(From New America Media)

By Earl Ofari Hutchinson

Mississippi’s Republican Gov. Haley Barbour was adamant. He told reporters, civil rights leaders and protesters not to hold their breath waiting for him to pardon Jamie and Gladys Scott, who served 16 years in prison for a 1993 armed robbery that they insist they did not commit.

The two sisters — sentenced to life in prison for a crime that netted $11 — were freed on medical grounds in December after a national campaign for their release. As a condition of his suspension, Barbour said Gladys must donate a kidney to her sister, who is seriously ill, but the transplant has been put on hold because doctors say the women’s weight makes surgery risky.

Civil rights leaders say the women were the victims of a racially tinged, unfair prosecution. The Scotts have refused to admit their guilt — Barbour’s demand in return for a full pardon.

Barbour’s refusal to issue a pardon was not just the case of a pandering to white Mississippians by a controversial, ultraconservative Southern governor with a dubious track record on civil rights — a politician who has made inflammatory quips soft-peddling the state’s racist history. Barbour has his eye squarely on a presidential bid.

The bitter truth is that Barbour is no different from most governors and even presidents, Democrats or Republicans. Issuing pardons, commuting sentences, and granting clemency to prisoners or ex-prisoners, are powers they are loath to use. This is not new.

Much of this reluctance dates to the 1988 presidential campaign. At the start of the contest, Massachusetts governor and Democratic presidential contender Michael Dukakis had a commanding lead in the polls over his GOP rival, Vice President George H.W. Bush. The odds were strong that Dukakis would sail into the White House.

But then Bush strategists found the perfect weapon to torpedo Dukakis: the furlough that he approved for convicted murderer Willie Horton in 1986. While on weekend furlough, Horton committed assault, armed robbery and rape. Bush strategists pounced on the crimes and ran endless campaign commercials showing convicts (nearly all black) strolling out of the Massachusetts prisons, all on Dukakis’s watch.

The message was that black convicts were being let loose to terrorize vulnerable white, middle-class communities, all because of a soft-on-crime Democratic governor. If Dukakis were elected, the nation was told, the country would be beseiged by inmates let out of prison to rape, murder and pillage communities.

The message struck home, and Dukakis’s big lead over Bush evaporated. Bush won the presidential election in a rout. Loud accusations of racism and dirty politics meant nothing. Every governor and would-be politician, especially Democrats, took note of Dukakis’s fate. They were determined never again to be accused by GOP conservatives of being soft on crime.

California was a near-textbook example of where this could lead. During his five years in office, Democratic Governor Gray Davis went to extremes to block inmates convicted of violent crimes from gaining parole, attempting to sell himself in the process as the toughest anti-crime governor in America.

Davis was recalled by California voters anyway, who replaced him with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Meanwhile, other governors pretty much followed the script, routinely saying no to appeals for clemency, pardons and commutations for convicted felons. In the few instances when governors forgot the script, a tragic case would often emerge in the headlines to haunt them.

This was the case when former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a Republican, granted clemency to a felon, Maurice Clemmons, who went on to gun down four Seattle-area police officers having breakfast in a diner on a Sunday morning.

Huckabee was roundly ripped for this lapse of conservative judgment. More than a few analysts have noted that the Clemmons case would almost certainly pose problems for Huckabee, should he decide to toss his hat into the presidential ring again.

The issue of whether or not to pardon felons and ex-felons has not been lost on the White House. President Obama has granted very few. He has resisted every call from GOP senators, led by his 2008 presidential opponent Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and dozens of other congressional representatives to grant a posthumous pardon to famed boxer Jack Johnson, convicted a century ago for illicit sexual acts under the Mann Act.

Obama’s approval of an early release for the Scott sisters is as far as he will go, and even that took a national protest campaign. Barbour is determined that he will experience no repeat of what happened to Huckabee (or Dukakis), if he bids for the GOP presidential nomination.

