40 minute read
Election Coverage
President-Elect Biden: ‘The African American Community Stood up Again for Me’
Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia
“Especially for those moments when this campaign was at its lowest — the African-American community stood up again for me. They always have my back, and I’ll have yours.”
-President-Elect Joe Biden, Saturday, November 7, 2020
Black people are sure to remember those remarks that a triumphant President-Elect Joe Biden made shortly after taking the stage to celebrate his victory over Republican Donald Trump.
The Democrat emerged from behind a black curtain and made a Barak Obama-like dash to the podium with Bruce Springsteen’s “We Take Care of Our Own” blaring in the Delaware night.
The song represents a symbol of hope but more so for African Americans who have voted for and remained loyal for decades to Democrats despite few tangible gains.
The lyrics, unmistakably succinct, well reflect Black America’s plight:
“Where’re the eyes, the eyes with the will to see
Where’re the hearts that run over with mercy
Where’s the love that has not forsaken me
Where’s the work that’ll set my hands, my soul free
Where’s the spirit that’ll reign over me
Where’s the promise from sea to shining sea?”
Americans – specifically, Black Americans, have chosen to relegate Trump’s toxic legacy to the past.
They’ve chosen to bring about a new government that seeks to unite people rather than divide them and one that more closely reflects the diversity of the American people, offered Neera Tandem, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress in Northwest.
“Voters chose a progressive vision, one that is in favor of a strong and united coronavirus response; an inclusive economy; more affordable and accessible health care; better infrastructure; and climate resilience,” Tandem added. “That more progressive vision also seeks to finally address the bleak history and continuing challenges of racial injustice and inequality.”
Ibram X. Kendi, founding director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research, shared his own assessment.
“I want the love of Black voters right now to transform into the love of Black people,” he said.
For many, that love includes affordable and proportional health care, sufficient coronavirus aid, real economic equity, equal business, banking, loan opportunities and a Department of Justice that will recognize “Black Lives Matter” as much than a slogan.
“I said from the outset I wanted a campaign that represented America, and I think we did that. Now that’s what I want the administration to look like,” Biden remarked during his victory speech at the Chase Center in Wilmington.
It was just nine months earlier, on a relatively cold evening in Charleston, that Biden sat down for a game-changing interview with the Black Press of America.
Trailing badly in the primaries, Biden knew it was South Carolina or bust.
During the interview, conducted by National Newspaper Publishers Association President and CEO, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., and attended by a gaggle of Black newspaper publishers, Biden pledged his support for a plan for Black America.
He knew that his support of a controversial 1994 crime bill had left a sour taste in the mouths of many African Americans, particularly among Black men. During his interview with Chavis, Biden pledged the kind of sweeping criminal justice reform that’s been considered as long overdue – one that would no long allow for a community which while just 13 percent of the country represents the majority of those incarcerated.
The next day, Biden received a crucial endorsement from South Carolina Congresswoman Jim Clyburn.
The Democrat’s campaign never looked back, taking South Carolina and running up the delegate count to his election as president.
Still, exit polls show that Trump earned more support from Black men in 2020 than in 2016. More Black women also supported the President than they did in 2016, in large part because of the failure of Democrats to reward African Americans for their loyalty and because conditions for Black people in America have grown ever more arduous.
According to NBC News exit polls, Trump claimed about 18 percent of the vote among Black men and 8 percent among Black women, increasing his performance among both groups in 2016.
But Biden held 87 percent of ELECTION Page 38
black facts
SOURCE: BLACK AMERICA WEB
NOV 12 - 18, 2020
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NOV. 12 1770 – York, an African American slave best known for his participation with the Lewis and Clark Expedition, is born in Caroline County, Virginia. 1941 – Opera singer Mary Cardwell founds the National Negro Opera Company, the first African American opera company in the United States. 1977 – Ernest N. "Dutch" Morial becomes the first Black mayor of New Orleans.
NOV. 13 1894 – Inventor Albert C. Richardson patents the casket-lowering device. 1913 – Daniel Hale Williams becomes the first Black to be made a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. 1951 – Famed ballerina Janet Collins (top) becomes the first Black dancer to appear with the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York. 1985 – Major League Baseball pitcher Dwight "Doc" Gooden unanimously wins the Cy Young Award, becoming at 20 the youngest-ever winner of the award.
