National
A highly-vocal and growing alliance of public education advocates have united to end what they describe as the discriminatory shuttering of schools in black and Latino neighborhoods.
In "Journey for Justice's" latest efforts to safeguard the future of inner-city public schools from threat of extinction due to the rapid growth of charter schools, increased availability of voucher programs, unequal funding streams and attacks on teachers' credibility, a cross-country march and speaking tour was launched, culminating on Jan. 29 with a hearing at the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) in Washington, D.C., where a representative from the department fielded complaints.
"The voices of the people directly impacted can no longer be ignored," said Chicago organizer Jitu Brown, who called the closures a direct "violation" of human rights. "This type of mediocrity is only accepted because of the race of the students who are being served."
The nearly two-dozen cities represented in the journey which attracted more than 500 students, parents and community groups, included New Orleans; Philadelphia; Chicago and Detroit. Members from District of Columbia organizations who voiced opposition to 15 school closings over the next 18 months, also attended, and officials for the Northwest-based, Empower D.C., who recalled the effects of 24 local school closings in 2008, said they plan to sue the District.
"Parents have really packed our forums with their complaints," said Dorothy Douglas, 68, a Ward 7 School Board representative, who attended the Jan. 29 hearing. "You just can't [fail] to inform people of [the school chancellor's] intention without proper notification . . . a lot of [rights] that also involve students with disabilities have been violated with these closings."
Helen Moore, 76, of Detroit added that the basis for the alliance's trek to D.C., was to convey how the closings that include both under-enrolled and under-performing schools violate civil rights [laws], and promote non-investment among underprivileged communities of color. Other issues, she said, center on how the closings would result in increased violence and destabilization at schools that receive the displaced students as a result of school building re-assignments.
"We're dealing with the same problems that all black and brown school districts face," said Moore. "It seems that the people who are making sure that we get no education are corporations that have made up their minds that they know what's best for us."
Moore alluded to organizations like the Illinois Facilities Fund (IFF) which was commissioned two years ago by the District to study its public schools.
The IFF reported back early last year to the District's deputy mayor for education that there were at least 20 under-performing and under-enrolled schools, and recommended some for consolidation with high-performing public charter schools. IFF, which is based in Chicago, has oversight over several charter facilities in the Midwest.
"Corporations like that just want to make sure they get the money that would otherwise be going to our school systems," Moore said.
Karran Harper Royal of New Orleans, founder of Parents across America, said the impact with school closings in her city is two-fold.
"It really impeded the rebuilding of some of the neighborhoods as we were rebuilding after [Hurricane] Katrina," Royal said. "Plus, it has taken away our rights as African Americans in a city that's majority African American, to have an elected school board govern the majority of our schools. It's putting that into the hands of private, nonprofit organizations that are not accountable through our democratic system."
Meanwhile, alliance members have demanded that DOE place a moratorium on school closings. While the department's civil rights office has reportedly investigated numerous complaints related to school closings, Daren Briscoe said no evidence has been found surrounding any violations of civil rights.
The alliance has also called for a meeting with President Barack Obama to discuss the impact of the closings – 37 school buildings in Philadelphia are slated for closure in June. Their plight, many public education supporters say, is fast becoming a civil rights issue.
"To a great extent, it's already evolved into a civil rights matter," said Moore. However, "we caught it before they completed the task of throwing our children into prison, and we're mad as hell about the fact that the Department of Education isn't doing anything about it."
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was born on February 4, 1913. Her life inspired millions of people and challenged the conscience of our Nation. Her refusal to give up her seat on a bus on December 1, 1955, inspired a civil rights movement that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964.
"When I made that decision," she later said, "I knew that I had the strength of my ancestors with me."
We stand on the shoulders of Rosa Parks, and so many other leaders who struggled and worked to ensure our country's founding principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are achievable for everyone.
Their actions have profoundly affected not only African-Americans, but everyone who cares about equality, and the story of Rosa Parks continues to inspire many of us here at the White House, and across the Administration, as we work daily to bring more fairness and equality to our fellow citizens around our country. After all, Rosa Parks, and so many others who fought and sacrificed for equality and justice of all, paved the way for the election and re-election of the first African-American president.
On [the anniversary of Parks' death], President Obama proclaimed: "It has taken acts of courage from generations of fearless and hopeful Americans to make our country more just. As heirs to the progress won by those who came before us, let us pledge not only to honor their legacy, but also to take up their cause of perfecting our Union."