Marc H. Morial, President & CEO, National Urban League

“Welcome to America in the second decade of the 21st century.  An army of long-term unemployed workers is spread across the land, the human fallout from the Great Recession and long years of misguided economic policies.”  From Bob Herbert’s final column for the New York Times

Last week, the nation’s leading historic civil rights organization, the National Urban League, came together with the nation’s leading historic Black university, Howard University, to hold the first ever State of Black America town hall meeting focusing on the jobs crisis in urban America.  The Town Hall, hosted by Howard President, Sidney Ribeau, culminated two days of meetings with Congressmen and Senators on Capitol Hill where Urban Leaguers from across the country made the case: There can be no complete economic recovery as long as already too high unemployment for African Americans continues to go up even as the overall unemployment rate gradually ticks down.  

Yes, we were pleased to learn last week that the unemployment rate has fallen to 8.8 percent, the lowest level in two years.  And we applaud the actions by the Obama Administration – the Stimulus bill, Health Care Reform and Bank Reform – that have kept the mighty titanic of the American economy from sinking to the bottom of the sea.  But this is no time for a victory party.  As the National Urban League’s 2011 Equality Index reveals, there remain large and widening gaps between the status of African Americans and whites in this country, particularly in the areas of economics and children’s health.  For Hispanics there are big gaps too, especially in the area of college enrollment. And with Black unemployment now at 15.5 percent and Hispanic unemployment at 11.3 percent, clearly, it is time to declare war on inequality and unemployment in urban communities of color.

As we stated at the Town Hall, we must not let other major concerns, including war and partisan fights about deficit reduction, distract us from the number one issue facing the American people – jobs, jobs, jobs.   The National Urban League’s nearly 100 affiliates across the country haven’t lost that focus.  We remain economic first responders for millions of Americans desperately seeking to rebuild their lives, families and communities in the wake of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.  We highlighted three outstanding examples at our Town Hall.

Lonnie Grayson, President of Environmental & Safety Solutions, Inc. has been able to win new contracts and double his workforce with the help of the Entrepreneurship Center of the Urban League of Cincinnati.  The Urban League of Philadelphia helped David Simms, owner of Eatible Delights Catering, develop new branding and marketing tools that have boosted his business.  And Donna Hodge Harper of Newark, an unemployed casualty of the great recession, said that were it not for the job training and job placement assistance she received from the Urban League of Essex County, she doesn’t know where she would be today.  

Lonnie, David and Donna show us how to dig urban America out of the great recession:  Training for 21st century jobs.  Putting investments in people over the politics of deficit reduction.  Summer jobs for teens.  All of these solutions are part of the National Urban League’s 12-points jobs plan.  Washington, are you listening?

To view the town hall webcast and find out how you can obtain a copy of the 2011 State of Black America Report log on to www.nul.org

By Dante Lee

 Nationwide (BlackNews.com) — If you ever wanted to open an entrepreneurship center for minority business owners, here’s your chance. The Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), a bureau at the U.S. Department of Commerce, has recently announced a major grant competition for candidates who want to open a business center in the Upper Midwest, Northeast, and West Coast (specifically Southern California) areas of the United States. Awards range from $225,000 to $355,000 annually, and the primary objective of your center must be to provide strategic business consulting services to minority firms that will result in increased public and private sector contracting opportunities and capital investments, ultimately leading to the creation of new U.S. jobs.

The grant award covers a five-year period, and selected candidates will initially be funded for the first award year with subsequent funding periods subject to their center’s performance and funding availability. Eligible applicants include for-profit entities (sole-proprietorships, partnerships, limited liability companies and corporations), non-profit organizations, state and local government entities, American Indian Tribes and educational institutions. To apply, you must download the application from the Announcement of Federal Funding Opportunity (FFO) at www.MBDA.gov. The deadline is May 5, 2011, but MBDA will conduct a pre-application teleconference on Thursday, April 7.

Orrin Hudson pictured with comedian Steve Harvey at Harvey’s annual Mentoring Weekend For Young Men in Los Angeles

 Atlanta, GA (BlackNews.com) — Orrin “Checkmate” Hudson is making dynamic strides across the country, as he has become a nationally-recognized and highly sought-after motivational teacher, speaker, and mentor. Hudson is the award-winning founder of Be Someone – an Atlanta-based non-profit organization that uses the game of chess to promote self-esteem, responsibility, and analytical thinking among at-risk kids. Just recently, Hudson and his organization were profiled by both comedian Steve Harvey and the CNN network. Steve Harvey recently invited Hudson to speak at his annual Mentoring Weekend For Young Men in Los Angeles – a unique program designed to teach the Principles of Manhood to young men to enable them to become emotionally, politically and economically strong.

