Showing posts with label Marcia Fudge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marcia Fudge. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 03, 2021

Shontel Brown wins US House seat in Ohio

OHIO-Shontel Brown, 46, a Cuyahoga County Council member who also chairs the county Democratic Party, won the Cleveland-area House seat formerly held by Marcia Fudge, who stepped down to become housing and urban development secretary in the Biden administration.

Brown defeated Republican Laverne Gore, a business owner and activist, in the heavily Democratic district that stretches from Cleveland to Akron. She said she is ready to get to work.

“I am committed to going to Washington as a unifier, and will work with President Biden and Democratic leaders in Congress to lead a swift health and economic recovery from the pandemic for Ohioans,” Brown said in a statement.

Brown will fill the remainder of her predecessors’ term, which runs until January 2023. She must face reelection again next year under a congressional map that’s being redrawn to hold onto the seat.

Thursday, June 24, 2021

Secretary Fudge Outlines HUD Actions to Address Reentry Housing Needs and Increase Public Safety

WASHINGTON - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia L. Fudge today outlined actions that the Department is taking to improve public safety by addressing the housing needs of returning citizens, including through the recently awarded 70,000 emergency housing vouchers funded by the American Rescue Plan.

In a letter sent to public housing authorities, Continuums of Care, multifamily owners, and HUD grantees, Secretary Fudge clarified that returning citizens who are at-risk of homelessness are among the eligible populations for these emergency housing vouchers and encouraged public housing authorities and their Continuum of Care partners to ensure that eligible returning citizens are given consideration for these vouchers. Secretary Fudge also discussed additional steps that HUD is taking to improve access to housing for returning citizens and people with criminal records.

Secretary Fudge’s letter is tied to the Biden-Harris Administration’s new comprehensive strategy to increase public safety.

“The President and I believe that everyone deserves a second chance and a stable home from which to rebuild their lives. No person should exit a prison or jail only to wind up on the streets,” wrote Secretary Fudge. “To that end, HUD is committed to taking a comprehensive approach to addressing the housing needs of returning citizens and people with criminal records, and by doing so, increasing public safety within our communities. Addressing reentry housing needs also furthers the Biden Administration’s commitment to advancing equity and reversing systemic racism, given the racial disparities evident in the criminal justice system.”

The full text of the letter is below. A pdf copy is available here.

June 23, 2021

Dear Public Housing Authorities, Continuums of Care, Multifamily Owners, and HUD Grantees,

Among my priorities at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is to ensure the public safety of the households, the properties, and the communities that we assist. One of the most important ways that HUD can meet this priority is to ensure that people leaving prisons and jails are supported in their reentry to the community. Research also shows that people who lack stable housing following incarceration face a higher likelihood of rearrest and reincarceration. On the other hand, a stable home can serve as the foundation upon which returning citizens can rebuild their lives, obtain employment, improve their health, and achieve recovery.

Unfortunately, too many people exit prisons and jails in America without a stable home to return to. A significant number of people experiencing homelessness are caught in a revolving door between homelessness and reincarceration. In some communities, the lack of stable housing can also delay a person’s approval for discretionary release from prison, leading people to serve more time behind bars than those with stable housing. Many people face housing denials based on their criminal records years or decades after serving their time, even when their criminal history does not indicate that they present a substantial risk to persons or property.

The President and I believe that everyone deserves a second chance and a stable home from which to rebuild their lives. No person should exit a prison or jail only to wind up on the streets.

To that end, HUD is committed to taking a comprehensive approach to addressing the housing needs of returning citizens and people with criminal records, and by doing so, increasing public safety within our communities. Addressing reentry housing needs also furthers the Biden Administration’s commitment to advancing equity and reversing systemic racism, given the racial disparities evident in the criminal justice system.

The American Rescue Plan provides us with a near-term opportunity to assist people exiting prisons or jails, namely through the nearly 70,000 emergency housing vouchers recently awarded to more than 600 public housing authorities (PHAs) across the country. HUD Notice PIH 2021-15 makes clear that people exiting prisons and jails who are at-risk of homelessness due to their low incomes and lack of sufficient resources or social supports are eligible for these vouchers. Given the significant overlap between recent incarceration history and homelessness, HUD strongly encourages PHAs to work with their Continuum of Care (CoC) partners to ensure that individuals who are at-risk of homelessness after leaving prisons or jails are considered for these vouchers. In the coming weeks, HUD will provide further tools to help communities assess the homelessness risk of people exiting prisons and jails and to create and strengthen referral partnerships between PHAs, CoCs, and corrections agencies for these vouchers.