The story of Rosa Parks continues to teach everyone—of all races, religions, and ages—the value of courage in the face of injustice.
Rosa Parks once said, "I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people." Today, with the unveiling of the Rosa Park stamp on the 100th anniversary of her birthday, we honor her wish and celebrate her memory.
As then-Senator Obama said at Rosa Parks' funeral in 2005, "The woman we honored today held no public office, she wasn't a wealthy woman, didn't appear in the society pages. And yet when the history of this country is written, it is this small, quiet woman whose name will be remembered long after the names of senators and presidents have been forgotten."
When we remember and honor Rosa Parks in our own actions every day, her legacy truly will live on forever.
(White House blog)
Essie Mae Washington-Williams, the African-American daughter of former Sen. Strom Thurmond, died Monday. She was 87.
Thurmond never admitted Washington-Willliams was his daughter, but the retired school Los Angeles teacher announced that she was the legendary South Carolina politician's secret child in December 2003. At that time, she stood before droves of news cameras and reporters to declare that, "I am Essie Mae Washington-Williams, and at last I am completely free."
Thurmond, who died six months prior to Washington-Williams' announcement, had built a long career on Capitol Hill as a champion of segregation. He was 100 years old at the time of his death. He also refrained from admittimng to having a liaison with Washington-Williams' mother, who was a family maid.
"My children ultimately convinced me that history needed to know about Thurmond and that I should set the record straight," Washington-Williams wrote in the Los Angeles Times in 2003. "I am not doing this for money. I am not suing his estate. I just want to tell the truth."
Washington-Williams, who died of natural causes in Columbia, S.C., had moved back to South Carolina a few years ago when her health began to fail.
Arlene Ackerman, a former superintendent of the District of Columbia, Philadelphia and San Francisco school systems, died on Saturday morning of pancreatic cancer. She was 66.
Her son, Anthony Antognoli, said in reports that his mother passed away at about 5 a.m. Feb. 2 at her home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He said she hadn't been ill for a while, and that "it was too short a battle."
"Arlene Ackerman was a staple and a leader in urban education reform," said District of Columbia Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson. "Her work helped thousands of children across the country, from D.C. to Philadelphia to Seattle and San Francisco. The education community lost one of its dear friends today."
Current Philadelphia Superintendent William Hite added that Ackerman devoted her life to children and public education.
"In doing so, encouraged countless other individuals to commit their lives to teaching, learning and leading," Hite said. "For that, we are grateful. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends and colleagues."
But critics of Ackerman, who described her as polarizing, autocratic and overpaid, had also referred to her as "Queen Arlene."
Ackerman, a 43-year veteran of the public education system, who was ousted in August 2011 as Philadelphia' superintendent, stirred further controversy after it was revealed she was paid $905,000 in school district money to make her departure.
Nevertheless, during her tenure with the nation's 8th largest school district, Ackerman was credited with an ongoing increase in Philadelphia's test scores, decreasing class sizes in primary grades, creating a parent-outreach program and launching an initiative to change chronically failing schools through staff overhauls or conversion to charter schools.
Ackerman resigned from the D.C. school system in 2000 after being at the helm for two years.
She was instrumental in the city's beginning efforts at school reform, and is credited with helping to launch several initiatives that improved District schools. They reportedly included the adoption of social studies textbook for grades K-12 and science secondary subjects, collaboration with the Washington Teachers' Union on multiple education initiatives and reduced central administration costs from 15 percent to less than 6 percent of schools' budget.
"I believe that we are on the right track," Ackerman had commented at the the time.
The famously-combative former mayor of New York City, Ed Koch, has died of congestive heart failure. He was 88.
Koch, who died at 2 a.m. on Friday, was admitted to NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia hospital on Monday with shortness of breath, and was moved to intensive care on Thursday for closer monitoring of the fluid in his lungs and legs. He had been released two days earlier after being treated for water in his lungs and legs. He had initially been admitted on Jan. 19.
His success in rallying New Yorkers in the face of the strike was, he said, his biggest personal achievement as mayor. And it was a display that was quintessentially Koch, who rescued the city from near-financial ruin during a three-term City Hall run in which he embodied New York chutzpah for the rest of the world.
