By Gloria Dulan-Wilson Hello All: As we get closer to the primaries, and on to what may be the most crucial election ever - the struggle for the soul of America - there are going to be more and more solicitations for donations and support - count on it! If we don't support our candidates, whether they are local or national, we can count on things being infinitely worse after November 3, 2020.
And if you think the only thing you need to focus on is getting rid of the ersatz president, you're dead wrong. You have to make sure there is a Democratic majority in the Congress - House and Senate both - to not pay attention to these slots is to literally cripple the US - we are now in a death grip under the Repuglycon Party - who are lead in tandem by Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina - two former slave holding states, where the racism is still high! Of course there are other culprits as well that have to be excised by our votes and support, but these two are the ring leaders. The fact of life is that you can't get a person of your choice elected without financial support or VOTING. Like it or not, that's the way it is today. Thank goodness, President Obama made it possible for people to contribute regardless of what their financial situation. So whether you pitch in $3.00, $5.00, $25.00 or more, you can be instrumental in getting the right people in and ousting one of the most heinous regimes since Hitler started Nazi Germany. I'm sharing a copy of a solicitation I received from JAIME HARRISON who is running in South Carolina to oust a T-rump supporter, Lindsey Graham. Graham and McConnell have to go! Take a minute to click on the part where your name goes, send in your contribution and pass it on to your family, friends, church members, Sorority or Fraternity, associates, co-workers - you get my drift. Also make sure your family and friends and associates are registered to vote - especially you who are in the areas where voters are being purged - make sure they register again so they are not disenfranchised. We aren't going to win just by joking and badmouthing the current incumbent - we have to make this a full on attack.
This letter of solicitation was made to me. I'm sharing it with you - please follow up - it's a matter of life and death, sanity and insanity.
From dismantling affordable healthcare to defending Trump’s reprehensible immigrant family separation policy, Lindsey Graham has abandoned his principles in order to appease the far-right.
As the next Senator from South Carolina, I promise to always put all Americans -- including America’s most vulnerable -- first.
We have a real chance to demand better leaders who are only accountable to the people they were elected to serve.
The Congressional Black Caucus works to increase the number of African Americans in the U.S. Congress, support non-Black candidates that champion our interests, and promote African American participation in the political process.
We’re committed to getting African Americans and non-Black allies elected to the highest positions in Congress and activated at the polls to advance issues that matter in our communities. By joining this grassroots movement, you are helping
uplift African Americans in the political
process.
Our campaign is powered by supporters like you. Your grassroots support is critical to combating the Trump Administration and promoting African American participation in the political process. If you'd like to donate to our campaign, please click here.
Well, if what the NAACP Legal Defense Fund says is true, there will be a thorough investigation of police practices and abuses coming to the Chicago Police Department.
In a communique received from the Legal Defense Fund, the investigation was precipitated by the cruel manner in which 17 year old Laquan McDonald was gunned down, and the lies told by several police officers to cover up the heinous act, despite the fact that camera footage told an entirely different story!!
With so much evidence on camera, one wonders what the motivation would be for blatantly lying - not only to protect ones self, but to cover up for officers who were clearly in violation the law; guilty of murder, and had no sign or remorse whatsoever. Perhaps, in addition to a pattern of egregious police brutality, there is also internal intimidation leveled against officers who might ordinarily come forward, but don't for fear of their lives, or the lives of their family members.
Chicago is a tough town, to say the least. Their police, the gangs, the politicians, even their activists, are not to be taken lightly. Perhaps that's the reason the gang activities have continued unabated over the past 8 years. They were terrible before President Obama - remember Cabrini Green? - and they're still out of control. Likewise, the police department has been known to allegedly turn a blind eye to certain criminal activities, if the price is right; and lean on others if not. But people are getting fed up with waiting for the locals to reign in their so- called law enforcement officers. It's also a known fact, that when law enforcement runs the town, humanity goes out the window. Chicago, and other cities, appear to be heading in that direction.
The fact that the Chicago PD had the audacity to lie about the circumstances of McDonald's death shows that they either think they are the law; they are above the law, or that they can beat the rap and defeat any attempt to prove any violation of either civil or human rights. Corruption has reigned so long in the "toddling town" it will be interesting to see what shakes out, and what crawls from under those rocks as they begin to probe the underbelly of Alfonse Capone's favorite haunt.
