While on a diplomatic visit to China President Obama said that he thought San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was exercising his constitutional right to protest when he sat during the national anthem. Watch more of Pres. Obama stating his views on Kaepernick below.
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“In his remarks today, Donald Trump called for a new civil rights agenda that includes the right to a safe community, the right to a great education and the right to a secure job. These civil rights are in addition to the fundamental, constitutional civil rights of our society and the absolute commitment to equal protection, ending discrimination and safeguarding the dignity of all citizens - and that includes their inviolable freedoms and liberties. Mr. Trump will also defend our religious freedoms, and the freedom of Americans from all communities to worship in peace.” – Pastor Darrell Scott
More detail will continue to be shared on these items in the coming days. Below is more detail on these points and links to previously-released policy papers and speeches on a number of the items.
THE RIGHT TO LIVE IN A SAFE COMMUNITY –The first duty of our government is ensuring every citizen in America has the right to live and prosper in a safe community. We cannot solve poverty if we don’t also solve crime – security is the foundation of prosperity. Crime is a stealth tax on the poor, reducing their jobs, incomes, property values and undermining their schools. A top priority of a Trump Administration will be working with local communities, city and state police, federal law enforcement, and the Mexican government to combat crime. As a team we will dismantle gangs, remove violent offenders from the streets, and destroy the international drug cartels that thrive off the innocent victims in our cities robbing them of the future every citizen deserves. This will provide a foundation for other reforms to thrive – to education, trade and across the economy, along with social reforms and religious empowerment to strengthen families as the foundation of opportunity. This is all part of rescuing millions from poverty and fear that no American should have to experience.THE RIGHT TO A GREAT EDUCATION OF YOUR CHOICE –At the center piece of our agenda is the empowerment of parents and children in school choice. States should have flexibility to use federal dollars to help parents and students find educational opportunities that meet their needs – including charter schools, magnet schools, private schools, religious schools, and home schooling. A portion of existing education aid should be contingent on states developing school choice programs. The failed government education monopoly discriminates against students in the inner cities by denying them the choice they deserve.We will end discrimination in all of its forms.We will use federal resources to encourage states to provide choice, while also encouraging curriculums geared toward success in the workplace – not arbitrary standards – and programs that provide students with in-demand skills and matches them up with both college courses and career courses.THE RIGHT TO HAVE YOUR JOB PROTECTED –The current policy of economic globalism violates the civil rights of American citizens by failing to protect and prioritize their jobs and wages from foreign competition. The movement of jobs offshore, combined with the uncontrolled flow of workers onshore, has concentrated wealth at the top and put American workers at a disadvantage. Economic surrender to the mercantilist and predatory trade practices of foreign countries has steadily eroded the economic conditions of Americans, particularly in our inner cities.At the same time, illegal immigration violates the rights of American citizens in general – and African-American citizens in particular – by stripping them of the equal protection of the laws, which include the laws passed to protect them from illegal competition. Illegal immigration, while enriching the owners of capital, has disproportionately harmed low-income African-American and Hispanic citizens. As Harvard Professor Dr. George Borjas documented: “The employment rate of African-American men—defined as the fraction of weeks worked during a calendar year by the typical black male—fell from 73.2 percent in 1960 to 64.3 percent in 2000… The data reveal a strong correlation between immigration and black wages [and] black employment rates… As immigrants disproportionately increased the supply of workers in a particular skill group, we find a reduction in the wage of black workers in that group [and] a reduction in the employment rate.”
Further crucial steps will need to be taken to do a top-down reform to add millions and millions of new great jobs – energy reform will add half a million new jobs a year, along with dramatic tax and regulatory reform to bring thousands of new companies to our shores and into our poorest communities. This, combined with repatriation of overseas profits, and a bold national infrastructure program, will create trillions in new wealth to invest into our communities and our workers.
By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com [EMAIL]
With Donald Trump's recent push to attract black voters many of his surrogates have claimed that Trump has done nothing to turn off black voters. We will not mention the housing discrimination lawsuits brought against him or his call for the execution of five innocent black/brown men in the Central Park Five case, but instead focus on his much more recent role in the Birther Movement.
Donald Trump and his surrogates would like everyone to forget his role in that racist movement because they can't defend it. Even after Pres. Obama's official birth certificate was presented Trump continued to lead the racist charge on this issue. The movement simply tried to delegitamize President Obama for no other reason than that he was African American and that his name sounded like a Muslim one. That was both racist and bigoted, things America is not supposed to be about. It played to the worst fears of American society who are afraid of whites no longer being the majority here in this great melting pot we call the United States.
