National
Recommend Investing in Black Communities
African-American leaders recently announced a day of direct action to pressure President Barack Obama to end the longstanding War on Drugs, which historically led to the mass incarceration of young black men and women; and to instead invest in jobs, economic development and social programs in black communities.
"To say we're disappointed in some of the policies of this president is not an understatement," said Dr. Ron Daniels, president of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century (IBW), an advocacy organization based in New York. "We're disappointed in his stance on the War on Drugs. This is his second term. What's he waiting for?"
Daniels convened a press conference on April 4 at the National Press Club in Northwest to bring attention to the upcoming day of action on Monday, June 17, the 42th anniversary of the War on Drugs. More than 30 individuals attended the press conference in the Zenger Room to show their support for the upcoming day of action.
Daniels has enlisted a group to spread the word.
Leading up to the day of action, faith leaders and other community organizers will educate congregations and the community in the greater Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Md., areas to mobilize participants to take part in a rally at Lafayette Park near the White House.
The IBW, a national network of scholars and advocates, believes the War on Drugs is actually a "War on Us," a racially biased policy and strategy, the "New Jim Crow," which has devastated black families nationwide. This war led to policing tactics such as the stop-and-frisk programs, tougher and unequal sentencing for drug possession, and mass incarcerations. The mass incarcerations subsequently led to higher levels of joblessness, underemployment, crime, violence and fratricide within communities of color, said Daniels, a lecturer at York College, City University of New York.
There was, in fact, a different philosophy when it came to policing largely African-American communities years ago, said Ronald Hampton, a 20-year veteran of the Metropolitan Police Department. Hampton, who has since retired from the police department, and focuses much of his energy on educational issues, said a double standard, existed.
"It wasn't written policy in terms of what they wanted us to do, but it was an unwritten policy," said Hampton, a native Washingtonian and Ward 4 resident. "There were brutal civil rights violations in our community. But when we were fighting crime in Ward 3, these oppressive tactics were not [utilized]." Hampton said that in poorer communities, residents weren't involved in solving crimes; but in affluent ones, there was an emphasis on "community policing."
"Poor people don't complain," he said. "It's part of the environment and part of public policy."
Hampton, who is a member of a justice collaborative, including IBW, made his comments following the press conference on April 4, the 45th anniversary of the death of civil rights icon, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The justice collaborative comprises social justice, drug and criminal reform advocates, organizations that have partnered with IBW to ensure that the day of direct action is a success.
"What's the real War on Drugs all about?" asked Dr. Divine Pryor, executive director for the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions, the only think tank in the U.S., led by formerly incarcerated individuals. "When you launch a war, there's an enemy. There's a choice to criminalize addiction, which the American Medical Association has diagnosed as a disease."
Forty-two years after President Richard Nixon declared a War on Drugs, to halt drug trafficking in the United States, Daniels said the policy has disproportionately targeted people of color.
It was a decision to use "zero tolerance," paramilitary policing strategies, "get tough" laws and mandatory sentencing to pacify "out of control" Black communities, rather than focus on social, racial and economic justice, Daniels said.
According to IBW's research, African Americans comprise an estimated 15 percent of drug users and account for 27 percent of those arrested on drug charges, 59 percent of those convicted, and 74 percent of all drug offenders sentenced to prison.
The press conference was convened on the heels of the Good Friday silent march and rally led by the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Northwest to increase awareness of the disproportionate arrest rates of African Americans. Daniels is hopeful that the increased public pressure on the "state of emergency in black America," will encourage President Obama to move on the "manifesto," the collaborative will present in June.
The group wants the president to intensify efforts to eliminate disparities in sentencing between powdered and crack cocaine; to issue an Executive Order terminating the War on Drugs and replace it with an initiative that treats drug addiction as a public health concern; to issue an Executive Order ending the use of incarcerated persons as prison labor; to publicly support decriminalization of the possession of small quantities of marijuana; and to form a presidential commission to initiate a national dialogue on the regulation and taxation of drugs.
In terms of paying a debt to society, Courtney Stewart, chair of the nonprofit, the Reentry Network for Returning Citizens, said there're many different categories of crime that shouldn't be lumped together.
"Nobody's saying that crime isn't a problem in our community," said Stewart, 50. "But we have to look at the broader issue of crime in understanding that not all are the same. Some people are only associated with others, and they all get put together. Many were previously incarcerated for non-violent and minor offenses yet face tremendous difficulties in rebuilding their lives."
