17 minute read
OpEd
EDITORIAL
America's Silver Bullet
When the polls closed last week following the general election for the next U.S. President, three things were made perfectly clear, at least for most, excluding Donald Trump. First, the record-breaking turnout demonstrated that democracy is not dead in America and that the right candidate, with the right message, can win with the right support for those who believe it. Second, America's system of democracy works despite a weak postal system, a hodge-podge of voting procedures from one state to another, and despite a pandemic. The promise that every vote cast was, no matter how early or up to the latest deadline, and in some cases, is still being counted. And, as the nation watches day after day, they are seeing how much their vote matters.
Third, and the most important, is the result of last week's vote and the undeniably impactful, influential, pivotal, and decisive role Black women played in getting out the historic vote in 2020. From the moment President-elect Biden won the nomination of the Democratic Party on Aug. 20, Black women organized to lay the groundwork for a woman to be named VP. Thousands signed petitions to make their wishes, or better yet, their demands heard. They were clear that there were plenty of well-qualified women to fill the seat, but that a Black woman should be given the opportunity, and a Black woman should be selected. Sen. Kamala Harris was Biden's choice, and Black women celebrated although briefly before working to ensure victory in November.
There were many foot soldiers in the Black women's movement, including Stacy Abrams, a voting rights activist, who spent little time licking her wounds following her loss in the 2018 Georgia gubernatorial race. She founded Fair Fight Action and crisscrossed the country to fight voter suppression wherever it was happening. Every Black sorority galvanized its forces to activate Black voters, and Black women elected officials harnessed the spotlight wherever they could to get all voters to the polls. Young Black female college students engaged, and women whose grandmothers and great grandmothers rocked white babies went to the polls to elect a Black woman to help lead the country.
Vice President-elect Harris said she may be the first, but she won't be the last. And, President-elect Biden said he'll " be with us," as we have always been there for him. Biden and all of America must realize that Black women – the Democrats’ silver bullet – have good memories. They won't forget what they did to win this election and what must be done for them.
WI
For those without any “skin in the game,” the decision on when to reopen schools seems to have taken on the kind of divisiveness resembling the last four years in American politics and society.
While one side asserts that schools resume in-class teaching because their children “deserve it,” the other side expresses their fear that with COVID-19 still raging out of control, reopening schools serves as a choice too dangerous to consider.
In the District, Mayor Bowser has said that while there’s a plan in place, it will only work if teachers are persuaded that it can be done safely. We understand that teachers want to return to their classrooms and would rather be with their students and not continue in virtual settings. But teachers should not be forced to choose between their jobs and the welfare of their own health or that of their families.
In Maryland and Virginia – two neighboring states where coronavirus infection rates and hospitalizations have within the last few days reached numbers not seen since June, there remain advocates on both sides of the fence. Some say reopening schools can be done safely if all prescribed protocols are enforced and followed.
But that’s a big “if.”
Meanwhile, as much as we all want to see life return to some semblance of normal, COVID-19 has forced us – all of us – to refrain from engaging in those practices and routines with which we’ve long grown familiar and comfortable.
Perhaps it’s true that many children are not doing as well in their studies because
TO THE EDITOR
Historic Coverage
I thought your cover last week was perfect. It wasn't The Washington Informer I was used to seeing, but change is good, especially for the most pivotal election of our time. Good work!
Molly Simmons
Washington, D.C.
they’re being taught in a virtual environment. Perhaps it’s accurate that children are struggling to adjust – many of them failing miserably despite their best efforts to conform. Certainly, many parents have grown weary and frustrated in their undesirable, sudden roles as teachers for their children – a job which they never realized could be so difficult.
But in these extraordinary, unprecedented times, every life matters – students, of course, more than anyone else. But teachers
Viable Alternatives?
I really enjoyed the story about third-party candidates. I've never in all my years of reading seen a story about these people who run in the election. It's quite interesting given the fact that they know they have no chance to win. Reading their perspective was eye-opening. I also enjoyed the history part of it as well.
