Happy Birthday: Hiram Revels (1822-1901)

Hiram R. (Rhodes) Revels was born on this date in 1822. He was a Black educator, minister, and politician, and the first African American to serve in the United States Senate.

He was born as a free man in Fayetteville, N.C. Unfortunately, all Blacks in the South, free or slaves, were forbidden to learn to read and write. Revels was secretly taught these basics by a free Black woman. When he was 15, his family moved to Lincointon, N.C., where Revels worked as a barber. In 1844, he moved to Indiana (a free state) and began studying at Beech Grove Seminary, a Quaker school.

At this time Revels became involved with the teachings of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, a significant religious and educational force in the Black community. In 1845, Revels began studying for the ministry in Drake County, Ohio. Later that year, he was ordained as a minister of the AME Church, and made an elder in 1849.

Revels, an itinerant preacher, was imprisoned in Missouri in 1854, for preaching the gospel to Negroes. In the early 1850s, Revels married Phoeba A. Bass, and together they raised six daughters. He attended Knox College in Galesburg, IL, and in 1857, he became a minister became principal of an African American high school in Baltimore, Maryland.

When the Civil War started, He raised two Black regiments during the Civil War and fought at the battle of Vicksburg in Mississippi. He established a school for freedmen in St. Louis, in 1863, and worked with the U.S. Provost Marshall to handle the affairs of ex-slaves.

In 1865, Revels joined the Methodist Episcopal (ME) Church, which offered more opportunities for his work in the South. After the Civil War, the Reconstruction Act of 1867 required the Southern states to write new constitutions permitting African Americans to vote and hold public office. In the following year.  African Americans were officially recognized as citizens of the United States as a result of the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution.

Later that year, Revels was appointed for a term on the Natchez city board of aldermen. During the first session of the Mississippi legislature in January 1868, Revels was asked to open the session with a prayer. According to John R. Lynch,

"That prayer-—one of the most impressive and eloquent prayers that had ever been delivered in the [Mississippi] Senate Chamber-made Revels a United States Senator. He made a profound impression upon all who heard him. It impressed those who heard it that Revels was not only a man of great natural ability but that he was also a man of superior attainments."

In 1869, Lynch, a Black political figure from Natchez, encouraged him to enter as a candidate for state senator, representing Adams County. Revels accepted the nomination at the Republican caucus in December 1869.

In January 1870, Mississippi elected Hiram Revels as a U.S. senator. He was seated on February 25, 1870, and held the office until March 3, 1871, becoming the first African American member of Congress. During Revels' short tenure, he introduced several bills, presented a number of petitions, and served on the Committee on the District of Columbia and the Committee on Education. After his term in the senate, Revels became president of Alcorn College from 1871 to 1873.

He then reentered the ministry as the pastor of the Holly Springs, Mississippi, ME church. In 1876, he came back to Alcorn College until 1882, then taught theology at Rust College in Holly Springs. On January 16, 1901, Revels died of a stroke.

To date, six African Americans have served in the United States Senate. Although Revels served in the Senate for just a year, he broke new ground for African Americans in Congress!

Rest in Peace: Stephanie Tubbs Jones (1949-2008)

We continue to be reminded that tomorrow is not promised to any of villager.

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the first African-American woman to represent Ohio in Congress, died after suffering an aneurysm while driving her car on this date in 2008. She had limited brain function at the time of her death.

Tubbs Jones, 58, served as a Cuyahoga County judge and prosecutor before succeeding U.S. Rep. Louis Stokes. She has served five terms in Congress and is expected to easily win her sixth in November.

I didn't agree with her endorsement of Hillary Clinton. However, I respected her for being true to her word. She demonstrated loyalty to Hillary at a time when there was great pressure for her to move to another candidate. She always seemed like a 'happy warrior' whenever I saw her in action.

I encourage all villagers to say a prayer for her family. May she rest in peace!

Obama's Speech to Congressional Black Caucus (Video)

There has been so much angst by folks about the remarks that President Obama gave to the Congressional Black Caucus folks over the weekend. He talked about a number of things including the American Jobs Act. He was in a fiery mode. Some call it his 'campaign' mode. Personally, I like this flow from him ... much better than trying to work with the folks on the other side of the aisle who simply 'hate' the guy.





Obama received about 95% of the African American vote in his 2008 election. He is polling much lower right now. I guess that Black folks are not feeling the love from his administration as much this year as they did in the past. 16% unemployment in the Black community is a big reason for the decline in popularity. I suspect that some are wondering if the situation would be any different under a President Mitt Romney or President Rick Perry.