In addition to leveraging this opportunity through the American Rescue Plan, HUD is taking additional steps to meet the housing needs of returning citizens and to reduce barriers to housing among people with criminal records. This includes:

  • Developing additional tools and guidance to assist private landlords, PHAs, and Multifamily housing owners to ensure that their applicant screening and tenant selection practices avoid unnecessarily overbroad denial of housing to applicants on the basis of criminal records that could lead to Fair Housing violations, consistent with the 2016 memo on disparate impact and criminal records;
  • Reviewing existing HUD policies and regulations that limit access to housing and HUD assistance among people with criminal conviction histories; and
  • Publishing findings regarding best and promising practices on reentry housing, including through HUD’s existing programs and demonstrations like the Juvenile Reentry Assistance Program and the Pay for Success Permanent Supportive Housing Demonstration.

As we take these and other steps to meet the housing needs of returning citizens, I will continue to work closely with the many organizations and entities that help to administer HUD’s programs at the state and local level. By working together, I am confident that we can make significant progress in meeting the housing needs of returning citizens, increase their chances of success, and increase public safety within our communities. I thank you for your partnership in these and other efforts.

Sincerely,

Marcia L. Fudge


https://www.africanamericanreports.com/2021/06/secretary-fudge-outlines-hud-actions-to.html

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Marcia Fudge endorses Nancy Pelosi for Speaker

Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) endorsed Democratic leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for Speaker in the next Congress in a surprise move Tuesday, abandoning the idea of challenging her.

Fudge, who huddled with Pelosi in the Capitol on Friday, said Pelosi has offered to restore a defunct subcommittee on elections, and to make Fudge the chairwoman.

The issue of voting rights has been a top priority of members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), which Fudge used to lead, particularly since a 2013 Supreme Court decision scrapped key protections previously provided under the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Fudge is vowing to use her new gavel to restore those protections.

"Leader Pelosi has granted me the opportunity to create the record necessary to satisfy the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder, so that the protections of the Voting Rights Act will be reinstated and improved,” Fudge said in a statement.

“She has also assured me that the most loyal voting bloc in the Democratic party, Black women, will have a seat at the decision-making table," she added.

"I am now confident that we will move forward together and that the 116th Congress will be a Congress of which we can all be proud. I now join my colleagues in support of the leadership team of Pelosi, [Steny] Hoyer and [James] Clyburn."

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Thursday, November 15, 2018

Rep.Marcia Fudge on possibly challenging Pelosi for Speaker of the House: Our leadership should be diverse

Marcia Fudge, the congresswoman from Ohio who may be launching a bid against Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House, told CNN's Elizabeth Landers that she is undecided about her bid, but seems bolstered by the outreach she's receiving. Watch her comments below.

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Democratic takeover could bring first black speaker of the house

Upheaval in the Democratic caucus could pave the way for a historic House leader — and some potential names are already being discussed.

The next speaker of the House could be a black Democrat. And Congress would never be the same.

In 230 years, there’s never been a black speaker, or any black lawmaker seriously in the running for the post. That could change after voters go to the polls in November.

Democrats are their closest to winning back the House in years. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has said she will run for speaker again, but after 16 years at the top, some lawmakers — and a rising number of Democratic candidates — want someone else to take over.

The prospect of a black speaker, which seemed like a long shot just months ago, has started to bubble up more in private conversations in recent weeks, particularly among Democrats in the influential, 48-member Congressional Black Caucus.

After Rep. Joe Crowley of New York, a potential Pelosi successor, went down in a shocking primary defeat in June, the questions about who might replace her have only grown. And that raises the possibility of an African-American Democrat being sworn in as the 55th speaker on Jan. 3.

The members with the likeliest shot, according to more than 20 Democratic lawmakers and aides, include Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, currently the No. 3 House Democrat; Hakeem Jeffries of New York; Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, current chairman of the CBC; Elijah Cummings of Maryland; and Marcia Fudge of Ohio.

Read more: Democratic takeover could bring first black speaker

Friday, May 26, 2017

Black Female Democrats Pen Open Letter About Lack of DNC Support

Dozens of black, female Democratic activists and leaders have written an open letter to Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Tom Perez about the lack of support they receive from the party. Signatories include state and federal lawmakers like Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.).


