eee ee oe oe ST BALTIMOKs (NNPA the first week: of April represen- tatives from several national or- ganizations announced the goal of collecting 1 million signatures in a petition drive to encourage Congressional reauthorization of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. At a press cence con- vened in the nation’s capital, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, president of the Rainbow Push Coalition, dis- cussed the petition as one of sev- eral strategies to ensure the re- authorization of the Act. “There will be three critical parts of the Voting Rights Act to expire in Florida by Clover Hope - The family of a 5-year-old Florida tphoto) ~ Rey. Major L. Jemison (file photo) )- During 2007 unless reauthorized by Congress,” said Jackson. ‘We must be ever vigilant to protect our right to vote and not be swayed by media campaigns highlighting events that divert our attention (from) our mis- sion.” . Jackson was joined by, among others: Major L. Jemison, president, Progressive National Baptist Convention Inc.; Barbara R. Arnwine, executive director, Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Laura W. Murphy, legislative director, American Civil Liberties Union; mother vows to sue after her 5-yeat-old Ja'eisha’s mother, Inga Akins, showed the girl ripping papers off a bulletin Stephanie Jones of the National ing an assistant principal before ementary. The girl appeared to and pinnned her si ov St. Petersburg police officers who handcuffed an unruly 5-year-old girl after she acted up in her kindergarten class. A video camera, which was rolling March 14 as part of a classroom self-improvement exercise, captured images of the girl tearing papers off a bulletin board, climbing on a table and punch- i lice were called to Fairmount Park El- down before three officers approached her back and put handcuffes on as she screamed. gitl who was forcibly handcuffed by police officers at her St. Petersburg elementary school last month after misbehaving is seeking legal action against the officers, a Florida lawyer announced last week. The videotaped incident of Jaeisha Scott being placed into handcuffs by three uniformed police on March 14 occurred after she al- legedly acted unruly in her kinder- en class and hit a school official. 30-minute videotape released by John Trevena, the attorney for geo gany board and punching an assistant principal, among other violent acts. On the tape, Ja’eisha is seen set- tling down before the three officers, who were called to Fairmount Park Elementary to handle the situation, pinned her arms behind. her back and placed her in handcuffs as she screamed “No!,” according to Trevena. Fhe tape cuts off shortly af- ter Ja'eisha starts screaming. Trevena said Ja’eisha began her temper tan- trum after her jelly beans were taken away during a counting exercise. We by Glen Ford and Peter Gamble The corporate Right has suc- ceeded in establishing a ‘coalition of the willing’ within the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), as shown by last week's votes on bankruptcy and estate tax legislation, The defection of ten of 41 voting CBC members to the Re- publicans on bankruptcy, and eight on repeal of the estate tax signals that cor- rate-controlled membership in the has reached critical mass, encour- members who are not part of ucus’s conservative core grou to beseay thee constituencies, as well “The G.O.P is practicing Robin Hood in reverse,” said Rep. John prt: Jr. (MD), after last week's lo sided Democratic defeats. “Last nighe they the estate tax, a gift to jr Today then pice plete ety. P e special-interest bankruptcy bill, pun- ishing the very poorest members of society,’ But Conyers’ critique should ‘Te’s Time to Draw Some ‘Bright’ 7 apply with doubly damning effect to fellow Caucus members, including three who are also members of the Progressive Congressional Caucus but voted with Republicans on one or the other measure. The growing rot in the CBC must be viewed in the context of mas- sive corporate intervention in Black electoral politics, conceived in rightwing think tanks in the mid-90s and emerging full-blown in the 2002 election cycle, when Denise Majette (GA), David Scott (GA), and Artur Davis (AL) won congressional seats. That's also the year when rightwing apprentice Cory Booker nearly cap- tured City Hall in Newark, New Jer- sey. Although public attention has fo- cused on the Bush administration's faith-based bribes to woo Black preachers to the GOP, the far more dangerous prong of the offensive aims to subvert Black Democrats from within. Corporate funding and me- dia support have been placed at the Urban League; Richard Womack, AFL-CIO; T.J. Michaels, Service Employees International Union; _ Brenda