What did you think about his speech to the Congressional Black Caucus folks?

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) Should Resign

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), who has represented Harlem residents in congress since 1971, waited for many years to become chair of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. He finally achieved that remarkable career goal ... only to find himself embroiled in a heated ethical debate about his personal financial dealings.

Currently, the House ethics committee is conducting a wide-ranging investigation into Rangel's finances. The investigation, which began last year, was expanded to include amendments that Rangel made to his House financial disclosure statements in August. The amendments indicated that he had failed to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in income and assets from 2002 through 2006.

Assets and sources of income that he omitted include a Merrill Lynch Global account valued at between $250,000 and $500,000, tens of thousands of dollars in municipal bonds and $30,000 to $100,000 in rent from a multi-family brownstone he owned.

He subsequently disclosed that he owed more than $10,000 in back taxes because he had failed to report more than $70,000 in rental income from a villa in the Dominican Republic.

Rangel claims that the entire financial mess can be attributed to "sloppy bookkeeping".

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) weighed in this week. They wrote a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in support of Rangle -- who is a founding member of the CBC. Part of the letter reads:

“Regrettably, the minority has repeatedly attempted to make an end-run around the bipartisan procedures for investigating possible ethics issues. These Republican attempts to presume guilt before an investigation has been completed violate the core American principle of the presumption of innocence. These attempts also will discourage members in the future from self-reporting any potential ethics issues, and will distract from the important work of the House to fix the economy, put Americans back to work, and improve access to health care.”

If that wasn’t clear enough, the group, chaired by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) added:

“Charlie Rangel’s work on these issues is critically important, and we are proud of the thoughtful leadership he provides to the House. He has our full support for his work as chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means while a bipartisan ethics review is pending.”

My grandfather once told me that I should never try to get away with the same things that white folks get away with. Rep. Rangel is probably no worse than past chairs of the House and Ways Committee. At least one of them is serving time in a federal penitentiary. However, we expect more from our Black leaders.

Charles Rangel's "sloppy bookkeeping" makes him unsuitable for leadership of a committee responsible for national tax and financial policy. Rangel should stop depending on cronyism and friends in high places to stay in office.

Rangel should do the right thing. He should resign the chairmanship of the House and Ways Committee.

Black Bloggers Urge Congressional Hearings on Taser Torture

The AfroSpear, a 2-year old coalition of Black bloggers recently conducted a Day of Blogging for Justice: Standing Up Against Pre-Trial Electrocution event.

The Afrospear encouraged supporters to sign online petition calling on Senate Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus to speak out and organize public hearings on the systemic human rights violations occurring against Black, Latino, Native American and others in America.

Group member Eddie Griffin (Eddie Griffin-BASG), said, "While there continues to be considerable media and congressional attention to torture in Guantanamo, there is comparatively little attention to the mounting evidence of human rights violations in the streets of America by a number of police departments across America, including torture and killings of Black children, women and men through-out the United States through the use and abuse of Tasers."

LN Rock (African American Political Pundit and Tasered While Black), a 2008 DNC Convention Blogger, said, "We want Congress to stand up with us against the police pre-trial electrocution of Black children, women and men - by taser. He went on to say, "We believe that few Americans support spending our tax dollars on torture, which violates our moral, religious and legal traditions. Most Americans expect an American policing policy that ensures the rights of all individuals regardless of race, greed, color, national origin, sex, disability or political or religious affiliation."

Wayne Hicks (Electronic Village) said, "We believe most Americans would favor Congressional hearings as to whether our own law enforcement officials, policing policies and actions violate human rights laws. Evidence of widespread police abuse of tasers is more than enough to warrant our concern and justify a congressional inquiry." He went on to say, "We propose that Congress undertake serious oversight into the extent to which our taxes are funding human rights violations through taser torure. Perhaps Congress can provide an alternative roadmap to the restoration of our democratic values while putting a stop to police pre-trial electrocution of Black children, women and men."

The bloggers are asking for:

1. The U.S. Attorney General and the Justice Department to aggressively fulfill its most basic mandate of enforcing the law. Torture by tasing is a crime, and the Justice Department is the right place to initiate an independent top-to-bottom investigation of the torturing of Black children men, women and children by local police jurisdictions throughout the United States. It's important that the general public understand the 'use of force continuum' used by law enforcement officials, and how it is abused by many in the law enforcement community. Although there is a Justice Department Review of TASER-related Deaths the on-the-spot pre-trial electrocutions continue.
   
