National
In her own quiet and dignified manner, Lillian Miles Lewis lived her life as a testament to how people of all creeds and races should treat one another. In the process, she exemplified unwavering support and devotion to her family, never failing to embrace youth who sometimes just needed that extra motherly touch.
Such were the sentiments shared Monday, Jan. 7 among mourners – including a slate of local and national politicians and luminaries from the civil rights movement – who crowded the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta where the legacy of Mrs. Lewis, married 44 years to the distinguished Georgia Congressman John Lewis, was memorialized.
"As a child, I felt blessed because I believed that when I was born, God had provided me with two sets of parents – my own and my godparents, John and Lillian Lewis," said Michael Julian Bond, a member of the Atlanta City Council. "Mrs. Lewis was an extraordinary woman – beautiful in spirit and in possession of a razor-sharp intellect. In watching her as I grew up, it was easy to see why Congressman Lewis fell in love with this astounding gentlewoman."
Council President Ceasar Mitchell nodded in agreement. Expressing his sadness over Mrs. Lewis's passing at age 73 on Dec. 31 at Emory University Hospital, Mitchell added that not only was she a devoted wife to the congressman, but that she was also actively involved in politics and the community.
"She and Congressman Lewis are a wonderful example of a couple dedicated to both service and each other," Mitchell said. "As we celebrate her legacy today, I want to extend my heartfelt condolences to her family and those whose lives she touched."
Among the cadre of other local leaders paying their final respects to the kindly woman who carried herself with "inspiring dignity," were current and former Atlanta mayors Kasim Reed, Andrew Young, Shirley Franklin and Bill Campbell, respectively. Out-of-town notables included House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, as well as Congress members Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, John Conyers of Michigan and Shelia Jackson Lee of Texas. Georgia state senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss were also in attendance.
The Lewises were married in December 1968 at Ebenezer Baptist Church by the Rev. Martin Luther King Sr. John-Miles Lewis is their only child.
Mrs. Lewis's close friend Xernona Clayton Brady, who introduced the couple to each other in 1967 during a NewYear's Eve party, shared a touching remembrance that at times, evoked non-restrained laughter. In conclusion, Brady added that while "too many people come into the world and simply take up space, Lillian was born in this world but she enhanced her space."
Others like the Rev. Jesse Jackson recalled the Los Angeles native who encouraged her husband to go into politics, and taught in Nigeria in 1960 in a student program before returning to Africa in the Peace Corps as a "peace-loving, freedom-fighting woman."
Cynthia King Farris, sister of Martin Luther King, Jr., commented that, "I doubt any member of Congress had a better-informed spouse."
Aside from her work counseling her husband, Mrs. Lewis, was instrumental in the creation of the Atlanta Black-Jewish Coalition (AJC), where she helped plan programs and visited schools during MLK Week celebrations.
Sherry Frank, a former Atlanta AJC director, recalled Mrs. Lewis's commitment toward the organization's programs on Jewish ties to Israel and Black ties to Africa.
"She was so knowledgeable about the world and proud to bring her Atlanta University scholars from Africa to these programs to educate us and build bridges of understanding," said Frank.
Hilary Shelton, director of the Washington bureau of the NACCP, said he'd met Mrs. Lewis on several occasions and always felt she was a warm and down-to-earth person.
"She was a great supporter of her husband, whom you could tell right away that she loved very much," said Shelton. "It was always a joy to see them together, as you could just feel the love between them. She was truly a very nice, very friendly person."
Charles Steele Jr., Takes Reins at SCLC, Celebrates Inaugural
The man who once presided over the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the most storied civil rights organization in America, has returned to lead the group in celebrating President Barack Obama’s historic second inauguration on Monday.
Charles Steele Jr., who is back at the helm of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), will also help the group mark what would have been the 84th birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the civil rights champion who helped found the SCLC 56 years ago.
“With the great history of the SCLC, there was no way I could sit idly by and let it go under,” Steele said. “The board asked me to come back and I did.”
Steele, 66, said he had heard too often the doom and gloom that surrounded the once proud organization that rose to prominence during King’s monumental battle to gain civil rights for African Americans and others.
Once Steele stepped aside in 2008 as president of the Atlanta, Ga.-based organization, the whispers in and outside the African American and civil rights communities grew louder.
