OFFICIAL from Page 12 a luncheon on advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in county government.
PHYSICIAN HAILS COUNTY DIVERSITY
Askew, a certified pediatrician who moved to Prince George’s less than three years ago from New York, spoke at the luncheon with County Council vice chair Deni Taveras (D-District 2) of Adelphi. “One of the things I’m most impressed about is the number and quality and smarts of the women of color in leadership in Prince George’s County,” he said in an interview. “It’s something I’ve never seen anywhere else. It’s such a great pleasure to walk into rooms of leadership and not be the only person of color, or one of two people, which I’ve often been in places where I’ve been. Here you have a county being led by people who look like the people they represent.” Besides Taveras, who is a Do-
44 JULY 15 - 21, 2021
minican, the county has at least 10 Black women in leadership positions such as Chief Administrative Officer Tara Jackson. In Executive Angela Alsobrooks’ absence, she takes the helm as second-in-command in the executive branch. Jackson not only gave welcoming remarks at Saturday’s general session, but she also participated on a panel Sunday offering advice for women to overcome barriers in becoming government leaders. Two words she used: flexibility and multitasking. She also praised Alsobrooks for creating a culture that allows for employees to spend time with their families. “I just came from a baseball game,” Jackson said. “Sometimes I’m happy when my husband and my [7-year-old] son go do whatever they do.” County officials also received resources from other county leaders and resumed face to face conversations that they didn’t have for more than a year. During welcoming remarks at
the conference Saturday, county council member Monique Anderson-Walker (D-District 8) of Fort Washington mentioned a chat with neighboring Montgomery County councilmember Craig Rice on farmland grants. In an interview, Rice said the county established a new farmer program four years ago. According to Montgomery County’s Office of Agriculture, the program provides specialized training in marketing, accounting and sustainable farm practices. According to the county’s Conference and Visitors Bureau agriculture contributes $287 million annually to the overall economy. “Being able to spread that to other jurisdictions…makes complete sense,” Rice said. “With a large pocket of people of color, this is something [Prince George’s County] can also do and be incredibly successful in addressing some of the food insecurity [and] nutrition issues we are seeing primarily in people of color.” WI Twitter: @jabariwill
ACTION from Page 1 Poor People’s Campaign. “This is a Black civil rights issue but it’s an issue for everyone who cares about democracy -- who wants a government that serves all of us,” Barber said during the organization’s “National Call for Moral Revival” on July 12. The event counted as the first of several “Moral Mondays for Season of Action” rallies with more scheduled every Monday through August 6 -- the 56th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. On that day, organizers will demand that Congress end the filibuster, pass all provisions of the For the People Act, restore the 1965 Voting Rights Act and raise the hourly minimum wage to $15. “This is not [just] a battle against Jim Crow. We are facing interlocking injustices and we must have an intersectional movement to stop it,” Barber continued. “When they do this, whoever they are and whatever party they’re in, they’re engaging in politics that are economically insidious and theologically sinful. We must ask the question on what side they are.” Also on Tuesday, President Joe Biden (D) delivered a speech in Philadelphia during which he affirmed his commitment to protecting voting rights and outlined a plan for doing so. The speech followed failed attempts by Democratic lawmakers to circumvent filibuster rules and pass a sweeping voting rights, election overhaul and government ethics package. This, in tandem with the Supreme Court’s recent ruling, has stoked fears about what’s been described as the Republican Party’s assault on voting rights. As the battle over voting rights continues, civil rights leaders joined Biden in a private meeting. Since his election, they’ve demanded that he and Vice President Kamala Harris speak out against the passage of nearly two dozen restrictive voting laws, enacted in 14 states. Harris, in conjunction with the Democratic National Committee, has since launched a $25 million get-out-the-vote effort ahead of the 2022 elections. The primary tenet of the “Season of Nonviolent Moral Direct Action to Save Our Democracy” rests in organizers' desire to go beyond social media and letter writing to make their case to lawmakers.
Linnell H.Stokes Fall, a Baltimore resident who recently faced both COVID-19 and unemployment, said nonviolent moral direct action has become a matter of life and death for her and others in her situation. Monday marked the start of a nationwide call-in to senators and the White House. Upcoming events involve clergy, women and members of historically-oppressed groups, each of whom will continue to target lawmakers with visits and prayer. On Monday, Linnell H.Stokes Fall, a Baltimore resident who recently faced both COVID-19 and unemployment, said nonviolent moral direct action has become a matter of life and death for her and others in her situation. “We have healthcare systems built to violate and ignore poor people. It’s violence,” Fall said. “Denial of healthcare is voter suppression. We have to fight for voting rights now: Black people, white people, indigenous people. We didn’t get the right to vote by writing letters and tweets. We didn’t ask politely. No one gave us that right in the first place. God gave us that right,” she said. WI @SamPKCollins
THE WASHINGTON INFORMER / WWW.WASHINGTONINFORMER.COM