NOV. 14
1915 –
Booker T.
Washington, a former slave who became a celebrated educator, author, orator and civil rights leader, dies in Tuskegee, Alabama, of hypertension at 59. NOV. 15 1881 – Inventor Payton Johnson patents the swinging chair. 1898 – Hairdresser and inventor Lyda Newman patents an improved hairbrush, which was easier to clean. 1950 – Hockey player Arthur Dorrington becomes the first Black to sign an NHL contract, joining the New York Rangers organization.
NOV. 16 1873 – Composer and musician W.C. Handy (above), known as the "Father of the Blues," is born in Florence, Alabama. 1901 – Pioneering musician and songwriter Jesse Stone aka Charles Calhoun, who wrote the rock 'n' roll staple "Shake, Rattle and Roll," is born in Atchison, Kansas. 1930 – Famed novelist and professor Chinua Achebe, author of "Things Fall Apart," is born in Ogidi, Nigeria. 2004 – President Bush announces his nomination of Condoleezza Rice as secretary of state. She is the first Black woman to serve in the position.
NOV. 17 1972 – Several Blacks are elected to Congress, including Barbara Jordan, the first Black and first woman to be elected from Texas. 1989 – Author Gloria Naylor won the Lillian Smith Award on this date for her novel, "Mama Day."
CONDOLEEZZA RICE
NOV. 18 1978 – The Jonestown Massacre occurs in Guyana. More than 900 followers of cult leader Jim Jones, most of them Black, commit suicide or are murdered. 1994 – Famed jazz singer and bandleader Cab Calloway dies in Hockessin, Delaware, at 86, months after a severe stroke. WI THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
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BY SARAFINA WRIGHT
Amid ongoing vote-counting in a handful of states, several news organizations have called the presidential race for Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris. What are your thoughts on this historic election?
ERICA JACKSON /
WASHINGTON, D.C. Congratulations to Kamala Harris for breaking that glass ceiling. First Black female vice president! MVP!
ERIKA BARBER /
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA We have our first Black woman vice president, y'all! This is history!
JENNIFER ABÈAUX /
HOUSTON, TEXAS Everybody will matter again. Democracy has been restored! IF YOU WANT QUALITY WORK, JUST CALL!
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Report: COVID-19 Worsens Black Homeownership Already Dismal Standings
Sarafina Wright WI Contributing Writer
In the 2020 edition of its State of Housing in Black America [SHIBA] report, the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, Inc. found that without major changes in public policy especially during the pandemic, Black homeownership will continue to lag, resulting in wealth building being delayed or simply out of reach.
The group says stark outcomes also apply to current Black homeowners who may face the threat of foreclosure as local and federal moratoriums put in place as a response to COVID-19 expire.
Donnell Williams, president, National Association of Real Estate Brokers [NAREB] says restructured mortgage lending criteria, increased down payment assistance, and an extended forbearance period for homeowners experiencing severe financial burdens must be put in place now to stop a Black wealth collapse seen during the 2008 recession.
“Statistics oftentimes can be ignored or tabled,” Williams said. “However, when the story is told through the eyes of young Black Americans experiencing the rigors of trying to purchase a home for a growing family, you clearly see that structural and institutional
remedies are necessary.”
“This year's SHIBA report lays bare the difficulties.”
Authored by Vanessa Gail Perry, professor of Marketing, Strategic Management and Public Policy at George Washington University School of Business, some of the key findings in the report are:
The homeownership rate for Blacks who graduated from college is only 3.2 percentage points higher than that of White high school dropouts.
Black homeowners are less likely to have a college degree.
Blacks have a higher share of owner households headed by women than any other category of owner households.
Black borrowers pay significantly higher rates for FHA-backed loans, and higher rates for conventional mortgages.
In 2018, 53 percent of Black mortgage borrowers obtained FHA or VA loans, compared to 23 percent of white borrowers.
Only 5 percent of the conventional market were loans to Black borrowers, compared to 15 percent of the FHA/VA market.
In 2019, 10 lenders were responsible for originating 24 percent of mortgage loans to Black borrowers. Of those 10, only 3 were traditional depository banks.
