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VOLUME 97 - NUMBER 40
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2018
TELEPHONE (919) 682-2913
PRICE: 50 CENTS
Don’t Believe the Hype -
Vote, Our Lives Depend on It
By Derrick Johnson, President and
CEO of the NAACP
In the 2016 U.S. presidential election, we were wrong.
Political forecasters, pollsters, elected officials, and even
media told us that the 45th President of our nation would
be a woman named Hillary Clinton, but they were wrong.
In many cases, the margin between who became presi
dent and who lost the race was a slim few thousand votes.
For example, in the 2016 Presidential election, the win
ning margin was less than 2 percent in Michigan, Florida,
Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and two other states. Though
the popular vote was won by Hillary Clinton (in excess
of 3 million votes) and the margin between victory and
loss was small in many states, the “near victory” serves as
cold comfort to those communities whose civil rights are
slowly being rolled back
By Derrick Johnson,
As a vocal outspoken opponent to President Trump, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-
CA) has received death threats.
Rep. Maxine Waters Pushes Back Hard Against
Unsubstantiated “News” From the Right
By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Contributor
“Lies, lies, and more despicable lies. I am utterly disgusted by the spread of the
completely false, absurd, and dangerous lies and conspiracy theories that are being ped
dled by ultra-right-wing pundits, outlets, and websites who are promoting a fraudulent
claim that a member of my staff was responsible for the release of the personal informa
tion of Members of the United States Senate on Wikipedia. This unfounded allegation
is completely false and an absolute lie,” wrote veteran Congresswoman Maxine Waters
in a relatively rare weekend press release.
The September 29 statement was a hot reaction to the unsubstantiated accusation that
a member of Rep. Waters’ staff revealed the personal information, including cell phone
numbers, of three Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee in the wake
of the controversial and emotional testimony of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge
Brett Kavanaugh on September 27.
In a practice known as “doxxing,” the Wikipedia pages of Republican Senators Lind
sey Graham (R-SC), Mike Lee (R-UT) and Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) were altered to re
veal their personal information on Thursday, September 27, the same day as the hearing
on the Senate side of Capitol Hill. The hearing was watched widely as the political base
of both the right and the left took sides for and against Kavanaugh, President Trump’s
second nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Waters’ statement was not subtle.
“The United States Capitol Police and our internal IT specialist have determined that
the IP address in question does not belong to my office or anyone on my staff. The mem
ber of my staff - whose identity, personal information, and safety have been compro
mised as a result of these fraudulent and false allegations — was in no way responsible
for the leak of this information. My office has alerted the appropriate authorities and
law enforcement entities of these fraudulent claims. We will ensure that the perpetrators
will be revealed, and that they will be held legally liable for all of their actions that are
destructive and dangerous to any and all members of my staff,” Waters continued.
Waters has frequently been the target of critical comments from President Trump.
As a vocal outspoken opponent to President Trump, Waters has received death threats.
In June, she cancelled events in Texas and Alabama after what was described as “very
serious death threats.” At a June 30 immigration rally in Los Angeles she stated, “I
know that there are those who are talking about censuring me, talking about kicking me
out of Congress, talking about shooting me, talking about hanging me,” but said “you
better shoot straight,” to the crowd.
Rep. Waters is in her 14th term in the U.S. House and would likely become Chair of
the House Financial Services Committee should Democrats take control of the House.
Waters represents parts of Los Angeles California. Election Day is on November 6. The
new Congress begins the first week of January 2019.
Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist and writer for NNPA as well as a
political analyst and communications strategist. She may be contacted at LBurke007@
gmail.com and on Twitter at @LVBurke
Panthers’ Reid returns^ kneels during national anthem
By Steve Reed
CHARLOTTE (AP) - Carolina Panthers safety Eric Reid knelt during the national anthem in protest of
racial and social injustice before Sunday’s game against the New York Giants.
None of Reid’s new Carolina teammates joined him or stood near him at midfield. He is the first
Panthers player ever to kneel during the national anthem.
With a large American flag in the middle of the field, Reid went to his right knee as the “The Star-
Spangled Banner’’ was sung by Marc Martel.
The 26-year-old Reid made his return to the NFL after signing with the Panthers on Sept. 27, four
months after filing a grievance against the NFL alleging teams colluded against signing him during free
agency after he knelt during the national anthem alongside 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Kaepernick tweeted his support of Reid.
My Brother (at)E-Reid35, with (at)KSTiLLS and (at)iThinkfseel2, continue to take a knee against
systemic oppression. They are unwavering in their conviction! (hash)ImWithReid”
Reid said in a news conference last week he was undecided whether he would continue to kneel for the
national anthem. He said Wednesday that he was “still considering other ways” of protesting and raising
awareness, adding that he was “still evaluating the scope of our country and will make that decision later.”
However, Reid made it clear he would continue to fight against racial and social injustice along with
Kaepernick. Reid, who is African-American, said he will continue to “stand up for my people.”