Hudson used his signature chess skills and abilities to offer sound advice on the importance of making every move in life count. Cedric the Entertainer and other celebrities were also in attendance, and also spoke to the 100+ specially-invited youth to help provide guidance and inspiration to them. And, for the fourth time, CNN has profiled Hudson as a successful mentor who is “taking a bite out of juvenile crime”. The network interviewed him during a segment called “Choose The News”, whereas viewers can vote and decide which story they would like to see – after hearing a brief preview. By overwhelming demand, CNN viewers wanted to see the story of Hudson and his amazing ability to change the lives of kids through the game of chess. The interview aired several times, and can be viewed online at the following link:

 http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2011/03/06/whitfield.chess.moves.for.life.cnn Hudson’s program is very successful and impactful; He has trained more than 20,000 students, and his lifetime goal is to reach one million youngsters before he turns over the responsibility to others coming behind him. He is a believer in the “paying it forward concept.” He explains, “I was once a young know-it-all teenager in Alabama and I was on the road to destruction and possibly even a premature death,” he readily admits. “But I had a teacher who saw potential in me, and he taught me the game of chess – showing me that there are consequences for every move I make on the chessboard. This helped me to realize that I could be someone, if only I chose the right moves in my life.”

Chicago, IL - Randal Pinkett, a Longtime MillerCoors and MillerCoors Urban Entrepreneurs Series (MUES) program supporter and friend, speaks at the 2010-2011 winners’ reception.

Pinkett, the first African-American to win the competitive reality series, The Apprentice, served as the keynote speaker during the MUES Winners’ Reception held as a special recognition of the five emerging businesses at the Miller-Coors Corporate Headquarters in Chicago.

Demonstrating their commitment to economic development, MillerCoors has provided over $1 .5 million in business grants to more than 100 urban businesses across the country through the MUES program.

The recipients, selected from applicants nationwide, were awarded business grants totaling $150,000 to contribute to their company’s start-up capital, or to expand their existing businesses.  For details about the upcoming MUES competition and this year’s winners, visit: www.millercoorsmues.com.

Photo: Junior members of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) interview U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson in her office at EPA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.: (seated, left to right) Darius Simington, Devante Martin, Administrator Jackson, Alexis Clark and Alicia Tate. Jackson is a chemical engineer and was a NSBE chapter president at Tulane University, her undergraduate alma mater.

 Alexandria, VA (BlackNews.com) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson invited four junior members of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) to interview her at EPA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., this week. Jackson, a chemical engineer and the first African American to head the EPA, was a NSBE chapter president at Tulane University in New Orleans, La., her undergraduate alma mater. Alexis Clark, a sophomore at North Stafford High School in Stafford, Va.; Devante Martin and Darius Simington, both 10th graders at Martinsville High School in Martinsville, Va.; and Alicia Tate, a third-grader at Stonegate Elementary School in Silver Spring, Md., quizzed Administrator Jackson for 15 minutes about environmental issues of concern to them and their generation, and about career advice for budding engineers. The interview took place on Tuesday, March 15. “NSBE’s 35,776 members extend our thanks to Administrator Jackson for inviting our NSBE Jr. group to her offices,” says NSBE Executive Director Carl B. Mack. “Experiences like this can open new horizons for young people and instill in them a desire for community service and professional success that lasts a lifetime.”

 “This interview shows the great capacity of our young people to take on issues in technical areas when given the chance,” says NSBE National Chair Calvin Phelps, 23, a master’s degree student in mechanical engineering at Cornell University. “Many thanks to Ms. Jackson for taking the time to engage with our youth and present them with such an opportunity.”

ABOUT NSBE

The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), with more than 35,700 members, is one of the largest student-governed organizations in the country. Founded in 1975, NSBE now includes more than 394 collegiate, pre-collegiate and technical professional/Alumni chapters in the United States and abroad. NSBE’s mission is “to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally and positively impact the community.” For more information about the National Society of Black Engineers, please visit www.nsbe.org.

Springfield, IL – The Illinois State Advisory Council on the Education of Children with Disabilities (ISAC) and the Illinois State Board of Education will sponsor the 6^th annual legislative breakfast to raise awareness about special education. Several dozen students with special needs from across the state will make and distribute cinnamon rolls and information flyers Wednesday morning on the capitol rotunda. Artwork, made by the students, and flowers, grown in greenhouses tended by the students, will also be on display.

