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Volume 121 No. 48
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JULY 6, 2013 - JULY 12, 2013
Voting Rights Advocates Face Uphill Battle By Freddie Allen NNPA Washington Correspondent WASHINGTON (NNPA) – In the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s 5-4 ruling in Shelby County v. Holder, striking down section 4 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, civil rights organizations and voting rights advocates are preparing to battle against an expected avalanche of new voting laws to wipe out the incredible gains generated by the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The ruling effectively ended voting rights protections under section 5, forcing Congress to update the coverage formula that required nine states and the counties and jurisdictions in six other states to preclear any changes to state and local
Hilary Shelton, D.C. bureau chief of the NAACP voting laws with the Justice Department or a federal court. Writing the majority opinion for the Supreme Court’s decision, Justice Anthony Kennedy acknowledged that “voting discrimination still exists,” but challenged the relevancy of the section 4 coverage
formula originally crafted nearly 50 years ago. However, Congress has extended the law, saying it is still needed. Hours after the Supreme Court decision, state officials in Texas and South Carolina announced that they were moving forward with new voting regulations that civil rights groups say will disproportionately disenfranchise Black, Latino and poor voters. “All the states and jurisdictions that were covered by section 5 utilizing the section 4 formula have now been released,” said Hilary Shelton, Washington, D.C. bureau chief of the NAACP. In a June 2013 study released a few weeks before the Shelby County v. Holder decision, a Brennan Center for Justice Continued on A4
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A Shameful Decision on Voting by the Supreme Court
By AFRO Staff
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Book review: “O say can you see” may not mean the same for Blacks
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William H. Gray III, pastor, former United Negro College Fund chief and a member of Congress who was the first Black to chair the House Budget Committee, died July 1 in London at the age of 71. “Bill Gray was a trailblazer, proudly representing his beloved Philadelphia in Congress for over a decade as the first African-American to chair the Budget Committee and to serve as the Majority Whip,” President Obama said July 2 in remarks noting Gray’s death and legislative legacy. “Bill’s extraordinary leadership, on issues from housing to transportation to supporting efforts that ended Apartheid in South Africa, made our communities, our country and our world a more just place.” The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation issued a statement calling Gray a ‘man of integrity”
By Zenitha Prince Special to the AFRO
The lighting of an Olympic-style torch at Howard University on July 11 will launch the 51st National Convention of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, part of a yearlong celebration of the group’s 100-year legacy of Black sisterhood, advocacy and service. Beginning Jan. 1, the group has memorialized its founding with a historic participation in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif.; a Delta Torch Tour across 22 cities; a Hollywood gala; Centennial Founders Day Weekend and a reenactment of the Women’s Suffrage March, among other activities. From July 11-17, Washington, D.C., and the surrounding areas will be awash in hues of crimson and cream as thousands of the sorority’s 250,000 initiated members, who represent over 900 chapters in the United States, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Germany, Jamaica, Japan, the Republic of Korea and the U.S. Virgin Islands, join with invited guests and other well-wishers for the centennial festivities. “This is not only a momentous occasion for our organization, but a testament to the power of all women determined to change the world for the better and be a voice for the underprivileged and underserved,” said National President Cynthia M.A. Butler-McIntyre in a statement. “The accomplishments of Delta Sigma Theta over the past 100 years give us many reasons to be thankful and require us to pause to pay tribute to our founders, past Continued on A4
who would surely be missed. “His dedicated leadership benefitted the African diaspora,” said CBCF Chairman Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.). The statement went on to say that in addition to “serving with distinction as pastor at Bright Hope Baptist Church for 36 years in Philadelphia… Rep. Gray founded Gray Global Advisors following his work at UNCF. His life’s work focused on middle class and under-served Americans.” A. Shuanise Washington, CBCF president and chief executive officer said, “His commitment to educating young people is a cornerstone of our mission and was Bill’s passion.” Former aide William Epstein said Gray passed away suddenly while in London with one of his sons to attend the Wimbledon tennis championships. Gray was elected as a Democrat to Congress in 1978 and served as budget committee chairman and
Our Mother of Africa Chapel
National Shrine Jewel Depicts Powerful History By CeLillianne Green Special to the AFRO Many visitors have difficulty describing the emotion the chapel evokes. Some describe the peace they feel there, others the connection to history. For some, it is the most profound religious experience they can recall. Though the responses vary, each visitor seems to have one thing in
Our Mother of Africa and Her Divine Son
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The Deltas are Coming!
Former UNCF Head, ex-Congressman and Pastor William H. Gray, Dies at 71
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Delta Centennial Convention
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Chapel alcove featuring a shrine of Our Mother of Africa and Her Divine Son
common: They leave the Our Mother of Africa chapel at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in Northeast Washington, deeply moved. The experience begins before visitors even enter the chapel, at the threshold, where the Continued on A3
majority whip. Gray resigned the House seat he had held since 1978 to run the United Negro College Fund in 1991. In 1994, President Bill Clinton named him special adviser on Haiti. Gray succeeded his father as pastor of Bright Hope Baptist Church in 1972 and held that position until 2007. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter ordered flags at all city buildings to fly at half-mast.
Rodents Make Their Summer Appearance On Duty With the D.C. Rat Patrol
By Talib Babb Special to the AFRO On any given night, you can see the gray, furry, fourlegged creatures on the prowl—from Georgetown to Shepherd Park to Capitol Hill to Anacostia. They skulk about dark alleys, lurk near puddles of dirty water, peep from underneath bushes, scratch their way into trash cans to feed on rubbish. “They travel 150 feet for food, so you could see them in your yard, but they could actually live about four or five houses down,” said Gerard Brown, program manager for the D.C. Department of Health’s Rodent Control Division.
“They just need three things— food, water and a place to live and they can find that anywhere.” When the weather warms, rats come out to play.
Copyright © 2013 by the Afro-American Company
Rats have been bothersome for centuries. Dating back to the 1300s, rats carried the bubonic plague throughout China, western Asia and Europe, killing
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Photo by Chris Barber/Wikimedia Commons