Activist Says the Fight Has Just Begun
The lawsuit filed in D.C. Superior Court last week by Empower DC has been bumped up to federal court, and a judge there has set a May 10 date to hear arguments as to why he should act on the organization's legal request.
Empower DC, a local grassroots organization, is seeking to block D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson from closing 15 of the city's traditional public schools slated to be shuttered by the end of the 2014 academic year.
"The case was moved to federal court because we raised federal questions," said Empower DC's lead attorney Johnny Barnes. "They [lawyers for the District of Columbia Public Schools] thought they could slow it down but the judge was very gracious and set May 10 as the date for the preliminary hearing. He will decide the case before May 22."
"What you have here is that the government is treating people differently and that's a prima facie case of discrimination. D.C. Public Schools (DCPS) is treating people of color and special needs students differently from other people, and that is illegal and unconstitutional."
Barnes, 64, said that the legal team's goal is to seek a decision from Judge James Boasberg before May 22. Empower DC is asking the judge to grant them a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction. May 22 is the day the D.C. Council votes on the 2014 District budget.
"If [the] judge does not grant the temporary restraining order and the preliminary injunction by May 22, it's a done deal. It is a tight schedule but we will be heard and have an outcome by May 22," said Barnes. "We're very pleased with that. Our action would stop DCPS from closing those schools. I think they'd be loathe from doing it again but one doesn't know what resides in the minds of those people."
The lawsuit is the tip of a contentious, high-stakes power struggle between parents and DCPS over the direction of the city's traditional public schools. Educators and education advocates across the country are watching the D.C. case closely since this is the first city where opponents of school closings have filed a lawsuit. Barnes also said he'd been contacted by other lawyers who asked to see the filing and he said he hopes they will join in the legal fight.
In Chicago, angry parents and frustrated teachers have taken to the streets to protest the decision of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and school officials to close 54 elementary schools and save $1 billion over 10 years. Much like the complaints in the District, critics and opponents of Emanuel's plan accuse school officials of not inviting parental input, putting students at risk by moving them to schools in rival neighborhoods and they add that the proposal will not improve the schools.
The battle is being waged in other cities, including Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia and New Orleans, said Empower DC's Education Director Daniel del Pielago.
Northwest-based Empower DC and concerned parents are incensed by Henderson's January announcement of a decision to close the schools, all of which are located east of Rock Creek Park in Northwest, a historical dividing line in the District between whites and blacks, the wealthy and the working class in the city.
Barnes said it's obviously discriminatory when public schools east of the Park are closed because of under-enrollment while schools west of the park and near Capitol Hill were kept open when their enrollment numbers dipped significantly a number of years ago.
"With the lawsuit, we're going to let that take its course. We're working with parents to see what they want to do," said del Pielago during an interview on Saturday, April 6. "I'm at a conference with the American Federation of Teachers ... looking at national actions along the same issues. We're looking at joining forces. I've been telling people now it's national. There is still a lot of resistance. Parents still want to fight to make sure schools stay open."
Del Pielago, 39, said outside of the lawsuit, the focus remains on strategic planning, providing information and support and the political education of parents.
"We're letting folks know that this is a long, hard fight," he said. "We have to be organized and strong on a national level to be contenders in this fight – define who and what we are."
Tamara Gorham's 13-year-old son is confined to a wheelchair and is an 8th-grader at Sharpe Health School in Northwest. The school is one of the 15 on the chopping block.
"I'm not happy at all. It's very disturbing because a lot of factors have not been considered," said Gorham, a medical receptionist at Children's National Medical Center in Northwest. "The school is close to Children's Hospital. Transportation, the way it's structured, and loading and unloading children in wheelchairs are not a problem at Sharpe."
Gorham, 39, said Henderson and other school officials did not consult with parents, Sharpe administrators, teachers or aides before deciding to move students to River Terrace Elementary School in Southeast. She fears the disruption the move will cause the children, and expressed concern that River Terrace residents may be resistant to Sharpe students being relocated there.
"It makes me go wild thinking about it," she said, as she tried to contain her irritation. "Plans have been made already. They never asked what properties would work best for us. They need to halt all plans, get with us and let us tell them what we need. We have a beautiful garden, a playground, and a brand new therapeutic pool for the children. They're telling us to make do."