King’s image was being tarnished, some wrote, while others said the SCLC had simply lost its relevance.
“The world has let us know that the SCLC is needed as much now as we were when King was our leader,” Steele said.
“Are we still relevant and important? I’d argue, especially based on what I’ve heard during my travels, that we are more important and more relevant now than ever before. There is still a great need for us to continue what King was doing during the movement and a greater need to see that his dream is fulfilled,” he said.
Steele returned in July as chief executive officer amid calls from the board of directors to restore financial stability and credibility to the SCLC.
During the announcement in July, SCLC Board Chairman Bernard LaFayette didn’t hesitate to voice his full support for Steele, who had led the organization during more prosperous times.
“The storm is over for SCLC,” LaFayette, 72, said. “We are rebuilding our executive team and Dr. Steele is a vital member.”
The SCLC found itself immersed in controversy after a 2010 complaint was filed by its General Counsel, Dexter Wimbish, alleging that the group’s then-chairman Rev. Raleigh Trammell, 74, and treasurer, Spiver Gordon, 73, had engaged in unauthorized expenditures.
Both men were ultimately cleared of those charges, although Trammell was later convicted in an unrelated theft case in Dayton, Ohio.
Since his return, Steele hasn’t wasted any time in seeking to restore the legacy that was instilled by King and others during the tumultuous civil rights movement in the mid-20th century.
“We went global,” he said. “I just got back from the Ukraine and France and we have a vision which is to spread King’s vision throughout the world.”
Among the many foreign dignitaries he met with included Mikhail Gorbachev, the last head of state of the former Soviet Union, Steele said.
“We met for two hours and the first thing he asked me in Moscow was whether or not King’s dream has been fulfilled,” Steele said. “No, it has not been. We’ve just begun to embark upon having any token of the dream being fulfilled.”
“Gorbachev asked me what could he do?” Steele said. “I told him to become a partner with African Americans who have made the supreme sacrifice with their lives. We have to take this opportunity to let the world know because the SCLC isn’t going anywhere, we are here to stay for at least another 100 years because there is a need for the SCLC and the civil rights movement.”
Steele also took his message of a global civil rights campaign to France, Israel and Palestine, he said, noting that many individuals from those countries inquired as to how King and other African Americans were able to endure great oppression during the struggle.
“Well, you won’t find people in leadership roles who speak out but I have a right to tell the truth. You can’t be scared and you can’t be a scared Negro because that will get you killed.”
Steele also plans to increase calls for more African Americans to register to vote and participate in global economic efforts that should see more jobs created for black people, he said.
“We’ve got to do something about black voter registration. We celebrate Obama, but our people must keep in mind that we operate at a disadvantage when we lack information,” Steele said. “We also need to realize financial freedom in the form of a global economy that African Americans have yet to take advantage of.”
The world has moved toward a global society and the impact of that movement can be as great for African Americans as anyone else if interest and participation are high, Steele said.
“We must take responsibility and help to bring about opportunities from a global perspective. If we do, our impact would be strong enough that we can really empower one another and finally realize that part of King’s dream,” he said.
Outspoken, witty and, at times, deadpan serious, Steele seemingly has the complete backing of SCLC’s officials.
“He has the credibility that we need,” said the Rev. Samuel F. Mosteller, 54, president of the group’s Georgia chapter.
“Without (Steele), we would be moving a lot slower,” LaFayette said. “Now, we will move swiftly into the future.”
The organization will host a gala that will highlight its accomplishments and celebrate Obama’s re-election.
Festivities are set to begin at 11 a.m., Jan. 20 at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel in Southwest and 8 p.m., Jan. 21 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Northwest. The SCLC will also mark what would have been King’s 84th birthday during the festivities.
“These events are going to highlight the accomplishments of SCLC since its inception and showcase the work that has been done and define the work that is left to do,” Steele said.
The SCLC will celebrate Obama’s re-election and “the people who made the election possible,” Steele said. “We will honor not only the president of the United States, but the legacy of our founding President Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”
A gospel brunch hosted by Sunday Best All-Star Corey Webb will kick off at 11 a.m., on Sunday at the hotel. Guests will hear messages from the Rev. Gwendolyn Boyd of Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church of Fort Washington, Md., and the Rev. Kevin Adams of Olivet Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tenn. Admission for the brunch is $65.
