North Carolina Governor Exonerates Wilmington Ten

By Mildred Robertson
 

 It is done. Ben Chavis, Connie Tindall, Marvin “Chili” Patrick, Wayne Moore, Reginald Epps, Jerry Jacobs, James “Bun” McKoy, Willie Earl Vereen, William “Joe” Wright, Jr. and Ann Shepard will no longer stand convicted of arson and conspiracy. The Wilmington Ten have been exonerated.

After 40 years of struggle the 10 men and women whose names were sullied and whose lives were snatched from them by a racist legal system have received a full pardon from outgoing Democratic Governor Beverly Perdue. It has been one of her last acts as governor, and perhaps one of her most notable.  “In evaluating these petitions for clemency, it is important to separate fact from rumor and innuendo. I have decided to grant these pardons because the more facts I have learned about the Wilmington Ten, the more appalled I have become about the manner in which their convictions were obtained,” Perdue stated.

This action not only clears the names of the men and women wrongly convicted of the 1971 firebombing of a white grocery store in Wilmington, North Carolina. It also begins to repair the harsh image North Carolina suffers as a state notorious for its racism.

It is the birthplace of Sen. Jesse Helms, and the epitome of Southern racism. It is home to the Woolworth lunch counter where A&T University students launched a non-violent sit-in movement that swept the South in the sixties. It is among the infamous states that sponsored the notorious eugenics program that illegally sterilized countless Blacks and others deemed unfit to procreate. Not until April 2003, under Governor Mike Easley, did North Carolina apologize to the victims of this hateful crime, and today still wrestles with the decision to compensate them.

So it is no small victory that the state of North Carolina finally stands up and acknowledges the wrong done to the Wilmington Ten.  The decision comes too late for four of those convicted, who died without ever having the truth be known. The decision took to long for those who struggled to correct the record.

There were many who would not let North Carolina rest. Among them are the NAACP, The Wilmington Journal and other Black Publishers, The Wilmington 10 Committee, the Wilmington Star, the New York Times, MSNBC, celebrities such as Russell Simmons, attorneys James Ferguson and Irv Joyner and many more.

While it will not wipe away the legacy of racism and injustice in the state, this dark chapter in North Carolina’s history will read better now that the truth is told.

Fiscal Cliff Agreement, Tax Hike, Obama

WHAT THE FISCAL CLIFF AGREEMENT MEANS TO YOU

By: Jim Messina, Campaign Manager
Obama for America

The President reached an agreement with Republicans and Democrats in Congress on the "fiscal cliff" that prevents a tax hike on 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses, while fulfilling the President's promise to ask the wealthiest Americans to begin to pay their fair share to reduce the deficit.

President Obama recorded a video to update supporters like you on what's in the agreement and what it means for you

http://my.barackobama.com/Fiscal-Cliff-Agreement

Sandy Hooks Elementary, Assault Rifles, Gun Laws, NRA, Sen. Manchin, Vicki Soto

Guns Don’t Kill People—People With Guns Do!

By Mildred Robertson

You’re kidding, right?  Just when I thought an intelligent conversation could be had regarding gun violence in America, we see the National Rifle Association (NRA) cock its pistol and send politicians fleeing for cover. After coming out earlier this week as an advocate for a sane conversation about gun control, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin repeatedly praised and defended the NRA, saying on Wednesday that he’s “not supporting a ban on anything.”

It is apparent that Manchin was taken to the woodshed for promoting the idea that a discussion of gun laws was imperative following the horrific slaughter of the innocents at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newton, Connecticut. Falling back on the age-old adage that “guns don’t kill people; people kill people,” Manchin tried to defend the interpretation of the 2^nd Amendment as the unfettered right to gun possession.  In his turn-about, he actually pointed to video games as the culprit spawning gun violence, citing the game “Grand Theft Auto” as an example.

Manchin and his gun-toting friends are partially right. While guns don’t kill people, people with guns do. It is unfathomable to me that the NRA or anyone else, for that matter, would fight for the right of the average individual to own a gun that can kill 20 people in a matter of seconds? While I am not a hunter, I am fairly certain you don’t need 20 rounds per second to take down Bambi.

But the truth is that an inordinate number of people are slain each year in America, many in senseless bloodbaths such as the one witnessed in Newton Connecticut. According to the Washington Post, Mother Jones has tracked and mapped every shooting spree over the last three decades. “Since 1982, there have been at least 61 mass murders carried out with firearms across the country, with the killings unfolding in 30 states from Massachusetts to Hawaii,” they found. The Post reports that in most cases, the killers had obtained their weapons legally.

It is obvious that the NRA has flexed it sizable political muscle to cow those who might be prepared to enter into serious discussion about reforming gun laws. But our politicians need to be bigger than that. The reform of gun legislation is far past due in this country.