Gorham said Sharpe has caring and attentive teachers' aides "who have been with our kids for many years" who will have to re-apply for their jobs. She said newcomers will likely not do what current staff does routinely such as wiping a child's mouth, or a 'trach', or wiping and changing soiled clothes.
"We have presented different options to them [DCPS]. They should combine Mamie D. Lee and Sharpe," she said. "They've thrown out so many excuses. Let us tell you where, let us tell you what we need. It's not fair, it's inconsiderate; they're not thinking about my child's safety, and they're not listening."
"They just say, 'they're all retarded, put them in the back away from everything. They're not giving us a lot of information; they have not been forthcoming. It's not fair and it's not right.'"
Del Pielago and a chorus of critics in D.C. and elsewhere, continue to insist that businesses that created tests, the corporate interests behind school reform and charter schools are about making money. In that quest, he said, they are also taking advantage of minority communities.
"This is all about the money," said del Pielago. "We're not seeing communities having access or input into the decision-making process. We're hearing this around the country. [DCPS] says it is working with the community ... but I'm not holding my breath."
"A lot of threads are unraveling. The way this corporate education reform is going, it's not working. There's a great deal of resistance. I think we're going to have a shift in thinking. We're working with folks around the country who are committed to fighting. There are very high stakes – either we lose or we keep neighborhood schools. Yeah, the fight is on," del Pielago said.
The 2013 Scripps National Spelling Bee (SNSB) will take place on May 28–30 at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in Oxon Hill, Md., and for the first time in the 86-year history of the competition, the evaluation of vocabulary knowledge will be formally incorporated.
"This is a significant change in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, but also a natural one," said Paige Kimble, SNSB executive director. "It represents a deepening of the Bee'scommitment to its purpose: to help students improve their spelling, increase their vocabularies, learn concepts and develop correct English usage that will help them all their lives."
Since 2002, a written or computer spelling test has been a component of the Bee that, along with onstage spelling, factored in determining which spellers advanced to the semifinals.
This year, a speller's qualification for the semifinals and championship finals will be based on a cumulative score that incorporates onstage spelling, computer-based spelling questions and computer-based vocabulary questions.
Vocabulary evaluation will count for 50 percent of a speller's overall score. The score determines which spellers advance to the semifinals (Thursday, May 30 at 2:00 p.m. on ESPN2) and the championship finals (Thursday, May 30 at 8:00 p.m. on ESPN).
All local bee championships were decided by the end of March, and the timing of this announcement provides each speller with the same opportunity to prepare for the vocabulary component of the competition.
Thousands of people attended National Action Network's (NAN) annual national convention April 3-6 in New York City, including delegates from more than 60 NAN chapters across the country. The convention concluded with major announcement by Rev. Al Sharpton, NAN founder and president, regarding action plans formulated during the convention.
Firstly, the organization targeted major private corporations about their employment, procurement, and inclusion practices at board levels.
"The reason that Black unemployment has remained high is that the public sector jobs are being cut while the private sector has increased jobs but lowered its commitment to inclusion and hiring and doing business in our community," said Rev. Sharpton. "NAN intends to go at major industries that sell their goods in our community but do no good with our community."
NAN also started an "Alert Watch" since the Supreme Court is deciding on Affirmative Action and Section 5 of The Voting Rights Act--both of which Rev. Sharpton attended the oral arguments for at the Supreme Court—and NAN has issued an alert that will go into action in the event that the Supreme Court overturns either of the aforementioned policies.
Sharpton called on NAN delegates to put pressure on their Senators to vote on stronger Gun legislation that could come up for debate in the Senate this week.
A key highlight of the convention took place on April 4, the actual date of Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination in 1968, as NAN hosted its 15th Annual Keepers of the Dream Awards. The awards honor those who have continued to advocate for the principles for which Dr. King gave his life.
Other highlights included the Measuring the Movement forum on the final day that brought together three generations of civil rights leaders to discuss strategies on what can be done to sustain civil rights and the social justice movement regardless of what the court's decisions may be.The forum featured civil rights leaders and a review by some of the legends of the civil rights movement regarding the progress made and mistakes made in the 50 years since the "March in Washington." The Forum included civil rights icons Rev. Joseph Lowery, Juanita Abernathy, Otis Moss, Jr., and Rev. Jesse Jackson, among others.
As the pool of students in American schools grows more diverse, those studying to be teachers remain mostly White.
According to a new report by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, a national organization that analyzes teacher education programs, 82 percent of people who earned Bachelor's degrees in education in 2009-2010 school year were White.