The invite-only “Dream Keepers for Justice” dinner on Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m., will follow. That event will include Earl Bynum, the executive director of music at Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church in Chesapeake, Va., as well as singer Pauline Key, and singer and musician, Richard Smallwood.
Rap legends Whodini will highlight the People’s Inaugural Gala at 8 p.m., Jan. 21 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts and Steele said he’s hopeful the president will at least make a cameo. Tickets for that gala are $80 and can be purchased by visiting www.sclcnational.org or by calling 404-522-1420, ext. 213.
Tens of thousands of people are hard at work in the District putting the finishing touches on events and related activities marking President Barack Obama's second inauguration.
Obama will be sworn in on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Monday, Jan. 21. Later, the first family will lead a parade of floats, military units, marching bands, dancers and others along Pennsylvania Avenue in Northwest.
Ann Walters, a Jamaican native who has lived in the District of Columbia for more than 20 years, counted among the throng of people who converged on the National Mall in January 2009 and who witnessed Obama's swearing-in as America's first African-American president.
"I went with friends who wanted to witness this important event," said Walters, a local businesswoman. "They were gung-ho, were in town and wanted to go. It was so cold, we couldn't get close to anything and transportation was messed up but it was good to be there."
Walters said in Jamaica it is commonplace to see black leaders running the country.
"It's less significant than it might have been because of where I come from. We're used to having leaders who look like us," she said. "But I understand the context of where blacks in this country are coming from with slavery, oppression, racism and the blatant disrespect they face. It was interesting to see in this the fulfillment of people like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X who carved it out. You can see what they sacrificed for."
Walters said she doesn't plan to be on the National Mall this year and will likely watch it on TV. She also said she plans to get involved in a service project in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose national holiday falls on the same day.
Unlike 2009, the crowds are expected to number somewhere between 600,000 and 800,000 – a far cry from the almost two million people who braved subzero temperatures to witness the installation of the nation's first black president. While the novelty and pride of having the first black president has dimmed, enthusiasm for Obama's second term is still said to be high.
A distinguished list of celebrities have signed on to help usher in the second term musically. Beyonce is slated to sing the national anthem. James Taylor and Kelly Clarkson will also perform at the West front of the Capitol. Meanwhile, Usher, Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, John Legend and the cast of Glee will perform at other inaugural events.
Perry, Usher, Keys and Brad Paisley are scheduled to sing at two inaugural balls on Inauguration Day and at a children's concert two days earlier. The balls will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in downtown Washington, and scores of other related events will dot the Washington metropolitan area.
More than 40,000 people are expected to go to both balls, with well over 30,000 elegantly dressed partygoers attending the Presidential Inaugural Ball. A much smaller crowd of about 4,000 will gather and dance the night away at a gala to honor American service men and women. This affair, the "Commander in Chief's Ball", was established by President George W. Bush to honor the military. Tickets are free for those in the military, including active-duty service personnel, those in the reserves, those wounded in battle and Medal of Honor winners.
On Saturday, first lady Michelle Obama and Vice Presidential spouse Jill Biden will host a children's concert. A stellar cast of performers will entertain the youngsters. The concert will pay special tribute to military families in honor of their sacrifice and service.
Because Inauguration Day falls on a Sunday, the presidential oath will be administered in a private ceremony and the public swearing-in and celebrations held the next day. At noon on Sunday, Jan. 20, as required by the Constitution, Obama will take the official oath of office in the Blue Room at the White House, and Vice President Joe Biden will be sworn in at the Naval Observatory in Northwest.
The cost of attending many of the events is out of the price range of most working Washingtonians but inauguration officials made available a limited number of $60 ball tickets for the general public that sold out very quickly.
The inaugural activities come at the end of a heated, partisan, rancorous election which saw Obama win a second four-year term over Republican challenger Mitt Romney. The inauguration also plays out against a backdrop of economic turmoil, stubborn unemployment numbers, a sharply divided electorate and the winding down of an unpopular war in Afghanistan.
Unlike four years ago, Obama is expected to take the oath in temperatures that meteorologists predict will range between the 30s and mid-40s.
