Photo provided by Cash Michaels
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton exclusively speaks to Cash Michaels, a representative of the Black Press, in Raleigh
Hillary
from pageAI
'Taking on systemic
racism," something she has
"talked very openly and
specifically about," is
something Clinton added
to her pronounced agenda
for African-Americans.
She points toward reform
ing the criminal justice sys
tem "from end to end" to
help stem the tide of ques
tionable fatal police shoot
ings of black people,
improving police training,
and building greater
respect between law
enforcement and the
African-American commu
nity.
"I particularly want to
provide more diversion
from the criminal justice
system and more second
chance programs for peo
ple who have paid their
debt to society so that we
begin to reverse what has
been an over incarceration
that has really disrupted
communities."
"But I also have to do
more to heal the divides
that we face in our country,
and I'm taking all of this
on because I want to build
on the progress that
President Obama has
made. I don't want to see it
reversed or ripped away."
And yet, a "President"
Hillary Clinton's approach
would be from "a different
perspective that will hope
fully get even more people
listening," she says.
Clinton certainly dis
agrees with Republican
presidential candidate
Donald Trump's assess
ment that African
Americans "live in hell,"
instantly exclaiming, "Oh,
that's so wrong," and then
adding "One of many
insulting, divisive com
ments that Trump made
was his characterization of
African-American commu
nities. It just shows he's
never been in any, he does
n't know any people, he
has no idea of the
dynamism of small busi
ness or the importance of
historically black colleges
and universities, or the role
that black churches play, or
black professionals, and
every walk of life."
"He has characterized
in such a negative way
what I see as a part of
America that has a lot
going for it, but [also] has
some challenges that we
must honestly address."
Clinton expressed sup
port for South Carolina
U.S. Rep. James Clyburn's
"10-20-30" plan - 10 per
cent of federal funds
should go to the 20 percent
of communities that have
been living with genera
tional poverty and lack of
development for 30 years.
Clinton says she's devel
oped a plan that not only
implements 10-20-30 into
the federal budget, but also
the empowerment and
enterprise zones that
helped build black busi
nesses under President Bill
Clinton's "New Markets"
tax credits to be able to fur
ther invest, and hire people
within their communities.
Clinton said she'd like
to see "a much bigger
effort" when it comes to
upgrading skills training so
that more people can actu
ally qualify for the 1.2 mil
lion available jobs in the
marketplace. She says she
wants to accomplish this
challenge literally on a
"neighborhood by neigh
borhood" basis, working
with local officials, busi
nesses and faith leaders
who know the most about
their own communities,
and bring different per
spectives to the table.
Clinton lauds President
Obama's leadership in get
ting the country out of the
greatest financial crisis
since the great Depression
- an economic collapse she
says was caused by a com
bination of huge tax breaks
for the wealthy, and
Republicans taking the reg
ulatory eyes off 'of Wall
Street and the financial
markets. Clinton says that
Obama "doesn't get the
credit that he deserves for
pulling us out of that big
ditch."
She credits the presi
dent's "steadiness" in guid
ing the economy with a
substantial stimulus and
recovery package and the
reinstatement of a higher
tax rate on the wealthy, all
resulting in over 75 con
secutive quarters of eco
nomic growth. Last year
until now, Clinton adds,
more people are finding
work, incomes went up and
more people are entering
the jobs market.
"I want to build on that
foundation," Clinton says
of President Obama's
achievements, "and I don't
want to see it ripped up and
thrown away by a false ide
ology that the way you cre
ate economic wealth and
equality in America is top
down. I think its middle
out, and bottom up. I will
build on what the president
has done."
When asked if
"President" Hillary
Clinton's U.S. Justice
Department would contin
ue to pursue the strength
ening of voting rights,
keeping in mind the U.S.
Fourth Circuit Court of
Appeals ruling that the
Republican-led N.C.
General Assembly deliber
ately suppressed African
American voters with "sur
gical precision," Clinton
immediately said, "Yes, a
"hundred percent."
She furthered that she
was "proud" of the efforts
of both U.S. Attorney
General Loretta Lynch and
her predecessor, Eric
Holder, to beat back
unconstitutional voter ID
laws in North Carolina and
across the nation. Hwever
Clinton also blasted the US
Supreme Court for striking
down Section 4(b) of the
1965 voting law, effective
ly taking away the Justice
Department's most effec
tive tools in policing how
various states are uphold
ing the 1965 Voting Rights
Act (VRA). .