Black applicants are more than twice as likely to have their loan applications rejected.
The Black population in the U.S. is concentrated in major cities. In 2019, 25.6 percent of the Black population resided in areas where the median house price is above that for the U.S. —$253,000.
“These disparities persist because of systemic racism and disadvantages that have accumulated over time,” said Perry. “At the same time, the industry has failed to acknowledge the opportunities presented by this market segment.”
The Black American wealth gap rests in large part on the ever-present institutional barriers Black Americans face at every step of the home buying process says NAREB.
HOME Page 23
Blacks Want More than ‘Thanks’ after Securing Victory for Biden
Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia
President-Elect Joe Biden campaigned on a platform that declared, “the soul of America is at stake.”
But perhaps it could equally be surmised that the 2020 presidential election’s outcome served as a litmus test on whether Black lives finally matter in America.
After decades – if not centuries – declaring the importance of the Black vote, African Americans delivered perhaps the most significant victory in the history of U.S. politics.
Their overwhelming support of Biden ended the four-year reign of President Donald Trump making him the first one-term president since 1992 when George H.W. Bush lost to Bill Clinton.
But unlike any other president in modern history, Trump has led the U.S. into a state of chaos and controversy. A second term, potentially with a Republican-controlled Senate, more than 300 Trump-appointed federal judges, and a heavily-conservative Supreme Court, may have driven the nation closer to a dictator’s guidance than a democracy.
“Thanks in large part to the hard work and leadership of mamas of color, and especially Black women, voters turned out in record numbers to demand change and send the first Black mama to the White House,” Danielle Atkinson, the executive director of the nonprofit Mothering Justice Action Fund, wrote in an email.
“The historic election of Kamala Harris as vice president is a win both for and by Black women and mothers of color,” Atkinson said.
The many political experts who predicted a record number of Black voters this year proved to be correct. More than one-third of eligible Black voters living in nine of the nation’s most competitive states, including Arizona, Michigan Georgia, and Wisconsin, cast their ballots.
“Especially for those moments when this campaign was at its lowest, the African-American community stood up again for me,” Biden remarked after winning the election.
“They always have my back, and I’ll have yours.”
According to the Pew Center for Research, Black voters comprise 12.5 percent of the U.S. electorate, with African Americans eligible to vote reaching a record 30 million this year.
Organizations like the NAACP, Black Girls Vote, and others began rallying African-American voters immediately after the 2016 election.
In Pennsylvania, whose 20 electoral votes clinched the nomination for Biden, the difference would be predominately-Black Philadelphia where vote tabulations as of 1 p.m., Nov. 7, showed Biden winning 93.8 percent of the vote to Trump’s 5.7 percent.
Nationwide exit poll data reportedly shows that Black voters favored Biden by 87 percent.
Black Girls Vote reportedly joined forces with other groups in Baltimore, Detroit, and Philadelphia to encourage people to register to vote, fill out and mail-in ballots or go to polling places.
“I think the efforts around voter education, mobilization and registration highlight the critical importance of grassroots organizations, like Black Girls Vote, and the role that we play in truly in engaging and reaching all portions of the American electorate,” Natasha Murphy, of Black Girls Vote, told WBAL-TV in Baltimore.
Tenne Thrower worked in Philadelphia supporting efforts to get out the vote. She exclaimed excitement at seeing the process work.
“We wanted to make sure everyone knew this was not something to be intimidated by but something to be empowered by,” Thrower remarked.
Stacey Abrams, a former candidate for Georgia governor, organized Fair Fight to combat voter suppression and observed a significant difference in the number of African Americans voting in battleground states.
“We have seen dramatic turnout among communities that typically are not at the top of the mind for candidates, and we have seen them be engaged, be encouraged and we have seen them turnout,” Abrams said.
As the world waited four days after the election for results, the pendulum swung in favor of Biden when officials counted ballots in heavily-populated Black areas.
Unquestionably, the Black vote changed the game for Biden and the nation’s first female and Black Vice President-Elect, Kamala Harris.
“Did MSNBC just say the pathway to success was the Midwest?” Dr. Ebony Hilton, an associate professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Anesthesia at the University of Virginia Medical Center, tweeted.
