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Trial begins on lawsuit challenging
Virginia voter ID law
By Larry O’Dell
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A
69-year-old black woman who
grew up in a small, segregated
city wept on the witness stand
Feb. 22 as she testified about the
trouble she had voting in 2014
because she could not comply
with Virginia’s voter identifica
tion law.
Josephine Okiakpe said she
plucked several forms of ID
from her purse - birth certificate,
Social Security card, voter reg
istration card, even a bank state
ment - and handed them over
to workers at her Woodbridge
polling place. The only things
she had with her picture on them
were her North Carolina driver’s
license and an expired Virginia
Department of Motor Vehicles
ID card.
“They wouldn’t take any of
that,” said Okiakpe, who earlier
had described attending an all-
black public school in Clinton,
North Carolina, that got hand-
me-down books when the white
schools got new ones.
As she haggled with the poll
workers, she said some other
Dr. Angela Davis speaks at NCCU.
Angela Davis Addresses
NCCU Audience
Political activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis appeared at North
Carolina Central University on Feb. 10, where she spoke about
America’s longstanding struggle to ensure civil rights for all.
Davis was invited to campus as part of the university’s Rock the
Mie speaker series sponsored by the Department of Student Engage
ment and Leadership in the Division of Student Affairs and spoke to
an audience of students, faculty, staff and community members.
Davis, a well-known civil rights activist who later became an ad
vocate for prison inmates and a college professor, said her dream is
to one day live in a society that “no longer thrives on racism” and no
longer disproportionately incarcerates people of color.
“What we are now experiencing is not new, even though people
act like it just started to happen,” she said in reference to organiza
tions such as Black Lives Matter and Dream Defenders that have
been formed in recent years. “We are seeing a renewed dedication to
what has been a long, black radical tradition.”
Citing the efforts of many civil rights leaders, and noting the 50th
anniversary of the Black Panthers Party, Davis pointed out that more
than 2 million people remain behind bars in the U.S., and one out of
every 35 adults is subject to some type of court or police order.
She tied the struggle against excessive incarceration to the abo
litionist movement in the slavery era, saying “the essence of black
history is the struggle for freedom.”
Black incarceration rates grew swiftly following the Civil War,
she said. Today, the prison industry has largely become privatized
and generates billions of dollars annually, making it difficult to re
form or dismantle, Davis added.
Davis said she recently returned from a trip to Europe, where she
met with members of the minority Basque community, recognizing
that the struggle for human rights is an international issue.
Davis herself was incarcerated for 16 months in the early 1970s
on accusations of assisting a deadly prison break. She was released
after being found not guilty of charges.
Now a distinguished professor emerita at the University of Cali
fornia, Santa Cruz, Davis said she was honored to be at NCCU be
cause it is the oldest liberal arts college founded for African-Ameri
cans. She said both her parents attended historically black colleges;
(Continued On Page 14)
voters looked at her and snick
ered.
“I felt very frustrated, very
upset,” she said, trying to fight
back tears.
Okiakpe was the first wit
ness in the Virginia Democratic
Party’s lawsuit challenging the
state’s 2013 law requiring vot
ers to show a valid photo ID at
the polls. The trial before U.S.
District Judge Henry Hudson is
expected to last at least a week.
The outcome will not affect the
state’s March 1 presidential pri
maries.
The plaintiffs claim the pho
to ID law is unconstitutional
because it suppresses voting
by blacks, Latinos and young
people - voters who tend to sup
port Democrats. Their attorney,
Bruce Spiva, said in his open
ing statement that Republicans
deliberately passed a discrimi
natory law because they saw the
state’s demographics shifting to
their detriment after President
Barack Obama carried Virginia
in back-to-back elections.
Mark F. Hearne II, an attorney
for the Virginia election officials
named as defendants, argued that
the law is a “racially neutral” at
tempt to prevent voter fraud and
inspire public confidence in elec
tions.