Donald Trump was chief among the various wingnuts leading this movement as seen in the 2012 video below:
Now Donald Trump can not say this different happen or that he was misunderstood, or that some clone did that interview. He knows what he did. If he wants black votes he can start by apologizing for his role in the birther movement. This angered black voters to no end.
Until he does there is no reason to continue trying to garner black support. You can't support a racist movement and then expect black people to listen to you let alone vote for you.
By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com [EMAIL]
In an effort to flip the script and court African American voters, Republican nominee Donald Trump is trying to broaden his appeal by attending Saturday service at a black church in Detroit. While some welcome his presence, many prominent African American pastors in the community are less enthused and more skeptical of his intentions. Watch those pastors express their views below.
George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com [EMAIL]
On Friday Republican presidential nominee met with several black Republicans in Philadelphia. What bothered me is that many headlines on this story made it seem as if Trump was meeting with black leaders. They made it look as if he were meeting with mainstream African-American leaders when in fact he was not.
Here are examples of a few of the headlines in the mainstream media.
Los Angeles Times: Donald Trump, courting black support, meets with leaders in Philadelphia
CBS News: Trump meets with black community leaders in Philadelphia
Boston Herald: The Latest: Trump meets with black leaders in Philadelphia
The reality is he was meeting with people with little or no sway in the black community. One doesn't arbitrarily get the title of leader because of a title they may hold, one earns it through the work that they have done.
If you walked in front of a predominantly black audience and tried to present these black Republicans as black leaders, you would think that you were in a room full of owls when you heard the word who being repeatedly said. I'm talking about people such as Daphne Goggins, a local Republican official or Calvin Tucker, the head of the Germantown Republican Club.
These are people who have not done any work in the Black community let alone be leaders. This whole thing was a dog, and pony show with black individuals who were voting for Trump anyway.
It was just another Trump reality show.
George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com
By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com
The Santa Clara Police Union has sent a letter to the San Francisco 49ers threatening that their members will no longer volunteer to provide security at home games unless Colin Kaepernick is disciplined. Now, of course, the first obvious question any rational human being would ask is discipline him for what? He has broken no team rules or policies but only exercised his rights as stated in the US constitution, so what is there to punish him for?
Here is another example of police officers acting like fragile little lilies who can't bare to have big mean bad words thrown at them. They want to pretend to be tough guys, but it hurts their feelings because some guy protest? They could have used this as an opportunity to open up a dialogue with Kaepernick and work with him to show a different side of the police that many minorities don't see, but no they want to fall on the ground and throw a tantrum. Watch video of the story below.
Dwyane Wade speaks exclusively with George Stephanopoulos about the murder of his cousin Nykea Aldridge who was gunned down in the streets of Chicago. Wade mentions how his sons are afraid of the police and how he felt about Donald Trump's tweet about his cousins death.
George Cook of AfricanAmericanReports.Com introduces a brief video showing what African Americans hear when Donald Trump is talking about issues in the black community.
Police on Thursday asked for the public's help to find a woman who was reportedly last seen at the Newark school where she works as its principal.
Bertha S. Dyer, 68, of Franklin, was reported missing by her sister on Wednesday, according to the Franklin Township Police Department. Dyer's sister told officers she was last seen around 3 p.m. Tuesday at Newark's Mount Vernon Elementary School, where she is the principal.
Authorities described Dyer as 5-foot-4 inches tall and known to drive a white 2011 Toyota 4Runner with New Jersey license plate of U79GXM.
Anyone with information was asked to call Franklin police at 732-873-2300 or Detective Trevor Wilson at 732-873-5533, extension 3161.
Georgetown University is taking steps to atone for its historical ties to slavery. The plan includes giving the descendants of slaves the same admissions advantages that children of alumni receive. Watch more below:
Seems like someone doesn't want to take a chance at getting booed while he's attempting "out reach" to black voters. It seems that Donald Trump's much publicized visit to a black church in Detroit will not include Mr. Trump actually addressing the congregation itself.
When Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump comes to Detroit this weekend to try to strengthen his standing in the African-American community, he will be attending a service at a church and doing a one-on-one interview with the congregation's leader, Bishop Wayne T. Jackson.
That's about it.
Trump won't be speaking to the black congregation at Great Faith Ministries International during the 11 a.m. service. And his Saturday interview with Jackson on the church's Impact Network — which will not be open to the public or the news media — won't air for at least a week after the event.
Trump's first foray as a presidential candidate into a church of African Americans was initially billed as a speech to the congregation to lay out his policies that impact minorities, followed by the interview with Jackson.
