A2
The Afro-American, July 4, 2015 - July 4, 2015
July 4, 2015 - July 10, 2015, The Afro-American
A3
Coalition Asks for Removal of Confederate Monument in Baltimore’s Wyman Park By Roberto Alejandro ralejandro@afro.com Special to the AFRO A coalition of citizens is calling on the city to remove a monument honoring two Confederate generals located in Wyman Park, saying the two fought to preserve racism and slavery and that the statue sends the wrong message in a city that has long struggled with race relations.
Led by Dr. Marvin ‘Doc’ Cheatham, president of the Matthew A. Henson Development Corporation (f.k.a. Matthew A. Henson Neighborhood Association), supporters of the monument’s removal held a press conference in front of the statue, whose base lauds Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson as two “great generals and Christian soldiers” who “waged war like gentleman,” on June 30. “We are asking today, the mayor of the city of Baltimore, and the Baltimore City Council, to follow the same [direction] they
Photo by Roberto Alejandro
Dr. Marvin ‘Doc’ Cheatham calls for the removal of a monument to Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson located in Wyman Park at a press conference on June 30.
purportedly are moving in as it relates to Robert E. Lee Park, that’s in Baltimore County, that the city owns,” said Cheatham, referring to the Baltimore County park the council has moved to rename in the aftermath of the Charleston shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church and at the behest of county executive Kevin Kamenetz. Doni Glover, founder and CEO of DMGlobal Communications, also spoke at the press conference, addressing the inscription on the base of the statue referring to the generals’ Christianity. “I don’t know what God they praised, and I don’t know what Jesus they looked at, but our God does not endorse slavery of anybody,” said Glover, who also called for a monument to Harriet Tubman as an alternative to those honoring Confederate icons. Prior to the holding of the press conference, and perhaps in response to Cheatham’s announcement of it, Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced the appointment of a commission to review all Confederate statues in the city and make recommendations as to what should be done with them. Baltimore City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke attended and spoke at the press conference, saying she believed the mayor’s actions were in response to Cheatham’s efforts and calling those efforts a conversation starter. “Ever since [Cheatham] began this idea of coming here today, I have been supportive because now it will lead to the conversation [about race relations] we all keep telling each other we need to have in this city,” said Clarke. Debates about the appropriateness of Confederate symbols and monuments in public spaces have been occurring throughout the country in the aftermath of the Charleston shooting, and some in support of retaining the symbols have argued that they are historical, not ideological (i.e. racist), in nature. Local activist Mark Hughes addressed this argument in his comments during the press conference. “This statue has to go,” said Hughes. “It represents history, but it is not a history that we’re proud of. We need to be recognizing those people who were voiceless at many times, and who don’t have any memorials to them. That’s who needs to be recognized in this park.”
Homeless Continued from A1
The Patricks are the new face of homelessness and definitely not alone. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2013 American Community Survey, roughly 30 percent of the region’s households pay more than a third of their incomes to satisfy exorbitant monthly housing costs; more than 150,000 families are burdened with paying more than 50 percent of monthly income towards housing costs. Further exacerbating the issue, according to a 2014 study by the Urban Institute, was that 40 percent of units in the region that were affordable to extremely low‐income renters were being occupied by higher‐income households, who may have been more attractive
as leasers to building owners. Michael L. Ferrell, executive director of the Coalition for the Homeless said that in the current market, even families earning middle-class salaries may face homelessness by being priced-out of affordable housing. “People who work every day who earn minimum wage ($8.25 in the District - $17,160 annualized) to $60,000 annually for a family of four, face challenges in finding housing within their respective income levels. New rental housing in the District in over $2,000 per month,” Ferrell said. And with the area’s increased housing demand driving up
rental rates beyond comfortable ranges for most households, Ferrell said that local governments will have to make affordable housing a priority through subsidies or other programs to ward off additional homelessness. “Local governments will have to look at things like inclusionary zoning, requiring developers to set aside a percent of their units in new developments for low income households, as an important tool,” Ferrell said. “This has worked fairly well in Montgomery County. The District has had a weak showing in this area so there is a lot of room for improvement.”
Obamacare Continued from A1
as Obamacare, is a tremendous victory for our nation. “Every modern day U.S. president has acknowledged the urgency of healthcare reform, but President Obama and congressional Democrats successfully answered the call with the passage of the law,” Butterfield said. “Since passage of the ACA, more than 10 million African Americans, including 3.9 million adult African-American women, no longer have lifetime or annual limits on their health insurance coverage, and nearly 8 million African-Americans with private insurance now have access to expanded preventive services with no cost-sharing.” Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts wrote the majority opinion supporting the federal health care exchange with Associate Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kegan and Anthony Kennedy supporting his position. The dissenting opinion was written by Associate Justice Antonin Scalia and joined by his colleagues Samuel Alito and the only Black Justice on the court, Clarence Thomas. D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton’s (D) jurisdiction as well as Maryland, isn’t covered by the court’s decision. Nevertheless, the delegate chastised her Republican colleagues
for their opposition to the ACA. “Perhaps our Republican opponents, who have tried to repeal the Act 60 times, will take note that the court avoided the interpretation that would have destroyed health care markets, the same outcome that would have resulted from their attempted appeals,” Norton said. The 34 states that the decision covers, such as Virginia and Pennsylvania, have the option of setting up their own exchanges. If they don’t, their residents will have to use the federal system with the subsidies that it offers. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell said that the high court was correct in supporting the ACA because it is working to improve access, affordability, and quality. “That is the story I hear as I travel across the country,” Burwell said. “People’s lives have been changed and even saved because they have health insurance – many for the first time. They have coverage that can keep them healthy and provide quality care when they are sick.” The court’s decision had its partisan political overtones, with Democratic National Committee Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) supporting the court’s decision while Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus blasted the ruling and the Democrats, particularly Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton. “Hillary Clinton supports big government mandates and expanding the government’s reach into our healthcare system, maneuvers that have made our healthcare system worse off,” Priebus said. “What you will not hear from Democrats is any information on how to make healthcare more affordable at a time
when premiums are getting more expensive.” U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the only Black GOP member of the Senate, said that he disagreed with the court’s decision, saying that higher insurance premiums and skyrocketing deductibles will be the result of the ruling. “We recently learned that more than 100,000 South Carolinians will see premium increases up to 33 percent next year and I fear that is only the beginning,” Scott said. The senator said that he will continue to work to repeal the ACA, a position that all of the major 2016 Republican candidates for president take. The 2016 Democratic candidates support the decision even though Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has said that
he favors a single-payer system, which is a nationally publicly-financed health care program that covers everyone from birth to death. Roslyn M. Brock, chairman of the NAACP Board of Directors, is happy that the Supreme Court recognizes the value of the ACA in helping struggling Americans meet health care costs. “Especially with the ongoing challenges facing low- and middle-income Americans, subsidies are often needed to open the door to health care and mitigate the high cost of not having health insurance,” Brock said. “The NAACP will continue to educate Americans about the ACA and encourage them to get covered and get healthy.”