The lawyer-turned-public servant was a U.S. congressman from 1968 until he ran for mayor of the city in 1977. He served three terms until David Dinkins defeated him in a Democratic primary.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, head of the National Action Network, said on Friday that Koch was "never a phony or a hypocrite. "He would not patronize or deceive you. He said what he meant. ... May he rest in peace."
Mayor Michael Bloomberg added that New York City has lost an irrepressible icon.
"In elected office and as a private citizen, he was our most tireless, fearless, and guileless civic crusader," Bloomberg said. "We will miss him dearly, but his good works -- and his wit and wisdom -- will forever be a part of the city he loved so much."
A funeral service will be held Monday at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan.
(Source: Wire Reports)
Tens of thousands of anti-abortion activists and supporters held a spirited and vociferous rally to show their support for the right to life on the National Mall on the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision.
They came despite raw and bitter cold and snow that began while they marched to the U.S. Supreme Court. The vast majority of those who marched from the Mall to the steps of the Supreme Court were young people from Catholic high schools and church organizations and other religious groups and seminarians representing the next generation poised to wage battle against a law they consider illegal and onerous.
Leading many of the young people – adorned in neon greens, reds, oranges and other bright colors to distinguish one group from another – were an assortment of priests, lay ministers and church volunteers.
"I'm here to fight for life. It's a great concern because I ask where we're going," said Father Adam Urbaniak, a member of a Diocesan Order based in Orchard Hills, Mich. "The nation is killing itself and unborn babies. Without the young generation, where will we go? What have we become?"
"I get the sense that many people are beginning to think about it, especially young people," said Urbaniak, a Polish native. "People are waking up, waking up and have come here to fight for children who cannot fight for or protect themselves."
Demonstrators carried large and small banners, crosses, flags and placards saying "I'm the Pro-Life Generation,"; "Defend Life,"; "Michigan Loves Life: Protect the Unborn,"; and "Defund Planned Parenthood." Marchers chanted as well, saying "Hey, Hey, Ho, Ho, Roe v. Wade has got to go!" among other mantras. Speakers included former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J) and Jeanne Monahan, the newly appointed head of March for Life. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) fired up the crowd via video and vowed to work tirelessly to pass a bill that bans abortions paid by taxpayers.
SuvedaThiagaraj, a 40-year-old Rochester, N.Y. resident and a native of India, traveled to the District with a group of 10 adults and children.
"We have to defend life through prayer, action and fasting," she said. "Together we're praying for the president, like St. Paul, to experience a conversion. When a leader leads, it will move the nation. This is a very important cause: to have and defend life. We can't turn away from God and expect blessings."
Cheryl Vignola also accompanied a group of 10 high school-aged girls from St. William Catholic Church in Naples, Fla., to the rally and march. In all, she said, 50 girls made the trip.
"We're here to say that we believe in the dignity and value of every human life regardless of their age, or color. I believe we live in a culture of death and God calls us to be His disciples. It's the 40th anniversary ... and we pray that the law will be overturned. Fifty-five million babies have been aborted in the last 40 years. I imagine that some of them might have made great medical discoveries, for example, made great contributions."
"People do this [have abortions] out of fear but we hope that people understand that there are a lot of other alternatives."
The abortion debate has raged on unabated for the past four decades. It is an issue that stirs deep and heartfelt emotions, rancor and is divisive in a manner akin to the political divide that has torn this country asunder.
President Barack Obama, in a statement released on Friday, Jan. 25, restated his position.
"On the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we reaffirm the historic commitment to protect the health and reproductive freedom of women across the country and stand by its guiding principle: that the government should not intrude on our most private family matters, and women should be able to make their own choices about their bodies and health care."
Several surveys indicate a noticeable shift in support for the right to have an abortion, with support for the legal right to end a pregnancy increasing. That shift has come largely from Latinos and blacks. In addition, a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll found that for the first time a majority of Americans support abortions in all or most cases.
Nine percent of pro-life supporters believe that abortions should be illegal without exception and 35 percent said they should be illegal with some exceptions. By a 70-24 percent margin, those asked said they would oppose Roe v. Wade being overturned, while 57 percent said they feel strongly that the law shouldn't be overturned. Also, a new poll by the Pew Research Center documents that 63 percent of Americans are opposed to overturning the law.
Some marchers spoke of their concern that Planned Parenthood and abortion supporters target black and Latino women so that the numbers of these women who have abortions is disproportionately higher. But reproductive justice advocates have fought back saying that while the abortion rate for black women is almost five times that for white women, that disparity can be traced to a range of social, economic and health disparities.