Girton-Mitchell, Na- - tional Council of Churches; Julie Fernandes, senior policy analyst, Leadership Conference on Civil “Rights; Olga Vivies, vice presi- ; dent, National Organization for + Women; Merwyn Scott, govern- ment relations, National Educa- tion Association; and Tanya M. Clay, deputy director, People For all the American Way. “The coming together of these major civil and justice or- ganizations shows we are not be- ing passive on this issue. This is a great moment. The result will be preservation of the Voting Rights Act,” said Jemison. Jemison is leader of one of the four major Baptist denomi- nations that came together in a: joint meeting in January to sig- ‘nal to the nation their common cause and launch a call for action. Commitment to ensuring the 1965 Voting Rights. Act was overwhelmingly accepted by the meeting's 14,000 participants. . Under the current Voting Rights Act provisions, Section 2 prohibits practices that deny or abridge the right to vote. It al- lows the attorney general or pri- vate plaintiffs to challenge dis- @ is arrested Civil rights activists have ques- tioned whether the forceful use of handcuffs for the girl was necessary and whether police were out of line. “It was a horrific example of po-, | lice over-kill,” said NAACP Chairs. man Julian Bond. “Had she pices: wis kod nara + » “happened.” | Jaeisha’s reaction and subse- quent handcuffing was caught on a camera that was rolling as part of a classroom self-improvement evalua- _tion at the school, according to Trevena, who nipped the tape he said he obtained media. . “T'm sure that the incident has permanently scarred this 5-year-old child in terms of her sense about what police can and should do with children,” said Harvard Law School Professor Charles Ogletree, who was in Florida at the time of the incident. “There is no justification whatsoever for handcuffing a child at that ten- der age when there's no real threat of bodily harm or injury to anyone.” Trevena said the incident caused Jaeisha noticeable trauma and that the image of the scene would be “seared into people’s minds.” m police to the No charges have been filed . against Ja’eisha, who now attends a different school, according to Trevena. | “They treated her as if she were not even human,” said Ogletree. “There will hopefully be legal and olitical consequences for actions like that—to treat a 5-year-old as a monster.” . Police spokesman Bill Proffitt said an investigation into the matter is currently pending and should be complete in about two weeks, when the findings will be made public. disposal of Black Democrats who ‘leave the reservation,’ so to speak — i.e., those who reject, at least selectively, the his- oder atest fe sponiaioe Barely years after the corporate intervention was launched (see April 5, 2002), it is bearing strange, mutant fruit in the heartland of the Black pol- ity. The looming dissolution of the Congressional Black Caucus as a co- hesive political force seems well under- way. ” Voting with the enemy The ten Black lawmakers who helped the credit card companies feel ositively ‘giddy,’ as the New York imes put it, include the Hard Core Four: Blue Dog Harold Ford, Jr. (TN) and Artur Davis (AL), who, along with Gregory Meeks (NY) carried the ank- ruptcy banner for the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC); Blue Dog =i otek u orst person (see, March 31, 2005) Blue Dog DLCer See Black Caucus - Page 9 | APRS criminatory practices in areas of the country not covered by Sec- tion 5 of the act. Additionally, it is the only statutory recourse to challenge discriminatory voting practices that were enacted in ‘covered” (Section 5) jurisdic- tions prior to 1965. | Section 5 is an administra- tive or court procedure barring practices that have the purpose or effect of denying or abridging the right to vote. Section 5 has limited geographical coverage and does not cover practices in these “covered” areas that were enacted prior to November 1, 1964. Under Section 203 of the act, a community of one of the four covered language minority groups will qualify or bilingual voting assistance if more than, five percent of the voting-age citizen population in a jurisdic- tion belong to a single-language minority community and have limited English proficiency. A community also qualifies where | more than 10,000 voting-age ok eae : j if: 2 ie alia eee # ese citizens in a jurisdiction belong” . : 7 i » ae a 8 pes : * 7 ee. alelga’, { Tir. SR ae ee Ve OOS a, 538 are |i “ts eracy rate o ens in the language minority group is, higher than the national illit- eracy rate. Attendees at the press con- ference made a call to defenders of civil and human rights. “Un- less we Want to go back to the old days when we were not al- ‘lowed