I enclosed a copy of the statement from the LDF for your information, as well as to show those among us, who are naysayers, that our venerable veteran organizations are still on top of and in front of things that affect us as Black people. We are all in this together, each organization taking one part of Leviathan can bring own its total eradication.
Kudos to the NAACP LDF; to the brothers and sisters who are keeping the pressure on, to Loretta Lynch and the Department of Justice, and to those of us citizens who aren't going to take it any more.
Stay Blessed &
ECLECTICALLY BLACK
Gloria
NAACP Legal Defense Fund Statement on Department of Justice's Civil Rights Probe of the Chicago Police Department
Contact: Nyasha Laing nlaing@naacpldf.org, 212-965-2235, 646-630-5364
New York, New York –The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) supports the Justice Department's decision to open a civil rights 'pattern or practice' investigation of the Chicago Police Department to determine whether the department has engaged in unlawful policing practices. "The police-involved shooting death of 17-year old Laquan McDonald and the notorious Chicago police torture cases are clear signs of a troubled police department," said Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel of LDF. "We are particularly gratified that the Department of Justice will focus part of its investigation on accountability within the Chicago Police Department,” said Ifill. “Given the number of officers on the scene of the Laquan McDonald killing and the willingness of some officers to corroborate a false account of how the teenager was killed, it is clear that accountability systems within the Chicago Police Department are broken. This cannot continue.”
A graphic video of a Chicago police officer shooting McDonald multiple times shows the teen moving away from the officers. This contradicts reports by officers on the scene that McDonald moved toward the officers with a knife when he was shot.
Police ‘cover ups’ or the ‘blue wall of silence’ have existed for decades in Chicago. It was so entrenched that state elected officials established the Illinois Torture Inquiry and Relief Commission in 2009 to investigate and address the wrongful convictions of persons who were tortured by police and forced to confess to crimes they did not commit under the watch of former police chief Jon Burge. Reports estimate that about 192 persons, primarily African-American men, were tortured by Chicago police officers in the 1980’s and 1990’s.
“This type of police violence and abuse against civilians is what motivated Congress to give the Justice Department the authority to conduct ‘pattern or practice’ investigations,” said Janai Nelson, Associate Director-Counsel of LDF. “It is our hope that the Justice Department will consider charges under all federal civil and criminal statutes applicable to the actions of the Chicago Police Department.” However, this investigation does not relieve the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office from the obligation to pursue state obstruction of justice or other charges against any officers who made false statements or otherwise interfered with the investigation of the killing of Laquan McDonald. Given the failure of the state’s attorney to pursue these charges more than a year after Mr. McDonald’s death, we call for an independent special prosecutor to pursue this investigation.
LDF has successfully supported calls for a federal civil rights probe of the Baltimore Police Department, and eagerly awaits the Justice Department’s response to its request for a similar probe in North Charleston, South Carolina following the highly publicized death of Walter Scott, who was shot in the back by a North Charleston police officer. # # # About The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is not a part of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) although LDF was founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights. Since 1957, LDF has been a completely separate organization. Please refer to us in media attributions as the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund or LDF.
I'm also attaching the following video - hope you can access it Click on the word "video" below:
By Gloria Dulan-Wilson Hello All: Just a brief update on this sad and tragic occasion. The Rev. Al Sharpton will be participating in the upcoming funerals of two of the victims on Thursday, June 25 in Charleston, SC. Peace be unto them and condolences to the families, friends, associations, congregation, and the city of Charleston for such a great and tragic loss.
SHARPTON TO PARTICIPATE IN FUNERAL SERVICES OF VICTIMS OF SOUTH CAROLINA SHOOTING
NEW
YORK – Tomorrow, in South Carolina, Rev. Al Sharpton, president and
founder of the National Action Network, will be participating in the
funeral services of Ethel Lance and Rev. Sharonda Singleton, two of the
nine victims of the tragic shooting that occurred at Mother Emanuel AME
Church last Thursday night. Rev. Sharpton, will also be attending the
funeral service of State Sen. Clementa Pinckney on Friday where
President Obama will eulogize the slain South Carolina leader. Rev.
Sharpton worked closely with State Sen. Pinckney on a number of issues,
including, most recently, helping to bring the community of North
Charleston together following the tragic killing of Walter Scott at the
hands of a North Charleston police officer.