"Black women are not alone in having disproportionately high unintended pregnancy and abortion rates. The abortion rate among Hispanic women, for example, although not as high as the rate among black women, is double the rate among whites," said Susan A. Cohen of the Guttmacher Institute headquartered in New York. "Hispanics also have a higher level of unintended pregnancies than white women. Black women's unintended pregnancy rates are the highest of all."
"These higher unintended pregnancy rates reflect the particular difficulties that many women in minority communities face in accessing high-quality contraceptive services and in using their chosen method of birth control consistently and effectively over long periods of time," according to a report that was originally published in the Guttmacher Policy Review in 2008.
Cohen said the issue is framed within the "larger context in which significant racial and ethnic disparities persist for a wide range of health outcomes ..."
Jose Funes, an 18-year-old teacher's assistant at Capitol City Middle School in Northwest, said he and a group of teenagers waited outside the doors of the Verizon Center at 6 a.m., where they attended Mass and a concert, and then staged a protest at Gallery Place, blocks from the Mall.
"I feel really strongly about this issue. I saw what happened in Newtown," said Funes. "Our president talked about defending the life of children. I see innocent kids dying with no ability to defend themselves."
Thousands of people from the Washington region and the nation marched in the District to call on the U.S. Congress to adopt President Obama's plan to stop deaths due to gun violence.
The March on Washington for Gun Control, organized by Molly Smith, the artistic director for the Arena Stage in Southwest and American Indian activist Suzanne Blue Star Boy of the District, took place on Saturday, Jan. 26. Gary Perry, a resident of Northwest, joined the estimated 1,000 people at the U.S. Capitol Reflecting Pool to walk silently to the grounds of the Washington Monument to protest what he said is an unacceptable situation in the District.
"I think that it is absurd that military weapons are on the streets of Washington," said Perry, 62. "There is a steady stream of shootings in the city but we as residents have become desensitized to it."
The murders of dozens of children at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., in December 2012 fueled the march, Smith said. A contingent of parents, family members and friends of those slain in Newtown participated in the march.
The Children's Defense Fund in Northwest published statistics on Jan. 3 that showed that a child or teen dies or is injured from guns every 30 minutes. The statistics also reveal that seven youngsters die every day from gun violence and that 52 young people perish due to guns every week.
The statistics are real for Timothy Hewlin of Southeast. His son, Demetrius died on Feb. 27, 2012 because of gun violence in Chardon, Ohio.
"Demetrius was in school in the cafeteria at 7:30 a.m. when someone who was not a student or employed at the school came in and starting shooting," said Hewlin, 52. He carried a sign with a picture of his son during the march.
Hewlin said that five children were shot and three died, one being his son.
"Demetrius died the next day in the hospital and he was only 16," he said. "Demetrius was an only child and once you lose a child there is a pain that never goes away. That is a phone call you hope you never get."
Young adults are dying as a result of gun violence, something that Deborah Hill of Landover, Md., knows well.
"A neighbor of mine, D'Lonte Days, was shot to death last year," said Hill, 48. "D'Lonte was only 23. We need stiffer gun laws to protect people and to stop them from getting into the hands of our children."
Mary Silva of Silver Spring participated in the march because she has seen the devastating effects of gun violence on society in general.
"I was in the city when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were assassinated in 1968," said Silva, 69. "I was also here when [former Reagan press secretary] James Brady was shot in 1981. I believe in eliminating semi-automatic assault weapons because they are for our men and women in the military, not civilians."
The federal ban on the sale of military-style assault rifles is one of five measures that the marchers want Congress to act on. The others include: banning the sale of high-capacity ammunition magazines that kill people quickly, requiring universal criminal and mental health background checks for all firearm purchasers, prohibiting the sale of bullets that explode inside the body and requiring gun safety training for all purchasers of firearms.
Earlier during the week, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), introduced legislation to ban assault weapons but it will be an uphill battle in the Senate because Republicans and some Democrats oppose the ban.
Meanwhile, D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) told those who attended that the march symbolizes that the American people are becoming more aware of the reality of death from firearms but challenged the marchers to get involved in the legislative process to change the nation's gun laws.
"Gun violence has taken on a life of its own," said Norton, 75. "There should be no more moaning. The gun lobby can be stopped and you can stop them."
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan agreed.