Controversial Florida state attorney Angela Corey lost her primary bid to fellow Republican Melissa Nelson, Tuesday night. Nelson garnered 64% of the vote compared to Corey's 26%
Corey is known to many as the prosecutor who tried to prosecute Zimmerman for the second-degree murder of Trayvon Martin and sought a 60-year prison sentence for Marissa Alexander after she fired a shot in the direction of her abusive husband.
Each case generated international attention, with many saying Corey overcharged or sought excessive sentences.
And the criticism came from across the political spectrum, with top conservatives criticizing her for her unsuccessful prosecution of Zimmerman, civil rights and women’s rights activists attacking her for Alexander and juvenile rights activists criticizing Corey for her actions with Fernandez and blasting her propensity to charge juveniles in adult court.
[SOURCE]
By George L. Cook III, proud U.S. Army Veteran. AfricanAmericanReports.Com [EMAIL]
Don't tell conservatives but many veterans like myself were not upset by Colin Kaepernick's refusal to stand for the national anthem. Many of us understand that we served so that Kaepernick would have the right to not stand during the anthem. I and other veterans served not to tell others what they can and can't say but to defend their right to say it. Here are the tweets of several veterans in support of Colin Kaepernick:
I served so that #ColinKapernick has the choice to sit or stand during the national anthem #VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/PHhjmUzhkr
— George Cook (@AAReports) August 31, 2016
#VeteransForKaepernick 8 years served for the Freedom of Speech. 0 years served to protect police brutality.
— Clint Silva (@GremLegend) August 31, 2016
@Kaepernick7 I served 25yrs in the AF to protect everyone's 1st Amend rights. I support you #VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/sgEdir8WGf"
— RTED.ORG (@RTED2016) August 31, 2016
Because we demand our country protect all its citizens equally. THAT is what I defended! #VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/xOqLAO0b1f
— Robert Young (@robertcyoung) August 31, 2016
I don't agree with all of his points, but I'll fight to the death for his right to say it. #VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/0jeFlIv5RX
— Isaac wright (@I_Zac33) August 31, 2016
I was a Black man before my service and will still be a Black man when I'm done #VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/Sjm8Laq9fB
— Dominique Thorpe (@GenuinelySpoken) August 31, 2016
I serve for his right to protest.. I don't serve for Police Brutality.. #VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/Q6GUNTwHDO
— Airbnb Papi (@JoeOnDemand) August 31, 2016
By George L. Cook III, proud U.S. Army Veteran. AfricanAmericanReports.Com [EMAIL]
Longtime U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown has lost her re-election bid in a radically redrawn 5th Congressional District.
Al Lawson, a former state senator from Tallahassee, won 48 percent of the vote to defeat Brown, who drew 39 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary for a district that now stretches from Downtown Jacksonville west along the Florida-Georgia border to Leon County.
Brown said she was proud that she had severed her constituents well during her 24 years in Congress, and 10 years before that in the Florida House of Representatives.
"It's been an honor serving the people, and they're going to have a new representative," Brown said. "I don't feel bad tonight because I know I've done the best I could."
Not only did Brown run in a district drawn to cover thousands of voters she had never represented, but she was indicted in July on 22 federal charges that include conspiracy, mail and wire fraud and violation of tax laws.
Brown and her chief of staff, Ronnie Simmons, are accused of using an unregistered charity to raise $800,000 that prosecutors said they used as a personal "slush fund."
Brown's trial on the federal corruption charges was delayed until at least November after a third set of attorneys withdrew from the case last week.
Immediately after her concession speech, Brown began dancing with her bodyguard to, "My Girl." Her supporters joined in and continued to applaud her -- the end of an era in Jacksonville and seemingly a nod to her accomplishments.
[SOURCE]
U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn told reporters Tuesday that “no self-respecting African-American would dignify” the presidential campaign of GOP nominee Donald Trump.
On the same conference call with reporters, the third-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House and the most senior black lawmaker on Capitol Hill also condemned fellow South Carolinian Mark Burns, a black pastor and Trump surrogate who recently re-tweeted a cartoon of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in blackface.
Burns, the pastor of the Harvest Praise and Worship Center in Easley, has since apologized for the tweet, which also depicted Clinton wearing a T-shirt that reads “no hot sauce, not peace” and a speech bubble proclaiming, “I ain’t no ways tired of pandering to African-Americans.” Clyburn called Burns’ actions “beyond the pale.”
Burns, the pastor of the Harvest Praise and Worship Center in Easley, has since apologized for the tweet, which also depicted Clinton wearing a T-shirt that reads “no hot sauce, not peace” and a speech bubble proclaiming, “I ain’t no ways tired of pandering to African-Americans.” Clyburn called Burns’ actions “beyond the pale.”
