Congressional Black Caucus Chair: CBC Very Satisfied with Biden's Spending Plan

The $1.75 trillion framework agreement for President Biden's "Build Back Better" plan represents a significant victory for the Congressional Black Caucus, who have been adamant that promises made to Black communities be kept by the White House.

In an CNN interview CBC Chairwoman Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) discussed how the Congressional Black Caucus was very satisfied with Biden's spending plan.

"We're very satisfied. This is transformational," Rep. Joyce Beatty, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, says about what is in Biden's spending bill.https://t.co/C6AoULezPx pic.twitter.com/LBip3L4fm1

— New Day (@NewDay) October 29, 2021

What President Biden's Revamped Build Back Better Act Includes For HBCUs

When it comes to President Biden's Build Back Better Act you may have heard about Biden's plans for subsidized child care, universal pre-kindergarten and extended child tax credits.

But tucked inside the president's new scaled-back $1.85 trillion framework is significant funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Here is a brief overview of what Biden is proposing fr HBCUs:

* Biden's revamped framework includes $10 billion for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities and other minority-serving institutions – one of the few funding increases over what was proposed in the president's original $3.5 trillion reconciliation package.

* The bill sets aside $3 billion for grants to support research and development infrastructure at such institutions. There's also $6 billion in Title III and Title V federal aid for HBCUs, TCUs and minority-serving institutions over the next five years, which would be five times the amount these schools currently receive from these funding streams, according to the White House.

* Other HBCU funding includes $1 billion proposed for improvements of agricultural facilities at HBCUs that were established by 1890 land grants and $100 million for scholarships for students pursuing agricultural careers at these schools.

The significant boost for HBCUs and other minority-serving institutions comes as Biden faces sharp criticism from leaders of Black colleges and universities after proposing about $2 billion for HBCUs in his initial plan.

History will be made in Virginia on Election night as a woman of color will be elected Lt. Governor

UPDATE NOVEMBER 3, 2021: WINSOME SEARS WINS VIRGINIA LT. GOVERNOR RACE

Virginia voters will make a historic choice Tuesday: They'll almost certainly elect the commonwealth's first woman lieutenant governor and the first woman of color to statewide office, cracking the glass ceiling in a state that has never elected a woman to its highest office.

Democrat Hala Ayala faces off against Republican candidate Winsome Sears for a role that is widely seen as a launching pad to the governorship — a role that's never been held by a woman, let alone a woman of color — in the state.

"I want the children, when they see me, to say to themselves: 'Well, Winsome is there. If she can do it, then I can do it.' And then you know, we move on," Sears, who is a former state delegate, told USA TODAY.

But, she added, making history only goes so far: It's the governance that matters. "If all you do is shatter the glass ceiling, and then no one can trust you, then what's the point?"

Ayala, who has Lebanese, Afro-Latina and Irish ancestry, told USA TODAY in an interview that while "representation matters," the election isn't solely about electing a woman of color.

"We must first and foremost elect the right woman of color to statewide office," Ayala said. "This is about the future of the Commonwealth. We must work very hard to continue the progress we built on," Ayala said.

A Christopher Newport University poll released Wednesday showed the two candidates in a statistical tie. Ayala has a one-point lead over Sears, 49% to 48%, which is within the survey's 3.5% margin of error.

The candidate who wins the race in Virginia will join three other Black female lieutenant governors in the nation, as Black women continue to transform their political power into leadership positions and aim for higher offices they have long been denied: No state in the U.S. has elected a Black woman as governor.

[SOURCE MSN.COM]

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U.S. to pay millions to families, victims of Mother Emanuel AME massacre

The Department of Justice announced that it has reached an agreement in principle to settle the civil cases arising out of the June 2015 Mother Emanuel AME Church mass shooting in Charleston, South Carolina.

These settlements will resolve claims by 14 plaintiffs arising out of the shooting. Plaintiffs agreed to settle claims alleging that the FBI was negligent when it failed to prohibit the sale of a gun by a licensed firearms dealer to the shooter, a self-proclaimed white supremacist, who wanted to start a “race war” and specifically targeted the 200-year-old historically African-American congregation. For those killed in the shooting, the settlements range from $6 million to $7.5 million per claimant. For the survivors, the settlements are for $5 million per claimant. 

The parties have been in litigation since 2016, including before the district court and the federal court of appeals.

“The mass shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church was a horrific hate crime that caused immeasurable suffering for the families of the victims and the survivors,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Since the day of the shooting, the Justice Department has sought to bring justice to the community, first by a successful hate crime prosecution and today by settling civil claims.” 

“The nation grieved following the mass shooting at Mother Emanuel, and no one was more profoundly affected than the families of the victims and the survivors we have reached a settlement with today,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “The department hopes that these settlements, combined with its prosecution of the shooter will bring some modicum of justice to the victims of this heinous act of hate.”

“The department is pleased to bring closure to this long-running litigation,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “These settlement agreements represent another chapter in the justice system’s efforts to address this horrific event, following the government’s prosecution and conviction of the shooter for federal hate crimes.”

On June 17, 2015, Mother Emanuel congregants welcomed a stranger who had entered their church. They invited him to participate in their Wednesday night bible study. Tragically, at the close of the bible study, the young man they had welcomed killed nine people, including Mother Emanuel’s pastor, Reverend Clementa Pinckney, also a South Carolina State Senator.

The families of the Emanuel Nine, as well as the five survivors who were inside the church at the time of the shooting, sued the government. They sought to recover for wrongful death and physical injuries arising from the shooting. Plaintiffs asserted that the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Checks System (NICS) failed to timely discover that the shooter was a person prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm. Plaintiffs alleged that because of this delay, the shooter was able to purchase the handgun that he used to commit the atrocity.

The FBI and NICS play a crucial role in combatting gun violence. Since this tragic shooting, the FBI has worked to strengthen and improve the background check process. The department and FBI are also actively working to combat gun violence, which is a significant aspect of the department’s comprehensive violent crime reduction strategy. After the shooting, the department prosecuted the shooter for federal hate crimes and obtained a conviction.

Under applicable law, the court must approve the settlements for many of the plaintiffs. All parties expect that the court will agree that these settlements are fair and reasonable. This case was handled by the Justice Department’s Civil Division.

New York Attorney General Letitia James announces run for governor

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced via Twitter on Friday that she is running for governor in 2022.

James’s candidacy, which was expected, sets up a primary contest against Gov. Kathy Hochul, another Democrat, who intends to seek election on her own after assuming office on the resignation of former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

If elected, the 63-year-old Brooklyn resident James would be the first Black woman to be governor of a U.S. state.

Watch her announcement video below:

I'm running for Governor of New York because I have the experience, vision, and courage to take on the powerful on behalf of all New Yorkers.

Let's do this, together. pic.twitter.com/JA21M19p5m

— Tish James (@TishJames) October 29, 2021