"This march is a starting point [to stop gun violence], not an end point," said Duncan, 49.
D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray (D) and D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) also addressed the crowd. Mendelson's colleagues, D.C. Council members Anita Bonds (D-At Large), David Grosso (I-At Large), Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3), Kenyon McDuffie (D-Ward 5) and Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) also attended the march but didn't speak at the rally.
Other speakers included U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children's Defense Fund.
Perry said that the galvanization of people for this cause reminds him of another time when children who died changed public policy.
"This reminds me of the killing of the four black girls in the Birmingham church in 1963 and that woke up the nation like the Newtown incident did," he said.
The Jan. 29 execution of a Texas woman convicted in the murder of her 71-year-old neighbor has been halted.
A state judge stopped the execution of Kimberly McCarthy,51, who would have been the first woman in the U.S. to be put to death since 2010. State District Judge Larry Mitchell gave McCarthy a reprieve just five hours before she was to die by lethal injection for the 1997 murder of Dorothy Booth.
According to reports, Dallas County Assistant District Attorney Shelly Yeatts said McCarthy's execution date is now on April 3. Her attorneys argue that McCarthy was prosecuted on the basis of race. She is black, but 11 jurors were white, with only one black person.
Had the excecution proceeded on Tuesday, it would have marked the first time in nearly three years that a female prisoner was executed in this country.
(Source:Wire Reports)
One in four students in California is an English Language Learner (ELL), which amounts to 1.5 million students in the state's K-12 schools. According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California, more than 20,000 of them are not receiving the services they need to learn English.
The ACLU announced on Wednesday that it will file a lawsuit against the State Board of Education and State Superintendent Tom Torlakson in the next 30 days if the institution does not put an end to the problem, which affects mostly Latino students.
"Many parents and students don't even know that they are classified as ELLs and what that means. Many of them have been in this category for years and finish high school without being proficient in the language," said Jessica Pierce, an attorney with the ACLU of Southern California.
"The state knows about this situation. They have the data, the reports and they haven't taken action to stop violating the state constitution and federal statutes that since 1974 require school districts to provide these students with the necessary resources," said Mark Rosenbaum, chief legal counsel for the ACLU of Southern California.
"Just last year and the year before these school districts received more than $160 million for services to ELL students, and we don't know where that money has gone, but it hasn't gone to the students and their parents," said Rosenbaum.
More than a quarter of all school districts (251) have failed to provide such services. These include the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), where, according to the report "Opportunity Lost," released by the California ACLU and the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, more than 4,100 ELL students are not receiving any services. In the Compton Unified School District, about 1,700 students are in this situation.
Mahogany Guillen, a Latina student who recently graduated from high school in Oxnard, explained the limitations experienced by students whose first language is not English.
"They put you in the same class as everyone else regardless of your English level, whether you speak a little or not at all. It's very frustrating," said Guillen, who graduated without being proficient in English, which now prevents her from going to college.
"I have to go back and take some basic classes if I want to go to a community college," said Guillen. Not being able to master the language, she said, also closes the door to counseling services. "School counselors don't want to talk to you in English because you aren't proficient, or in Spanish because there aren't enough bilingual staff," she said.
Rosenbaum explained that on Wednesday the ACLU sent a letter to Superintendent Torlakson and Mike Kirst, president of the State Board of Education, demanding that the state comply with its moral and constitutional obligation to provide all California students the same educational opportunity, regardless of their ethnic origin.
"We'll give them 30 days. Otherwise we will proceed with the lawsuit in court," the attorney said.
Meanwhile, Karen Cadiero-Kaplan, the director of the California Department of Education's English Learner Support Division, said Wednesday through a written statement, "School districts...currently report that more than 98 percent of the state's 1.4 million English learners are receiving services."
Cadiero-Kaplan said the agency will review the complaint, but noted that an appeals court recently said that the Department of Education and the State Superintendent are in compliance with their responsibility to monitor ELLs.
In LAUSD, more than 161,000 students are classified as ELL, of which according to the report, only about 2 percent are not receiving adequate services. Of these, nearly 94 percent speak Spanish as their primary language. In California Spanish-speakers make up 85 percent of ELLs.
In a letter to President Barack Obama, the National Coalition of Black Veterans Organizations (NCBVO) asks that during the celebration of Black History Month in February-- a presidential proclamation be issued that elevates legendary Buffalo Soldier Col. Charles Young to the honorary rank of Brigadier General.