“Can we leave that myth in 2020 along with this failed COVID-19 response? It was not the Midwest, working-class, or any other word of clouded in whiteness that you want to use. The path was paved by the base – Black people,” Hilton demanded.
NBA superstar LeBron James had this to say: “Black voters came through . . . again. Be proud as hell but do not stop! We must stay organized and keep working.”
Film director Ben Platt cosigned James’ message.
“Thank you, Black voters and voters of color for showing up and upholding a democracy that consistently lets you down. We once again owe this escape from doom by a whiteness majority to you,” Platt said.
Pennsylvania Democratic State Rep. Summer Lee said Black voters need more than just a thank you.
“Instead of thanking Black women, Black voters and especially, Black organizers, give us the investments we need and deserve, redistribute wealth, end police violence and commit to building Black directed political power and reparations,” Lee said.
WI
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CAPTURE THE MOMENT
HONKING FOR KAMALA Across the DMV residents honked horns in celebrating the announcement of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, the first female and Black Vice-President. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)
Who’s Reading the Informer?
Gerard Brunn and Kevin Davis take time out from cutting hair to read the Washington Informer. (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)
WORDS TO LIVE BY
“Black people have done wonderful things for this country (saved its soul, in fact) and we have been an example to the world in the process. That should never be forgotten, even as we continue to press ahead, in our many and varied ways, toward our future. If we did so much when we had so little, think of what we can do now that we have so much more.”
– Vernon Jordan Vernon Can Read [2001]
Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins
By Monday afternoon, much of the pandemonium that erupted on Black Lives Matter Plaza last weekend had subsided. However, people celebrating a Biden-Harris electoral victory continued to converge along the fence at the front of the plaza where, for weeks, activists blasted music, danced and erected various types of anti-Trump artwork.
The raucous sight throughout that portion of Downtown D.C. had been especially compelling for passersby, including Black federal government employees who begrudgingly weathered the storm of a Trump presidency in the hopes that he would only serve one term.
“Everyone’s doing their job, but you want someone who’s leading from the front and with integrity,” the Navy veteran and anonymous government employee of more than 20 years told The Informer.
“We don’t consider President Trump a leader, so we look to our department heads because they have integrity. All the agencies I’ve dealt with kept it professional regardless of what Trump said and that’s good for our country.”
Over the last four years, Trump’s presidency has been characterized by soiled relationships with government officials and media, mass deportations, overt racism and xenophobia, and what Vice President Joe Biden repeatedly characterized as the catastrophic mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite predictions that he would suffer an overwhelming loss, Trump secured wins in several Midwestern and Southern states, mostly with the help of white voters. Not long before Black people delivered urban districts in Pennsylvania and Michigan, early numbers briefly casted doubt on the outcome of the election.
On Saturday, not long after the Associated Press announced Biden as president-elect, multitudes of celebrants flooded Black Lives Matter Plaza to unleash tension that had accumulated amid days of ballot counting. For hours, people of various ages, races and ethnicities cheered and waved Biden-Harris campaign signs and other pieces of artwork.
Months earlier, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser commissioned the painting of the globally renowned “Black Lives Matter'' mural on the street near where federal troops, at the prodding of Trump, clashed with protesters who coalesced around the late George Floyd and other victims of police brutality.
By November 7, the mood downtown proved much different.
