Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee reintroduces Reparations Bill

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas recently reintroduced a bill that is the first step toward giving reparations to Black Americans whose lives have been impacted by the slavery of their ancestors.

Lee recently introduced H.R. 40, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act, to the House Floor.

The legislation examines the specific role slavery played in creating inequality in the lives of Black Americans, as well as recommend a formal apology from the U.S. government.

“Today there are more people at the table –– more activists, more scholars, more CEOs, more state and local officials, and more members of Congress,” Lee said in a press release. “However, despite this progress and the election of the first American President of African descent, the legacy of slavery lingers heavily in this nation.

“In short, the Commission aims to study the impact of slavery and continuing discrimination against African Americans, resulting directly and indirectly from slavery to segregation to the desegregation process and the present day. The Commission would also make recommendations concerning any apology and compensation to begin the long-delayed process of atonement for slavery,” she said.

Lee also acknowledged the lack of financial restitution as the main factor in many of the issues the Black community faces today.

“These economic issues are the root cause for many critical issues in the African-American community today, such as education, health care, and criminal justice policy, including policing practices. The call for reparations represents a commitment to entering a constructive dialogue on the role of slavery and racism in shaping present-day conditions in our community and American society.”

Reparations legislation was first introduced in the House by the late Representative John Conyers in 1989. Conyers argued for reparations throughout his final years in Congress before he retired in 2017. Conyers died in 2019.

When he retired, Lee took up the torch to sponsor the bill and step up her campaign after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in 2020.

“I just simply ask, why not and why not now? If not all of us, then who?” she said, per a report by the Detroit News. “God bless us as we pursue the final justice for those who lived in slavery for 250 years in the United States of America.”

[SOURCE: CHICAGO CRUSADER]

President-Elect Biden picks Jaime Harrison as the next chair of the Democratic National Committee

President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday named Jaime Harrison, a former South Carolina Democratic Party chair and 2020 Senate candidate, as his pick for the next chair of the Democratic National Committee.

Harrison has long been seen as the only candidate for the job. He will still be required to face an election by DNC members, but a win is almost a forgone conclusion with the support of the incoming president. DNC members will vote during a virtual meeting on January 21 -- the day after Biden's inauguration.

Harrison was believed to be a strong pick by Democrats because he has held a number of party roles -- state chair, DNC officer, candidate -- and is viewed as someone who understands what it is like to be a Democrat in a red state where the investment is needed.

Harrison released a statement via Twitter on his appointment:

I’m humbled and excited that @JoeBiden has chosen me to lead @TheDemocrats.

Together, we’ll organize everywhere, invest in state parties, expand the map, and elect Democrats who will be champions for the working people of this country.

— Jaime Harrison (@harrisonjaime) January 14, 2021

Lawmakers introduce a bill to award Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman the Congressional Gold Medal

A bipartisan group of lawmakers have introduced a bill to award Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman the Congressional Gold Medal for his role in protecting lawmakers against the mob of President Trump’s supporters that breached the U.S. Capitol.

Reps. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) and Charlie Crist (D-Fla.) introduced the measure, saying Goodman deserves Congress’ highest civilian honor after he was captured in photos and videos leading rioters away form the entrance to the Senate chamber during the riot.

“He’s a hero!” Crist said in a statement. “While some will remember last Wednesday for the very worst in our country, the patriotism and heroics of Officer Eugene Goodman renew my faith and remind us all what truly makes the United States great.”

Mace said in a statement that Goodman’s actions were “heroic and represent the best of law enforcement. “When he was the only thing standing between Members of Congress and the violent mob, he quickly and selflessly redirected their fury upon himself so those Members could escape. Thanks to his valor, we are here today,” Mace said. “From the bottom of my heart, I cannot thank him enough for his bravery and for his dedication to the call of duty.”

[SOURCE: The Hill]

Rep. Payne, Jr. Votes for the Impeachment of President Trump Again

Today, Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. voted to impeach President Trump for “incitement of insurrection” after his actions encouraged a mob riot that damaged the U.S. Capitol Building, killed five people, injured dozens of police officers, and forced several members of Congress and staff to move to secure locations. The move comes one day after Rep. Payne, Jr. voted for a separate House resolution to ask Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office and allow the Vice President to assume the president’s responsibilities until Joe Biden is sworn in January 20, 2021 as the new president.

“This president will go down in history as the worst one America has ever had,” said Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. “Since his election, he has shown a reckless disregard for the safety and security of the American people through his coronavirus response and his support for an insurrection against our country. President Trump’s urging of rioters and domestic terrorists to siege our Capitol Building, a symbol of democracy worldwide, shows he must be removed from office immediately. Once he is removed, we can work to restore America as one nation again with liberty and justice for all.”