to vote because of our pender, race, culture and spoken anguage, this law must stay in- tact,” said Murphy. Not only does the coalition plan to kick off the petition drive through the media, net- work interviews and college campuses, other plans have been set. They are organizing a mas- 4 sive march and rally on August 6 in Atlanta, Ga., to commemo- rate the 40th anniversary of the VRA and mobilize for its exten- sion. The coalition plans to en- gage students at the college level to become more vigilant about protecting their civil and human unche rights now and for the fu | “We were elated at the activ- ism among college sewdénts and other youth groups in’ the 40th anniversary commemoratin (the) March on Selma, Ala. We intend to develop that ‘same spirit among our youth to engage. t QQ gee < oO | SER # * : . r- 2 ih yetail Value: $0 Cer wa? er | ' CaAW VOL. XVIII NO. 5 April 15 - 30, | mz ieee | ~ 52 AGK oH Q G em in this most vital process: to ensure that our voring rights a e are protected,” said Clay. 9 agreed. a We have launched a nation- wide campaign to educate the general pu lic, policymakers.and the media on the importance of . the Voting Rights Act to help, them understand its current ~- resonance, why it is meaningful today and why it is important ts. “+ . . fr 6 Dd that we preserve it in the future, said Fernandes. . _ °We hope to activate the people on and off campuses. We want to engage fraternities, so- rorities, HBCUs, people at the beauty salons and barbershops in this effort,” said Fernandes. — This story comes special to NNPA from the Baltimore Afro. sey President Johnson signed the resulting legislation into law on August 6, 1965. Section 2 of the Act, which closely followed the language of the 15th amendment, applied a nationwide prohibition against the denial or abridgment of the right to vote on the literacy tests on a nationwide basis. Among its other provisions, the Act contained special enforcement provisions targeted at those areas of the country where Congress believed the potential for discrimination to be the greatest. Under Section 5, jurisdictions covered by these special provi- sions could not implement any change affecting voting until the Attorney General or the United States District Court for the District of Columbia determined that the change did not have a discriminatory purpose and would not have a discriminatory effect. In addition, the Attorney General could designate a county covered by these special provisions for the appointment of a federal examiner to review the qualifications of persons who wanted to register to vote. Further, in those counties where a federal examiner was serving, the Attorney Gen- eral could request that federal observers monitor activities within the county’s polling place. Jim Rouse GREENVILLE - The nonprofit Centet for Community Self- Help and its financing affiliates, Self-Help Credit Union and Self-Help Ventures Fund, comprise ong of the nation’s leading community development financial institutions (CDF h In a statement recently releed to the presss, Self hepl stated that there mission : is to create ownership and economic opportunities for minorities, women, rural residents, and low-wealth families. Since 1980, Self-Help has provided over $3.9 billion in financing to 43,000 small businesses. nonprofits, and homebuyers. In many cases, their lending and advocacy efforts have benefited people and communities both in North Carolina and nationwide. Self-Help operates from regional offices in Asheville, Charlotte, Durham, Greensboro, Greenville, Wilmington and Washington D.C. Self-Help’s work is based on the belief that ownership allows people to improve their economic position. Owning assets, such as a home, can enable a family to send a child to college, start a business, or weather a financial crisis and that ownership provides communities with a solid foundation on which to grow and rosper. A lack of assets limits choice-and opportunity. In addition to direct lending, Self-Help acts as a Eiboratory for economic development—experimenting to find out what works and advocating’ for change in the public and private sectors. “Self -Help is the epitome of cleared-eyed, smart and innovative activism,” remarked one official. “Our impact has been felt across the nation. As a widely recognized model for community development finance, we share our knowiecys and experience with fellow community development organizations, legisla tors, government agencies, and others,” Recently, Self Help celebrated their move into their completely (seen in the above photo) in uptown Greenville. Photos restored and renovated office building joerg —ceemeneiae f : ieee OPEN FOR BUSINESS!