Ulysses Ward
Washington, D.C.
and administrators and the families who live with them must also be considered – their lives matter just as much.
We can ill-afford to reduce the decision to reopen schools and when to be based on anger, impatience or because of evidence which lacks scientific and medical support.
Schools will open again and children will benefit from in-class instruction. But only when it’s safe for all concerned.
We have not reached that moment yet.
WI
OPINIONS/EDITORIALS
Guest Columnist
By Julianne Malveaux
Exhale. Inhale. Roll Your Sleeves Up.
It took five days for the 2020 election to be called for former Vice President Joe Biden. Five days with me glued to the television and the internet. Five days holding my breath. Five days, meditating and praying for strength. I could not imagine four more years of Trump. I actually started going through my belongings, trying to decide which one would make the First, I must admit that my prediction of a Donald J. Trump victory in the 2020 presidential election was wrong. I strongly believed that Joe Biden's selection of Sen. Kamala Harris as his vice presidential candidate would be the major factor in a Trump victory. This was based on my position that there was no way white womA month ago I shared with a member of Greater Mt. Nebo African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, the church I'm privileged to pastor, that I would be leaving soon for a twoweek visit to Rwanda to visit friends and pastoral colleagues. To me, it should have elicited no surprise as she knew that I had led groups to Rwanda since 2012, a country described as "The Land of a Thousand Hills," owcut for my move to Ghana (yes, if the Chump had won, I was seriously considering a transcontinental move).
At 11:34 on Saturday morning, the good news trickled down. Biden won. Kamala Harris is Madame Vice President (MVP). People were sending funny and smart text messages (from one friend: "ladies keep your shoes on, there is glass on the floor"). Exhale. Savor the feeling. Kamala's win is a "dancing in the street" victory for Black women, for all women, for en would support a woman of color achieving that historical first.
What I didn't count on was the extent of Trump's mishandling of the COVID-19 public health crisis. I didn't expect him to be so dense as to host a celebration of the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, an event that led to numerous prominent attendees including himself, his wife and his young son to later test positively for COVID-19. I am convinced, that along with ing to its incredible natural beauty.
However, what I received was a rather horrified look and a quick, "I will be praying for you!" Her subsequent comments noted the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and her assumption that I was placing myself at great risk. It was bad enough, she felt, that I would be on two flights to get there, totaling 16 hours in the sky, with a four hour layover in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, after leaving the United States. But she assumed that Rwanda would be a place where the pandemic was running rampant and therefore
Guest Columnist
our nation.
From Psalm 30:5, "Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning." Well, on Nov. 7 joy came in the morning, the afternoon, the evening. All around the country, people celebrated. Some of us were buoyed by the celebrations, especially their intergenerational, multicultural, masked participation. But as horns honked, people hollered, and people hoisted "you're fired" signs outside the White House, some of us wondered how much
COVID-19 Defeats Donald J. Trump
By A. Peter Bailey
Bob Woodward's revelation in his book, "Rage," that Trump, as early as Feb. 9, was well aware of the public health danger of the coronavirus. That was the major factor in his defeat.
Despite these two concrete examples and the fact that some 7 million whites throughout the country had tested positive for the virus by Election Day, Trump kept downplaying its seriousness. That, I strongly believe, is what finally convinced a majority of suburwas placing myself at considerable danger. After sharing with her news reports which detailed Rwanda's commitment to combatting the virus, her anxiousness dissipated but she ended our conversation by saying, "Well, I'm still praying for you."
I left two days after my encounter with the member, confident that all would be well. My assurance was not unfounded over the course of my trip. Rwanda, through its leadership and the many people I met, displayed a resilience and determination to protect its population from this dreaded virus, change, exactly, we could expect from Biden-Harris.
Inhale. Inhale the fact that Donald John Trump was an extreme symptom, but not the cause, of the structural inequities that plague our nation. Inhale the fact that all the executive orders in the world can't fix the racism that is baked in the cake we call the United States. Inhale their names, the disturbing roll of Black folks killed by white so-called "law enforcement" officers. Inhale the macro- and microaggressions that affect our lives.
ban white women and some white men that it was very crucial to have someone in the White House who was committed to doing whatever is necessary to combat COVID-19. So, while probably holding their noses, they voted for Biden and his woman-of-color running mate, who became the first woman elected vice president of the United States.