The nation's 57th inauguration is suffused with history. It falls on the day set aside by Americans to remember the life, legacy and service of Civil Rights icon King. It also comes as the nation celebrates the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln's signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial occurred 50 years ago this year. Symbolically, the bibles Obama has chosen for his swearing-in are one belonging to King and another that Lincoln used during his presidential inaugural ceremony.
The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies theme for the 57th inauguration is "Faith in America's Future" which commemorates America's perseverance and unity, while marking the sesquicentennial year that the Statue of Freedom was placed atop the Capitol dome in 1863.
The president's inaugural theme, "Our People. Our Future." speaks to the country's diversity, and reflects the strength of Americans and their ability to overcome trials and challenges.
The parade, which extends from the U.S. Capitol to the White House, will necessitate the closing of swathes of downtown Washington for security reasons. About 60 streets and more than a dozen bridges will be closed until the end of the festivities. Thousands of police, security personnel and members of the military, police agencies and the Secret Service will provide security.
Metrorail is running on a rush-hour schedule for 17 hours on Monday from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m., then, it will operate on a non-rush hour schedule until 2 a.m. Three stations – Archives, Mt. Vernon Square and Smithsonian stations will be closed throughout the day for security reasons.
Metro is providing about 60,000 parking spaces in 29 lots and 22 garages for motorists on Inauguration Day.
Obama plans to kick off the weekend's festivities on Saturday with the National Day of Service, a call for Americans to serve their communities in honor of King's legacy. The Obamas began this observance four years ago and the president said he hopes his successors will continue the practice. A former community organizer in Chicago started the volunteer program four years ago, and inaugural organizers say he hopes future presidents will continue it.
The Presidential Inauguration Committee recently announced a range of volunteer activities in and around the District and in cities and towns nationally, and it is encouraging Americans to pledge a commitment to serve on MLK Day and beyond. The committee is organizing a fair on the National Mall to encourage service on that day. The Obamas and the Biden family have committed to work on projects in the city.
Those who can't make it to the Inauguration can catch the event on streaming video. The Presidential Inauguration Committee also launched an app that can be used in iPhones and Androids to watch the ceremony. The app also provides maps of both the parade and the swearing-in ceremony, and the locations of viewing screens, restrooms and vendors and delineates ticketed and other areas.
District of Columbia Mayor Vincent C. Gray has expressed gratitude to President Barack Obama for agreeing to place D.C.'s "Taxation without Representation" license plates on his official vehicles.
The agreement, which comes just in time for the inaugural parade, has turned a spotlight on the District's long-running lack of voting representation in Congress.
"I appreciate the president agreeing to bring attention to this important issue during the inauguration festivities," said Gray. "As a District resident himself, President Obama has seen up close the injustice of denying voting representation and other forms of robust self-government to the 632,000 people who live in the very shadow of our nation's most recognizable symbol of democracy."
The White House indicated that the plates would remain on the presidential vehicles throughout the remainder of Obama's term.
D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton also thanked Obama "for agreeing to a small but larger than life sign of his commitment" to the District and its residents.
"Double kudos to the D.C. Council for pursuing a strategy to make it happen," Norton said in a statement. "Each step must be counted as bringing us closer to our full entitlement as American citizens who pay more than our fair share of federal taxes and have served in all the nation's wars, always without the rights those obligations demand."
D.C.'s "Taxation without Representation" plates were first used on presidential vehicles by President Bill Clinton in the 1990s, but they were removed by President George W. Bush after he took office in 2001.
During his first term, Obama did not use the "Taxation without Representation" plates. But the White House issued a statement saying that the president had seen how it was "patently unfair" for D.C. residents to pay federal taxes without enjoying voting representation in Congress.
The statement also said that placing the plates on his vehicles "demonstrates the president's commitment to the principle of full representation for the people of the District of Columbia and his willingness to fight for voting rights, Home Rule and budget autonomy for the District."
A candlelight vigil recently took place on the steps of City Hall in New Orleans in honor the victims of the Newtown tragedy to raise awareness of gun-control issues, and to shed light on the importance of mental health care. Louisiana is 50th in per-capita funding of community-based treatment services with only 30 percent of mental health dollars allocated for community-based care, according to the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana.