The resolution (H.Res. 24) would impeach President Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors based on conduct that violates his duty to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. Specifically, it focuses on Trump’s actions to encourage the riot on January 6, 2021 on Capitol Hill. Trump told supporters before the riot to travel to Washington, D.C. so they could attack the Capitol Building, threaten Republican and Democratic elected officials, and try to stop the certification of votes from the November election. Normally, certification is a routine procedure that Republicans mand Democrats support.

In addition, the resolution mentions Trump’s phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to overturn Georgia’s presidential election. In the January 2, 2021 call, Trump threatened Raffensperger with possible criminal consequences if he did not falsify an extra 11,780 votes and declare Trump the winner of Georgia’s Presidential election. The resolution states that “President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government. He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of Government. He thereby betrayed his trust as President, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.”

Rep. Maxine Waters Statement on Vote to Impeach Donald Trump for Second Time

Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, issued the following statement after casting her vote to impeach President Donald J. Trump for a second time.

“Today, I voted to impeach Donald J. Trump – the worst and most dangerous president in the history of the United States of America. Today, he became the first president in our history to be impeached, not once – but twice.”

“From the very beginning of Donald Trump’s siege of our government and our democracy, I knew the danger he posed, and I knew that he was willing to do absolutely anything to stay in power. He came down the escalator at Trump Tower with a purpose, not to better our country or make it great, but to further his own interests and put them ahead of the interests of our country. From day one, it was clear that Donald J. Trump had no regard for the Constitution and was willing to trample all over it.

“The President of the United States took an oath to ‘preserve, protect and defend the Constitution’. It is an oath required by Article Two, Section One. Yet, it is an oath that he never took seriously and violated once again when he incited an insurrection at the United States Capitol.

“His relentless efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election have become the gravest stress test of American democracy in generations. Our democratic institutions are under assault by the same leader charged with their care, and we must understand our role in checking the authoritarian behavior emanating from the White House.

“From the highest office in the land, Donald Trump provided white supremacists, right-wing extremists, and conspiracy theorists validation and free reign to spew hatred, bigotry, and racism, and yes – commit extreme violence. This failed man and failed president not only refused to condemn violence from these groups, he incited and encouraged them time and time again. In Charlottesville, he called them good people, and last year, he gave an order to the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by,” and that – they did.

“On January 6, just before insurrectionists stormed the Capitol and desecrated the seat of American democracy, Donald Trump gave them orders. He told them to “save our democracy” and that “We’re going to walk down to the Capitol, and... you’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.” With their marching orders in hand and fueled by the lies he spoon fed to them over the last four years, his supporters sped toward the Capitol with Confederate flags, guns, and nooses in tow. Pipe bombs were placed on and around the Capitol grounds. They chanted “Hang Mike Pence” and “Where is Nancy” and were willing to do anything they could to overturn a free and fair election, even if it meant overthrowing a free and fair democracy.

“While Members of Congress and their staff were in secret locations and the insurrectionists were intent on locating leading members of our government, Donald Trump posted a video, in which he had the audacity to remind them that they had his support, saying, “We love you, you’re very special.” His message of love for the domestic terrorists storming the Capitol Building was one of the most despicable, cowardly acts by a United States president in the history of our nation. By allying himself with the seditious domestic enemies of the United States, while a siege was in progress, this president committed a treasonous act akin to those who threw themselves behind the Confederate forces after the bombardment of Fort Sumter, which began the Civil War in 1861. The insurrection Trump incited and supported led to six deaths including two police officers and a woman who had posted about putting myself and other members of our government on notice.

“In response to the tragedy of January 6, 2021, I drafted H. Res. 34, which contains four articles of impeachment against Donald J. Trump, one each for the following separate abuses of power: conspiring to commit sedition by inciting an insurrection; corrupting the electoral process; violating the emoluments clauses of the Constitution, which protect against presidential corruption; and obstruction of justice.

“These insurrectionists came with one goal and one purpose – to overturn a United States election, overthrow the federal government, and hold hostage the democratic process by either occupying the Capitol building, kidnapping members of Congress, or both. Let no person mistake their failure to achieve their goals as any indication that the danger was not legitimate, that the national security of the United States was not compromised, and that the conspiracy to commit sedition against our country should not be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. It is now our duty to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again and that the very man who fueled an insurrection is held accountable.

“I look forward to a conviction in the Senate. Now is the time to act. The future of our democracy depends on it.”