Before slapping too many highfives, shouting too many hallelujahs, and dancing too long in the and consequently obliterated the disparaging term used by some elected officials to describe African nations. My experience was not unusual. The requirements for my entry into Rwanda are required for everyone arriving into the country since the international airport in Kigali, the capital city, reopened at the beginning of August.
Ethiopian Airlines, my airlines of choice when traveling to Africa, currently requires that all passengers must have a recent negative SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test result in order to board their flights from the United States.
I will not be pessimistic in this optimistic moment, nor will I ignore the amazing history we experienced in this election. I will simply say, as I often do, that voting is not the most, but the least we can do. This election reminds us that Black votes matter, that turnout matters, that, in the words of Rev. Jesse Jackson, "the hands that picked peaches can pick presidents." There was no blue wave — this was a scrappy contest,
MALVEAUX Page 45
streets, it is extremely important for us as Black folks to note that despite Trump's massive character flaws, his tax evasion charges, his being seen and heard on television saying that it's cool to grope a woman, his ongoing connection with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his me-myself-and-I narcissism, his obvious misogynistic reaction when dealing with female journalists and politicians, his fla-
Guest Columnist
By Rev. Dr. Jonathan Weaver
Could America Learn a COVID-19 Lesson from Rwanda?
BAILEY Page 45 Upon exiting my flight in Rwanda, on the tarmac, before even entering the terminal building, Rwanda government officials met all passengers to determine whether we had the required certification. Once we entered the building, we were greeted by Ministry of Health officials who administered a temperature check. After passing through Passport Control, I proceeded to the baggage claim area when I heard "someone" state in a clear voice, "Welcome to Kigali In-
WEAVER Page 45
Guest Columnist
By Charlene Crowell
COVID-19 Worsens Debt Collector Harassment
As the final days of the 2020 election season drew to a close, major media across the nation focused on polls and prospects for the presidential candidates. At the same time, scant news coverage reported on a development affecting 68 million consumers: debt collection regulation.
On Oct. 30, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released
More chronologically advanced latenight television viewers are familiar with Johnny Carson and his character, "Carnac the Magnificent." Carnac's claim to fame was his ability to prognosticate and "predict the future." Writing "in front" of major events always makes me feel like Carnac. As I write this, I am clueless as to whom the label, president of the United States, applies, but I most certainly have my preference.
Voting is the ultimate exercise of
With a sigh of relief, most voters in this country were relieved when at last Joe Biden was declared president-elect of the United States.
Biden's victory has not been officially certified by the various state boards of election, and the incumbent, Donald J. Trump is up to his usual mischief to steal his own reelection, but he's likely not to succeed. its 653-page regulatory revision for enforcement of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), originally enacted in 1977. Since that time, the debt collection industry has grown into a multibillion-dollar industry with over 8,000 firms throughout the country.
For Black America, debt collection was troublesome even before the COVID-19 pandemic. One investigation revealed that in three major cities — Chicago, Newark and St. Louis — the rate of judgments for debt collection lawsuits was twice as high in mostmimicking Carnac and his predictive abilities — we may not know, with accuracy, what the future holds, but we understand what we want and who/what we feel will serve our best interests. YES! I have expectations for what I would like to happen and who I would like to see "deliver the goods."
Although some consider the Constitution as an imperfect document and history has shown many of its more glaring faults, as a source of law and guidance, it is greatly preferable to the whims and mood swings of a wouldbe dictator (#45). In its origins, it was written to protect the interests of "white men," but, with the aging of the nation
No one is more gratified at Trump's defeat than Black and other non-white people in this country. Trump is literally the worst, impeached, "grab them by the p---y," coronavirus-spreading, oft-bankrupted lowlife ever to physically enter the White House complex, not to mention the worst to serve as president. And he has brought out the worst in members of the White Tribe who support him.