At some point, our political leaders must muster the courage to stand up for what they believe. Just like Vicki Soto in that elementary classroom in Sandy Hooks, they must be willing to step into harms way to protect those over whom they have charge.

http://www.politico.com/story/2012/12/joe-manchin-im-so-proud-of-the-nra-85311.html#ixzz2FWsFmzna

Fiscal Cliff, African Americans, Black Buying Power, Tax Increase

Impact of Fiscal Cliff on African Americans

By Mildred Robertson

If you are African American making less than $250,000, you probably won’t see an increase in your income taxes under President Obama’s tax plan. In fact, roughly 2.0 million working African-American families and about 3.4 million African-American children would continue to benefit from the President’s improvements to the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). However, if we plunge over the fiscal cliff, Blacks, along with other middle class house holds earning as little as $53,000, could see an increase of $2,200.

While many Republicans malign black families as “takers,” the fact is that African American spending helps drive the economy. With a buying power of nearly $1 trillion annually, if it were a country African-American spending would rank 16^th in the world. Researchers anticipate black consumer spending will grow to $1.1 trillion by 2015.

As we look toward 2013, estimates indicate American consumers will spend about $5 trillion on retail sales. African American spending will account for many of those dollars.  Redirecting wages and income towards taxes will result in plummeting retail spending not only in the Black community, but nationwide. The result will be a real “trickle down” economy, where sales trickle down to nothing as consumers close their pockets to discretionary spending.

Let’s do the math. If we look at three different scenarios, we can get a good idea of what the fiscal cliff means to typical Americans.

A middle-income African-American family of four: a married couple with two children with income between about $50,000 and $85,000 would see a $2,200 tax increase.

·   1,000 because the Child Tax Credit will fall from $1,000 to $500 per child.

·   $900 because of merging the 10 percent tax bracket into the 15 percent tax bracket.

·   $300 because of the expiration of marriage penalty relief that provides a larger standard deduction for married couples.

A single African-American mother with three young children, ages 11 months to 6 years, working full-time at minimum wage ($14,500 annual income) would see an increase of $2395.

·  $1,725 because the Child Tax Credit will fall from $1,000 to $500 per child, while the threshold for refundability will be substantially stricter.

·   $670 because of the expiration of the EITC expansion for larger families.

An upper-middle-income African-American married couple with a 15-year-old at home and a 19-year-old in her second year at a public university with an income of $120,000 would experience a $4500 tax increase.

·   $700 because, instead of being able to claim the $2,500 American Opportunity Tax Credit to help with college expenses, they will only be able to claim the Hope Credit worth $1,800.

·   $500 because the Child Tax Credit will fall from $1,000 to $500 per qualifying child.

·    about $900 because of the disappearance of the 10 percent tax bracket.

Regardless of where you stand on the middle-class spectrum, the expiration of the Bush tax cuts will impact your financial stability. Right now, middle class Americans cannot take the hit. Estimates indicate that if taxes go up, American consumers will likely spend nearly $200 billion less in 2013. A decline in middle class consumption could slow the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 1.4 percentage points. That’s not good for African Americans. It’s not good for the middle class, and it’s certainly not good for America.

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http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/reports-downloads/2011/state-of-the-african-american-consumer.html

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/state-reports/Af-Am-Fact-Sheet.pdf

Fiscal Cliff, Debt Crisis, 2012 Election, Partisan Politics

The Election is Over – It’s Time to Govern

By Mildred Robertson

As Washington politicians wrestle with shifting ideology, changing demographics and an electorate bored with partisan rhetoric, it is safe to say that America’s political future is uncertain. Even with a resounding victory by Barack Obama during the 2012 election, many still wonder how much of his progressive agenda he will be able to enact over the next 4 years.

The Republican opposition, though not quite as vociferous as during the election, is still trying to find solid ground upon which it can take a stand against the President. At risk is the safety and security of America’s working class men and women who must depend upon federal programs to retire and live out their lives in some level of comfort and stability; mothers who must struggle to educate,  feed and clothe children; the chronically ill—Romney’s 47 percent.

The Republicans, having been scorched in the heat of battle, speak less ruthlessly about Americans who depend on Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid to survive. However, their intentions do not seem to have changed. They are attempting to walk the razors’ edge, where it is safe to attack these compassionate social programs without alienating the voting public.

Among the laws set to change by January 1, 2013 are a 2% temporary payroll tax cut, healthcare taxes associated with Obamacare and certain tax breaks for businesses.  In addition, spending cuts that could impact more than 1000 government programs will go into effect.  Both the defense budget and Medicare will experience deep cuts unless Congress can come to an agreement on a spending bill.