“When you do that,” Clyburn said, “you do not erase the impact that that still has on individuals.”
Clyburn, who participated in the call convened by the Clinton campaign to disavow the Trump campaign’s “troubling ties to a hate movement,” scoffed at these efforts. He said if the Republican nominee truly cared about reaching the black community, he would meet with the NAACP, the Urban League and any of the other black organizations whose invitations to Trump have been declined.
Clyburn also took issue with anyone who would single out Clinton’s use of the phrase “super predator” during a speech she delivered as first lady in 1996.
Critics, including Trump allies and supporters of former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, have said the term was racially loaded. Clyburn said it was obvious she was talking about some bad actors, “not every African-American.”
Ultimately, he said, he was pleased “to speak on behalf of Hillary Clinton, and also to denounce Donald Trump and everything he stands for.”
[SOURCE]
Appearing on Monday's edition of NFL Total Access, Brown weighed in on the controversy surrounding San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick's recent protest during the playing of the national anthem. During his comments he let it be known that he is with Kaepernick 100%. Read his comments below.
"I listened to him and he makes all the sense in the world. He's within his rights and he's telling the truth as he sees it," Brown explained. "I am with him 100 percent. ... Now if you ask me 'Would I do that?' No I won't, because I see it a little differently. I'm an American citizen, I pay my taxes, I want my equal rights but this is my country, and consequently I don't want to open up for ISIS or anybody that will take away what we've already gained."
While professional athletes have been reluctant to speak out in recent years, Brown believes there are signs that they are becoming more outspoken and willing to deal with the public backlash -- as Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett implored late last month.
"Absolutely. I think Pandora's Box is open. I'm very happy that it is," Brown continued. "So many years, we had the great Michael Jordan who stated that Republicans buy sneakers, too. ... And for a couple of generations it was about making money, not messing with your image. And the agents became the pivotal figure for a lot of these guys. And the agents kept reminding them that you have to be this all-American boy to make these kind of dollars and these dollars are astronomical dollars. So the money came into the culture and created a couple of generations of individuals who did not want to speak up."
So much for that "outreach" to black voters. Public Policy Polling released a preview of a new poll Monday night that showed Donald Trump’s favorability rating among African-American voters at 0 percent.
TRUMP FAV/UNFAV with African American voters is:
In an effort to reach out to African-American voters, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will make his first foray into black churches with a visit to Great Faith Ministries Church in Detroit on Saturday and tape an interview with Bishop Wayne T. Jackson.
Rev. W.J. Rideout III, Pastor of All God's People Church in Detroit, said he'll lead a protest at the church against Trump. He isn't upset with Jackson opening his church and TV network to Trump, adding, "That's business. But I don't want him to think that he can come in here and get our votes."
"Donald Trump is an opportunist, and this guy will reach out to get a vote from the worst fish in the sea. He doesn’t care if he gets a vote from a rock. He just wants to get into the White House," Rideout said. "He’s outsourcing jobs overseas. Yet you’re talking about making American great again."
“I think he’s a racist, I think he’s a bigot and I think he doesn’t have a care for human kind,” Rideout said about Trump.
[SOURCE]
The White House said Monday that it disagrees with Colin Kaepernick’s “objectionable” decision to stay seated during the national anthem in protest but defended the San Francisco 49ers quarterback’s right to freedom of speech.
Asked for President Obama's reaction to Kaepernick's actions, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest signaled his personal disagreement, but indicated he hadn't quizzed the president on the subject. But he did make the following statement:
“In general, what I can say is that I certainly don’t share the views that Mr. Kaepernick expressed after the game in explaining his reasoning for his actions,” Earnest said. “But we surely all acknowledge and even defend his right to express those views in the settings that he chooses. Even as objectionable as we find his perspective, he certainly is entitled to express them.”
Nykea Aldridge, the cousin of NBA star Dwyane Wade was shot to death after being caught in the crossfire of two men shooting at another man in Chicago. While grieving for his cousin Wade tweeted the following tweets about his cousin and the violence in his hometown of Chicago.
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My cousin was killed today in Chicago. Another act of senseless gun violence. 4 kids lost their mom for NO REASON. Unreal. #EnoughIsEnough
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) August 27, 2016
RIP Nykea Aldridge... #EnoughIsEnough
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) August 27, 2016
The city of Chicago is hurting. We need more help& more hands on deck. Not for me and my family but for the future of our world. The YOUTH!
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) August 27, 2016
These young kids are screaming for help!!! #EnoughIsEnough
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) August 27, 2016