The study surveyed more than 700 colleges and universities that train about two-thirds of the teaching force.
Nearly half of the U.S. student population is members of racial or ethnic minorities, yet only about one in five teachers are people of color. Only 6 percent of teacher candidates were Black and 4.2 percent were Hispanic.
Of the 29 million students enrolled in public schools in 2010, 15 percent were Black and 23 percent were Hispanic.
"Unfortunately, we're seeing a smaller number of racial and ethnic minorities in front of classrooms for a number of reasons," said Anthony Graham, the chair of the department of elementary education at North Carolina A & T State University in Greensboro. "Salaries, for one, are an issue. Also, a lot of students are not interested, based on their own experiences. There are a lot of things that play into this."
The average starting teacher salary is $30,377 according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers. Computer engineers make about $70,000 coming out of school.
"We're finding that college-bound minority students have so many career options," said Sharon P. Robinson, the president of the association told the New York Times. "We have to develop some specific recruitment strategies to attract our share of those students into those teacher education programs."
Alternative programs that license teachers, but do not award degrees have a more diverse pool of students, with about 76 percent of the candidates being White, 7 percent Black, and 8 percent Hispanic.
"We have to a better job of a pipeline approach," says Graham, whose program awards about 60 students with degrees in education per year. "By introducing the career at an earlier age we can better showcase the benefits of returning to a community and uplifting it through teaching."
Graham, however, notes that despite efforts schools may already have to recruit minority teacher candidates, many fail to pass the Praxis exam, the required teacher certification test.
"Despite the teachers we try to produce, we're losing a number of them to this exam," says Graham
Between 2002-2005, Black teacher candidates had a Praxis passing rate of 52.1 percent, according to a study by the Educational Testing Service, which prepares the Praxis exams as well as the SAT tests. White teacher candidates had a passing rate of 83.5 percent during that same period.
"It causes a ripple effect in terms of their own education," says Kimberly Garrett, an assistant professor of early childhood education at Dominican University in Chicago. "They haven't had proper teaching themselves so they aren't able to teach. It's an additional struggle for black and Hispanic students."
Garrett's program has 36 candidates in early childhood education right now, only three are Black, two are Hispanic, and one is Asian. Of Chicago Public Schools' 400,000 students, 41.6 percent of students are African American and 44.1 percent are Latino.
"The race and ethnicity of teachers is important because it supports a child's developing self-image to see someone of authority they can relate to of have some level of comfort around," Garret says.
According to a report by the National Collaborative on Diversity in the Teaching Force, teachers of color can not only help close the achievement gap, they also help students of color reach higher academic, personal, and social performance.
Garrett says, however, that although students benefit from having teachers of color, its more important for them to have culturally and intellectually competent adults in these roles than anything else.
"There is an aspect of value that someone from the same ethnic group brings to the classroom that helps to develop students on a deeper level," says Garrett. "But it's not just an ethnic match that's important."
"There was a special rapport that I had and do have with students of color that added to the experience," she adds. "But that doesn't take away from the connection all teachers can have if they're aware of their students and their varying needs."
Comedian Kier Spates, also known to millions of Americans as "Junior" on the Steve Harvey Morning Show, told a crowd gathered in the nation's capital on April 4 at Howard University Hospital's Freedmen's Clinic, something he'd never told any of his radio listeners.
He also hadn't told any of the thousands of people across the nation who've seen him perform his standup comedy routines. It was something, said Spates, that he'd never talked about publicly.
"I have sickle cell disease," the Houston, Texas, native, told the dozens of people gathered at the clinic, where in sharing his personal struggles with the illness, he urged them to never give up.
Spates talked about the painful attacks associated with the disease that he suffered as a child and how nobody knew why he was screaming in anguish until he was finally diagnosed with the disease at age four.
He explained to the audience how he couldn't play like other children because the disease caused pain and exhaustion when he exercised.
He told how his parents suffered financially because they were so busy taking him back and forth to the hospital to keep him alive, that it was difficult for them to hold down a steady job.
And as Spates talked about the painful, debilitating blood disorder that affects one of every 500 African-Americans, tears began to well up in the eyes of the listeners.
Spates, who recently became a spokesperson for the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, appeared as part of an effort to raise awareness, support and funding for the fight against sickle cell by the Howard University Center for Sickle Disease, WHUR-FM 96.3 radio and Faces of Our Children.