Col. Young was medically discharged from the US. Army on Jan. 22, 1917, but he was recalled in 1918 after riding 500 miles to demonstrate his fitness to serve on active military duty.
"We are firm in our belief that the honor we are seeking on his behalf was earned over a career that spanned more than thirty-two years of honorable service to our nation (1889 - 1922)," a portion of the letter dated Jan. 22, reads. "We are joined in this request by resolutions from the Commonwealth of Kentucky House of Representatives (the birth state of Colonel Young), the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, the Council of the District of Columbia and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People."
The letter, which was signed by NCBVO chairman Charles Blatcher III, goes on to state that "as the third Black cadet to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Young's accomplishments were numerous.
"They included becoming the first Black military attache, the first Black Superintendent of a National Park, and the first Black soldier promoted to both the ranks of Lieutenant Colonel as well as Colonel. He also distinguished himself in command positions during the Philippine Insurrection and General Pershing's Punitive Expedition. During the latter event, his courageous actions under fire resulted in the rescue of the 13th Cavalry. Colonel Young was the highest ranking African American in the military at the outset of the First World War and until his death in 1922."
In alluding to action taken in 1956 by President Harry Truman, NCVBO further notes that this would not be the first time such a request was made.
"In 1925, Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell was court martialed, reduced in rank to colonel and discharged from the United States Army," the letter continues. "He was charged with "conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline and in a way to bring discredit upon the military service. Ten years after his death in 1946, President Harry S. Truman posthumously promoted then Colonel William "Billy" Mitchell to the rank of Major General."
California Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who will also be writing Obama on Young's behalf, said in a statement that Black History Month is a "particularly fitting time" to bestow the posthumous honor on Young.
"Colonel Young was a true trailblazer; in a time when the obstacles he faced due to the color of his skin seemed insurmountable, his achievements were astounding," Lee said.
"This is why I will be sending a letter to President Obama requesting a presidential proclamation promoting Colonel Young to the rank of Brigadier General."
Clarence Meachem stood in front of President Abraham Lincoln's statue in front of the D.C. Court of Appeals, and snapped pictures of the man credited with freeing four million enslaved Africans.
Afterward, Meachem reflected on bearing witness to President Barack Obama's second inauguration.
"I was on the [National] Mall and I thought it was great," said Meachem, 70. "I missed the first inauguration and couldn't miss this one. I have never been through something of this magnitude. He was a godsend and he's doing a good job despite the obstacles."
Meachem, a power plant operator at North Carolina A&T University, said he traveled by bus with a group of 25 from Greensboro, N.C., and after the Inaugural Parade planned to jump back on the bus and head south.
"I never thought I'd see a black president in my lifetime," he said. "[Obama's] election has irreversibly changed the country. His being the first black president is tremendously important. He's done so much but it's gone unnoticed."
January 21st marked the 57th Inauguration, where between 800,000 and one million people crowded the National Mall, despite chilly temperatures. A confident Obama laid out an assured and detailed vision of what he imagines America's future to be.
He took his public oath of office on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, in a year that includes the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington.
The president called for collective action to deal with issues such as immigration reform, climate change, gun control, equal pay for women and gay rights.
Much of downtown around the Capitol, the Mall and areas along the parade route were shut down, with thousands of police, Army and other security officials manning barricades and barriers. Troop transports, Humvees and an imposing gun metal-colored SWAT vehicle sat on broad, empty streets. Large wire fences, concrete barricades, Metro buses, and helicopters overhead ensured that the day's festivities went off without a hitch.
The overwhelming presence of vendors could not be missed either. They hawked everything from caps, scarves, T-shirts, flags, key rings, calendars and buttons. Enterprising ones even took the day's paper and had it laminated and ready for sale before the swearing in ceremony was over.
A sea of humanity moved from the Mall to the parade route along Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, decked out in Obama paraphernalia, American flags and a host of other mementos. The pomp, pageantry and majesty of the day's events engendered pride. Tens of thousands of people, standing six and eight deep on the sidewalks, sought out higher ground in an attempt to get a better view. Some climbed statues and trees, others clambered onto embankments or grabbed a spot on steps of buildings such as the National Archives.
Baltimore resident Katie Runkel stood atop a trash can, armed with binoculars waiting for the parade to begin.
"President Obama prompted me to come out," the 24-year-old music major said. "I'm a grad student and he offers far better possibilities for student loans."