"Nothing will ever change unless you talk about it,” Reid said. “So we’re going to continue to talk
about it. We’re going to continue to hold America to the standards that it says on paper - that we’re all
created equal. Because it s not that way right now. But we’re going to keep pushing toward that.”
Reid’s new teammates, including wide receiver Torrey Smith, a member of the Players Coalition, said
this past week that potential protests would not be a distraction for the Panthers.
Smith said “no one cares” if he kneels during the national anthem.
Reid was the first player to join Kaepernick by taking a knee back in 2016 to protest racial and social
injustice.
under the ominous weight
and rise of racism and
White nationalism.
Today, like in 2016, we hear
the predictions of a powerful
political shift in the House of
Representatives and possibly
the Senate. While these predic
tions are promising, they alone
will not ensure that the interests
of the Black community will be
affirmed by the winners of the
midterm elections. The only way
we will get the respect we de
serve is to show up and show out
at the polls in November.
When we take our well-de
served seat at the table, we know
our impact is always powerful.
We’ve seen the collective
power of Black women impact
key races for office in special
elections and primaries. Black
women, according to our recent
poll which analyzed the 61 most
competitive midterm races, are
tired of feeling disrespected by
the Trump Administration and
have made it a much higher pri
ority to voice their displeasure at
the polls. Black men are not far
behind them. They too, along
with other communities of color,
are tired of the relentless racism
permeating our nation and fueled
by politicians.
As we approach November,
we hear the faint yet consistent
refrain- elections have conse
quences—ringing in our ears.
Today, as we fight against the
nomination of Brett Kavanaugh,
we are reminded of the harsh
reality that his presence would
remake the Supreme Court of
the United States into a bastion
of conservatism reminiscent of
yesteryears when access to our
democracy was parceled off ac
cording to skin color.
For the Black community,
November is a watershed mo
ment. If we fail to vote in num
bers respective to our actual po
litical power, future generations
will suffer for our apathy. We
don’t have to tell our people how
to vote, only that we must vote
as if our lives and our children’s
lives depend on it. Because it
does.
The NAACP has decided to
fight back and we ask you to join
us by using your ballot as the
weapon of choice.
We ask you to visit NAACP.
org to download and share re
sources to help those you know
get registered and mobilized
to vote. We are asking you to
reach out to five people in your
personal or social networks and
bring them with you to the polls.
Ifyou understand the importance
of this year’s elections, we know
that you will sound the alarm,
connect with others, and express
your power by casting your vote.
Voting is not just about poli
tics, it’s about fighting police
brutality, preserving civil rights,
providing public education, pro
tecting the right of workers to
organize, and giving those who
need healthcare access to it. But
most importantly, voting is about
our ability to live as equals in a
society that doesn’t always view
us as such.
REV. WILLIAM BARBER
North Carolina civil
rights leader receives
‘genius grant’
By Martha Waggoner
RALEIGH (AP) - The Rev. William Barber, one of the newest
recipients of the honor known as the genius grant, said Oct. 4 that
becoming a 2018 MacArthur fellow means he has more work ahead
ofhim, not less.
So appropriately, he was participating in - and getting arrested
at -- a “Fight for $15” protest outside McDonald’s headquarters in
Chicago on Oct. 4, the day the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur
Foundation announced this year’s 25 MacArthur fellows.
Each recipient will receive $625,000 over five years to use as they
please.
“They don’t share these grants so that you sit down,” Barber said
in a telephone interview Oct. 4. “They hope and believe you will do
more things.”
The foundation noted that Barber “is effective at building unusually
inclusive fusion coalitions that are multiracial and interfaith, reach
across gender, age, and class lines, and are dedicated to addressing
poverty, inequality, and systemic racism.”
The 55-year-old Barber, minister of Greenleaf Christian Church
in Goldsboro, first came to the public eye when he was elected
president of the state chapter of the NAACP in 2005. He began
the “Moral Monday” movement in North Carolina in 2013 and led
frequent protests over issues such as voting rights, gerrymandering,
LGBTQ rights and unions.
Barber is now co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign, a revival
of the movement begun by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. just before
the assassination of the civil rights leader in April 1968.
“The message of an award like this is to keep on, keep fighting,
don’t despair, somebody sees you,” said Barber, who’s been arrested
at least 15 times.
Barber hasn’t decided specifically how he will use the money,
although he does have tentative plans. “One of the things I always
wanted to is go places where people don’t have the resources to bring
you and help empower communities,” he said.
Among those congratulating Barber on Oct. 4 was former Vice
President Al Gore, who attended events with him in August in North
Carolina. One of the platforms of the Poor People’s Campaign is
ecological devastation, a prime interest of Gore, who shared the Nobel
Peace Prize in 2007 for his campaign to protect the environment.
“Nobody is more deserving,” Gore tweeted.
Barber described his work as “a long struggle. It’s going to
continue to be a struggle.”
Added Barber, “I do it because it’s not about what you have to
suffer but how you help others who suffer, who don’t need you to do
things for them but need you to stand alongside them.”
Follow Martha Waggoner on Twitter at http://twitter.com/
mjwaggonernc