He was joined by singer Angie Stone, who along with Spates and recording artist Brian McKnight, is appearing through April 7 in the play "Love Lies" at the Warner Theater.
Despite the seriousness of the subject, Spates was able to provide some comedic relief.
"All sickle cell patients are funny, because we almost died 20 times," he said in reference to the frequent emergencies sickle cell sufferers face.
Chimalang Ngu, 31, a sickle cell disease patient, came to hear Spates speak.
He is one of four children, but is the only one with the disease. He said he is a successful marketing associate, but has had to take some time off because of his health.
"I used to work in Las Vegas, but I had to move back to D.C. because of my strong support system here," he said. "They really do know how to take care of me here at Howard University Hospital."
Porsha Hall, 23, suffers with the disease but also serves as a patient advocate for Life for Sickle Cell Foundation.
She helps assist the doctors that specialize in sickle cell research. Hall said she got so sick at one point, that she had to drop out her first year in college at Frostburg State University, in Maryland. Like most sickle cell patients, her joints and bones mostly hurt. Morphine and other drugs, like Demerol, ease the pain, she said.
That prompted a joke from Spates.
"Whoever made the drug Demerol," he said, "please keep making it, because it's great."
Mayor Rahm Emanuel was among the officials at Urban Prep Academies – Englewood Campus recently as the boys-only charter school celebrated another milestone.
For the fourth time, 100 percent of the graduating seniors from Urban Prep's Englewood campus and the inaugural graduating class from its West campus, all African American males, have been accepted to a four-year college or university, school leaders announced at a special, hour-long assembly.
"I want everyone in this city, I want everyone in this country to look up here," Emanuel said, pointing to the young men lauded for their academic achievements.
Urban Prep students are distinguished by their school uniform – which includes a navy blue blazer and red tie.
Throughout the year, the school's seniors ceremoniously exchange their red ties for one with a red and gold striped design as they receive college acceptance letters. Thursday, more young men made the special exchange, signaling their recent college acceptance.
Students at the Englewood and West Campuses were joined by students from Urban Prep's Bronzeville campus for a collaborative commemorative event.
Urban Prep co-founder, Tim King, made national headlines three years ago at the first announcement of 100 percent college acceptance. The class of 2010 was the school's inaugural graduating class.
A spokesperson for the school said recently that Urban Prep continues to follow and mentor the former graduates, including the first graduating class, members of which are now mostly in their third year of college. Urban Prep officials said they have some 300 alumni enrolled in higher education.
Next fall, that number is expected to increase by 167 as members of the class of 2013 head for campuses around the country.
Urban Prep Academies is a nonprofit organization founded in 2002 by education entrepreneur Tim King and a group of African-American education, business and civic leaders. Urban Prep's mission is to provide a comprehensive, high-quality college preparatory education to young men that results in graduates succeeding in college.
The Urban Prep motto, "We Believe" is a constant reminder that Urban Prep students will not fall into the trap of negative stereotypes and low expectations. Instead, Urban Prep students believe in their potential and believe in their ability to exceed that potential. The Urban Prep family (teachers, administrators, staff, board of directors, community members and donors) also believe in these young men, and in their important and long lasting role in student lives.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) reported Tuesday morning that the first three of 35 educators involved in the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal have turned themselves in to authorities.
According to the AJC report, Tameka Goodson, a school improvement specialist at Kennedy Middle School, was booked in to Fulton County Jail around 12:30 a.m. on a $200,000 bond, charged with racketeering and false statements and writings.
The indictment, handed up by a grand jury Friday, accuses Goodson of working with her school's principal and secretary to change students' wrong answers to right answers on standardized tests.
In addition, Donald Bullock, a testing coordinator at Usher-Collier Heights Elementary, arrived at the jail with his attorney just before 6 a.m. on Tuesday. He is accused of asking two teachers to participate in falsifying standardized test answer sheets and telling the Georgia Bureau of Investigation that he wasn't aware of teachers erasing test answers, according to the AJC' report. Bullock is charged with racketeering, false swearing and three counts of false statements or writings.
Benteen Elementary testing coordinator Theresia Copeland walked into the jail about an hour later, and is charged with racketeering, theft by taking and two counts of false statements or writings.
Copeland allegedly participated in collecting a bonus check based on falsified test results and misled investigators when she said she wasn't involved in cheating, according to the indictment.
Online jail records list the bonds for Bullock and Copeland at $1 million each.
