Sunday, March 10, 2019
NAACP CALLS FOR JUSTICE IN STEPHON CLARK CASE
The nation’s foremost civil rights organization joins its NAACP Sacramento Branch in condemning Sacramento District Attorney Marie Schubert’s decision to not charge Sacramento Police officers Terrence Mercadel and Jared Robinet with murder for the killing of 22 year old Stephon Clark –an unarmed father and husband.
“The decision to view the shooting of an unarmed man 20 times, with half of those shots in the back as a legal action is inhumane and sickening. We refuse to allow law enforcement to continue to fear as a justification for police brutality. We refuse internal policies which make execution of people of color as routine and acceptable collateral damage. The decision by the D.A.’s office to refuse to value the lives of Black people is a sham and shame on Sacramento and our nation. We join advocates and our Sacramento Branch in calling on the California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to file charges against both officers.” –Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO
Cory Booker Reintroduces Legislation to End Student Loan Debt Crisis
U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Brian Schatz (D-HI), along with several of their Democratic colleagues, reintroduced the Debt-Free College Act, legislation that will reverse the growing student debt crisis in the United States. The bill restores a path to affordable college by providing states incentives through matching grants to increase investments in public higher education and provide students with debt-free college.
If signed into law, the Debt-Free College Act would establish a state-federal partnership that provides a dollar-for-dollar federal match to state higher education appropriations in exchange for a commitment to help students pay for the full cost of attendance without having to take on debt.
"Higher education is one of the surest paths to economic security and prosperity for Americans, but the astronomical price tag means that ladder of opportunity remains elusive for many students," Booker said. "Millions of students across the country are graduating with an unprecedented amount of student debt, and low-income students are hurt the most. By providing matching federal funds to states, our bill incentivizes states to help students pay for the full cost of a college degree - including the cost of living - without taking on debt,"
"The full cost of college -- including books, room and board, and supplies -- is more than twice as much as tuition. If we are going to be serious about solving the student loan debt crisis we need to focus on the real cost to students and their families," Schatz said. "My bill brings states back to the table and leverages federal dollars to reinvest in public education, and help people cover the full cost of college."
Beyond tuition and fees, the total cost of attendance -- room and board, books and supplies, and other expenses -- has forced 44 million Americans to take on debt to cover their financial need. College debt has increased 170 percent since 2006 and now exceeds $1.5 trillion dollars, which is second only to mortgage debt and surpasses even credit card debt.
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, student loan debt is responsible for 35 percent of the decline in homeownership since 2007. The percentage of younger people who reported owning a business was cut in half between 2010 and 2013. Pew Research Center found that about 50 percent of student borrowers say their loans increase their risk of defaulting on other bills.
The bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
In the House, the bill is cosponsored by U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), Brendan Boyle (PA-02), Judy Chu (CA-27), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), Chuy García (IL-04), Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-03), Deb Haaland (NM-01), Katie Hill (CA-25), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Carolyn Maloney (NY-12), Gwen S. Moore (WI-04), Grace Napolitano (CA-32), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-40), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), José E. Serrano (NY-15), Mark Takano (CA-41), Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Peter Welch (VT-AL), and Nydia Velázquez (NY-07).
Saturday, March 09, 2019
Get a copy of the 1940 Negro Motorist Green Book
In the segregated US of the mid-twentieth century, African-American travelers could have a hard time finding towns where they were legally allowed to stay at night and hotels, restaurants, and service stations willing to serve them. In 1936, Victor Hugo Green published the first annual volume of The Negro Motorist Green-Book, later renamed The Negro Travelers' Green Book. This facsimile of the 1940 edition brings you all the listings, articles, and advertisements aimed at the Black travelers trying to find their way across a country where they were so rarely welcome.
Use the links below to purchase the Green Book.
Thursday, March 07, 2019
Rep. Karen Bass Statement on Introducing the Violence Against Women Act
WASHINGTON - Today, Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security, delivered the following remarks at a press conference about the introduction of the “Violence Against Women Act of 2019”:
“Thank you very much, thank you very much Mr. Chair, and thank you, Madame Speaker, for leadership on not just this issue, but of our House.
“Today is a very important day for survivors everywhere. We are here to follow through on the pledge we made to the American people when we said we will deliver in this 116th Congress.
“We said reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was a priority in the first 100 days of this Congress, and today, we are keeping our word by introducing the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act of 2019.
“I welcome my co-sponsor Mr. Fitzpatrick, who joins me in introducing this monumental piece of legislation, the Violence Against Women Act of 2019, which builds upon the amazing progress made under the leadership of my colleague, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, in the last Congress.
“This year we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of VAWA, and on this very day, March 7th, President Barack Obama signed our last VAWA reauthorization in 2013.
“And today, on the 6th year anniversary of VAWA’s last passage, we are holding this press conference to address the urgency of now in reauthorizing this vital legislation.
“For centuries, women have fought vigorously to demand changes in our federal laws, not simply for their own benefits, but for others as well. VAWA is no exception in that regard.
“Women have stood up for themselves -- for men and for their children -- and have said NO MORE.”
Wednesday, March 06, 2019
Rep. Ayanna Pressley Introduces Amendment to Lower Voting Age to 16
WASHINGTON – Ahead of debate in the House of Representatives on H.R. 1, the For The People Act - transformative legislation that puts the power of democracy back in the hands of the American people, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) introduced an amendment that would lower the federal election voting age from 18-years-old to 16-years-old. In some states, including Massachusetts, 16- and 17-year-olds can pre-register to vote so that upon their 18th birthday, they can participate in the federal election process. Congresswoman Pressley’s amendment would expand these efforts so that people as young as 16-years-old can elect members of Congress and the President of the United States.
“Across this nation, young people are leading the way – from gun violence, to climate change, to the future of work – they are organizing, mobilizing, and calling us to action,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “My amendment to H.R. 1, the For The People Act, will strengthen the promise of our nation’s democracy. I am proud to propose an amendment that will lower the mandatory minimum voting age from 18-years-old to 16-years-old for federal elections, giving young people the power to elect members of Congress and the President of the United States. In the Massachusetts 7th, young activists remind us daily what is at stake, and just how high those stakes are. Our young people are at the forefront of some of the most existential crises facing our communities and our society at large. I believe that those who will inherit the nation we design here in Congress by virtue of our policies and authority should have a say in who represents them.”
Congresswoman Pressley has stood witness to deep and meaningful levels of engagement and mobilization by 16- and 17-year-olds. Last month, Congresswoman Pressley participated in the Boston Youth Justice Rally, organized by “I Have a Dream,” a statewide coalition of youth organizers. At the rally, Congresswoman Pressley stood in solidarity with youth advocates, demanding more youth jobs and an end to youth criminalization. Additionally, Congresswoman Pressley will be hosting a Youth Summit this summer, which will bring youth together to actively engage on policy issues that matter most to them.
You can find text of the amendment here.
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