2. Congress should investigate whether US police tasing policies violate Federal or international civil and human right laws, including the U.N. Convention against Torture, and international covenants against cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of citizens even in cases of so-called "state emergencies".
   
3. Congress should require the effective regulation of Taser use and require police/citizen review panels by Federal, state and local police and security agencies, including strict adherence to international human rights standards, or act to defund all such Federal, State and local police and security agencies who violate taser use regulations that would be established by Congress. No Federal stimulus dollars should be used to purchase tasers.

The bloggers point out UN's Committee Against Torture has declared that Taser use can constitute a form of torture. Amnesty International has a longstanding concern about the use of tasers on American citizens.

There is much angst in the mainstream media about the Bush torture memos and torture in the United States ... perhaps it is time for u to look at taser torture of Black people right here in our nation.

Here is a sampling of what Black bloggers are saying about the tasing of so many Blacks in the United States:

1. LN Rock - African American Political Pundit Report


2. LN Rock- African American Political Pundit Blog


3. Asabagna - Afrospear Think Tank


4. Antoinette - Antoinette's Point of View


5. Zhana - Ancestral Energies


6. The U - Anyway I Have To


7. April Davis - Around Harlem


8. Assata Shukur - Assata Shukur Forum


9. Yobachi Boswell - Black Perspective.net


10. Scotty - Black Talk Radio


11. Carmen Dixon - Black Voices


12. LN Rock - Chicago Cop Watch


13. Kathy - Daily Kos: Do White People Care About Tasing?


14. Shawn Williams - Dallas South Blog


15. Eddie Griffin - Eddie Griffin, BASG


16. LN Rock - Electrocuted While Black


17. Wayne Hicks - Electronic Village


18. Mr. E-D - Excited-Delirium


19. Francis Holland - Francis L. Holland Blog


20. Deborah Maiden - From my Brown Eyed View


21. Various - Independent Bloggers Alliance


22. Rev. Sequoyah Kofi bin-Tomas - Inteligentaindigena Novajoservo


23. Cherie S. - Lessons in Transition


24. Nate - Nateo Blog


25. Vanessa Byers - On The Black Hand Side


26. The Kid - Pirate Satellite


27. Plez Joyner - PlezWorld


28. Wayne Hicks - Proud Black Blogger


29. Sojourner - Sojourners Place


30. LN Rock - Post Racial Blog


31. Rover - Rover's Morning Glory


32. Super Spade - The SuperSpade


33. RiPPa - The Intersection between Madness and Reality


34. Lola - Whatever Lola Wants


35. Purple Zoe - UltraVioletUnderground

The AfroSpear petition to request Congressional hearings on the taser torture of Americans will also let you send personalized message to your congessional represenatives.

Share this post with others so that they are aware of our efforts. What other steps would you suggest?

Congressional Black Caucus Issues Bi-Annual Report

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) issued an 8-page bi-annual report detailing their efforts between Jan-Jun 2009 to deal with the longterm, systemic inequities in the Black community.

More than 24% of African Americans live below the poverty line and African Americans are 55% more likely to be unemployed than other Americans. The CBC wants to be viewed as the 'Conscience of Congress'. It is up to us to be the judge. I encourage all villagers to download/read their 8-page report.

It appears that the CBC wants to use legislation to create a pathway out of poverty through economic opportunities, job training, livable wages, education, mental health services, affordable housing, health care, child nutrition and a responsible foreign policy.

Let's talk about the CBC. What are your thoughts on this report?

Resource Guide on Recovery Act for African Americans

Drumbeats from NAACP Wichita Branch informed us that the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) has prepared a resource guide for African Americans to highlight some of the major provisions within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) that are critical to our community.

Commonly called the Economic Stimulus Package, ARRA is the most comprehensive economic recovery legislation in the United States since the New Deal of the 1930s. ARRA provides federal funding to states and local communities for projects and programs that will address budget shortfalls for critical issues, such as employment, housing, and health care.

"CBCF fully supports ARRA because it provides vital resources for improving the circumstances of African Americans and all Americans who have been disproportionately affected by the current economic crisis," said Elsie L. Scott, president and chief executive officer for CBCF. "Our guide allows readers to quickly reference where funding is going for education, health, economic development and social welfare - all areas that can stimulate and boost the economy by creating and saving jobs in the private sector."

A major source of job opportunities will come from training programs and projects. For example, $16.8 billion is allocated for energy efficiency and conservation block grants, including funding for weatherization assistance, $636 million for business loans programs and $50 million for YouthBuild to provide disadvantaged youth with education and employment skills, youth development and training activities.

