seat - not if he wanted to win re-election as governor of New Jersey.  There was no way.  And he couldn't appoint a Democrat either.  The only way he could do it, and look as if he was concerned about the wishes of his contituents, would be to hold an open election for Lautenberg's seat. ***

And no, rep-ugh-blicans (and Democrats)- IT'S NOT (just) ABOUT THE MONEY.  People do have a say, and they deserve to be heard; and to be represented by people they feel will act in their best interests.  If Christie had put someone in that seat without public input via the ballots, it's a sure cinch they would also see him as someone who did not have their best interests at heart.  Whether he does or not is another story - but the fact that he's smart enough to make it look that way probably means he'll be around for another 4 years.  Though he's no Jon Corzine, he's better than what you've unearthed so far.  So unless you have another candidate - viable candidate, not symbolic - to run against him; this seat is his to lose. 

You need to make sure you concentrate on getting a first BLACK MAN/WOMAN DEMOCRAT  to run for Lautenberg's seat PRONTO! 

Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria Dulan-Wilson

***Now for the CAVEAT EMPTOR: 
Corey Platt  of the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) to me :

"Gloria,
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie had two options for filling the Senate seat vacated by the late progressive hero Senator Frank Lautenberg: hold a special election on November 5th, the date of the 2013 general election, or appoint a placeholder and hold the election as regularly scheduled in November 2014.

Christie stunned the country by doing neither, instead calling a special election for October 16th, just three weeks prior to the general election. Christie’s decision will cost New Jersey taxpayers $24 million, by one estimate.

Wasting $24 million of taxpayers’ money is bad, but that’s not actually the worst part.

You see, October 16th falls on a Wednesday—not a Tuesday like nearly every other election held in the United States. Holding an election on a Wednesday is bound to confuse many voters, and Governor Christie knows it.

Christie’s move is one of the most brazen attempts to suppress Democratic votes in recent memory. Unfortunately it’s part of a larger effort by Republican governors to make it difficult for Democrats to cast a ballot by limiting early voting, limiting acceptable forms of ID, and changing the rules without warning.

Stand up to Chris Christie and Republican governors. Sign our petition demanding that Republicans stop all attempts at voter suppression.

When New Jersey passed early voting, Governor Christie vetoed the bill, calling it a waste of taxpayer money.

Now Christie is wasting $24 million in taxpayers' money to make sure that as few people as possible vote in both the October special and regular November 2013 general elections, when Christie himself is on the ballot.

The Star-Ledger newspaper called it “a shameless move that will…risk the integrity of the vote.”

Join us and call on Republican governors to stop voter suppression, right now.

I thought I had seen every voter suppression trick in the book, until Governor Christie invented a new one. Let’s show him we see through his bald-faced political power play.

-Corey
Corey Platt
Democratic Governors Association"   ***My Response to him is: 
Hi Corey:

What makes it so bad is that I kinda paid him a compliment - by saying that at least he didn't put a rep-ugh-blican in a Democratic seat. The cost of course is a consideration; the date may be offputting, but we can combat that. I'm more concerned that he at least looks as though he was trying to make it possible for Democrats to elect a replacement. We ought to be smart enough to outsmart him and have someone who can step up and step into that role - regardless of what day of the week it is. Let's rise to the occasion and let him know that we're more than equal to the task - I shudder to think what we'd get if we didn't have a voting date at all.

Besides, he's a rep-ugh-blican, Corey - what do you want? It's as close as you will ever get to equanimity.

If we get our base prepped - we will emerge with someone as good as Lautenberg - and I think, at this point, this is what we need to be concentrating on, as opposed to griping abour Christie and the money. Who do you have in mind that we need to be backing - that's the big question.


STAY BLESSED
Glolria Dulan-Wilson

Open Letter to Governor Cuomo, Cristie and Mayor Bloomberg: Move the Victims of Hurricane Sandy into the Condo Buildings that are Still Standing Vacant