Dr. Pritesh Gandhi, a pediatrics and internal medicine resident at Tulane, helped coordinate the vigil as part of his efforts with Doctors For Gun Control. Started just a few weeks ago, DFGC is an organization dedicated to treating violence as a public health issue. It is Gandhi's hope that the tragedy in Newtown can be used as a call to action for those in the healthcare field to go beyond the confines of a hospital or a clinic and focus more on mental health care within the community at large.
Candlelight vigil participants honor Newtown victims, calls for gun control in New Orleans.
"Mental health care is sort of what underpins the health system in a city that suffers from urban poverty like we do. Without strong mental health care, it's not possible to break the cycles of pathology and poverty. It's just a huge anchor in what we do," Gandhi told The Louisiana Weekly in an interview before the vigil.
Despite chilly temperatures, the vigil saw a turnout of around 25 people from the healthcare field and church as well as concerned members of the community. Jenny Thomas, a Presbyterian minister in attendance, was hopeful about DFGC's work and outreach in the community. "I'm glad to see that there's an organization targeting health care to reduce gun violence and increase mental health care because I think the two go hand in hand," Thomas said.
Gandhi was joined by Father Bill Terry of St. Anna's Episcopal Church and Councilmember LaToya Cantrell. Both have been heavily involved in the anti-violence movement, with Terry gaining recognition for his murder wall in which the names of every victim of fatal violent crimes were posted outside the church. Terry led those in attendance in a reading of the 16 names of violent crime victims during the month of December in New Orleans. During the ceremony, Terry stressed the importance of unity and DFGC's steps in community outreach.
"I challenge other professions to make this step forward: stop. Because if anything is sacred, it's our humanity and if we believe indeed that [that] is sacred, we will stop and we will begin to rebuild a healthier system – a mental health care system," Terry continued, "If anything is said tonight, let it be said that Dr. Gandhi and the physicians and allied healthcare professionals and at least this dozen or two dozen people to step forward tonight will continue the work of stopping the violence here and throughout this country."
Councilmember Cantrell echoed Terry's statements, stating that "this has been a big opportunity to end the silence of gun violence and call on local, federal, and state officials to really take a stand against guns throughout our country."
The NOPD sees the vigil as a way to help New Orleans heal in the wake of such tragedy while also promoting community activism, as is usually the case in crimes committed against children. "The people of New Orleans tend to come together more readily when an innocent child has been harmed. There is tangible outrage, and the NOPD receives the most tips and information from the community about possible perpetrators when a child is violently taken from our New Orleans family," NOPD spokeswoman Remi Braden said in a statement.
A statement from the mayor's office echoed solidarity with DFGC's message, stating that "our administration views violence as a public health issue. That's why we've taken that approach to murder reduction with our NOLA FOR LIFE plan."
The Presidential Inaugural Committee has announced that President Barack Obama will use three notable bibles during his swearing-in ceremonies:
• On Sunday, Jan. 20, Obama will take the oath of office using the Robinson Family Bible. The bible was a gift from the first lady's father, Fraser Robinson III, to his mother, LaVaughn Delores Robinson on Mother's Day in 1958.
• On Monday, Jan. 21, also Dr. Martin Luther King Day, Obama will take the oath of office at the U.S. Capitol using two bibles: the bible used by President Abraham Lincoln at his first inauguration and a bible used by Dr. King.
This year also marks the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and the 50th anniversary of the passing of civil rights leader Medgar Evers.
Other notable announcements from the PIC about the inauguration:
• Myrlie Evers-Williams, former chair of the NAACP and widow of Medgar Evers, will deliver the invocation at the inauguration.
• Obama and the first lady announced a call to action for all Americans to join together in a National Day of Service on Saturday, Jan. 19 to honor the life and legacy of Dr. King.
• Beyoncé will sing the National Anthem at the inauguration.
• Grambling State University will perform and represent HBCUs in the inauguration parade.
For more information on President Obama's Inauguration visit www.2013pic.org.
The Rev. Louie Giglio, who was to deliver the benediction at President Barack Obama's inauguration on Jan. 21, has dropped out of the ceremony because of criticism over anti-gay comments he made in the 1990s.
Giglio is the pastor at Passion City Church in Roswell, Ga. He stepped away from participation in the inauguration over a sermon in which he called for gay people to undergo therapy and urged his congregation to reject the "homosexual lifestyle."