| ‘cnes;e1|=— 4% % ump in black businesses, an based initiative dollars. Black Entertainment Television owns an NBA businessman team, and Arizona Fowler recently bid for owner- Minnesota Vikings. Oprah What Exactly Kane Lordy, y, it's worse than I wrote the my col- umn on Fantasias definitions don't think of the mama’ as a compliment. consider it a slur, as de term for women as ‘ho, the and chi And no, you don't want to know UrbanDictio definition of chickenhead. ‘Cigars Not a Makebra M. Anderson ‘A National Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) - With the glamorization of cigar smoking s Morgan Freeman and Bill Cosby, bas- Michael Jordan, and t, many youth believe Cigars are a healthier alternative to - The American Cancer Society ple perceive ci as ng or civilized and dangerous Cigarette smoking, a singe large cigar can contain as as an entire pack of Youth that smoke ci more likely to use other t ucts. The most common replacement for cigarettes is cigars. Popular in the i movie industry, some ci- gars — Philly's, Dutch Masters, Back- arcia Vegas ~ are blunted is cut down the middle and is removed) and used to sonmn whe segs 58 Gon uana and other sub- others like Black & Mild (Blacks) are smoked as an alter. native make it a trendy thing to do,” Sherri Black sities and corporations for some fled big ta inner-city areas in Chi- ¢ ee black super- celeb i and : 3 aan e | " star rities, and profes- cago, New York, Loe Angeles, De a nd sionals, and increasingly Academy Award winners. More blacks hon crats care to ad- Dean and the Democrats care t mit now flirt with the GOP. T hammer the Democrats for their ‘plantation’ politics The class rift between the black According to Census figures, between pene the number of black : jmninjeres doubled. By 2000, more than fifteen percent of black households earned professionals, technicians, more than $50,000 annually. The t one fifth of black families earned nearh half of all black income. Black wealth, like white wealth, was now concen- trated in fewer hands. In the 1950s, Sociologist E. ‘Js | harm. Donald $.Claie,astudent at the “We still don't know exactly the ents only dreamed of: They city blighted end of the 1980's, an estima in ten blacks was affluent move to the suburbs. The. of tract homes, condos an apart- de of black busi- ness and professionals from these a sharp turn- around. They defined the black irmative action, economic parity, professional advancement and bus- ments made 1990s, the stampede time, ivil rights orgas blac police di ing replaced poverty, reduc- unemployment, securing qual- inn education, promering sa help d gaining h lo eftene as the goal of all Aftcan- - tion. The path to univer. age ee Se vn ona ore wre et nated one [ieee ion eet fay 2 low-end in management positions. A sharp economic downturn could is dum Sent Ear of them back , oe hoods they worked ong and hard vo Eat Of Hutchinson isa column get pig | Dean ong Bush got it _nist/or BlackNews.com, an author and artly right. It’s the worst of times political analyst. He is the author of Pe many in black America, and the forthcoming: L ond , Aichael Bushis policies helped make it that Jackson: The Clash of Celebrity, Sex way for them. But it’s also the best and Race (Author House Press, April for many in black America, 2905). Sate OM, ees or- of times — (acer Franklin Frazier warned that many Americans. This left theoneoutof ff ff blacks were becoming what he scorn- four blacks that chronically wallow fully branded a black bourgeoisie the below the poverty line in even |} controlled the wealth and power greater dire straits. Lacking educa- within the black community and that _ tion, competitive skills and trainir had turned their backs on their own the black have-nots were further aple. Many members of Frazier’s hurtled to the outer fringes of soci- black isi had begun toapethe ety. values, standards and ideal of the white Economic Downturns will dump ‘middle class, and to distance them- some black middle back into selves from the black crumbling neighborhoods > aa Jy ~~ In the 1960's, federal entitle- Even though black profession- r¢ a A ae tT ment p » civil rights legisla- als, politicians, and celebrities may Be) Gr ie. _ ees i le tion, equal opportunity statutes and be light years apart from poor blacks ' = e <4 _ 99 _ J ) . radation more then? tly is a It Depends on How You Define Yourself “2: | | ea ry or th suuara winning col- a song extolling the ry of being one ther isn’t of the miscreant horde thought unbecoming. any si e mothers living today. It’s to umnist for ¢ Baltimore Sun. In 1997 is a some singer ee must-do describe above you're a single rene was a couple of months show ne shift in values that has oc- he was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize list. mo . pregnant. curred in black America. Are we bet- for his reporting on slavery in the Sudan. It sounds suspiciously like the And if you did havea child by one The purpose of this anecdote is ter for that shift, or worse? That. work won him the 1997 Overseas guys who gave us the term “baby of these characters, you are indeed a not to pass judgment on Colvin or Did we aid and abet our own deg- Press Club mama” are the same ones running “baby mama.” | meen AA hee / around with their pants down over tall about how we define ourselves, THE COOPER COLUMN Vay | their butts. They're the ones who el- Lately in black America, we've been do- a | 1 0 y * aX evated the “gangsta, pimp” and ing a poor job of it. After going through meee eiscpneeee _ “thug” to near-hero status in black the pain and angst about what to | Keith W. Cooper like taxes as much as anyone in here, grown hog. America. They're the ones running — erly call ourselves -— I've been colored, REENVILLE - Oftentimes, but I feel, when you made me com- I laughed at Bob Ramey’ state- around using bad English and engag- Negro, black and African-American in a Democrats and Republicans are criti- missioner. .1 believe this sales tax is ment, “I'm against taxes, but a sales ing in worse conduct, : singe lfcime — we now want to de- sii cized necessary to support the schools of Pitt tax is fairest 0 any.” Why would any- These are guys cut from the same ourselves as pimps. | when County. . one oppose what he sees as fair? This Cloth as the “bror ” who broke into and baby mamas. Phe arent Creede ; they de- If Garris detests taxes so much, is a ludicrous assertions ses. Rosa Parks’ Detroit home. When our come from the best us. These are | f SVviate how could he philosophically sup- Finally, Pitt County Republican civil rights heroine and legend terms that come from black America’ f ro m__ porta one percent sales tax increase Party Chairman Javier Castillo said the “brother” if he knew.who sewer. Some of us reject them. Some of their re- in violation of his party's principles that he would support the tax if “you she was, he answered that he didn't us embrace them. spective against tax increases? look and can’t find the cuts that are know, and he didn’t care. The fact that so many of us em- party's Livingston continued, “Coulson needed through regular budgetary These are the guys of the same ilk brace them shows the cultural shift that ideologi- and Garris took turns explaining wh process.” This gobbled ook is vague 2 theones who fircbombed thehoue has occured among back Aon Geos they and other commissioners think and overlooks the need for rape of Edna McAbier, a Baltimore black You wouldn't have heard black radio tions on a sales tax is the ap ropriate funding _ sible planning in preparation for ur- woman who demanded they stop deal- stations laying a song like “Baby core po- mechanism, and education construc. gent Sire needs, ing in her neighbo ¢ Mama” g years ago. Black folks litical is- tion is so urgently needed.” When Countless citizens are already woman in her mind wouldn't have tolerated it. sues. So, did these Republicans learn that edu- overburdened with taxes, We need would call herself by a term thought In fact, it was almost 50 : wh y cation construction is important? tax relief, not tax increases. Wake up of by these cretins? . , Years ago that.a black female would a This realization should have been folks and smell the hot chocolate. Say There are, indeed, “baby mamas” ig give up her seat to a white person group of local Republicans run away aa of effective planning strategies “no” to a tax increase. out there. Some of the women who on a bus in Montgomery, Ala. No, it | m . ong before now. Keith W. Cooper. . reacted to my Fantasia column de- wasn't Parks. Her act of defiance didn't The Daily Reflector’s Ginger When commissioners and Jn Previous issue (Minority Voice scribed themselves as such. They're come until December of that year. vingston's recent piece, “Pitt Repub- school board members lack a vision XVIILIII), I erroneously referred to mistaken. 