(Source: Atlanta Journal –Constitution)
In comments filed recently with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), members of the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council (MMTC) endorsed the 2003 Wright Petition that seeks FCC action to proscribe excessive payphone rates.
"The burden of staying connected with loved ones in prison falls heaviest on families with the least ability to pay, often forcing them to make harrowing choices between maintaining communication or putting food on the table," said MMTC President David Honig. "Unreasonably high prison phone rate practices reflect poorly on the moral stature of the telephone industry and diminish public confidence in the industry, especially among the underserved."
MMTC's members have also expressed gratitude to FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, who led the Commission's initiative to take on the issue through rulemaking.
For the past 10 years, the fight for prison payphone justice has been waged by the Prison Phone Rates Collaborative and the Campaign for Prison Phone Justice, which MMTC inducted into its Hall of Fame at the January 2013 MMTC Broadband & Social Justice Summit.
On March 25, MMTC commended Verizon for its eloquent and thorough comments in support of the Wright Petition. Since Verizon no longer operates in the prison phone market, it has no economic interest in the FCC prison payphone proceeding.
Instead, Verizon official joined forces with social justice organizations on moral and ethical grounds, with the company's advocacy of prison payphone rate reform speaking highly of the corporation and its leadership.
Dems, Unions for Hike; GOP Opposes
Oji Abbott wears quite a few hats at the Oohh's and Aahh's restaurant in Northwest.
On any given day, Abbott will answer the telephone and take reservations. He will also prepare the fare at the soul food eatery, and wait and bus tables.
Although Abbot owns the restaurant, he empathizes with many food service industry workers who struggle to get by on the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.
"Everything has gone up, the cost of living, gas is about $5 a gallon, milk has gone up, but the minimum wage hasn't and that makes it hard for some people to keep the lights on or a roof over their heads," said Abbott, 39.
Like Abbott, Gregory Reynoso, a pizza delivery driver and a married father of a two-year-old, doesn't hesitate to talk about the need for a wage hike.
A member of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) in Northwest, Reynosa said the current wage not only makes it difficult to feed his family, but it leaves him to wonder whether he'll ever be able to treat his wife and daughter to dinner at a nice restaurant or even a movie.
"I work hard to provide for my family, but my wages [aren't] enough to make ends meet," said Reynoso, 27. "Right now, we are just surviving. If I pay one bill, I can't pay the others," the Laurel, Md., resident said.
On Feb. 12, during his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama outlined a plan to increase the federal minimum wage to $9 an hour. The last time a hike occurred, it jumped $2.10 an hour in 2009.
The president's plan has been applauded by Democrats but dismissed by Republicans.
Raising the wage would result in massive job cuts and primarily affect women and African Americans, many in the GOP have argued. Democrats and union leaders contend however, that raising the minimum wage would put more money into the hands of lower-income Americans, thereby boosting the economy.
"There have been enough credible economists who have shown that the claims that there will be job losses [if the minimum wage is raised] are not credible at all," said Jim Spellane, media director for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Northwest. "The union has always stressed the importance of job security, pensions and wage increases," Spellane said.
Richard Trumka, president of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), also in Northwest, said an increase is needed for workers to continue to sustain families and for the country's continued recovery from the recession.
"President Obama rightly put [raising the minimum wage] and good jobs as his top priority, and we fully support him," Trumka said. "We applaud the president for expressing support for raising the minimum wage and tying it to the cost of living."
Nineteen states already have wages above the federal minimum, including the District where the rate is currently $8.25.
Increasing the wage in D.C., and in Maryland would substantially benefit minority and other workers in the area, according to the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a think tank in Northwest. A study by the EPI indicated that blacks in the Washington metropolitan area represent 31 percent of those who would be affected by a minimum wage hike. Women comprise two-thirds of the minimum wage workers, according to statistics provided by the National Women's Law Center in Northwest. A woman who works full-time, year round at the federal minimum wage earns just $14,500 a year, or roughly $4,000 below the poverty line for a family of three.
Women of color are disproportionately represented among female minimum wage workers, with more than 15 percent of those earning less than the minimum wage, based on the study.
"From a moral perspective, I think we have an obligation to pay what is a fair wage and not just pay a low wage because you can," said Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. "When you look at the pay of CEOs, that has gone up significantly, and when you look at the average working person, salaries have basically decreased. Where is the fundamental fairness in this? They are getting rich off the backs of people they don't care are the working poor," Fudge said.