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson URGENT MEMO: From: "gloria dulan-wilson" View contact details To: "Governor Andrew M. Cuomo" Dear Governor Cuomo: I, first of all, want to express my appreciation for your office and you keeping us abreast of the devastation and rescue efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Secondly, I totally appreciate your stance with the utilty companies in terms of a speedy recovery of the electricity and power to those families that have been wrecked by the hurricane. However, I think it safe to say, unless New York is going to use quality prefabricated homes,to replace the ones destroyed; or unless you are going to bring in Ty Pennington from Extreme Home Makeover to coordinate the rebuilding efforts, it will be months -years? - before New Yorkers are restored to their homes. So, I have a suggestion: Prior to his exiting the office as governor, David Patterson, with the help of soon-to-be Congressman, Hakeem Jeffries, had passed a law entitled Project Reclaim. It was directed at reclaiming the overbuilt, and very vacant, condominium buildings in the New York area, and making it possible for those who needed, decent affordable homes, to move in at a considerable discount. Many of these buildings - there were 66 in Brooklyn at the time, and several in the Bronx, Manhattan and other areas - had either not been sold, because they were overpriced, or the because the builder ran out of money. I think this is the most opportune time to get those families out of shelters and move them into those high rise condominiums. Not homeless shelters, or red cross centers, but some where where they can continue to live, breathe and recover from the horror and the trauma they've experienced as the result of a phenomenon they neither controlled, nor had any power over. I am emailing this to you, as well as State Housing Commissioner Darryl Towns, as well as Governor Chris Christie - who likewise has a significant number of properties in New Jersey that might have to serve as either transitional or permanent homes for the victims there as well. I am also posting it on my blog, because it may not reach you directly, depending on who handles your correspondence. Unlike the victims of Katrina, who were shipped from pillar to post because of the devastation of New Orleans, this will, I believe, be a viable alternative to long drawn out processes. Again, I appreciate your keeping me informed, and hope that this recommendation is not only accepted, but put into action, immediately, if not sooner. Stay Blessed, Gloria Dulan-Wilson --- On Tue, 10/30/12, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo wrote:

Take The Voting Machines to the Victims of Hurricane Sandy

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson Hurricane Sandy roared through here on a mission, and with a ferocity never before witnessed on the East Coast, leaving devastation and destruction in his path. New York and New Jersey sustained major damages - physically, mentally and spiritually and the aftermath is still being assessed. President Obama and Governor Chris Christie surveyed the utter destruction of the Jersey Shore. Mayor Bloomberg kept New Yorkers abreast of rescue efforts, transportation delays, and plans for reconstruction over the next days weeks and months. First responders, FEMA, and other organizations tried to make sure those hardest hit had food clothing and shelter. And everybody prayed. And as we continue to clean up after Sandy, grieve over those who have lost their lives, their homes, their loved ones. My condolences to all who were victims of this horrible force of nature. But the 800 pound gorilla in the room is how will the voting be handled come Tuesday, November 6th, 2012? With so many power outtages, so many people displaced, so many people in a state of shock and despair, how will we as a nation, get through this election? This question was posed to me by my best friend, Annie Gee in Philly, who is highly concerned about making sure the victims aren't further victimized by not being able to vote on election day. With the Rep-ugh-blicans already trying to disenfranchise so many of us, will this deter others from voting and give them an ersatz victory? Power outtages have rendered some of the original sites useless. Many of the buildings no longer exist - especially in the hardest hit areas of New Jersey, Staten Island, Far Rockaway , and affected states along the coastline, where Sandy tossed them around, pulling them off their foundations as though they were mere doll houses. John Conklin, New York Board of Elections spokesman, said changes in polling sites are possible.“We don’t know what the changes will be,” Conklin said. “The local boards in the storm areas are assessing their poll sites right now, so they’re looking at whether the poll site has power, whether it could have power by Election Day, whether it’s accessible to the general public — can voters get to it? Can the board get to it and get machines there? And is the building structurally sound?” In listening to the news reports, there seems to be no plan in place to make sure that these sites are replaced. The New York State Board of Elections also announced Thursday that it would extend application and submission deadlines for absentee ballots, and local boards in storm-impacted areas have spent much of the week surveying polling places and considering alternatives for Election Day. They've extended the deadline for voters to apply in person for abseentee ballots to Monday, November 5, and had voted to accept mailed or faxed applications for absentee ballots through Nov. 2, easing the original Oct. 30 deadline. (what?) Rockland County residents, however were unable to get to the post office for the last three days according to Louis Babcock, Republican elections commissioner for Rockland County.The board also extended the deadline to submit the ballots in person by six days, from Nov. 13 to Nov. 19. Ballots returned by mail still must be postmarked Nov. 5 but have until Nov. 19 to reach the local board. For those who can’t vote in person, they may designate another person to submit absentee ballots on their behalf to local boards before polls close Nov. 6. Polls will be open Election Day from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. But whether the various boards of elections in the most highly affected states have made preparations and allowances for people already suffering from devastating losses is still unclear. And the real question is, considering the trauma they've experienced, will people even be interested in voting? They need some additional hand holding and encouragement during this period of despair. They've got enough to contend with without having to go running around trying to jump through these latest hoops in order to vote. I think the boards of elections in each state and municipality hit by Sandy can do a lot better. So here are some suggestions that may be helpful in making sure no one's vote goes uncounted: 1) Provide mobile trucks with the voting machines on them at the emergency shelters where people still can't get back to their homes. They can be positioned at the different rescue centers and shelters on election day to provide them with an opportunity to vote. 2) Deliver the absentee ballots for early voting prior to the election day to the various emergency shelter sites, rather than requiring them to travel to postal facilities. And have postal trucks positioned at the sites so they can be mailed out directly from them. 3)Volunteers can organize vans and other modes of mass transportation to and from polling places for victims of Hurricane Sandy. 4) Where there are power outtages, generators can be installed t run the electronic voting machines; and/or paper ballots can be substituted for electronic voting; 5) Volunteers and community based organizations can coordinate with local municipalities and to make sure the election process goes smoothly. Provide those people who have lost their homes with coffee, tea, and other comfort items while they're voting. 6) FEMA and the Red Cross can provide options for voting places and opportunities for victims. 7) Additionally, since there are many who do not have radio or TV contact with the outside world, door knocking, flyers, and other modes of communication and outreach should be developed and put into effect immediately so that they are informed of their options. 8) Since the New York Marathon has been cancelled the equipment and hospitality set up they would have been used for them can be deployed to the various shelters - not just for election day - but for food and comfort stations while people are transitioning back to their homes, or into new homes. 9) This not exhaustive. There's room for more creative ideas. We definitely can't leave things to chance, or to the just bureaucrats. These plans should be put into action immediately, if not sooner. Regardless of your race, ethnicity, gender, or political pursuasion, it's much too important to leave something as important as your vote to the bureaucrats. I'm posting this on my blog: www.gloriadulanwilson.blogspot.com. Regardless of whether you are in any of the effected states or communities, or not, please pass this on, take action and make it happen. We are really all in this together, and can't allow geography or neighborhood divide us. Churches, community action groups, elected officials, need to be about it. Remember "Teamwork makes the dream work!" It will be far worse to have endured this horrible experience and then wake up on November 7th and find out that the aid and assistance you had been promised, and so desperately need, are now in the hands of heartless individuals who care more for the dollar bottom line than your welfare and recovery. Paraphrasing a time honored institution, the United Negro College Fund (UNCF): A VOTE IS A TERRIBLE THING TO WASTE. My prayers and condolences to those who were victimized by this vicious hurricane. Stay Blessed & ECLECTICALLY BLACK Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Congressman Donald Payne has Joined the Ancestors - The Profound Pain of Losing Don Payne

By Gloria Dulan-Wilson

Hello All:

Last Tuesday when I received the tragic news of Congressman Donald Payne's death, I felt as if I a cement mixer dumped a pile of wet concrete onto me. There was this sudden lack of oxygen, and the feeling of being crushed. I just couldn't wrap my mind around it. Don Payne can't be dead! I was stunned, and in so much angst that I started crying every time I broached the subject.

My frenzied thoughts immediately went to: what is the world going to do, or be, with out Don Payne???

More to the point, what is Newark, NJ going to be/do without Don Payne to champion their concerns.

Even more frightening is what is Africa going to do without her greatest advocate to convene the wonderful panel discussions and action groups to address life and death issues without Don Payne there to make sure it's done and done correctly??

And what are Black people and the Congressional Black Caucus going to be/do now this great, but genteel iconic brother has made his official transition to the ancestors????

As I'm writing this, I wonder if the latter two, Newark and Africa fully grasp the seriousness of the situation. This is not just some elected official who has died in office; this is not just some nice Black man who did some good and has gone on to his reward. This is Donald Payne – the first and only (yes "ONLY" – by the way, what's up with that?) Black man ever elected to Congress from New Jersey. Not only was he the first and the only, he was one of a hand full of elected officials were elected to Congress with a mandate; kept his promises, did more and better than what he originally promised; and continued to up the ante as he progressed. His 23 years in Congress were devoted to his constituents, his fellow congressmen and women, and Africa.