It's hard to believe that fifteen years have passed since the First Wall Street Project opened in New York City. It was 1997, at at that time we actually were on Wall Street, with many of the events happening either in board rooms, on the trading room floors, or at the World Trade Center.
I can remember sitting in the top of the World Trade Center at one of the luncheons, in a facility where the ceilings were arched, and so low that you had to bend to be in there, and you could not see the speakers because the columns blocked your view.
They've come a long way from those early days of trying to make Black people more financially literate, investment action oriented, and move away from the mentality of a consumer to that of a producer.
It's important that I say this, and that you grasp this and how significant it is that Rev. Jackson saw, and understood early on - before the economic downturn, before the mortgage crises, before the rampant foreclosures - he understood the devastation of not having economic parity for Black people -whether here in the US, or Africa, the Caribbean, or anywhere else we reside.
His mission has been to provide us with as much education, exposure, opportunity and understanding of what Wall Street was about, and what it meant to us, who had been psychologically, physically, emotionally and economically kept out of the loop. The realm of investment, the marketplace, and the high stakes of finance had been relegated to the realm of whites and high rolling Blacks, the few who were allowed behind the "green" door. The rest of us were either part of conspicuous consumption, or the welfare state (at least that is where we were pushed).
When Rev. Jackson first enunciated plans to study Wall Street as a means of breaking down the next barrier of racism, many of his peers in the "movement" thought he had lost it. Others thought he had joined the ranks of the "capitalist pigs." Interesting, since we all need and want money how many of us tried to pick the idea apart as though it was some kind of pariah.
However, we who have given up more free labor on this planet than any other group of people in the world, and have not been compensated for our efforts - for the blood, sweat, tears and lives that went into building this nation - including the hallowed hall of Wall Street, Dow Jones, Broad Street and the other denizens of the almighty dollar. We, more than anyone, need to learn to work smarter, not harder, how to invest in growth funds, how to plan for longevity and retirement, how to make wise deals and purchases. When you think about it, the investment they made in bringing us here from Africa has paid off for everyone but us - big time.
Now it's time to learn how not to make the mistakes that the "smartest guys in the house" made, which caused the economic mess we're in right now, while at the same time begin to develop our own autonomous investment and banking systems, as have other groups, so that we too can underwrite our children's education, purchase our own homes, build quality communities - in other words, call the shots.
The most interesting thing about this is the irony that we live in New York City, the financial capital of the world. Yet we know nothing about it. The major industries in New York are FIRE - Finance, Insurance, Real Estate - yet they are not taught in any of our schools in a meaningful way. Neither we nor our children have ever been exposed to the inner workings of Wall Street. We know it's there, but except for the few Black proteges, we are more likely to see African Americans as security guards and custodians, than having a pivotal role in the high end banking, finance and investment arenas. The schools in New York may teach you how to count money, but they don't teach you how to use, invest, expand it. Why is that?
Last year, the Rainbow Push Coalition quietly celebrated its 40th Anniversary on December 25, 2011. The great thing is that they are as relevant and active today as they were when they were first formed. In October 2011, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr. celebrated his 70th Birthday anniversary. And like these stellar programs he's created, he keeps getting better with age. There are few out there who can match his stride, his energy and his dedication to Black people. In celebrating these milestones, we are all winners as well, because he has taken the time to provide us with a blue print that we can follow out of this mess we're in - if we would but follow it (see gloriadulanwilson.blogspot.com - January 15, 2011).
The theme of the 2012 Wall Street Project is "Bringing Everyone to the Table." The Economic Summit this year will be lead by Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. and Terry J. Lundgren, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Macy's Inc. It will feature such panels as: Wall Street Project Career Development; Retooling and Retraining Break Out Sessions; The Women's Luncheon; The Minister's Prayer Breakfast and Roundtable. Among the presenters will be John Grant, Author, Career Coach and Speaker; Staci Grant, President C&G Enterprises; Pat Thomas Motivational Speaker and career coach. There will be other speakers and surprise guests as the conference gets underway.
Rev. Jackson indicated, in a recent teleconference, that the possibility of putting together a mutual bank or credit union similar to the Black United Fund of New York, to make it possible for Black investors to underwrite their own programs, has been a consideration for quite some time. "I am quite familiar with the program and the principles established by the late Walter Bremond, and think it would be a powerful tool for Black Economic Development. It would be an natural resource builder for programs that are underserved or poorly underwritten by mainstream finance or charitable organizations." New York's Black United Fund, which was established by Kermit Eady, at its zenith raised more than $111 million a year, which was then put back into the Black community in the form of affordable housing, business incubator programs, scholarships, and business start up loans. (Many will remember it was destroyed by then persecutor Elliot Spitzer in his bid for the gubernatorial nomination - but that's another story for another day).