Members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. and alumni of Howard University counted among those
CELEBRATE Page 38
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D.C. Council Set to Have brose (D-Ward 6) and Sandy Allen (D-Ward 8). Female Majority in 2021 Allen served on the D.C. Council from 1996-2005. She remembers serving with mostly female colleagues in 1998. James Wright tive body and Wright-Smith said “I believe it did make a difference WI Staff Writer that makes her happy. when there were mostly women on @JamesDCWrighter “I saw it coming,” she said. the council,” Allen said. “Women “Christina has the endorsement of have a different outlook on life. We
Vickie A. Wright-Smith passion- Councilmember David Grosso and tend to be more concerned about ately believes women should be- we in DC WIN worked to get her things such as families, children and come a sustaining political force in elected. Women will have seven the elderly. Human services tend to District politics. seats on the D.C. Council and that be more of a focus than men be-
She has practiced what she constitutes a majority. We should cause we as women are the caretakpreaches by serving as an advisory see real change at the John A. Wil- ers of families. That’s why legislaneighborhood commissioner in her son Building now that there are tion dealing with family issues tend Columbia Heights area in Ward 1. more of us on the council.” to get more attention when women Wright-Smith participates in Dis- In January, Henderson and are in charge.” trict Democratic politics and has an George will officially join D.C. Allen served as the chair of the active membership with DC Wom- Councilmembers Anita Bonds (D- Committee on Human Services. en in Politics (WIN), an organiza- At Large), Elissa Silverman (I-At She said while the women lawtion designed to support women’s Large), Brianne Nadeau (D-Ward makers often voted together on ispolitical ambitions. 1) and Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) in sues, no-girls’ group existed. Plus,
On Nov. 4, Wright-Smith had constituting a mostly female leg- Allen said female councilmembers an upbeat attitude about the gen- islative body. The D.C. Council chaired committees that didn’t dieral elections that just took place. has had majority female legisla- rectly deal with families. 5 D.C. Councilmembers-elect Christina Henderson (left) and Janeese Lewis George. (WI She rejoiced about the victories of tors. In 1998, the council’s defin- “Charlene Drew Jarvis was the File Photos) Christina Henderson as an inde- ing female bloc consisted of D.C. chair of the Economic Developpendent at-large councilmember Council Chair Linda Cropp and ment Committee and she had that 1998. Mendelson said he looks for- over the years about not having and Janeese Lewis George as the D.C. Councilmembers Hilda Ma- committee for a long time,” she ward to working with the council’s enough women on the council. D.C. Council’s Ward 4 represen- son (Statehood-At Large), Carol said. new makeup. We should have adequate female tative. The presence of Henderson Schwartz (R-At Large), Kathy Pat- D.C. Council Chairman Phil “I think it is great,” the chairman representation. I believe we should and George will make the D.C. terson (D-Ward 3), Charlene Drew Mendelson (D) served with Allen said at a Nov. 9 news conference. have a council that represents the Council a majority female legisla- Jarvis (D-Ward 4), Sharon Am- as an at-large councilmember in “There have been some complaints public.” Proper representation of women Change in Prince George’s Circuit Court Judge Race in the District’s political office has been the goal of DC WIN, its president Anita Shelton said. The elecWilliam J. Ford tions of Henderson and George are examples of the work of DC WIN, WI Staff Writer with a special emphasis on elected @jabariwill Henderson, Shelton said. “We made an early commitment Unofficial results from the Nov. 3 general election show the last two can- to Christina,” Shelton said. “We didates who seek the fifth open seat for Prince George’s County Circuit conducted a series of interviews Court judge are separated by 1,730 votes. with women running for the indeThe Prince George’s County Board of Elections posted on its website as pendent at-large seat and found her of 6:26 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, April Ademiluyi with 191,674 votes and to be the strongest candidate when incumbent Jared Michael McCarthy with 189,944. it came to women’s issues. We liked The results for the first four candidates remain the same as follows: de- that she was a mother, had strong fense attorney Gladys Weatherspoon (269,141); and incumbents Wytonja views on the escalating cost of Curry (256,893); ShaRon Grayson Kelsey (256,410); and Cathy Serrette childcare in the city and presence (227,016). will diversify the council. Christina The Maryland Board of Elections estimates the county has a maximum received 70 percent support for the of 47,594 mail-in ballots left to count, based on state data from Monday, endorsement of our group.”Nov. 9. Shelton said they also played Prince George’s Election Administrator Alisha Alexander said Thursday, an advisory role in Henderson’s Nov. 5 about 21,000 provisional ballots needed to be counted. election effort. Election officials have until Friday, Nov. 13 to count all the ballots. “During the campaign, we The election results from the school board races remain the same. advised Christina to stay out of the Voters overwhelmingly approved all five ballot questions to allow coun- Vincent Orange-Ed Lazere fight 5 Prince George’s County Circuit Court judge candidate Gladys Weatherspoon, left, ty officials to issue bonds for the design, construction and acquisition for and stick to her plan,” she said. “We chats with a voter Nov. 3 outside Charles H. Flowers High School in Springdale. libraries, public safety, public works, community college and other county (Anthony Tilghman/The Washington Informer) buildings. WI COUNCIL Page 44
election coverage 2020
Senators Say Biden Admin Will Help Maryland
William J. Ford WI Staff Writer @jabariwill
Maryland Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen said the country now will have future leadership in the White House to help the state combat the coronavirus pandemic, improve health care and fight climate change.