Perhaps the pain of losing Don Payne hasn't really set in for you, but it has for me. And I'm sure his staff and supporters are beginning to feel the pain as well. Where do you find a man like that? To whom will the baton be passed? And who is going to make sure it is passed into the right hands, and not to some self serving miscreant who will reverse all the good he's accomplished (and those who watched Clarence Thomas “replace” Thurgood Marshall know exactly what I mean).

It's time for a wake up call! The alarm should have gone off by now, but just in case it hasn't, let me also say that we have a very narrow window for grief. We have to honor this great man by making sure all the citizens who are part of his constituency are really on guard against being handed someone who is more glory than guts. It takes ethics, pride, courage, intelligence, savvy, as well as dedication, discipline and integrity to be a Don Payne clone. And yes, I'm raising the bar very high, as so should all of Jersey - especially Newark's 10th Congressional District. You've had the best, you cannot afford, nor should you settle for less. You MUST NOT settle for less than the best. Also, if I didn't say it already, I'm saying it now - register to vote, there will be an election for his seat - don't get caught napping.

The sad thing about the media coverage of Don Payne's passing is the penchant for sound bites and brevity. It seems we have the attention span of a gnat! We can't be given too much information, because we can't handle it. We need to change that. This brother has a body of accomplishments that should be emblazoned on buildings and monuments; inscribed in neon and written in lights, as on the marquee of a theatre - from Newark to DC to Africa and beyond.

He is the stuff legends and bio's are made of. He is the example we should want our sons and daughters to follow. What's kind of sad is that, while we know everything about Whitney Houston and Don Cornelius all the way to their last breath, we don't get the same coverage for Don Payne. They were each wonderful icons in their own right. They brought a great deal of pleasure and entertainment to the American public; they blazed trails, took risks - hence they have a fan base that will continue to revere and immortalize them.

But Don Payne, who made major decisions, voted on legislations that impacted the very core of the lives of people = foreign and domestic, does not get the recognition he deserves. I want to hear sound bites every fifteen minutes from his key speeches on every TV and radio statiion. I want to see videos of his tours of Africa, of him chairing the panels on Africa at the CBC, or education or health programs he's sponsored mentioned on the TV stations - at least throughout the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

I expect to see Donald Payne memorabilia - a color photo, his official seal. Let Oprah Winfrey interview his family about the Pain of losing Don Payne. I expect to see/hear Don Payne imitated (in a positive way) and Don Payne moments re-enacted in school plays, spoken word and on stage. If we're going to become a fan, let's be a fan of someone who was there for us. Our priorities are upside down and backwards.

Time for a paradigm shift. Time to write definitive How-To Books on how to be an exemplary congressman, using him as the example. Give it to everyone of those currently in office, or seeking to be, regardless of whether they're Black or White! Yes, he was that good! It's time others learn to do what works from a master.

Some of his accomplishments among many are as follows:

1. Don Payne was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, where he served as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health and as a member of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere and the Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight.

Every year at the annually held Congressional Black Caucus, Congressman Payne would convene leaders and experts from Africa, who were actively engaged in African affairs, progress, education and technology, for a series of roundtable discussions for and about Africa. The event usually took the better part of 5 hours, with leaders sitting alongside educators, decision makers, investors, etc., coming up with workable solutions to the most pressing problems on the Continent.

Payne personally set up video streaming between the Roundtable and other African countries so that those who could not travel to the US could still participate in the conversation. He made it his business to personally go to Africa each year and investigate issues that seemed to factionalize countries, with the view toward a peaceful positive solution. He took his mission seriously, following in the foot steps of the late, great Mickey Leland to forge even greater footsteps of his own.

He escorted President Obama and the First Lady on a tour of Ghana. Each and every year, Don Payne, along with members of his staff would personally visit key African countries to learn first hand what their problems and concerns were; and to offer real workable solutions. He as also been instrumental in assisting families needing political asylum safe harbor here in the US.

2. He served on the board of directors of the National Endowment for Democracy, TransAfrica, Discovery Channel Global Education Fund, the Congressional Award Foundation, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Newark, the Newark Day Center, the Fighting Back Initiative and the Newark YMCA. As an educator, Payne was hands on in most of his endeavors, as opposed to just being a figurehead or a prestigious name on the letterhead. You could count on his input, feedback, support and presence.