Runkel, who studies at the Peabody Conservatory, expressed glowing admiration for Obama.
"He's such a dignified and respectful man. I think it's an honor to have him as president."
The California native came with her husband David, 26, and friend Mary Trotter, 27. The trio said they enjoyed their trip but complained about not being able to hear the Jumbotron.
"The TVs weren't working and the audio was in and out. About 200,000 people started booing at the screen," Runkel said with a laugh.
"... we saw and we heard some but not too much," Trotter interjected.
She spoke of the sense of history she felt.
"I will probably never do this again. Mostly, it's because it's MLK Day," said Trotter referring to the national holiday set aside on the third Monday of every January to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. "I wanted to be here, feel the energy and see what it was like."
Lorenzo Matthews, a 57-year-old engineer from Philadelphia, Pa., traveled to the District at 1 a.m. with his family. He saw the swearing in from the Mall and trekked to Indiana Avenue in Northwest to watch the parade.
"It seems like a lot of folks are joyous about the inauguration. I enjoyed it myself," he said. "At the time of the last inauguration, I had young kids at home so we couldn't come down. Now they're older."
Matthews outlined some of his hopes for Obama's second term.
"I think he did as well in the first term as I had expected him to do given the Congress he was dealing with. I'm really concerned about taxes and who gets taxed. I also think everyone should have access to health care. While I'm fortunate enough to have insurance, there are some people who are not."
"In the second term, I hope [he] pushes through the things ... on his agenda but I want him to deal with education and the housing market."
Kayle Rodgers, a cashier at Starbucks in one of the court buildings downtown, left work at around 3:45 p.m. to catch a glimpse of the crowd.
"It has been a really good vibe around here. Everyone is excited," said Rodgers, a Salem, Ore., native who has lived in the District for five years. "Yesterday was very touristy so it's good to see Washingtonians just walking around. It's nice to see everyone come together."
Kara Franz and Jenn Molay looked like America's twins. The pair wore Carnival beads, sunglasses, hats and leg warmers adorned with red, white and blue.
"The excitement of the city brought me out today," said Franz, 26, with a laugh. "It's been great so far."
Molay, 26, said they have enjoyed several inaugural events over the past nine years.
"[But] we decided to dress up this year," she said. "We had fun shopping for our beads, hats and sunglasses."
Patricia Martin, a 77-year-old retired Winston Salem State University employee, gushed about Obama and the symbolism of his presidency.
"This is my first experience. I stood in line for about 2 ½ hours but missed seeing the swearing in," said Martin. "I feel excited, so excited. It's hard to explain. I'm sorry it took so long. I never, never thought I'd lived to see this day."
Also Marks Opening of New Business in Bethesda
The Rev. Benjamin L. Chavis and fellow Wilmington 10 member Wayne Moore numbered among more than 40 guests at the former Box Sports Bar and Restaurant in Bethesda, Md., on Jan, 18.
They were there to celebrate two seminal events: the grand opening of a new business Chavis co-founded and also a salute to the Wilmington 10 who are celebrating the recent pardon signed by outgoing North Carolina Gov. Beverly Purdue. Among the guests were former Maryland Lt. Governor and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, as well as political, civil rights, entertainment, business and sports leaders in the Washington, D.C. area.
Chavis, 64, the acknowledged leader of the Wilmington 10, said he felt vindicated to finally be pardoned for a crime neither he nor any of the other activists committed.
"I was very joyous but I also wished that the four members who're deceased were alive to have knowledge of this victory, but they're here in spirit," he said. "When something historic happens, we have to use the issue to push for more change."
"We tried to preserve our educational institutions and that struggle continues in 2013."
On Dec. 31, Perdue issued the pardon for Chavis, Moore, Ann Shepard, Jerry Jacobs, Willie Earl Vereen, William Wright, Reginald Epps, Connie Tindall, James McKoy and Marvin Patrick. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) as well as Chavis and others had stepped up calls for the pardon last year.
Perdue said her action was prompted by the racism and racial bias that suffused the case.
"These convictions were tainted by naked racism and represent an ugly stain on North Carolina's criminal justice system that cannot be allowed to stand any longer," she said. "Justice demands that this stain finally be removed."
In 1976, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the group's appeal. Then later that year, Allen Hall, who claimed to have actually seen the defendants burn the grocery store, reversed his testimony saying that he was pressured by police to lie or he would have been hurt or imprisoned.