Addie Whisenant, a spokeswoman for the inaugural committee, said organizers weren't aware of Giglio's comments at the time of his selection.
(Source:MSN)
Beyonce will sing the National Anthem during President Barack Obama's inauguration on Jan. 21.
Also slated to perform in the ceremony that takes place on the steps of the U. S. Capitol, are Kelly Clarkson who will perform "My Country 'Tis of Thee," and James Taylor who will sing "America the Beautiful." Reports state that Obama personally selected the performers.
In addition, Richard Blanco -- the son of Cuban exiles -- has been selected as the 2013 inaugural poet.
Blanco's works explore his family's exile from their native country and "the intersection of his cultural identities as a Cuban-American gay man," according to the inaugural committee. At age 44, Blanco will be the youngest-ever inaugural poet and the first Hispanic or gay to recite a poem at the ceremonial swearing-in.
With the Nov. 6 election behind the United States, radio personality and poverty activist Tavis Smiley and his colleague Princeton University Professor Cornel West have redoubled their efforts to keep the issue of poverty on the nation's radar and make it a national priority.
Days before President Barack Obama's second inauguration, Smiley and West will host a discussion entitled, "Vision for a New America: A Future Without Poverty" at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium in Northwest. The symposium will be held live and begins at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 17.
"This gives us another opportunity over the next four years to push this higher on the agenda," said Smiley during an interview last Friday. "I'm glad Mitt Romney didn't win because the president better understands the plight of the poor. We have four years in front of us to push."
The goal, Smiley said, is to put pressure on Obama to convene a White House conference on the eradication of poverty.
"We need to draft a plan to cut poverty in half in 10 years and eliminate it in 25," Smiley explained. "It can be done. We keep finding ourselves pushed off fiscal cliffs and bumping up against ceilings. But no one has a plan. Between the fiscal cliff fiasco and the debt ceiling coming, poverty is caught in between. Poor people are always stuck in the middle. It's the typical place for us to be."
Even if politicians and other elected officials aren't talking about it, poverty has a firm grip on America. According to the U.S. Census, almost 50 million men, women and children are mired in poverty. When the near-poor and new poor are added, the number of Americans who live in poverty approaches 150 million with blacks, Latinos, children and seniors being hit particularly hard.
Poverty increased among all ethnic groups, except Asians, and the poverty rate for Blacks stands at 27.4 percent and for Hispanics it's 26.6 percent. The national poverty rate currently stands at 7.7 percent.
Meanwhile, the middle class has been decimated by the 2008 economic meltdown and a lingering recession. In their wake, Americans have been left to fend for themselves as they have fought off the quagmire caused by the greed and recklessness of corporations, banks and insurance companies who gambled with taxpayers' money and lost.
"We are facing a critical time in our history that we cannot sidestep," said Smiley in an earlier interview. "The time is now to get serious about eradicating poverty before poverty eradicates us. How is it possible to sleep at night when poverty in America is forcing our children to surrender their life chances before they know their life choices?"
Smiley isn't alone in his concern about the deleterious effects of poverty on the American landscape. Last September, a group of spiritual leaders representing tens of millions of congregants, called on national and local political leaders to stop ignoring the intractable poverty that faces tens of millions of Americans and realign public policy to tackle the burgeoning problem.
The leaders had been meeting and advocated for a "Circle of Protection" around funding programs that are vital to the continued well-being of the poor and the hungry in the United States and the world.
Stephen E. Blaire, Bishop of the Diocese of Stockton, Calif., and chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, US Conference of Catholic Bishops, characterized elected officials' inaction as a scandal and a moral outrage.
The prelates said they see poverty as they feed and clothe those in need and provide housing and other services so that poor individuals and families can sustain themselves.
"We need robust debate for the poor. This is no surprise. Few of our leaders even mention the poor, much less offer strong strategy. Panelists in the debates should ask, voters should ask at every campaign stop. We need integrity, justice and honesty, and provide those in need with programs and funding," said Galen Carey, vice president of government affairs for the National Association of Evangelicals.
Smiley said he expects very robust debate at next week's forum. Among the participants will be former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, author John Graham, and author, economist and poverty expert Jeffery Sachs.
