S
The Tri County’s Only Multicultural Newspaper
TRI COUNTY
ENTRY
VOL. XXIV NO. 44
Rev. Jackson Launches Humanitarian Relief Drive
for Baton Rouge Flood Victims
Chicago, IL -- Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. is in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and announced he has launched a humanitarian relief drive for flood victims on Monday. Rev. Jackson is holding a
10 a.m. press conference Tuesday at the Rainbow PUSH Coalition headquarters, 930 E. 50th Street to announce the Rainbow PUSH Relief Assistance/United Christian JACKSON, See page 12A
Legendary Journalist, Black Press Columnist
George Curry Remembered as Champion of Civil Rights
By Hazel Trice Edney (TriceEdneyWire) - Renowned civil rights and Black political journalist George E. Curry, the dean of Black press columnists because of his riveting weekly commentary in Black newspapers across the country, is being remembered this week as a legend. Curry died suddenly of heart failure on Saturday, August 20. He was 69. “He stood tall. He helped pave the way for other journalists of color to do their jobs without the questions and doubts,” said the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. with whom Curry traveled extensively, including to the funeral of President Nelson Mandela. “He was a
FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016
Ventura County Pride Festival a Huge Success See page 15A
African-Americans have a lot to ‘lose’ from a Trump presidency
The following story ran in the Washington Post by Greg Sargent This morning, Mike Pence was pressed on Donald Trump’s recent claim that when he gets reelected in 2020, he’ll win 95 percent of the black vote. Pence laughed and said, “Well, that’s Donald Trump,” as if he were making an offhand remark about a mildly diverting street comic or juggler he passes regularly, rather than about the man the Republican Party has nominated for the most powerful position in the world. More seriously, however, Pence didn’t meaningfully distance himself from Trump’s larger argument, which is that the Democratic Party has badly failed African-Americans and that, as a result, they might as well take a flyer on Trump. Here’s how Trump himself put it in a quote that continues to resonate: “Look at how much African American communities are suffering from Democratic control. To those I say the following: What do you have to lose by trying something new like Trump? What do you have to lose?” he asked. “You live in your poverty,
African-Americans must not be fooled and vote for Donald Trump!
your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58 percent of your youth is unemployed. What the hell do you have to lose?” A number of commentators have already flayed these comments. As Philip Bump demonstrates, Trump is exaggerating the plight of African-Americans in multiple ways. What’s more, as Bump notes, the deeper implication of the comment is that they aren’t adequately evaluating their own interests in deciding how to vote, when in reality, the history of the last half century supports the idea that “Democrats win the support of black voters consis-
tently because those voters like the work that they do and like the fights that they fight.” Meanwhile, let’s not forget that Trump is without exaggeration the world’s most famous proponent of the idiotic conspiracy theory that the first AfricanAmerican president actually isn’t an American. But I wanted to add that if you evaluate Trump’s main policy proposals, it’s likely that they would have a disproportionately negative impact on African-Americans. Take Trump’s vow to repeal Obamacare and replace it with his own health reform plan. Gallup numbers show
that the Affordable Care Act has produced an 8.5 percentage point drop in the uninsured rate among blacks, as opposed to a six point drop among overall Americans — meaning a disproportionately large drop. The National Health Interview Survey found something similar: For African-Americans, the uninsured rate dropped from nearly 21 percent in 2010 to around 11 percent in 2015 — approximately a 10 point drop. “I think it’s fair to attribute that drop to the ACA,” Larry Levitt of the Kaiser Family Foundation tells me. But what about Trump’s TRUMP, See page 12A
NAACP National President and Students Holding Sit-In at Congressman’s District Office
George E. Curry
proud and tireless advocate of the Black press, serving two tours as editor-in-chief of the National Newspaper CURRY, See page 12A
Bethune-Cookman University Student
to Represent the White House
Victoria Harrison Is One of 73 HBCU All-Stars Announced Today Victoria Harrison, a senior psychology major, was among 73 students named a 2016 White House Initiative on HBCUs (WHIHBCUs) All-Star today. Victoria was chosen from a pool of more than 300 students from 24 states, the District of Columbia, Ghana, Nigeria, and the Virgin Islands. The All-Stars, comprised of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, are being recognized for their accomplishments in academics, leadership, and civic engagement. Harrison, who is a native of Tampa, Fla. also serves as B-CU’s Miss UNCF, president of the B-CU Pinky
Inside This Issue
Victoria Harrison
Promise Club, member of the National Society of Leadership & Success and the American Psychology STUDENT, See page 12A
Inflation fighter special
ROANOKE, Va. – NAACP National President and CEO Cornell William Brooks and NAACP members are holding a nonviolent sit-in at Congressman Bob Goodlatte’s district office in Roanoke calling for a hearing on the restoration of the Voting Rights Act. Brooks, an attorney and minister who has served as president of the NAACP since 2014, is currently refusing to leave the office of Congressman Bob Goodlatte for refusing to hold hearings on the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 for three years. He has told police that he will not leave unless arrested or he receives a response from the congressman. The sit-in began at 11 a.m. and follows a morning of protest by the local chapter of the NAACP, where a group of youth and adult activists called for congressional action to restore federal protection against state laws barring ballot access in states with the worst histories of voter suppression and discrimination. Goodlatte chairs the House Judiciary Committee, which has
refused to hold hearings on legislation to combat egregious voter discrimination in recent years. “In these past three years, we’ve seen a Machiavellian frenzy of voter suppression from one end of this country to the other, where states have worked systemically to make it harder for young people, college students and minorities to vote for the candidate and party of their choice on Nov. 8,” Brooks said. “With the fate of our
national moral character at stake, we must hold our elected leaders responsible to act to uphold the constitutional rights guaranteed for all citizens to vote and participate in this Democracy.” The protest and rally are held to honor the 51st anniversary since President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law on August 6, 1965, effectively banning state laws that denied the vote to black and minority
voters for decades in Virginia and other southern states. Three years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down portions of the law that prohibited states from changing local election laws without federal review in the case of Shelby v. Holder. Within days of the 2013 ruling, several states enacted exclusive voting laws designed to prevent young, old and minority residents NAACP, See page 12A
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