The most salient points of Rev. Jackson's teleconference was the fact that South Carolina continues to be the bastion of racism and abuse, despite the progress made under Dr. King to destroy many of the negative institutions. The new version of the prison industrial complex is proliferating there, where factories are actually being established within the prison walls, and those who are incarcerated are forced to work for pennies a day. Apparently there are also investors who are underwriting this heinous program in order to save money. If not curtailed, it will be a means of undermining President Obama's move to bring businesses home to make jobs available for Americans who have been out of work since the onset of the economic downturn. How to handle this will be one of the main focal points of this year's Wall Street Project.
Also of concern are our voting rights, which are being target by South Carolina and Arizona. Republicans are pushing these laws in states across the country claiming they are needed to deter voting fraud, but offer no evidence of its existence. In fact, the laws will disproportionately impact African Americans, Latinos and poor people — who are less likely to have a driver’s license. In South Carolina, the Dept. Of Justice concluded minority voters would be 20 percent more likely to be disenfranchised than white voters (excerpted from Rev. Jackson's weekly report)
He will also focus on foreclosures, building and developing decent affordable housing, home ownership, and quality of life issues. Stated Reverend Jackson: "Banks got bailed out; people got locked out." Millions of homes have been lost from the Black community - the largest land grab rip off in history. His 2011 panel dealt with more humane ways to help families in distress than the methods used by recalcitrant banks and lending institutions, who claim to not want their homes, but proceed to foreclose and take them anyway. This year's panel is set to take it to the next level. If you happen to have been a victim of these scams, you'll want to be there as well.
If you haven't attended any of the Wall Street Projects over the past 15 years, make this the time that you break that pattern. Make a paradigm shift. There are a great many contacts to be made, a lot to be learned - networking with peers, as well as establishing new contacts, and expanding those you already have. Come for the seminars - they're priceless! Your input is as valuable as the panel of experts sitting on the dias. With so many opportunities for innovation, you may well walk away with a solution to problems you considered impossible; or you just might make a connection that you thought not possible.
And lest you thought he has overlooked brothers and sisters in Africa, he's just returned from Johannesburg and Bloemfontein South Africa to join other leaders across the globe in paying tribute to the ANC and the people of South Africa. "This is not just an ANC celebration, but one for the entire continent and, indeed, for peace and freedom loving people around the globe. I look forward to giving a report to the American public upon my return," he stated.
Make no mistake about it, Reverend Jackson is “Bringing Everyone to the Table” in a way that has never been done before. We can be either at the table or on the sideline. As President Barack Obama said (sang) at the Apollo: "Let's Stay Together!" It's the only way we'll survive. It's the only way we will win. It's the only way we'll Succeed.
Here's a little history for those who are not familiar with how the organization began: In 1966, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. appointed Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. to serve as the first director of Operation Breadbasket in Chicago, IL. In 1971, three years after King's assassination in Memphis, TN, Rev. Jackson founded Operation P.U.S.H (People United to Save Humanity in Chicago to continue Dr. King's mission. In 1972, the idea of the "Black Expo" (Black Business Exposition) was developed to "expose" African-American businesses. In 1984, the National Rainbow Coalition was formed in Washington, DC following Reverend Jackson's first presidential campaign. Rainbow's focus was to unite progressive people, historically locked out of the mainstream of American politics, into a "coalition of conscience," dedicated to making America more inclusive. The Rainbow PUSH Coalition is a progressive organization protecting, defending and expanding civil rights to improve economic and educational opportunity.
The organization is headquarted in Chicago, IL at 930 E 50th St., can be reached by calling (773) 373-3366. For information on this years 15th Annual Rainbow PUSH Wall Street Project, visit www.rainbowpush.org. Rainbow PUSH Coalition ✆ publicservices@rainbowpush.org via bounce.bluestatedigital.com
The 15th Annual Rainbow PUSH Wall Street Project is being held on January 25 to the 27, and the Sheraton Towers Hotel, 53rd Street and 7th Avenue, New York, New York. See you there.
Stay Blessed & ECLECTICALLY BLACK Gloria Dulan-Wilson