In 1978, then-Gov. Jim Hunt reduced the group's sentences, allowing eight of them to become eligible for parole and in 1980 the convictions were overturned by a federal court which found prosecutors had engaged in misconduct.
At the time she issued the pardon Perdue said she felt compelled to take that action because the court ruled that the prosecutor knew that his star witness lied on the witness stand. That person and other witnesses later recanted. She also was moved by recently discovered notes from the prosecutor that indicated a preference for white jurors who might be members of the Ku Klux Klan. The prosecutor is also alleged to have scribbled a derogatory racial description of a black juror as an "Uncle Tom" type. Perdue also pointed to the federal court's ruling that the prosecutor knew his star witness had lied. He and others later recanted their testimonies.
Moore, 60, said segregation had a stranglehold on education for black students in Wilmington, located in New Hanover County. The federal government threatened to take money from the county unless officials increased the quota of black students. Instead, they closed down the only black school and bused Moore and other students to white schools. He said he was punished for standing up and demanding a quality education for blacks. He described a community wracked by racial tension, unrest and deep distrust.
"We weren't able to participate comfortably; it was hard," Moore recalled of the forced busing. "We developed a list of grievances, including calls for a Martin Luther King observance, more cheerleaders and greater representation on the student government. In order to press them, we organized a boycott."
Moore said he attended a meeting one night at Gregory Congregational Church where Chavis – who was dispatched by the United Church of Christ Commission for Racial Justice to assist – was instructing students on how best to develop a non-violent but forceful response to school and county officials.
"Vigilantes attacked us and a riot ensued," he said. "One year later, police arrested 16 people for causing the riot. I was overwhelmed, stunned shocked. My world was turned upside down. All we wanted to do was to develop a conducive educational environment."
In February 1971, someone firebombed a grocery store located a block from the church. Chavis was arrested, charged with conspiracy to commit murder and conspiracy to firebomb the store and sentenced to 34 years in prison. Moore was originally sentenced to 29 years in prison and said he served four and ½ years in Central Prison.
Moore, an author and electrician by trade, said he was angry and bitter initially but realized that "bitterness only eats at you."
On a website that details the experiences of the group, Moore wrote: "Although I can only imagine what it was like to be a slave chained to the bowels of a slave ship, my experience with the Wilmington 10 allowed me to somewhat sample physical bondage with no ability for self-reliance or self-determination. Once freed from physical bondage one may either become careless or carefree, mean or desensitized, or fragile or unable to cope. Or one may become a courageous warrior triumphant in many of their endeavors."
Moore said he has struggled tremendously to overcome the psychological and social effects of being imprisoned for crimes he didn't commit. His self-confidence and self-esteem were shattered and the long separation from family and friends irreparably affected those relationships.
"Repairing those wounded relationships has been my most difficult challenge to date," he said.
Moore, who was forced to move to Michigan to find work, said he's elated every time he thinks about the pardon.
"I'm still on Cloud Nine about that," he said with a laugh. "A friend called and said congrats, I asked him what for and he told me. I immediately went online and they had an issuance of pardon."
Chavis, who served as executive director of the NAACP and who played an influential role in developing the Million Man March, was paroled in 1979.
He addressed the gathering about The Dry Fry Wing Company that he co-founded with partner George Farrell, as music spun by DJ James the Great played softly in the background. As Chavis spoke, patrons from other parts of the restaurant moved in closer to hear him.
"Sisters and brothers, before we have an opportunity to taste the wings I want to set the tone," said Chavis on Jan. 18. "The grand opening takes place on the eve of the second inauguration of President Obama and on the eve of Dr. King's holiday. Young people will learn about business and the stock market, dividends and liquidity."
"On the eve of the great celebration of Obama and the living legacy of Dr. King, I can think of no better place to be."
After luminaries cut a large red ribbon outside of the building, Chavis, Steele and Farrell each spoke about the economic benefits that come from owning and operating a business. The Florida-based company – The Dry Fried Wing Bar and Grille – is entering the Washington metro area market and will operate at 7525 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda. There are plans to spread across the country.
"We stand on the shoulders of the Kings, mommies and daddies who didn't have the opportunity," Steele said. "I hope we understand what this business means to the state and the conversations we must have about empowerment, power and ownership. Our mommies and daddies fought for the right to sit at lunch counters and this generation has the opportunity to own the diner where the lunch counter was."
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