An investment in infrastructure under President-elect Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan would help the state in road construction and the Purple Line light-rail project in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties.
“We anticipate having an administration that will get us the resources we need to help us on so many of the infrastructure priorities in our state,” Van Hollen said during a press briefing Monday.
Certain legislation remains in limbo in the Republican-controlled Senate such as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which passed in June in the House. The bill is named after George Floyd, who died May 25 on Memorial Day in Minneapolis after being in police custody.
If the Democratic contenders win the two Georgia runoff races Jan. 5, then it would make it a 5050 tie in the Senate and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would break voting ties. Republicans appear have secured 50 seats in the Senate after votes are counted in Alaska and North Carolina.
A tie would also strip the majority leader title from Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who currently controls the chamber’s legislative agenda and judicial nominees.
“Can we do that with Mitch McConnell as the majority leader if we’re not successful in Georgia? We’ll see,” Cardin said. “It’s time for us to come together and deal with the systemic problems we have in racism and policing.”
Maryland state President Pro Tem Melony Griffith had plenty of thoughts Saturday upon seeing and hearing Joe Biden chosen as the president-elect of the United States.
But California Sen. Kamala Harris becoming the first woman and first person of Black and Asian descent elected as vice president would be felt more personally.
Besides Griffith being a Black woman, she, like Harris in 1986, graduated from Howard University with a master’s degree in social work in 1987.
“What a wonderful testimony Sen. Harris can share with her presence on the team. She can represent for all people of color,” said Griffith (D-District 25) of Upper Marlboro. “As a woman to see this historic moment and to know it is a colleague from an HBCU background, it’s just phenomenal. Having first President Obama breaking that glass ceiling and to have Sen. Harris being vice president-elect and breaking that glass ceiling, I can share with my children.”
Prince George’s County Council member Deni Taveras (D-District 2) of Adelphi summarized her excitement for the Biden-Harris victory.
“Anything is better than Trump. I am bursting through the seams right now,” she said. “[Harris] is exactly what we need in the vice president.”
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) released a statement congratulating Biden and Harris – two people with whom he’s worked on Capitol Hill.
“Our country faces enormous challenges but by electing this historic ticket, the American people will have two seasoned leaders at the helm, able and prepared to do the hard work required to lead us forward,” Van Hollen said.
“Together, I am committed to repairing the damage of the past four years, turning the page on the politics of hate and division, working to address the urgent needs of the American people and ensuring a more equal and inclusive America. We must never rest in our pursuit of a more perfect union,” he said.
As has become the norm in today’s society, millions expressed their reactions on social media platforms.
Although nearly 75 million people voted for Biden, Del. Nick Mosby (D-Baltimore City) acknowledged Saturday on Twitter the number of people who voted for Republican President Donald Trump.
“While today’s results are a reflection of democracy, we cannot lose sight of the fact that over 70 million Americans voted for a well–documented racist, misogynistic, homo/xenophobe in a year that suffocated us with historical examples of injustice,” said Mosby, who won Tuesday’s election to become Baltimore City Council president. “We have a lot of work to do!”
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election coverage 2020
Biden Pledges to Work for ‘All Americans’
Hamil R. Harris WI Contributing Writer
After four decades of public service, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. has been elected as the 46th president of the United States and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) has become the first African American to become vice president.
“I am honored that you have chosen me to lead our great country,” Biden said at 11:52 a.m. Saturday. “The work ahead of us will be hard but I promise this: I will be a president for all Americans-whether you voted for me or not. I will keep the faith you have placed in me.”
Biden’s victory was sealed by voters in the state of Pennsylvania whose
Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins
Though several news outlets confirmed former Vice President Joe Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump, local millennial Cherelle Swain said a friend’s text served as confirmation that after several anxious days, the ballot-counting process had reached its conclusion.
For Swain, however, that feeling of relief only lasted briefly when she took into account the overwhelming number of voters who supported Trump and what has been described as Trump’s unwillingness to respect the electoral process.