"It's time for a spirited debate. I want to see if we can come up with some ideas," he said. "I'm anxious to hear what Gingrich has to say. It will be a pleasure to have him there. We need a civil and sensible conversation on what we can agree on."
Those seeking forum information can go to the website, 2013.www.afuturewithoutpoverty.com.
U.S. Labor Department figures show that with employers having added 155,000 jobs in December, a steady gain in work existed in spite of the tense fiscal cliff negotiations that have occurred in Washington.
According to the Department, while the unemployment rate remained at 7.8 percent last month, there was a slight revision November's rate which was revised from the 7.7 percent that was initially reported.
Most of the additional hiring has been in manufacturing and construction. Over the last nine months, 25,000 jobs were gained in manufacturing, and with 30,000 construction jobs added in the last 15 months, it's likely that the need to build new homes or to rebuild dwellings lost or damaged in catastrophic storms have been a contributing factor.
Overall, the labor report shows that although some worries about the fiscal cliff have been eased, the economy continues to struggle to gain momentum.
The funeral for Lillian Miles Lewis, the wife of U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 7, at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.
Mrs. Lewis, 73, died on Dec. 31 at Emory University Hospital. She and Rep. Lewis, whose 5th District includes Decatur and most of the city of Atlanta, had been married 44 years.
According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution (AJC), which published a full-length article and obituary, the cause of Mrs. Lewis' death has not been released. The newspaper also reported that President Obama has called Rep. Lewis to express his condolences.
Many thought the couple were a perfect match.
"She was a feisty lady," Temi Silver, an event planner and longtime friend, was quoted as saying in the AJC. "He was so sweet and gentle; he needed her to take care of his back. And she was the one to do it."
The article went on to state that, Lillian Lewis, whose father owned a small contracting business, attended Los Angeles High School with the late Johnny Cochran and received an undergraduate degree in English from then-California State College at Los Angeles and a master's degree in library science at the University of Southern California.
She developed a lifelong interest in Africa when she taught in a student program in Nigeria in 1960, returning later as a Peace Corps volunteer to teach for two years in Yaba, Nigeria. It was after taking a job as a librarian at Atlanta University that she met her husband at a 1967 New Year's Eve party at the home of Clayton, a television personality and civil rights activist. Clayton and another movement veteran, Dr. Bernard LaFayette, played matchmaker.
"I figured he needed a partner like Lillian, and Lillian needed someone who was moving into such important areas," Clayton said. "She was a sober-minded, level-headed intellectual."
The AJC further reported that while Lewis forged his political career, his wife continued her career as an educator with an international perspective. She was associate director of the Institute for International Affairs and Development at Atlanta University from 1984 to 1989, a job that called on her to help develop a major in international studies, with an emphasis in Africa and the Caribbean. In a 1984 Atlanta Journal-Constitution story, she called the assignment "the moment I've been waiting for." From 1989 to 2003, she was director of external affairs in the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at Clark Atlanta University.
Mrs. Lewis is survived by her husband and her son, John-Miles Lewis.
(Sources: Patch.com,Altanta Journal Constitution)
As legislation that keeps the nation from going over the fiscal cliff awaits President Barack Obama's signature, new conflict surrounding taxes and spending are expected to crop up in Washington in the coming weeks.
In a vote of 89-8 by the Democratic-led chamber, the bill which was forwarded to the House late on New Year's Day, would significantly reduce spending at the Pentagon and other government agencies and give permanence to the Bush administration's tax cuts for individuals earning less than $400,000 per year and couples earning less than $450,000.
In addition, the deal -- which was brokered by Vice President Joe Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) -- calls for raising roughly $600 billion in new revenues over 10 years, and extending unemployment insurance. The bill would also delay for two months, the threat of sequestration -- a series of automatic, across-the-board cuts in federal spending.
Meanwhile, with a new Congress convening on Jan. 3, lawmakers will quickly be confronted by the need to raise the federal debt ceiling and, as also reported by CNN, what to do about the still-hanging sequester -- a legacy of the last battle over the debt ceiling, in 2011.
A spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner said the legislation was sent on Wednesday to the White House. And, although President Barack Obama --who's with his family vacationing in Hawaii -- is expected to sign the bill into law, no date has been projected on when that might occur.
(Source: CNN)
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