OPINION/ FORUM
Chronicle*
Ernest H. Pitt, Publisher/Co-Founder
ELAINE Pitt Business Manager
Michael A. Pitt Marketing
T. KEVIN Walker Managing Editor
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/' resident liarack Obama laughs during a meeting in the
Oval Office on Jan. 21.
Leadership
That Counts
Ben
C ha vis
Guest
Columnist
No one ever expected that
the first African American to
be elected the President of the
United States would be given a
free pass with no criticism or
pressure from those who did
not vote for him. Although the
majority of voters in 2008
decided that the United States
needed a change in direction
and leadership, there are social and political forces that are
attempting to gain momentum in espousing their critique of the
Obama Administration. Now that there are renewed calls for the
reduction of the fiscal deficit that President Barack H. Obama
inherited from President George W. Bush, there are too many
people who appear to be confused by the cynics and doomsday
predictors who have been relentless in their attempts to unfairly
blame President Obama for all the economic and geopolitical
woes that United States faces today. v
Leadership is defined as the demonstrated ability with a
dynamic character that establishes change and attains specific
goals and objectives for people who follow and who are impact
ed as a direct result of the actions of the responsible leader. The
executive and political leadership of President Obama has made
a positive difference in the quality of life for millions of
Americans in his first two years in office." But, all leaders, by
definition, will be constantly measured by not just by their abil
ities. but will be ultimately evaluated by their actions and how
their actions will impact the present and the future.
President Obama recently submitted The Federal Budget for
Fiscal Year 2012 to the U.S. Congress. The White House issued
this statement: "The President's 2012 Budget is a responsible
approach that puts the nation on a path to live within our means
so we can invest in our future - by cutting wasteful spending and
making tough decisions on some things we cannot afford, while
keeping the investments we need to grow the economy and cre
ate jobs. It targets scarce federal resources to the areas critical
to winning the future: education, innovation, clean energy and
infrastructure."
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Ohama in "winning the future" of America was "education."
African Americans, as well as all Americans, know that if we do
not improve our standards and performances as a society in the
multiple fields of education, then future opportunities for nation
al wellbeing wijj not be realized or optimized. More than any
thing else, education is the key to economic growth and prosper
ity. Our children, and all children, deserve the best and highest
quality education without any reservations or limitations. Thus,
the budget for education should provide more opportunities and
options for children and parents to attain the best education in
the world.
Obviously, the federal budget is not about race, class or par
tisan politics. It is about competence and leadership. It is about
fixing the American economy. It is about putting millions of
people back to work. It is about financial recovery and econom
ic sustainability. It is about education. One thing for sure is that
President Obama can count. The Obama 2012 Budget calls for
more than $1 trillion in deficit reduction during a 10 year period
and a five-year freeze on discretionary spending. He stated.
"America is emerging from the worst recession in generations.
In 2010, an economy that had been shrinking began to grow
again. After nearly 2 years of job losses, America's businesses
added more than one million jobs. Our capital and credit mar
kets are functioning and strong. Manufacturing is coming back.
And. after teetering on the brink of liquidation just 2 years ago,
America's auto industry is posting healthy gains and returning
money to the taxpayers who helped it through a period of tur
moil."'
President Obama is on the job. And notwithstanding the cho
rus of critics and cynics, his leadership is making an important
difference for the nation. What we have to do is to not let all the
weight fall on him alone. We should be raising our voices more
and we should be getting ready once again to cast our votes.
Let's make sure that the interests of the education of our children
do not get triaged during the current budget debate. Active lead
ership at the community level should strive to match the leader
ship now in The White House. Civic responsibility is tor all.
Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. is the Senior Advisor for the Black
Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) and President of
Education Online Services Corporation.
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Congress Should Help Right Past Wrongs
Gary
Flowers
Guest
Columnist
As Black History Month
for 201 1 comes to a close, we
must keep our collective ears
open to the voices of our cul
tural mothers and fathers
whose wisdom is as relevant
today as^i^was in the past.
Their voices^^anrfor peo
ple of conscience, particularly
African Americans, to place
justice and wisdom at the
forefront of our family's
focus.
1 watched with interest an
airing of "The Injustice Files"
last week on the Discovery
Channel. "The Injustice
Files" is the work of filmmak
er Keith Beauchamp. produc
er of "The Untold Story of
Emmett Louis Till," which
reveals the circumstances of
three racially motivated
unsolved murders of African
Americans prior to 1969.
Brilliantly, Beauchamp
weaved together whatever he
could find ? family inter
views, police records, eye
witnesses ? into a compelling
expose.
File Photo
Acclaimed Filmmaker Keith Heauchamp.
Prior to the "Injustice
Files," Beauchamp's most
critically acclaimed work
brought new attention to the
heinous murder of Emmett
Till in 1955. The vicious tor
ture and murder of Emmitt
Till, according to Mrs. Rosa
Parks, inspired her to take a
more active role in the Civil
Rights Movement by refusing
to surrender her seat to a
White man. As Mrs. Parks did
in 1955. people of conscience
today must pursue justice by
reforming public policy.
The Emmett Till Unsolved
Civil Rights Crime Act of
2007 was introduced to estab
lish an Unsolved Crimes
Section within the Civil
Rights Division of the United
States Department of Justice.
Since then, funding issues
have stymied progress of the
Act.