Obama has said a minimum wage increase would stimulate consumer demand and help drive economic growth. The federal minimum wage has lost 30 percent of its purchasing power in recent decades, based on a study conducted by the National Employment Law Project in New York.
If wages had kept pace with the cost of living since 1968, the minimum wage would now be $10.56 an hour, but Obama said raising the wage to $9 would restore its inflation-adjusted value to where it was in 1981, when President Ronald Reagan took office.
However, raising the rate would result in an increase in labor costs in an economy still hovering just above recession levels, said Peter Roff, a political writer for U.S. News & World Report and a member of the public policy organization, Let Freedom Ring.
"Higher labor costs mean fewer people get hired," Roff said. "Employers have to find ways to do more with less and look for other ways to economize. Unskilled workers get laid off, replaced by machines and higher-skilled workers who are more valuable."
Everyone would benefit from a raise in the minimum wage.
"It would have an enormous impact on workers, many of whom are forced to string together two or three jobs to barely afford the necessities of life," said Mary Kay Henry, president of the SEIU, which represents more than 2.1 million workers.
WASHINGTON, DC— Three months after the tragic shooting in Newtown, Conn., President Barack Obama said that the Senate has taken important steps forward to help protect our kids by reducing gun violence. The American people made their voices heard, and the Senate made progress to make it harder for criminals and people with serious mental illnesses to get guns, to crack down on anyone trying to funnel guns to criminals, and to reinstate and strengthen a ban on the sale of military-style assault weapons. Each of these ideas deserves a vote. President Obama urges Congress to pass these commonsense measures while affirming our Nation's tradition of responsible gun ownership.
In his weekly address on March 23 from the White House, Obama stated:
"It has now been three months since the tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut. Three months since we lost 20 innocent children and six dedicated adults who had so much left to give. Three months since we, as Americans, began asking ourselves if we're really doing enough to protect our communities and keep our children safe.
"For the families who lost a loved one on that terrible day, three months doesn't even begin to ease the pain they're feeling right now. It doesn't come close to mending the wounds that may never fully heal.
"But as a nation, the last three months have changed us. They've forced us to answer some difficult questions about what we can do – what we must do – to prevent the kinds of massacres we've seen in Newtown and Aurora and Oak Creek, as well as the everyday tragedies that happen far too often in big cities and small towns all across America.
"Today there is still genuine disagreement among well-meaning people about what steps we should take to reduce the epidemic of gun violence in this country. But you – the American people – have spoken. You've made it clear that it's time to do something. And over the last few weeks, Senators here in Washington have listened and taken some big steps forward.
"Two weeks ago, the Senate advanced a bill that would make it harder for criminals and people with a severe mental illness from getting their hands on a gun – an idea supported by nine out of ten Americans, including a majority of gun owners.
"The Senate also made progress on a bill that would crack down on anyone who buys a gun as part of a scheme to funnel it to criminals – reducing violent crime and protecting our law enforcement officers.
"Finally, the Senate took steps to reinstate and strengthen a ban on the sale of military-style assault weapons, set a 10-round limit for magazines, and make our schools safer places for kids to learn and grow.
"These ideas shouldn't be controversial – they're common sense. They're supported by a majority of the American people. And I urge the Senate and the House to give each of them a vote.
"As I've said before, we may not be able to prevent every act of violence in this country. But together, we have an obligation to try. We have an obligation to do what we can.
"Right now, we have a real chance to reduce gun violence in America, and prevent the very worst violence. We have a unique opportunity to reaffirm our tradition of responsible gun ownership, and also do more to keep guns out of the hands of criminals or people with a severe mental illness.
"We've made progress over the last three months, but we're not there yet. And in the weeks ahead, I hope Members of Congress will join me in finishing the job – for our communities and, most importantly, for our kids. "
Organization Contends Their Version is a Sharp Contrast to Ryan's
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) presented an alternative budget for the 2013 fiscal year that they said slashes deficits, eliminates the sequester and protects those programs which are safety nets for the most vulnerable.
"Since 1981, the CBC has presented alternate budgets which lowers deficits and alleviates harm in a fiscally sound manner," said CBC Chairman Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio). "I do not believe we should sacrifice the community to balance the budget."
"I'm extremely proud of this budget. I think it's the best one offered so far."
Fudge was joined by Reps. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), Bobby Scott (D-Va.), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) in a media conference call on Friday, March 15. Each criticized the budget released recently by Wisconsin Republican Rep. Paul Ryan because of its over-reliance on savaging Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, while calling for even greater cuts to taxes for the richest Americans.