Clinton lamented that
the High Court crippled the
VRA, especially since
Democrats and
Republicans in the U.S.
Senate when she served
voted 98-0 to renew the
VRA, and then-Pres.
George W. Bush signed it.
"I want to appoint peo
ple to the [U.S.] Supreme
Court who understand,
based on what you read in
the Fourth Circuit [and
other court findings against
Republicans trying to sup
press the vote], I also want
to go back to Congress and
try to get legislation to fix
the heart of the Voting
Rights Act" noting that
U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D
GA) is leading a bi-parti
san effort now "to reinstate
the full reach and power of
the VRA."
Clinton is currently
leading in the polls over
Republican Donald Trump.
Today she joins First Lady
Michelle Obama during a
rally in Winston-Salem.
"It is no surprise that
Secretary Clinton and First
Lady Obama come to
Winston-Salem on its first
day of expanded early vot
ing as 16 new polling sites
open in Forsyth County,"
Eric Ellison, chairman of
the Forsyth County
Democratic Party says.
"They realize that as
Forsyth goes, so goes the
State."
Her husband, former
President Bill Clinton, con
ducted a bus tour Tuesday,
and Wednesday throughout
eastern North Carolina,
campaigning for his wife.
Groups warn of irregular voting machines
Special to
the chronicle
The North Carolina
NAACP has now received
reports from N.C. NAACP
membership in at least five
counties that, in some
instances, electronic voting
machines may be malfunc
tioning and improperly
identifying a voters' select
ed choice as a choice for a
different candidate.
Voters report that they
have experienced this profr
lem voting on ballot itdms
that include, but are not
limited to, the* Presidential
ballot.
In all instances of
which we are currently
aware, voters were able to
fix the problem by review
ing their choices artd fixing
the error before submitting
their electronic ballots.
"Throughout the early
voting. period and on
Election Day itself, on
behalf of our membership,
the N.C. NAACP and our
partners will be investigat
ing all complaints received
by our members, and by
voters our members are
assisting across the state,"
said the Rev. Dr. William
Barber II, president. "We
t
are gravely serious at this
time about protecting the
voting rights of North
Carolinians. No voter
should feel intimidated in
this election or concerned
that your vote will not
count. Your voice is urgent
ly needed and, in this year,
in the wake of our historic
voting rights victory in NO
NAACP v. McCrory, we
will not allow any rumors,
confusion, or misguided
forces of voter suppression
to turn us around."
Today, in an abundance
of caution, the N.C.
NAACP is asking any voter
who experiences a problem
with a voting machine, or
other problems that leave
yoti worried about whether
your vote has been correct
ly counted to immediately
call the national voter pro
tection hotline: 1-866
OUR-VOTE . You can also
text your information
directly to the NC NAACP
at 1-919-308-9085.
The African American
Caucus of the North
Carolina Democratic Party
(AAC-NCDP) also is
warning about the voting
machines.
The group says early
voting is only two days (2)
old, but it has come to the
attention of the AAC
NCDP that some computer
voting machines in North
Carolina are malfunction
ing and are automatically
checking Donald Trump ?
although voters are check
ing Hillary Clinton.
Check your machines:
Be especially careful if the
name is Ivotronic.
(The Chronicle has
found out that Forsyth
County does have
Ivotronics machines, and
they're being used in early
voting, but as of press time,
there are no reports of the
machines malfunctioning.)
All voters should DOU
BLE CHECK the list of
candidates chosen on the
voter receipt before press
ing to cast their final vote.
If a candidate other
than the one you voted for
is checked, you must
IMMEDIATELY take the
pen that is attached to the
machine and uncheck
Donald Trump and redo
your vote for Hillary
Clinton.
Inform the assistants at
the polling place of the
malfunction of your
mrchine. After you finish
correcting and casting your
vote, report the problem to.
the State Board of
Elections. Also, contact the
AAC-NCDP with your
voter concerns. Please also
contact the Trouble Voting
hotline at the phone num
ber above or 1-888-our
vote to report it.
'
(Vivliilk 111 ?!! ifl ? if ? ?!
? V
Visit the Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Clinic of the
Forsyth County Department of Public Health
Call 336-703-3324 for Open Access/Same-Day Appointment
scheduling (services: exams/evaluations, treatments and
H IV-Only testing). Fonyth County
To learn more visit:
WWW.FORSYTH.ee/PUBUCHEALTH/STD CLINIC.ASPX
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TODAY!! r " W?
?J facebook.
i i *