Read that letter below:

Dear Chairman Tom Perez:
Black women have consistently shown up for Democrats as a loyal voting bloc, demonstrating time and again that we are crucial to the protection of progressive policies such as economic security, affordable healthcare and criminal justice reform.
We have voted and organized our communities with little support or investment from the Democratic Party for voter mobilization efforts. We have shown how Black women lead, yet the Party's leadership from Washington to the state parties have few or no Black women in leadership. More and more, Black women are running for office and winning elections — with scant support from Democratic Party infrastructure.
Well, like civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, who testified at the 1964 Democratic convention demanding Blacks have a seat and voice within the Party, we are "sick and tired of being sick and tired."
The Democratic Party has a real problem. The data reveals that Black women voters are the very foundation to a winning coalition, yet most Black voters feel like the Democrats take them for granted. The Party's foundation has a growing crack and if it is not addressed quickly, the Party will fall even further behind and ultimately fail in its quest to strengthen its political prospects.
Investing in Black women's political leadership is a solid return on investment, one that is rooted in facts and data. In recent years, Black women have proven to be the most active voting demographic in the nation. In 2008 and 2012, 70 percent of eligible Black women cast ballots, accounting for the highest voter turnout of any racial or gender group, proving that our voting power can and has determined elections. A closer look at the data shows that in 2012 Barack Obama won re-election by 4.9 million votes.

The 115th Congress has
 20 Black women—the largest number in history. The group includes Kamala Harris, who is the second Black woman to serve in the U.S. Senate, a body that has not had a Black woman's voice in 20 years. In addition, Lisa Blunt Rochester became the first woman and Black person to represent Delaware in the U.S. House of Representatives.Black women cast a total of 11.4 million ballots, providing the margin he needed to win. This past November, even with a clear lack of voter mobilization investment and a decrease in overall Black voter turnout, 94 percent of Black women voted to keep this country moving forward by casting ballots for Hillary Clinton. In addition, on November 8th we saw important elected-office gains by Black women despite the otherwise dismal defeat of progressives during the general election.
Black women also made important progressive wins in Minnesota, where IIhan Omar became the first Somali-American Muslim elected to the state legislature; Kentucky, where Attica Scott became the first woman elected to the state legislature in 20 years; Cook County IL, where Kim Foxx was elected state's attorney; Orange County FL elected Aramis Ayala the first Black state's attorney in the Florida's history; the state of Texas elected its first woman Sheriff, Zena Stephens; and Jefferson County, AL elected nine Black women to the judicial branch.
This February, in the DNC elections, we saw an increase in overall diversity within the officer ranks, but no increase in leadership representation of Black women. Since taking office, you have met with and listened to key constituencies. But you have yet to host a Black women leaders convening.
Organizing without the engagement of Black women will prove to be a losing strategy, and there is much too much at stake for the Democratic Party to ignore Black women. Following your recent announcement of your top staff hire, we are left with significant concerns about how the Party is developing its strategies and allocating its resources. In the absence of our inclusion in discussions about the Party's forward movement, we question whether the Party values our loyalty and takes our commitment seriously.
In this termed "movement building moment," how will you lead the Democrats forward? Will Black women be among those at the helm, helping to design the strategies, craft the message, mobilize troops, and lead the way - as policymakers, political strategists, activists, and elected officials?
We respectfully request that you convene a meeting with Black women leaders and activists where you can hear not only our concerns, but also our thoughts on how the DNC can invest in Black women's engagement and leadership moving forward from hiring of key staff and consultants to investment in training and leadership opportunities.
The time is now for progressive power brokers and the very Party that we have carried on our back to the voting booth, year in and year out, to make a sustained and substantial investment in our leadership and priorities.
We have demonstrated our commitment to the Party. It is time for the Party to demonstrate its commitment to us. We stand ready to join you, your team, and Party leadership on the front lines — but not as silent partners.
In service,
Anita Estell
Avis A. Jones-DeWeever, Ph.D. - Founder, Exceptional Leadership Institute for Women
Carol McDonald
Christina M. Greer, PhD
Dana Vickers Shelley
Glynda Carr - Co-Founder, Higher Heights for America
Kimberly Peeler-Allen - Co-Founder, Higher Heights for America
Khalilah Brown-Dean, PhD
L. Joy Williams
Marcela E. Howell
Melanie L. Campbell
Nakisha M. Lewis - Co-Founder #SheWoke Committee
Roslyn M. Brock - Chairman Emeritus, NAACP
Star Jones
Sydney Kamlager-Dove - Vice President, Los Angeles Community College District
Tamika Mallory
Zina Pierre
Delegate Lashreces Aird - Virginia
Delegate Marcia Price - Virginia
Delegate Pam Queen - Maryland
State Senator Holly Mitchell- California
State Representative Kathy Sykes - Mississippi
State Representative Laura Hall - Alabama
State Representative Rena Moran - Minnesota
Honorable Marcia Fudge - (D-OH)
Honorable Joyce Beatty - (D-OH)
Honorable Bonnie Watson Coleman - (D-NJ)
Honorable Eddie Bernice Johnson - (D-TX)
Honorable Barbara Lee - (D-CA)
Honorable Stacey Plaskett - (D-NY)
Honorable Yvette Clarke - (D-CA)




Thursday, May 04, 2017

Black members of congress respond to Republican healthcare bill


Today Republicans passed a healthcare bill in the House of Representatives with many not having even read it, and it not being scored by the Congressional Budget Office. Not many House Democrats were happy about it and black members of the House such as John Lewis and Bonnie Watson Coleman took to Twitter to vent about it. Read those post below.




















Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Congresswoman Marcia Fudge dismisses Donald Trump's pitch to minorities

U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge fired back Tuesday against comments Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made in Akron about living conditions in minority communities.

Fudge, a Democrat representing a Northeast Ohio district that stretches from Cleveland to Akron, forcefully maintained during a Tuesday conference call organized by Hillary Clinton's campaign that black Ohioans would not buy into Trump's offer.

"And no matter what Donald Trump thinks, he's still only going to get 1 percent of the black vote out of Ohio," said Fudge, a Clinton supporter.

Fudge outlined what she believes minorities have to lose if they vote for Trump — in very plain terms. Civility. Patriotism. The right to vote. Trump also described inner cities as war zones, according to the Washington Post, another remark Fudge derided.

"He asked what we have to lose. We have to lose the respect of the rest of the world, with the exception of possibly Russia," said Fudge, of Warrensville Heights. "We have an awful lot to lose, so I hope that I get an opportunity to answer that question if he comes back to my district."

Fudge noted that she lives "by choice" in a predominantly black city.

"It is not a war zone," she said. "My district is not a war zone. Do we have issues? Like every other district, like every other city, yes."

[SOURCE]

Sunday, July 24, 2016

Congresswoman Marcia Fudge named DNC Convention Chair

Related story: Donna Brazile named interim DNC chair

Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz will not speak at or preside over the party's convention this week, a decision reached by party officials Saturday after emails surfaced that raised questions about the committee's impartiality during the Democratic primary.

The DNC Rules Committee on Saturday rescinded Wasserman Schultz's position as convention chairwoman, instead naming Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio, as permanent chair of the convention, according to a DNC source. She will gavel each session to order and will gavel each session closed, a role that had been expected to be held by Wasserman Schultz.

[SOURCE]

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Statement by Marcia a Fudge on Michael Brelo Verdict



The decision of Judge John P. O’Donnell to acquit Officer Michael Brelo is a stunning setback on the road to justice for Timothy Russell, Malissa Williams and the people of Cleveland. The verdict is another chilling reminder of a broken relationship between the Cleveland Police Department and the community it serves. Today we have been told — yet again — our lives have no value.”
“By any measure, the firing of more than a hundred rounds of ammunition by the Cleveland Police Department toward two unarmed citizens was extreme, excessive, and unnecessary. The same can be said about Officer Brelo’s individual actions. My heart goes out to the families of Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams and to the entire city of Cleveland.”
“The December 2014 U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) review of the Cleveland Police Department showed that we need sweeping, systemic changes in how our law enforcement works and interacts with the community. I pledge to continue to work with city officials to help implement these changes.”
“The decision may not be what we want, but our march for justice continues. We still have a long way to go toward racial equality and justice in Ohio, and in the entire United States of America.”


Wednesday, January 08, 2014

Are you aware of the Congressional Black Caucus and what they do?

Recently Marcia Fudge a congresswoman from Ohio opined that African americans don't support the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC ). That got me to wondering how many African Americans know of the Congressional Caucus or what they do. So I ask you are you aware of the CBC?

ABOUT THE CBC:

Since its establishment in 1971, Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have joined together to empower America’s neglected citizens and to address their legislativeconcerns.For more than 40 years, the CBC has consistently been the voice for people of color and vulnerable communities in Congress and has been committed to utilizing the full Constitutional power, statutory authority, and financial resources of the Government of the United States of America to ensure that everyone in the United States has an opportunity to achieve their version of the American Dream.

The legislative agenda of universal empowerment that Members of the Congressional Black Caucus collectively pursue include but are not limited to: the creation of universal access to a world-class education from birth through post secondary level; the creation of universal access to quality, affordable health care and the elimination of racially based health disparities; the creation of universal access to modern technology, capital and full, fairly-compensated employment; the creation and or expansion of U.S. foreign policy initiatives that will contribute to the survival, health, education and general welfare of all peoples of the world in a manner consistent with universal human dignity, tolerance and respect and such other legislative action as a majority of the entire CBC Membership may support.

Visit the CBC website here: CBC

Rep. Marcia Fudge: The CBC Needs More Support From African Americans

Rep. Marcia Fudge [D-OH11] believes that African Americans should hold President Barack Obama accountable in office and support the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) in ensuring that issues affecting African Americans in this country are adequately addressed. In a panel discussion on “NewsOne Now,” Rep. Fudge explains why the CBC needs more people to stand behind the organization.