Lawmakers have a number of choices to avoid the impending financial meltdown if the nation’s debt crisis goes unaddressed. They can do nothing and let the current policy go into effect on January 1, 2013. This would cut the percentage of the Gross Domestic Product deficit in half, but would burden the economy and possibly push it back into recession.  Scheduled tax increases and spending cuts could be cancelled, adding to the deficit and growing the debt. Or, they can opt to do what they were elected to do. They can develop a non-partisan approach to address the issue.

Americans understand that doing nothing is not an option. We understand that all of us must share some of the pain. We know that we must determine ways to better finance social programs. We understand that we must ensure that federal dollars are invested wisely and used prudently. We have to identify fraud, waste and inefficiency and eliminate them wherever they are found.

What we cannot abide is that the burden of years of poor financial planning be born on the backs of those least able to bear the load. What we cannot accept is that the rich be given a pass, while hourly laborers are burdened with more taxes and fewer resources.

Now that this election is behind us, Washington has a brief moment when both sides of the aisle can come together to do what they were sent to do.  Govern.

It is time to lay ideology and partisanship to the side. It is time to stop the debate about why Romney lost, or why Obama won.  It is time to get down to the business of “creating a more perfect union,” where "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" is more than just a well-worn phrase. It is the reason that government exists.  

2012 Election, Governance, Obama Legacy, Political Donations

Battling the Giant with Five Smooth Stones

By Mildred Robertson

It is now 3 days since the 2012 Presidential election. It has been a brutal slog from the mid-year elections in 2010 to the Tuesday night victory acknowledging Obama’s effort to right our ship. We waded through billions of dollars worth of attack ads spewing hate and misinformation, and somehow found the truth. Americans acknowledged that Barack Obama led us through harrowing times, and was, for the most part, successful.  As I watched the returns come in late into Tuesday night, I have never been more proud to be an American.

Historians will be writing about this election for years to come. They will deconstruct every moment in an attempt to determine how Obama defeated the monolithic machine designed to make him a one-term president. I believe the answer is simple. The opposition underestimated the American people and the hand of providence in this administration.

It is a much used cliché to equate daunting struggles with the tale of David and Goliath, but I believe it is an apt comparison in this case. With hoards of dirty money flooding the airwaves, Obama and his team fought back the tide with $3 and $4 dollar donations from folks like you and me.

A handful of millionaires and billionaires were positioned to buy this election, but were struck down by the miniscule donations of millions. The part of this battle that the opposition did not understand is that every one of those $3 and $4 dollar donations represented a vote. Each one of those donations said, I believe in what you are doing. I believe you will bring us through this harsh economy. I believe you can keep us safe. I trust you.  

Those are all things that money cannot buy.

The trust that the American people put in this president does not mean that his path will be easy. He must still fight with a Republican House not invested in his success. Tough issues like the looming “fiscal cliff,” the implementation of “Obamacare,” high unemployment, and the recent natural disaster all demand his immediate attention. But I believe he is up to the task, and so do the majority of Americans.

As we transition from campaign mode to that of governance, let’s not forget what we were able to do together. We were the stone that brought down the giant. As long as we continue to support this president, he can overcome the obstacles that face our nation. If we work to keep our elected officials on track, we can make real progress on the hard issues that face us.

We must not become weary. We must continue to be five smooth stones.

Presidential Election, Obama, Romney, Black Vote

We Need to Vote Now!

By:  Mildred Robertson

As we enter the final weeks of the 2012 Presidential elections, it is more important than ever that African Americans across the nation encourage friends and relatives to exercise their right to vote. Our nation faces treacherous times, and it is important that someone with a steady hand be at the helm. It is not just important that the hand be steady, but that a good moral compass directs the path of the man who captains our ship.

Over the next 4 years, decisions will be made about what kind of society America is going to be. We will decide whether success is measured in dollars and cents, or whether we choose to measure success by the quality of life of our citizens. We need to decide whether we want to be a worldwide police force, or rather choose to build friendships abroad and jobs at home. We have to determine whether we are committed to equality for women and minorities or whether certain portions of our society will be relegated to second-class citizenship. We have to determine whether health care is a right or a privilege. We must decide if only the nations wealthiest deserve the American Dream, o r whether it is a vision to which we can all aspire.  

The choice is clear.

It is not only your right, but also your responsibility to make your voice heard in this important election. You have until November 3, 2012 to take part in early voting. Contact the Board of Elections in your county to confirm your registration and determine where the early vote sites are located in your community. If you cannot early vote, make sure that you take a few minutes on November 6 to cast your vote.

The North Carolina NAACP is circulating a powerful video that recounts the battles our forefathers endured so that you and I would have the right to vote. The video eloquently states, “If ever we needed to vote, we NEED to vote NOW.” There have been no truer words said this election cycle. We need to vote now!