3.Served as Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus. Many say that that was one of the best Caucus events ever. Attention to details and the concerns of the participants as well as the Caucus Members were the priority of his staff. For the uninitiated, The Congressional Black Caucus takes place every year in Washington DC, and has done so for 40 years. It is an event which brings Black elected officials, businesses, community based organizations, locally and nationally elected officials, as well as constituents and supporters to collectively discuss and address the issues and concerns facing Black Americans, with a view towards setting an Agenda for the most pressing issues to be focused on in the future.

4. Don Payne supported Bill 1106, The Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, is a bill passed by the House that would allow bankruptcy judges to restructure mortgages on family homes to make them more affordable. Judicial modification is already possible in bankruptcy for loans covering luxury yachts and the vacation homes of the wealthy. If the terms of those sorts of loans can be restructured during bankruptcy proceedings, then why shouldn't the mortgages on the homes they live in be similarly protected? H.R. 1106 includes a number of protections against mortgage fraud and limits coverage to those who have made good-faith efforts to stay current on their mortgage payments. This sort of policy would be beneficial to bankers as much as to homeowners, maximizing the likelihood that home loans will be repaid rather than abandoned and restoring stability to the U.S. housing market. A YES vote is cast in the direction of fairness. A NO vote preserves renegotiation for yachts and luxury villas but denies it to everyday Americans just trying to get by.

5. As a leading advocate of education, he was instrumental in the passage of key legislation, including the Goals 2000 initiative to improve elementary and secondary schools; the School-to-Work Opportunities Act; the National Service Act and the Student Loan Bill.

6. He was re-elected to Congress 11 times, with the highest mandate for any candidate for a Congressional seat.

7. He was one of the few congressmen who, when you placed a call to him, spoke with you personally, or returned your can if he was unavailable at the time. He was highly visible, and part of the community scene on a regular basis.

8. He took a strong, decisive stand in leading the debate against the invasion of Iraq after 9/11.

9. Essential to the structure of the Constitution is the concept of the balance of powers between the three branches of government. That balance was disturbed in November of 2001, when George W. Bush issued Executive Order No. 13233, which undermined the law by declaring that sitting presidents, former presidents, and even the heirs of former presidents, would have the power to deny the release of public White House records. It meant Congress and the Judicial Branch could not check the power of the White House without knowledge of the Executive apparatus that the White House has put into place. Bush executive order interfered with the system of government oversight and review the Constitution had originally put into place. The Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2009, H.R. 35 was passed with Congressman Payne's help and support; and ended Bush's interference by specifically counteracting Executive Order No. 13233.

10. While Don Payne's first two runs for Congress ended in defeat; on the third try, he defeated his candidate by one of the widest margins ever.

11. He was always mild mannered, soft spoken, but incisive and direct. He was a stickler for details, and making sure that his constituents were totally informed about situations, concerns and circumstances. It was clear that he loved what he did, loved his district, and enjoyed that same love in return.

12. Those of you in the construction industry would be especially gratified call Don Payne hero, because he voted against the Mack Amendment to H.R. 1262 on March 12, 2009. If it had passed, it would have slapped aside the usual rule that require federally-funded projects to pay construction workers at least the prevailing wage of the area in compensation for their labor. That prevailing wage standard is not high to begin with, at poverty-level compensation in many places. But for 140 members of the House of Representatives, poverty-level pay for wasn’t low enough. In the middle of the worst economic recession in over a generation, those who voted for the Mack Amendment acted to slash the wages of working-class Americans. They tried to push construction workers’ wages further down at the historical moment when their economic security was at its lowest. Rep. Payne has acted progressively by voting NO, against this regressive measure, sending a clear signal to the opposition that he stood on the side of his constituents when it came to wages and employment.

Now, if it sounds like I'm taking Don Payne's transition personally, I am. And I reserve the right to do so. I had the honor of covering those African Roundtables for at least 10 years. I still have a great deal of the information provided by Congressman Payne's office. During the time I resided in Jersey City, Don Payne was my congressman (yes, another one of those gerrymandering fiascos, that actually linked Jersey City, Newark and Eliabeth together - but this one worked in my favor). He was always dapper, smiling, friendly – but under that you knew he had something serious he was contemplating. The report said he was 77 years old at his transition, but most would put Don Payne in his late fifties to mid-sixties. He maintained a youthful look about him.