Hearne said that some voters
might be inconvenienced by the
photo ID requirement, but people
are not being disenfranchised.
He said the mandate has broad
public support, and Virginia has
a more lenient photo ID law than
many of the more than 30 states
that have enacted such measures.
Lawsuits challenging photo ID
laws are pending in several other
states. A six-day trial on North
Carolina’s law wrapped up Feb.
1, and the judge is expected to
rule in a few weeks.
Okiapke testified that she
was given a provisional ballot
that was counted only after she
obtained a new photo ID at the
voter registrar’s office in Manas
sas and produced it a few days
after the election.
Another witness, Meghan
Cotten of Arlington, said she
was not even offered a provi
sional ballot after being told that
her Alabama driver’s license was
not a valid form of ID under the
Virginia law. Cotten, a 32-year-
old public relations represen
tative, said people turned and
stared after a poll worker loudly
expressed surprise that she did
not have a passport.
“It was pretty humiliating, to
be honest,” Cotten said. “It was
very hard to be singled out.”
She left without voting.
Spiva said there are tens of
thousands of other registered
voters who do not have current
Virginia driver’s licenses, work
ID badges or other forms of
photo identification accepted at
Virginia polling places. Virgin
ians can obtain free photo IDs
at voter registrar offices, just as
Okiapke did, but Spiva said the
state has done little to spread the
word.
As Clinton takes delegate
lead, Sanders vows to fight on
By Lisa Lerer and Stephen Ohlemacher
WASHINGTON (AP) - With Hillary Clinton taking the lead in the
competition for Democratic delegates, rival Bernie Sanders is vow
ing to fight on, saying on Feb. 22 that he has no plans of leaving the
race anytime soon.
Sanders downplayed Clinton’s weekend victory in Nevada, point
ing out that the win only resulted in her picking up four additional
delegates, out of the 2,383 needed to win the nomination. He says his
campaign has plenty of time to make up lost ground.
“This is about a slog, state by state by state,” he said. “Even if we
do well, Secretary Clinton will get a lot of delegates and we’ll just
have to keep moving on.”
Clinton pulled ahead of Sanders late Feb. 22, when she eked out
the final delegate from Saturday’s Nevada caucuses, giving her a total
of 52 caucus and primary delegates. Sanders has 51.
“HRC now takes (national) delegate lead,” tweeted Clinton
spokesman Brian Fallon. “Not planning on ever giving it back.”
The milestone is important because once a candidate establishes
a sizable delegate lead, it can be hard for opponents to make up the
lost ground.
Eight years ago, then-Illinois Sen. Barack Obama outgunned Clin
ton for the party nomination by establishing a 100 delegate advan
tage that she was never able to overcome. Clinton’s team, who hired
Obama’s former aides to run their delegate effort, hopes to copy his
strategy this spring by parlaying their strength with African-Ameri
can voters into a string of wins in South Carolina, on Feb. 27, and the
southern contests that follow on March 1.
There are more than 1,400 delegates at stake in states such as
South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Louisiana, and
depending on the outcome and proportional allocation of delegates,
Clinton could build a comfortable lead.
(Continued On Page 14)
106-year-old says she can 6 die
happy’ after Obama meeting
By Josh Lederman and Rick Gentilo
WASHINGTON (AP) - At 106 years old, she’s seen more than
a dozen presidents come and go, but Virginia McLaurin says she
can finally die happy after meeting President Barack Obama.
Video of the centenarian shaking her groove with excitement
quickly went viral on the Internet after last week’s Black History
Month reception at the White House.
The grandmother tells The Associated Press that when she saw
the president and first lady Michelle Obama in the flesh, she was
so happy, she started dancing.
She says in a video interview that she never imagined she’d
have the opportunity.
McLaurin had started an online White House petition for a
visit more than a year ago. The African-American said in the pe
tition that she never thought she’d live to see a black president.
