Higher Heights For America endorses Kamala Harris

Higher Heights For America PAC, a political action committee exclusively dedicated to electing more progressive Black women at the federal and statewide levels and that seeks to elevate Black women’s voices to shape and advance progressive policies and politics has endorsed Kamala Harris for President of the United States. Read their endorsement below.

History shows that when Black women gain political power we champion policies that benefit multiple communities. Higher Heights for America is thrilled to endorse Senator Kamala D. Harris, CA, for president of the United States. Kamala has spent her life fighting injustice. As president, she will fight to restore truth and justice in America and build an economy that works for everyone.

“I am incredibly proud to earn Higher Heights’ endorsement in this campaign,” said Harris. “Their leadership ensures that our power extends from the voting booth to elected office. Black women are keenly aware that justice is on the ballot in this election to tackle issues like maternal health, teacher pay and closing the gender pay and racial wealth gap. Black women are more than the backbone of the Democratic party and apparatus- they are the power brokers.”

In 2017, Kamala D. Harris was sworn in as a United States Senator to represent California, becoming both the second African-American woman and first South Asian-American senator in U.S. history. Kamala currently serves on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Committee on the Budget.

Since taking office, she has introduced and cosponsored legislation to raise wages for working people, reform our broken criminal justice system, make healthcare a right for all Americans, address the epidemic of substance abuse, support veterans and military families, and expand access to childcare for working parents.

Kamala has championed the rights of sexual assault survivors and led the charge against Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. As president, she will nominate judges who know Roe v. Wade is the law of the land, protect Planned Parenthood from Republican attempts to defund essential health services, and address racial disparities in maternal health care.

Born in Oakland, California, Kamala Harris is a graduate of Howard University, and she earned her law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

Growing up, Kamala had a stroller’s eye view of the Civil Rights Movement. Through the examples of courageous leaders such as Thurgood Marshall, Constance Baker Motley, and Charles Hamilton Houston, she learned the kind of character required to stand up to the powerful, and she resolved to spend her life advocating for those who could not defend themselves.

Addressing the country’s long, tortured history of lynching is an issue that Senator Harris has taken on. Since 1918 Congress had tried but failed roughly 200 times to pass anti-lynching legislation. On February 14, 2019, Senator Harris introduced The Justice for Victims of Lynching Act, which would criminalize lynching for the first time in American history. She was joined by her colleagues Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina in sponsoring the bill. The motion was passed, marking a historic step towards the first federal anti-lynching law in the United States.

Kamala led the team that helped bring down California’s Proposition 8 at the U.S. Supreme Court and to fight for marriage equality nationwide.

If elected, Kamala plans to fight for working families by increasing wages, decreasing the cost of living and combating sexism, racism, and corporate favoritism in our economy, which would ensure every American receives equal treatment and a decent quality of life.

NASA 'Hidden Figures' to be awarded Congressional gold medals

Four African American women known as the "Hidden Figures" who worked at NASA during the Space Race are being awarded Congressional Gold Medals, the highest civilian award in the US.

Engineers Christine Darden and Mary Jackson, as well as mathematician Katherine Johnson and computer programmer Dorothy Vaughan were awarded Congressional Gold Medals.

Vaughan and Jackson, who passed away, were both awarded posthumously.

A fifth gold medal was granted in honor of all women who contributed to NASA during the Space Race.

Democratic Senator Kamala Harris from California, one of the people who introduced the bipartisan bill, called the women "pioneers" and an inspiration to black women across the US.

"The groundbreaking accomplishments of these four women, and all of the women who contributed to the success of NASA, helped us win the space race but remained in the dark far too long," said Harris in a press release.

The four trailblazers paved the way for women of color to make history in fields including science, math, and technology.

[SOURCE: CNN]

Charniele L. Herring: First African American Majority Leader of the Virginia General Assembly

After flipping both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly, Democrats made a historic leadership selection on Saturday November 9, 2019.

Del. Charniele L. Herring (Alexandria) was selected be the new majority leader, becoming the first woman and the first African American to serve in that post.

“To me, everyone’s a leader in that room,” Herring said. “We are unified and ready to get to work.”

Maryland city elects first African American mayor

Bowie, Maryland elected its first African-American mayor, Tim Adams. He is also the first person with a physical disability to be elected a mayor.

Bowie, is situated in Prince George’s county which is known as the wealthiest Black county in the United States of America.

Adams is the city’s first new mayor in 20 years and also its first Black mayor. The new mayor has been wheelchair-bound after he was involved in accident years back.

Adams reacted to his election thus: “I think being the first Black mayor of Bowie, in particular, is something that is historic. It’s very humbling.”

Adams is a successful entrepreneur who provides support to customers of the department of defence. He has been a resident of Bowie for 25 years.

History made as Ohio city elect first African American mayor

Tuesday’s election in North College Hill, Ohio was nothing short of historic as voters elected Tracie Nichols the first African American mayor of North College Hill.

Nichols, who has served on the North College Hill board for several years, is also the third woman to hold the city’s top office.

“I’m just elated and happy that the people chose me,” Nichols said. “I’m ready to go out and do great things.”

As mayor, Nichols says she plans to make North College Hill a model for neighborhoods across Cincinnati.

“We’re a family-oriented community. We want things for our residents in our community and to bring people in and say, ‘hey they’re doing this over in North College Hill. I want to be a part of that,’” Nichols said.

[SOURCE:WCPO]