“Every child deserves a quality education,’’  said Susy Woods, Chair of the Illinois State Advisory Council on the Education of Children with Disabilities. “This event reminds legislators that education funding helps students with disabilities learn, achieve and surpass any challenges.”

State Superintendent Christopher A. Koch commends the work of ISAC on behalf of all Illinois children and families, noting even in these tough economic times we must work for a strong and equitable education for all children, especially our most vulnerable populations.

 “Legislators realize the critical importance of special education,’’ Dr. Koch said. “But this event reminds them that we must make good funding decisions to help all children reach their potential and find success in college and careers.’’

ISAC organizers expect students from districts across the state as well as non-public special education facilities to attend.

The Illinois State Advisory Council Legislative Breakfast will be held in the Capitol Rotunda, April 6, beginning at 8 a.m.

(From New America Media)

By Viji Sundaram

 
PALO ALTO, Calif.—Kevin Bracy calls July 9, 2001, a “bittersweet” day—sweet because his wife delivered their son, Kobe; bitter because he was born three months premature and weighed only 2.5 pounds.

The birth of their second son exactly four years later quickly turned into grief for the couple. Kaleb, four months premature, weighed less than a pound and lived only an hour.

“As a dad,” Bracy told the gathering at Stanford University’s Li Ka Shing Center on March 30, “I’ve been in denial.”

Bracy was speaking at an event to launch a collaborative venture between the March of Dimes, a national nonprofit working toward the health of babies, and Stanford Medical School to shed light on one of the most elusive of medical mysteries—why some babies are born prematurely.

“Premature birth is common, serious and costly,” March of Dimes President Jennifer L. Howse declared.

One in eight children in the United States is born prematurely. Preterm birth is the number one cause of infant mortality.

Many preemies who survive past infancy face lifelong health problems, Howse said, at a cost to society fo $26 billion a year.

“So we have an economic stake in solving this problem,” she said, adding: “The cost to families can’t be measured.”

The March of Dimes has contributed $2 million upfront toward the launch of the Prematurity Research Center and will provide support for the project through 2020.

The team will include about 30 investigators from many disciplines, including genetics, robotics, biology and pathology, said Dr. Atul Butte, a professor of pediatrics and computer science and one of the lead researchers. Butte also has a daughter who was born prematurely—at 28 weeks, or about three months early—and is now a “spunky 8-year-old.”

Kobe Bracy has had a rougher time of it. He spent the first two months of his life in an incubator and came home when he was just five pounds. He and his parents have been in and out of hospitals ever since.

“Even with health insurance, we get six-figure doctors’ bills,” his father said.

Now 9, Kobe has been diagnosed with intestinal neuronal dysplasia (IND), a condition that causes chronic severe constipation. He also has colitis, another disease of the intestine that causes abdominal pain and bloating, as well as a constant urge to defecate.

The pain is so severe that a couple of months ago, the Bracys took their son out of school and began home-schooling him.

Kobe has the scars of three surgical incisions on his abdomen. He wears an external pouch that collects his intestinal waste because his large intestine is incapable of safely processing it.

Despite the serious health risks, doctors don’t know the cause of premature birth in nearly half of the cases.

“Mothers for no apparent reason go into labor early,” said Dr. David Stevenson, a neonatologist and professor of pediatrics at Stanford. “Our goal is to test new hypotheses and make discoveries that will reduce premature birth,” he said.

Recent studies seem to indicate that African-American women have higher rates of premature births than women of other races. Stevenson said causes could include genetics and biology, as well as  environmental factors.

Chronic stress is also believed to contribute to preterm birth. Psychological or physical stress leads to the production of a stress-related hormone—corticotropin-releasing hormone, or CRH—which can stimulate other hormones and trigger contractions and premature delivery.

Bracy is African American; his wife, Jessica, is white. Neither of them, he said, had the risk factors associated with parents of premature children, including stress, lack of education, or poverty.

He said he is hopeful that the March of Dimes initiative will help identify the causes of preterm births that remain a mystery for families like theirs.

“I just don’t want any other family to go through what we are going through,” he said.