If "cold cases" such as the
ones featured in "The
Injustice I-'iles" are to be
solved, federal legislation
must have enforcement provi
sions to meaningfully aid
prosecutors and families in
court. In particular:
? Congress should appro
priate funds necessary for ful
fillment of the Emniett Till
Act
? Congressional oversight
hearings are needed to exam
ine activities of law enforce
ment officials relative to
Emmett Till Act
? The relationship between
federal and local prosecutors
must be better defined
? The relationship between
Ku Klux Klan members and
local police and sheriffs must
be revealed
? A "Family Bill of
Rights" must be defined in
information sharing between
law enforcement officials and
families
? Families must be given
status updates on a regular
basis by law enforcement
officials
? A full accounting of
unsolved disappearances,
"accidents." "suicides," and
"self-defense" must be com
piled
? eases determined out
side of jurisdiction" of the
Emmett Till Act must be cov
ered by new legislation.
Federal legislation must
be matched by state, county,
and municipal policy that
emboldens prosecutors and
families and imprisonead
murderers. The collective
voices of our ancestors direct
us to pursue justice in
unsolved murder cases.
Cory L. Flowers is the
Executive Director & CEO of
the Black Leadership Forum.
Inc.
Blacks' Historic Ties to the GOP
Ken
Raymond
Guest
Columnist
Many former slaves left a
political legacy that's being
ignored or forgotten - even
during Black History Month.
As they struggled against
the violence and racism of the
mid-l8()()s, it's likely they
thought that this legacy could
be left as a heritage that could
continue to improve the lives
of their descendants.
This legacy is the
Republican Party.
For over 50 years. Black
people have given more than
90 percent of their votes to
the Democratic Party. But
that certainly wasn't the case
during the mid- 1800s. when
the Republican Party led the
fight against strong
Democrats' opposition to
pass the 13th. 14th and 15th
Amendments to the
Constitution, which abolished
slavery, granted blacks citi
zenship and the right to vote,
respectively. Back then, it
was clear to all Black people
who their friends were in the
political arena.
A I! . ri
Accoruing 10 ur. rconme
W. Faulkner, associate pro
fessor of history at Campbell
University, one-third of the
147 founders of the North
Carolina Republican Party
were black. They included
George Henry White, James
Young, E. A. Johnson, John C.
Dancy, Issac Smith and
James E. Shephard.
White was elected to the
Congress as a Republican
from North Carolina's 2nd
District in 1896.
Congressman White was one
of the first 23 blacks - all
Republicans - elected to
Congress after the Civil War.
In her book "The Negro in
Fusion Politics in North
Carolina . 1894-1901." Helen
Edmond states that the black
founders of the North
Carolina GOP helped build
local organizations and estab
lish Republican voter majori
ties in 16 counties. They also
assisted in gaining 40 to 49
percent of voter strength
within 47 counties. Because
of the support of Black
Republicans, the GOP could
challenge the Democrats at
all levels of government.
The same scenario played
out throughout the South as
more Black Republicans were
elected to Congress. Black
men like Norris Wright
Cuney. chairman of the Texas
State Republican Party in
1883. became leaders of the
GOP
The alliance between the
GOP and Blacks paid off.
After winning the White
House and Congress,
Republicans passed the
Enforcement Act. which pro
tected Blacks from the Ku
Klux Klan, and the Civil
Rights Acts of 1871 and
1875.
so wny did H lacks stop
giving over 90 percent of
their support to the
Republicans?
It started in 1892, when
Democratic President Grover
Cleveland was elected and
the Democrats took control of
Congress and the
Enforcement Act and the
Civil Rights laws were
Congressman White
repealed and replaeed by
Black Codes and Jim Crow
laws that severely limited
economic, educational, social
and political opportunities of
blacks.
The Jim Crow laws
weren't challenged until 61
years later, when Republican
President Dwight Eisenhower
sent the Civil Rights Act of
1957 to Congress. At that
time. Democratic Senator
Lyndon Johnson did not
allow the bill to pass in its
original form.
The Senate Democrats
removed the substance and
enforcement aspects of the
bill and allowed it to be
passed and signed into law.
But blacks were still disen
franchised in the South until
Senator Lyndon Johnson ran
for president on a platform to
restore Civil Rights for
Blacks in the South, after
denying blacks those same
rights in 1957. After Lyndon
Johnson won the presidency,
he restored the substance of
the Civil Rights Act and
signed it in 1 964.
With television taking a
larger role in political news
coverage at the time. Lyndon
Johnson and the Democratic
Party appeared to be the party
that supported the Black
Community. So within 10
years, after the presidential
election of 1964. blacks drift
ed back into the hands of the
Democratic Party.
Black people completely
forgot about their political
roots and generations of
black children were not
taught their political origins
at home or in school. And it's
still not being taught today.
There's no question that
the Democrats have benefit
ted from the fact that black
political history hasn't been
taught accurately over the
years. And many in the Black
community want to continue
to support the Democrats.
But regardless of how
blacks feel about the
Republican Party today.
Black history can't be
changed. Blacks' contribu
tions to the Republican Party
should be taught and recog
nized, especially since its part
of the legacy of former
slaves.
Edmund Burke, a famous
British politician and author,
once said, "Those that don't
team from history, are
doomed to repeat it." Anyone
that follows the political his
tory of Black America can see
that Edmund Burke's state
ment is very true.
Ken Raymond is a mem
ber of the F rederick Douglass
Foundation of Forsyth
County and the Forsyth
County Republican Party
Executive Committee.