Black activists tell Democrats: Put an African American on 2020 ticket

African American activists have a message for Democrats: If you want to win back the White House, strongly consider a black person on the ticket.

On their list are a growing roster of black politicians, notably Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J. and Kamala Harris, D-Calif., former Attorney General Eric Holder and Deval Patrick, former governor of Massachusetts.

Turnout among African Americans in the 2016 presidential election was the smallest in 20 years. It’s a big concern as the NAACP holds its annual convention this week in Baltimore, its first major gathering since the election.

Hilary Shelton, head of the NAACP’s Washington bureau, said “It could be difficult” for Democrats in the future without an African American on the ticket.

But he added that the black community is “very sophisticated” politically, and having an African American is not essential if white candidates “are speaking our language, which means that they’re addressing our concerns, they’re going to get our support.”

Several in the rank and file felt differently.

Yvette Stone longs for the days when Barack Obama occupied the White House. She wants African American voters shouldn’t settle for anything less than a Democratic ticket with a black candidate in 2020.

“We have to represent what we want. We have to represent who we are,” Stone, a Huntington, N.Y. convention delegate. “Everyone always comes for our vote, and what do we get in return?”

Read more: Black activists tell Democrats: Put an African American on 2020 ticket

NJ Gov Race: Murphy Picks Sheila Oliver as Running Mate

NJ Democratic gubernatorial nominee Phil Murphy has chosen Sheila Oliver, the former speaker of the Assembly, as his running mate in this November's election, according to a source with direct knowledge of the selection process.

The first African-American woman Assembly speaker in state history, Oliver has more than a dozen years of legislative experience, serving in the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature since 2004.

She also served on the Essex County board of chosen freeholders (county commissioners) from 1996 to 1999.

Born and raised in Newark, Oliver, 65, graduated from Weequahic High School before moving to Pennsylvania to earn a degree in sociology at Lincoln University, the nation's first degree-granting historically black university.

Oliver took her masters in urban planning and administration she got from Columbia University and put to extensive use in Essex County, where she works as an assistant administrator.

She previously served on the East Orange Board of Education from 1994-2000 and as its president from 1999 to 2000.

Oliver also serves on both the Assembly's commerce and economic development committee and the Legislature's joint committee on and equal employment opportunity.

As a woman of color with a long track record of helping Jersey's urban communities, Oliver as the Lt. Governor candidate could help Murphy connect his message of economic renewal to African American voters who may have cooled to Democratic politics in the post-Obama era.

[SOURCE: NJ.COM]

Congressional Black Caucus calls for resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions

Today, the Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement on why a majority of the 49-member caucus recently voted in favor of calling for Attorney General Sessions to resign. The caucus vote was held before Friday’s report strongly suggesting that Attorney General Sessions has once again violated the public’s trust.

“Every day the Department of Justice prosecutes people for lying under oath, yet the man who leads the department has lied under oath on more than one occasion.

“First, he told the Senate under oath that he did not meet with Russian officials during the 2016 presidential election, and then, after reports contradicted that claim, he told the Senate that he did meet with Russian officials, but that he didn’t talk with them about the campaign. On Friday, we learned that the latter claim is likely false.

“In addition, although Attorney General Sessions has recused himself from the Trump-Russia investigation as a result of having conflicts of interest, he violated that recusal when he recommended that President Trump fire former FBI Director James Comey who had, shortly before being fired, requested more resources to investigate any and all ties between President Trump, his presidential campaign, and Russia.

“Attorney General Sessions is unfit to serve as the top law enforcement official in the nation and should resign from the position immediately. As the old saying goes, 'fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.’ Attorney General Sessions is treating Congress and the American people like fools.”

On March 2, CBC Chairman Cedric L. Richmond called for Attorney General Sessions to resign after reports confirmed that he lied under oath about meeting with Russian officials during the 2016 presidential campaign. However, today’s statement represents the views of a majority of the caucus he leads.

Black judge removes Mississippi flag with Confederate emblem from courtroom

Carlos Moore made history this week when he took to the bench as the first African-American municipal judge in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Then he made a ruckus.

On his first day on the job, Moore ordered officials to remove the Mississippi state flag from his courtroom, because that flag contains the Confederate emblem in its upper left corner.

"It was such a great feeling to see the police officer drag the despicable flag from the courtroom during open court. Great first day!" the judge posted on Facebook on Monday.

In Moore's eyes, the Mississippi state flag doesn't stand for justice and instead shows the state supports the Confederacy's legacy of slavery, he told WATN-TV in Memphis.

Another factor in Moore's decision was the fact that a lot of the people who will stand before him in court will be African-Americans.

"Most of the people that appear before me will be African-American, and they need to feel that the courtroom is gonna be a place they can get justice," he said. "That flag does not stand for justice."

It isn't the first time Moore has fought the flag. He filed a federal lawsuit seeking an injunction to stop the state from flying the flag and to rule that its design is unconstitutional. But US District Judge Carlton W. Reeves tossed the suit out last year.

[SOURCE: CNN]

NAACP names vice chair Derrick Johnson interim president & CEO

The NAACP, the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization, names vice chairman of the board of directors Derrick Johnson as interim president and CEO, effective immediately. The unanimous decision was made by the executive committee of the board of directors during the Association’s 108th annual convention in Baltimore, Maryland. The NAACP released the following statement.

“I am thrilled to announce that my friend and colleague Derrick Johnson has been appointed to interim president and CEO. I could not think of a better, more battle-tested or more qualified individual to guide the NAACP through this transition period,” said Leon Russell, Board Chairman of the NAACP. “Derrick’s longtime service with the Association will allow him to take decisive action to deal with daily challenges. He will also serve as the primary spokesman for the NAACP. I have every confidence in Derrick and will support him in this new endeavor every step of the way .”

“It is truly an honor and a privilege to be named the interim president and CEO of an organization that I’ve served for decades,” said Derrick Johnson, interim president and CEO of the NAACP. “There’s a lot of work that needs to be done and we won’t waste any time getting to it. We are facing unprecedented threats to our democracy and we will not be sidelined while our rights are being eroded every day. We remain steadfast and immovable, and stand ready on the front lines of the fight for justice.”

Derrick Johnson will serve as interim president and CEO until a new president is named. Derrick Johnson formerly served as vice chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors as well as State President for the Mississippi State Conference NAACP. The first vice chair of the Mississippi State Conference NAACP will assume leadership of the state conference operations. Derrick’s full biography is available here.