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COMPILED BY OSWALD T. BROWN

South Africans Debate the Death Penalty Amid Rise in Gender-Based Violence

South African lawmakers have no appetite to restore the death penalty, despite growing calls globally for the reinstatement of capital punishment as a crime deterrent, the Johannesburg-based Sunday Independent reported on Dec. 20. According to Joint Constitutional Review Committee Chairperson Enock Mthethwa, this was not a straightforward matter, since no research had been conducted to prove that the death penalty was an effective deterrent that may curb crime rates. Mthethwa made the comment during a virtual meeting of the review committee comprised in the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces, which annually reviews the Constitution.

The committee which met on Nov. 27, 2020, was responding to a call from Waseela Jardine, a member of the public, who asked the committee to review section 11 of the Constitution in order to provide for the death penalty.

In her submission, Jardine said a return of capital punishment would reduce the number of senseless murders and rapes, and added that it was unfair for murderers and rapists to relax in jail and secure parole for good behavior, when considering the number of women and children that are being sexually molested.

Despite a global move that seeks alternatives to prison sentences, an increasing number of countries are calling for the reinstatement of capital punishment as a crime deterrent, according to the 2020 Global Prison Trends report. More than 20 000 people are detained on death row worldwide, living in inhumane detention conditions and often following unfair trials, said the report, published by Penal Reform International (PRI) and the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ).

Capital punishment was abolished in South Africa on June 6, 1995, by a ruling of the Constitutional Court.

ANC MP Nxola Nqola added that the matter of the death penalty had been in the public discussion for quite some time, in relation to the rise of gender-based violence (GBV).

But, Nqola opined that the discussion was precisely on the legal prescripts; it was more of an emotional response, because society was angry about GBV.

Since South Africa has a history of bloodshed, the restoration of the death penalty has been used as a reactionary response to a movement by people of South Africa. He expressed doubt and dissent that the reinstitution of the death penalty would be in line with the spirit of the Constitution.

Wounds must be healed. Therefore, he did not agree with the submission that the committee must review section 11 of the Constitution and reinstate the death penalty.

“It was a reactionary type of conduct,” Nqola said. “The South African Government must not be associated with killing people in response to whatever had been done. We must not give up on our people such that we kill them as the state.”

He wished to convince the committee not to agree with that submission. At adjournment, the committee resolved to search for an alternative to the death penalty. WI

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Antigua Welcomes Return of Liat to Barbados, St. Vincent

Antigua and Barbuda’s Foreign Affairs Minister, EP Chet Greene, has welcomed the return of Antigua-based carrier LIAT to Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines, after both countries restricted the airline for a few weeks, Barbados Today reported on Dec. 20.

LIAT restored commercial passenger flights across the region late last month, but announced early in December that services to Barbados and St Vincent and the Grenadines would be suspended until new approvals were given.

A scheduled flight was made to Barbados on Nov. 30, but the carrier said that they were informed by both territories that new arrangements had to be made for further operations into the countries.

In a statement, LIAT said that prior to its suspension of services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline had been operating to these destinations on valid flight approvals, which have not expired.

The decision from both countries drew ire from the government, who called the reasons “subterfuge and trickery,” adding that they were seemingly intended to ensure that LIAT does not succeed. CARICOM was asked to intervene in the matter to facilitate an amicable solution.

LIAT has since announced that its flight to Barbados would resume on Monday, Dec. 21, with the cabinet also confirming that both countries [St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados] “have dropped their objections and will have LIAT land at their respective airports.” WI THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM

Resilience Reimagined: Year Up

Year Up paves new paths and empowers students to unlock their full potential

Submitted by Capital One

In the United States today, nearly five million Americans haven’t progressed professionally beyond high school. That leaves five million students at an immediate disadvantage when entering the job market. The rise of COVID-19 has only worsened this issue, leaving more students behind with no other choice than to drop out to sustain their livelihoods.

For the past 20 years, Year Up, a national nonprofit that serves the DC region, has been dedicated to closing this opportunity divide by ensuring that young adults gain the skills, experiences, and support to access professional careers and higher education. Their ultimate mission is to empower and unlock each student’s potential.

Students from all demographics and ages can apply for a full year of specialized learning and a six-month corporate internship at a Fortune 1000 company. From information technology to software development, Year Up equips students with the technical skills, as well as professional ones. It’s a formula that works: 90% of Year Up graduates continue their education or are hired from corporate partners. By providing these students with the professional and technical skills, Year Up has become a vital source of untapped and bright, young talent.

But with the onset of COVID-19, Year Up uncovered new ways to serve their students. Aside from shifting their curriculums to virtual learning, Year Up needed to ensure that their beneficiaries would have access to online learning and a sustainable work environment throughout the pandemic to continue their education.

Whitley Denson, Program Director at Year Up, has been leading the charge in pivoting in truly innovative ways. Denson was already developing a hybrid model of inclass and virtual learning before the pandemic hit. The Alternative Direct Service team is a new and innovative pilot program that is being tested in the Philadelphia and South Florida sites. Instead of dedicating a year to Year Up, this program is a seven-month model with three months of learning and development and four months of work immersion. Additionally, her team introduced individual lab and study time for each student based on their curriculum and progress.

Coordinating online internships with their corporate partners was another challenge. Hector Falcon, a recent graduate, started his internship at Capital One’s headquarters in Northern Virginia, entirely online. He’s proven to be a true leader and a Year Up success story example. “Hector has that mindset and drive to succeed. He was able to motivate others and was a leader from start to finish within our community. A lot of his peers leaned on him,” shares Denson.

Falcon owes his interest in technology to his father. “My dad’s an electrical engineer, so we always made robots growing up. I just really liked visiting my dad at work, all of it,” says Falcon. Even though he

For the past 20 years, Year Up, a national nonprofit that serves the DC region, has been dedicated to closing this opportunity divide by ensuring that young adults gain the skills, experiences, and support to access professional careers and higher education. Their ultimate mission is to empower and unlock each student’s potential.

worked multiple part-time jobs on top of Year Up’s intensive program, his dedication and focus earned him prestigious awards at Year Up: Professional of the Week and the Empowered Award. “Receiving these awards made me realize that people notice me, and they’re rewarding me for it. That feeling is unmatched,” says Falcon. Year Up and the staff helped Falcon find his voice and confidence.

In addition to responding to COVID-19, Year Up has ramped up its efforts in its learning community. Thanks to its vast alumni network, Year Up has expanded due to word of mouth. “This idea of community is woven into the tapestry of Year Up. We tell our interns that they’re not doing this just for themselves…There are ten other folks coming after you. The big thing I wish people knew about Year Up is that it’s not just workforce development – it’s also personal development,” says Denson.

When the racial justice movement gained the nation’s immediate attention, Denson and her group of interns quickly mobilized and rallied on the front lines of protests. “It’s not new to us to band together, because that’s what we’ve always done,” says Denson. She believes that her students and staff are the definition of resilience. “We’re supporting students, while also navigating our own lives. We’re carrying the weight of failing and succeeding, over and over again.”

Capital One is proud to support Year Up and their dedication to closing the Opportunity Divide. In addition to these efforts, Capital One has also launched a multi-year commitment to advance socioeconomic mobility through the Capital One Impact Initiative. Launched in October, the Capital One Impact Initiative seeks to create a world where everyone has an equal opportunity to prosper through advocating for an inclusive society, building thriving communities and creating financial tools that enrich lives.

To learn more about Year Up DC visit https://www.yearup.org/ locations/washington-dc.

g 5 Whitley Denson is the Program Director at Year Up. (Photo courtesy of Capital One)