JAMES A. ANDERSON
Proposals Perpetuate
Unequal Treatment Of
Select’ UNC Schools
James A. Anderson
Chancellor & Professor of Psychology
Fayetteville State University
Recent articles published in several newspapers and online have
attempted to represent the position of those who publically call
for radical changes in the UNC system. Specifically, one of these
proposals involves potential changes to mandate that the least
qualified of students accepted to UNC schools be required to attend
community colleges and earn an associate’s degree before they
are allowed to attend a UNC school. Other proposals include such
options as: a) Raise the admissions criteria at all UNC institutions
from the current Grade Point Average of 2.5 to 2.7; b) Specify that
a percentage of students already committed to UNC schools be
directed to NC Community Colleges; c) Lower the in-state tuition
to $500 and out-of-state tuition to $2,500 of “selected” campuses,
a plan that would potentially alter the size and diversity of certain
“select” campuses; and d) Merge and re-name certain “select”
campuses. Generally, these potential options are proffered as ways to
increase graduation rates, to reduce student debt, to increase college
readiness, and to reduce the number of UNC campuses. However, the
potential also exists to have a disparate impact on certain campuses.
At the outset I unequivocally state that it is the responsibility
of the General Assembly and the Board of Governors to monitor
persistence and graduation rates, student debt, and the efficiency and
effectiveness of all 17 UNC institutions. And, when possible changes
are discussed, especially radical changes, that they involve a review
of the best research, best practices, best models, best data/metrics,
and predictive analytics that are available. Anything less embodies
conjecture, subjective projection, and the dangerous possibility that
outcomes will be produced that are harmful to our most precious
commodity - students enrolled in UNC institutions who will drive
the economy of this state one day and emerge as its future leaders.
The “select” institutions who are the primary targets of many of
the proposals are three of the five Historically Black Universities
and UNC Pembroke whose original mission involved the admission
of American Indian students. But the question remains: Why these
institutions? Fayetteville State University is one of the most diverse
campuses in the system so why is a diversity criteria being applied
to us? We are racially diverse and we serve high percentages of
adult students, commuters, the military, and online students. One
would think that a discussion this critical about potential radical
changes to certain UNC institutions would involve their respective
Chancellors and Board of Trustee chairs. This is more striking since
our institutions have a history of being underfunded and treated in a
less than respectful manner. I have not been contacted by anyone who
previously have suggested changes. Like most people I read about it in
the media or have picked up information on the grapevine. Since the
size, make-up, and economy of any UNC institution are fundamental
to their very existence, I find it profoundly unprofessional that others,
who know little about FSU and the other “select” institutions are
having public discussions about our future.
The only person who has contacted me and some of the other
Chancellors is Mr. Craig Horn, the Chair of the House Standing
Committee of Appropriations for Education. I am very grateful for
his courtesy and for extending us his professional respect. He is
seeking to encourage thoughtful and collaborative discussions about
the proposals.
LITTLE EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT PROPOSALS
As I indicated earlier it is reasonable, professional, and ethically
important that discussions about radical changes among UNC
institutions be guided by what we know that works, what is effective,
and what benefits students the most. Virtually little evidence has been
offered to support the aforementioned proposals. In fact, there exists
a strong body ofresearch and evidence that directly contradicts some
of the proposals and suggests that they will result in more harm than
good. Some states that have instituted radical changes in tuition and
performance measures have experienced unexpected outcomes.
Of course persistence and graduation rates need to improve
and no one challenges that. However, relying solely on a four-
year graduation rate masks the fact that those rates are influenced
by multiple factors: students may lack funds, students are raising
families, academic majors are not available every semester, state
budget reductions cause a loss of faculty and a reduction in available
classes, etc. Over the last several years the UNC system schools have
increased admission standards and progression standards (semester-
to-semester persistence), and have accepted their evaluation against
10 mutually agreed upon assessment/evaluation metrics initiated
(Continued On Page 14)