“It’s a big victory. At the same time, the process of watching the red states across [America] reemphasizes the beliefs of [people in] this country,” said Swain, an activist and writer who lives in Northeast.
“In the next 90 days, we’re really going to see. There’s a sense of unpredictability and we don’t know if that’s more of the media or the contentious environment that’s been brewing [in a] heightened racial climate,” she said.
Late Saturday morning, the Associated Press called Biden the winner of the 2020 presidential election after he clinched Pennsylvania and secured more than the 270 electoral college votes needed to be named president-elect. The electoral victo3,345,906 votes placed him over President Trump’s 3,311,448 votes in the race for the Keystone State’s 20 electoral college votes as tallies in Georgia, Arizona and Nevada were still being counted Nov. 7.
With Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes, Biden exceeded the 270-threshold needed for a candidate to declare victory in the 2020 presidential election.
Harris, in a tweet, said, “This election is about so much more than @ JoeBiden or me. It is about the soul of America and our willingness to fight for it. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Let’s get started.”
Though Biden achieved 290 electoral votes to Trump’s 214 votes by Saturday morning, the president said ry has also been significant for Sen. Kamala Harris, a multiracial HBCU graduate and darling of the Divine Nine who made history as the first woman elected to the vice presidency.
Though the Biden-Harris ticket showed an increasingly significant lead over Trump-Pence by Thursday, some pollsters and news organizations remained cautious in declaring a winner. The process to count mail-in ballots delayed results for Georgia, Nevada, Michigan, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, among other states. As the nation waited for the culmination of those contests, the Trump campaign levied accusations of election fraud and attempted, unsuccessfully, to spark legal battles in three battleground states.
The tug-of-war went into the start of this week, with calls for the Trump administration to allow the start of the transition process and Trump’s in a White House statement Friday night that he had no plans of conceding the election and his lawyers have filed law suits in several states where votes were still being counted..
“If you count the legal votes I easily win,” Trump said. “If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us.”
From Biden’s home in Wilmington, Del., to downtown Philadelphia, the news of Biden’s electoral victory was met with cheers by diverse crowds while in other segments of the country, Trump supporters expressed concern and fear about the future.
“I am very happy that Joe Biden [won] and my main concern is that health care is not taken away from people who desperately need it,” said termination of Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
In a statement on Saturday, Biden expressed humility before calling on the nation to put aside differences. While some local grassroots organizers, like Ty Hobson-Powell, agree there’s work to be done, he said the onus remains on Biden and Harris to return the favor to Blacks who secured victories for them in American urban centers.
Amid protests for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Blacks killed by police, Hobson-Powell launched Concerned Citizens DC as a vehicle for demanding police reform. Long before that, he and other members of the 51 for 51 D.C. statehood movement met Biden and Harris on the campaign trail in Iowa, where he said the duo expressed their commitment to making D.C. the 51st state.
Belinda Bonds, 59, a registered nurse from Townsend, Del. “I have been a
Millennials Cautiously Optimistic About Biden Win, America’s Future
nurse for 35 years and people need
“While we rejoice at this moment from the departure from blatant racism, there’s more discreet racism that is prevalent in America,” he said. “It’s baked into institutions. I, along with so many others, am committed to doing the work no matter who’s president. We’re continuing to hold them accountable.”
Any significant power shift in the Senate will have to await a January runoff election in Georgia to settle the selection of two undecided races.
The unfolding scenario has caused great concern for Kwasi Agyeman, who said seeing more than 70 million people vote for Trump didn’t come as a surprise.
Agyeman, a millennial and historian from New York City, likened this election to the beginning of the Reconstruction era – a period of high expectations which ended with several rollbacks of rights for Blacks.
“We have a Republican majority in the Senate. Biden and Harris could push for economic development and long-term community programs and the Senate could vote it down,” Agyeman said.
“There’s a separation between grassroots and political expectations,” he continued. “What we want as a community is different from the political reality. If Biden and Harris don’t have the Senate, they will get roadblocked.”
WI their health care more than ever.”