7 It was a 15-year-old girl named ___licans express concern about proposed as to how to accommodate arapidly Keith W. Cooper the writer of the If you're divorced and have chil- Claudette Colvin. But the NAACP tax increase,” bespeaks h isy drip- growing student population, many article “CITYON EDGE” found on|. N, youre a divorced mother. If didn't think it was wise to make her | ping (like chicken grease) thelips are apt to embrace tax hikes. Instea » the front page as Ralph Cooper, who youre a widow and have children, the symbol of the fight to te | ofsome icans. Forexample, Pitt they should explore innovative ap- is the Sports Editor for Masia/Talh youre a wi mother. If you're buses. When police arrested her, | County commissioner Jimmy Garris _ proaches to boost revenue andsimul- Radio KCOHAM in Houston, TX. single and have children, but the fa- Colvin used language black onlook- , was quoted as saying, “I probably dis- taneously trim the fat from an over. I apologize for the error --- Editor ® : Safe Alte rnative To Ci tt es than women and among Blacks com- of marketing taking place that is tar- gare to other races, nonetheless, use geting our young people, but there - Howard University School of Medi--_impactofallthese combinations offa- smoke, the smell doesn iam are high school males were useage dlin We have not touched : SSA : . a ’ . ’ upon with res igars,” : cine, doesn't chink that Hip-Hop isthe vors, You already have the chemicals clothes, they last longer and they are still almost three times more likely plained “With ciparctese we work main nore of cigar use. that actually go into the product itself more natural than cigarettes,” she said. than females to smoke cigars. very hard in terms of placement to t's obvious for those that listen and you add all flavors— Both Lewis and Thomas are Among males, 16.9 percent reported make sure the product is sold behind to and live hip-hop that images of we've yet to see what the impact could wrong. ‘ using cigars, compared to 6.2 Pet- the counter or above the register, but a and dears are prominent, but be on Neer health,” she said. bos sing cigars can be more hazard- cent of San Among African- that’s not the same rule as i many undentand is most The American Cancer Se encans, 12 percent reported ci- many of the converi ni people make choices independent of studied flavored Cigarettes and has hey are just as, if not more ad- gar use, 11.8 among Whites, 10.8 Black community that’s the ne what they see on television and hear found that like » they are also dictive cigarettes because of the percent among Hispanics and 5.4 thing you see. You can’t tell the dif. in songs," he explains, “The sad part otentially more us than tra large amount of tobacco used in each percent among Asians, ference between sour apple Philly about tobacco is that regardless of why ditional ____ one, Cigar smoking increases the risk __ Some attribute the po ularity of blunts and sour apple Jolly Ranch- you started smoking, once you take “Bidis are ee im- of death from several cancers such as cigars to the tobacco industries at- ers because they're all on the same that first hit, you are more likely than arn topo rae ‘Popu- lung, lip, tongue, mouth, throat, tempt to glamorize the product. row.” Not Lay Redhneaai addicted. Even has grown in recent years in part copa and ccording to Donna Vallone, if people c aware of the risk as- because cy come in a variety of Inhaling cigar smoke can be assistant vice president of research at sociated with donee mr hd ; candy the flavors such as strawberry, linked to pancreas and cancer erican Foundation, an The have already an addiction and grape, they are usually less well, reports the American Cancer Organization designed to give young Minority Voice that is not easy to overcome. _ @xpensive than regular cigarettes, and iety. people the knowledge and tools to Newspaper According to the Centers for Dis- they often give the smoker an imme- Last year, the American reject tobacco, anti-tobacco advo- is Published b case Control and Prevention (CDC), diate buzz, according to the Ameri- Foundation awarded a $4.5 mi ny cates have a reason for not focusing The Minority Voi y 45,000 Blacks die each year from can Cancer Society, “Even though three-year grant to a coalition of six on cigar use, Jim ce, inc. ; ing - Moreover, Bidis contain less tobacco than regu- national Aican-American Organiza- It's a relatively small percent- Publisher/Founde 1.6 Blacks under the age of 18 lar cigarettes. . they have higher levels tions ~ the National Pub- age of kids using cigars relative to Gaius O Sim Sr will become regular smokers and about of nicotine and other harmful sub- lishers Association Foundation, the cigarettes and the prevalence of ci- Operations M anerEch one-third of those—500,000—will stances such as tar and carbon mon- AACR. the National Urban League, use among use is significantly pe Hon /Editor die prematurely from a tobacco-related oxide, They are also unfiltered. Bidis ional Black Caucus Foun- lower than cigarettes and the preva- 405 Evans St. disease such as cancer, heart disease and to have all of the same health dation, the National Conference of lence of cigar use had remained par- PO pulmonary disorders tbs of epularcpaetes fn rent | meni .0. Box 8361 disorc ar cigarettes, not more.” Black and the National Asso- tic arly stable between 2002 and Greenville, NC 27835 be phia/ in size. Small cigars pay