True to their typical, racist blind spot, liberal Democrats were counting on a political "blue wave" to win back ly Black neighborhoods than in mostly white areas. Nearly a year ago, Urban Institute research found that debt collection disproportionately affects 42% of communities of color. By contrast, the national average of all consumers was lower at 31%, and a wider racial gap among whites at 26%.
The largest portion of debt for communities of color are medical services and student loans. Given the decades of discriminatory policies and practices that perpetuated the nation's racial wealth gap, these disparities extend to a
By E. Faye Williams
and the resulting cultural evolution, the application of hypocrisies in the law have become increasingly intolerable. "To establish a more perfect union" is testament to the founders' understanding that improvements could be made (I'm sure that most of them would be rolling in their graves with the changes thus far realized) and that responsibility for improvement was left to the inspired judgment of elected officials. For most of the current federal leadership (executive, legislative and judicial), I see financial self-interest and partisanship informing the so-called inspired judgment. I don't predict but hope that the 2020 election has provided us with electees who more the Rust Belt states in the Midwest that Trump flipped in 2016. Instead, they saw a massive "Black wave" of Black voters who took their "souls to the polls."
By virtue of massive Black early voting in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Atlanta, Trump was thoroughly repudiated on Election Day. In Detroit, for example, Biden won 93.5 percent of the vote, while Trump got 5.06 percent, and importantly with tens of thousands more total votes than in the previous presidential election. lack of access to health care as well as a greater dependence on debt to finance higher education.
The CFPB's own 2017 survey found that 44% of borrowers of color reported having been contacted about a debt, compared to 29% of white respondents. Even when accounting for differences in income, communities of color are disproportionately sued by debt collectors. In fact, 45% of borrowers living in communities of color faced litigation, while only 27% of similarly situated consumers in white areas were sued. closely adhere to the principles of true democracy.
COVID-19 has given us reason to believe the empirical data provided by the scientific community. The more than a quarter-million U.S. deaths (so far) informs us that a politically motivated response to a disease is never a substitute for scientific research and study. I don't predict but hope that the 2020 election provides us with electees who have genuine concern for the health and welfare of ALL citizens.
The history of humankind is replete with the lessons of truth vs. lies in national leadership. Fact-checkers estimate that as of July 9, #45 has told about
More people — upwards of 74 million — voted for the Biden-Kamala Harris ticket than for any presidential candidate in history. But more people also voted for Trump in 2020 than for any other president.
Trump the man was defeated, but "Trumpism" — white tribal politics — surged to new heights. For example, in Maine, Biden beat Trump by a 420,023-359,502 vote. But Republican Sen. Susan Collins beat her challenger with 414,970 votes to 342,698, demonstrating conclusively that voters
CFPB's revised rule will allow debt collectors to contact affected consumers up to seven times within seven days – or – within seven consecutive days of a prior telephone conversation about a debt. It is important to note that this allowed communication is for each debt owed. Multiple numbers and types of debt collection can legally multiply the number of allowed contacts and result in harassment for already struggling borrowers.
Guest Columnist
Carnac I'm Not
CROWELL Page 46 25,000 lies. Forbes magazine estimates his lie output at 23.5 per day. Lies from leadership have never been predictors of successful government. Our own threeplus years' experience suggests the same. I don't predict but hope that the 2020 election provides us with electees who will be truthful, at least more truthful than #45.
One of my greatest hopes is that the 2020 election has provided a president who rejects the politics of hate and who is dedicated to the goal of national unification. That goal is considered by many as impractical. Our original sin
Askia-At-Large
By Askia Muhammad
Trump, the Official 'White President'
WILLIAMS Page 46 in that 90 percent white-populated state wanted to maintain everything about Trumpism, they just didn't want the ugly Trump face any longer.
Imagine being the political party which engaged in every imaginable form of voter suppression since the day he took office. They purged voter rolls, enacted restrictive rules for voter eligibility, closed polling sites, tried to limit early voting, and even sabotaged U.S. Postal deliveries, and still lost, fair and
ASKIA Page 46