"There are different priorities between us and the Republicans," said Scott. "I wouldn't call what the Republicans produced a budget. It's a document. We use a pre-sequester baseline and parts of our budget eliminates the sequester ... there is $500 billion invested to accelerate the nation's economic recovery, we restore cuts to education, there's 10 years of deficit reduction of $1.2 trillion. We spent money in different ways and exceeded Simpson-Bowles by $400 million."
Simpson-Bowles refers to a commission brought together by President Barack Obama to find a recipe of spending cuts and revenue to balance the budget.
Scott explained that Congress has already implemented $2.4 trillion in tax cuts, adding that $1.6 trillion in cuts is needed to put the country on a sustainable path. He said the CBC taskforce found $4 trillion in cuts by focusing on closing corporate loopholes and special interest benefits, noting that "a lot more could have been found."
This is budget season in the nation's capital with both political parties, as well as Obama, the CBC, the Progressive Caucus and a range of other entities and groups putting forward their version of what the budget should look like. Ryan put forward one blueprint, as did Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.). And if the elements of the debate seem familiar, it is because Democrats and Republicans have been fighting this battle for a while now. At issue is what constitutes the government's responsibilities to its people as far as the budget goes, the scope of government and curbing spending and reducing deficits.
The budget debate is occurring against the backdrop of the debt ceiling, the sequester which is $85 billion in arbitrary across-the-board cuts to defense and domestic programs and other budget issues. Both Democrats and Republicans are entangled in often rancorous debates about the appropriate way forward.
"It's a fascinating document ... and it's a formula we've worked on for years," said Clyburn, about one section of the budget that calls for a national strategy to eliminate poverty by 50 percent in the next 10 years. "This budget will go into effect on Oct. 1. The budget will go into effect when the sequester ends."
Clyburn, the Assistant Democratic Leader, said his 10-20-30 amendment in Obama's Recovery Act directs 10 percent of the budget to 20 percent of the nation's population that has been living below the poverty line for the past 30 years.
Lee and her colleagues criticized Ryan's budget proposal which is reportedly seeking $4.6 trillion in cuts and seeks to eliminate deficits over 10 years without any tax increases; which counts $2.5 trillion in health care savings by repealing Obamacare; has $1 trillion in unspecified, mandatory cuts and $3.5 trillion in reductions to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security without any tax loopholes being closed.
"Our budget exposes the Republican budget for what it is," Lee said. "That's $2.5 trillion in health care cuts that would be shifted to citizens. We have a responsible budget with credible numbers, job packages and we restore funds to programs. We have maintained fiscal responsibility and [will] create jobs, which is a priority."
She said the CBC budget includes $230 billion for the maintenance and repair of airports, bridges, roads and other infrastructure upgrades and renovations. In addition, $13 billion would be allocated to pay for the Workforce Investment Act and dislocation training; $50 billion would provide relief to states and municipalities and pay for salaries for teachers and law enforcement among other things; and $50 billion would be directed to finance a housing stabilization plan. The budget also sets aside $50 billion for veterans of the Iraq and Afghani wars.
"This budget creates a sharp contrast to the Ryan budget," said Lee. "It's critical because it maintains the safety net and invests in job creation. It also provides opportunities for all. I look forward to a good vote on this."
The lawmakers said that party members are negotiating and they are working to have many of the elements in their budget version incorporated into the Democratic budget.
Moore spoke of the importance of maintaining the safety net by preserving programs that Republicans have labeled entitlements: Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.
"There's lots of subterfuge on whether to make these cuts," she said. "We did not include these cuts to Social Security and Medicaid but many people have been itching to make these changes, literally throwing seniors and young people under the bus. We enjoyed dealing with this affirmatively."
"We think it's possible to strengthen Social Security and Medicare by getting more rebates from pharmaceutical companies, negotiating Part B to produce billions of dollars in savings, and also changing the cost of living adjustment of Social Security ..."
Scott said it is estimated that the sequester will cause between 750,000 and two million Americans to lose their jobs. However, the CBC budget through its jobs plan will lead to an increase of between 2.5 and 5 million jobs.
"To the extent that we allow the Ryan budget to take effect, to bring block grants and voucherize programs will cause deep problems. We're fighting for low-income people in this budget ... and you're beginning to hear the message of fighting for the middle class," said Clyburn.
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