Bonds, who works as operating room nurse at Baltimore Shock Trauma, said, “Due to the COVID-19 crisis if the Affordable Care Act had been taken away, people of all races would have lost life-saving treatment. I believe that Biden and Harris will be a wonderful team because they have the nation in their heart.”
Former President Barack Obama said in a tweet, “Congratulations to my friends, @joeBiden and @kamalaHarris-our next President and Vice-President of the United States.”
Black Lives Matter Plaza was packed throughout the weekend and in a tweet, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said, “The past few days and weeks we have seen the true power of democracy-millions of Americans going to the polls and sending their ballots in the midst of a pandemic-to make their voices heard.”
Tom Liebrand, 59, a federal worker from Upper Marlboro, supported President Trump. He said in response to Biden’s apparent victory, “My hope as a Christian and as a citizen of Heaven, no matter who is in office that the principles that America was founded on will be upheld and embraced especially those principles like freedom, liberty and the rule of law.”
Allison Prince, a Montgomery County Public School administrator from Bowie, said, “Being an alum of Syracuse University where Joe Biden received his law degree and being a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority [AKA], Inc., I am so full of joy to witness history in real team.”
Harris pledged AKA on the campus of Howard University where she graduated in 1986. WI
election coverage 2020
Black Votes Push Biden Over the Top in Contentious Election
America Sends a Message to Trump: ‘You’re Fired’ Stacy M. Brown Reportedly, it’s the 410th day the waited anxiously for results from WI Senior Writer president spent at one of his name- Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia and @StacyBrownMedia sake properties since taking office. Nevada. “This election is about so much Chants of “Stop the Count! Stop
After days of post-Election Day more than @JoeBiden or me. It’s the Count,” turned to “Stop the Steal! counting, Democrat Joe Biden has about the soul of America and our Stop the Steal! at state buildings by prodefeated President Donald Trump to willingness to fight for it,” Sen. Ka- Trump supporters. The president egged become the nation’s 46th command- mala Harris, the Vice President-Elect on the commotion, tweeting false claims er-in-chief. tweeted alongside a video. “We have about voter fraud, saying the “Demo-
With all eyes on Pennsylvania, a lot of work ahead of us. Let’s get crats are trying to steal the election.” Georgia, Nevada and Arizona, it was started,” she added. With little question, Black voters the Keystone State’s 20 electoral col- When Biden and Harris are sworn- pushed Biden over the top. lege votes that put Biden over the top in on January 20, 2021, the Cali- Biden trailed the president in and help America send the message fornia senator will become the first Pennsylvania but as the count includTrump had become known for years Black vice president in U.S. history. ed predominately Black Philadelphia earlier during his “Apprentice” reality After what some fear will be and surrounding counties, Trump’s television show: “You’re Fired!” the most contentious and violent lead disappeared and the Democrat
“Trump finds out Biden won post-election in American history, prevailed. while he’s playing golf,” Washington inauguration ceremonies will occur. That scenario repeated itself in Informer Journalist Anthony Tilgh- Demonstrators had already gath- Georgia, where Atlanta and Fulton man tweeted, as Trump played golf ered outside of vote counting centers County also came through for the at his National Club in Sterling, Va. around the nation while Americans former vice president. WI
TWO RIVERS PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL
INTENT TO AWARD A SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT
Trane BACnet EMS
Two Rivers Public Charter School intends to enter into a sole-source contract with W.L. Gary and Trane to upgrade the previous generation Tracer Summit controls system to the latest technology Trane web-based BACnet open protocol system for two of its HVAC systems. The cost of this contract will be approximately $57,363. The decision to sole source was made because Trane’s BACnet EMS is proprietary and designed to manage the facilities HVAC units. Please contact Gail Williams with any questions at procurement@tworiverspcs.org.
TWO RIVERS PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
RTU Replacement
Two Rivers PCS is soliciting price quotes from certified Trane vendors to install two RTU replacements. To request a copy of the RFP, email Gail Williams at procurement@tworiverspcs.org. Proposals are due by December 11, 2020.
TWO RIVERS PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Bipolar Ionization
Two Rivers PCS is soliciting price quotes from a licensed vendor to install bipolar ionization in three buildings totaling 104K Sq. Ft. To request a copy of the RFP, email Gail Williams at procurement@tworiverspcs.org. Proposals are due by December 11, 2020.