While, historically speaking, he was the first Black man ever elected to Congress from New Jersey, I originally met him before he was elected to Congress, after Sharpe James was first elected mayor of Newark, in 1985. I have always found Congressman Payne to be highly principled. He was the kind of person you could reach out and touch when you needed help, information, support. A brother you could depend on. He never got too important to take time and talk with “regular” folks. Don Payne didn't hide behind titles or accolades. He was totally involved in working with and for his constituents, and enjoyed being with them as well. So that in and of itself made him somewhat of a hero and an icon.

An educator, he always made sure that you were clear on what he was trying to convey, so he was always heavy on the documentation. His staff especially had to have it together, because he didn't accept half measures. He believed in research and results; was an excellent communicator, and when you left his roundtable or his office, you left loaded down with tons of info.

When I say we have lost a giant among men, I'm not only speaking of a Congressional seat – of which we should and must be totally concerned – I am also speaking in terms of a good Black man who took principled stands and backed them up. I totally admired Don Payne, and his brother William (former member of the New Jersey State Assembly), who together, fostered programs that were distinctively supportive of African, African American and Afrocentric culture -- like the Amistad Legislation which makes it mandatory to teach Black History in all the New Jersey Schools (which means a course in Congressman Donald M. Payne 101 should be forthcoming immediately).

To my brothers and sisters in New Jersey, pain of losing Don Payne can only be remedied by making sure that you fill that void with someone who walks the walk and talks the talk. If you don't have a criteria for a Congressman, I suggest you seriously sit down and look at Donald Payne's track record, and make it the standard bearer for anyone coming behind him.

And need I say it? I guess I have to, because sometimes we assume, and you know what happens when you assume: Make sure that the person you select and ELECT to follow Don Payne is Black!!

There! I said it! That's the 800 pound gorilla in the room. Some of you would have alluded to it; some of you would have skirted around it. Some of you would have tried to be politically correct. But I need only point to your neighbor, Jersey City, who lost their first (maybe only???) Black mayor, Glenn D. Cunningham via a tragic “heart attack.” They couldn't quite seem to get it together to elect another Black mayor. They played grudge games, and divide and conquer; In the end they're back to the margins – a cautionary tale for those of you who want to talk “diversity.” When you've had caviar, there is absolutely no reason to go for sardines; or worse yet, rotten fish.

To the rest of my readers who are reading this blog, take some time out and email a note of condolence to your friends in Newark, Jersey City and Elizabeth – the 10 Congressional District (at least it was when I lived there; who knows what the latest census may have done to change this). Hit them up on Facebook and Twitter and let them know how sympathetic you feel toward their plight. At the same time, tell them to make sure they are registered to vote, because they are going to have to all turn out to make sure the Congressional Seat Don Payne held down for 23 years continues to stand for them.

Just as you watched and followed every little thing that happened before during and after Whitney Houston's home going (by the way Don Payne was her congressman), you must now give that same attention, concern, love, and support to another great one who has made his transition to the ancestors, but in so doing left a wealth of accomplishments, and a legacy to be followed and fulfilled.

My condolences to his brother William “Bill” Payne, his family, staff, co-workers, fellow congress members, and the entire state of New Jersey, and the 10th Congressional District in Newark. My profound condolences to all the Brothers and sisters in Africa as well as throughout the Dispora, for losing your best friend - the most dedicated supporters you've ever had.

To our new Ancestor Donald M. Payne: We know you're up there with some of the greats – Thurgood Marshall, Jomo Kenyatta, Kwame Nkrumah, Namde Azikewe, Stokely Carmichael, John Garang, Ron Brown, Carolyn Hamilton, Rosa Parks, Shirley Chisolm, Ossie Davis, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Parren Mitchell, among others. That's gotta be some pantheon. I know you're watching over and guiding us as we persevere in making the impossible real. Thanks for showing us the way.

With gratitude for the years of service, hard work and dedication you've given us all,

Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria Dulan-Wilson

NOTE: Congressman Donald Payne's Homegoing services will be held at Metropolitan Baptist Church on Wednesday, March 14, at 11:00 AM
149 Springfield, Ave, Newark New Jersey
His body lies in state at the Essex County Courthouse on Martin Luther King Drive in Newark, NJ

Gloria Dulan-Wilson is available for speaking engagements: Black History, African History, Foreclosure Prevention, Home Ownership, Education, etc., Contact her via gloriadulanwilson@gmail.com