"One of the most important aspects of the Act is that it is intended to quickly disburse funds to revitalize and improve our most economically vulnerable communities," said Alana Hackshaw, Ph.D., and author of the guide. "This represents a major step forward for many in African-American neighborhoods. With the federal agencies working with those who are responsible for urban policies and the system of transparency and accountability among states and local communities in order to prevent waste, fraud and abuse of funds, we can begin to turn the economy around," she said.

Villagers, have you seen any evidence of the stimulus package in your community?

Congressional Black Caucus Wants 2nd Black Justice on Supreme Court

I want the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) to be relevant. I want them to hold congressional hearings on taser torture in America.

What I want doesn't much matter.
Instead of doing these good works, we learn that the CBC leadership is "launching a campaign to persuade President Obama to appoint one of their members," Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), to replace Justice David Souter on the Supreme Court.

The CBC and Rep. Bobby Scott are tone-deaf. They should be working with the Congressional Hispanic Council to support the idea of a woman or a Hispanic candidate as the next Supreme Court justice. This isn't the right time to advocate for a 2nd Black justice. We've never had a Hispanic judge in over 200 years ... and we've only had two women justices on the court. Obama needs to deal with either or both of those issues with this selection.

Just my thought ... what say u?

Will Congressional Black Caucus Be Relevant Next Year?

A number of villagers have been talking about the relevance and potency of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) in 2009 and beyond. I think that everyone recognizes that they have not been relevant for many years. Whether it was because of the Republican dominance of congress and the White House or simply a dearth of energy and ideas ... it seems unlikely that much would be different over the past generation if the CBC never existed.

For those that don't know, the original purpose of the CBC was '...to promote the public welfare through legislation designed to meet the needs of millions of neglected citizens'.

The CBC agenda in 2008 focused on:

1. Empower and Mobilize America's Youth
2. Build an International Internet Communications Portal
3. CBC Outreach Program
4. Impact the Alternative Energy Discussion

Now we enter into a new year ... Democratic dominance of the Senate and the House of Representatives ... Black man serving as our president ... and new leadership for the CBC. Will the CBC be relevant in the 111th Congress?

CBC Members elected to leadership posts include:

• Representative Barbara Lee (CA) - Chair
• Representative Emanuel Cleaver (MO) – First Vice Chair
• Representative Donna Christensen (VI) – Second Vice Chair
• Representative G. K. Butterfield (NC) – Secretary
• Representative Yvette Clarke (NY) – Whip

Chairwoman-elect Barbara Lee remarked, “The 111th Congress will not only present unique and difficult challenges, but also historic opportunities for our caucus. I look forward to working with all of our CBC members to craft and implement a unified and bold agenda for the 111th Congress.”

I suppose what villagers want to know at this point ... what is that bold agenda for 2009-2010? Will the CBC avoid getting into a battle with Obama? Do you have any thoughts on the CBC agenda?

Can Anh Cao Gain Membership Into Congressional Black Caucus?

There are over 400 members of the United States House of Representatives. Most of us only focus on our local congressional representative. However, there are a handful of congressmen with national reputations. Jesse Jackson, Jr. has a national reputation today. Unfortunately for him it is defined mostly by his father and the current governor of his state.

I imagine that Anh 'Joseph' Cao will be a member of congress that is watched beyond the boundaries of his Louisiana district. Cao became the first Vietnamese-American person in Congress when he defeated 10-term incumbent William Jefferson last month.

Cao represents a district that is 64% Black and he wants to join the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC).

The CBC has never admitted a non-Black member ... they barely admit Black republicans! It is likely that Cao will not apply for CBC membership, however, it is interesting that he continues to make a national splash. I imagine that he is the most famous Vietnamese-born citizen in the country right now.

CBC Demands Pardon for Jena Six

My grandfather was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus back in the day. I supported the efforts of the CBC when I served as national president of an association of Black information technology professionals. However, it has been a long time since I've seen anything positive come from the CBC. As such, I was pleasantly surprised when fifteen CBC members asked Gov. Kathleen Blanco for clemency on behalf of Mychal Bell and the five members of the Jena Six. [source]

"We believe Mychal Bell and the Jena 6 have paid a sufficient debt to society for any transgressions they may have committed," Barbara Lee (D-CA) wrote in her letter on Wednesday. "The pardon power was regarded by the Founding Fathers as the 'power of grace' because of its capacity to bring about healing and reconciliation. That is what is sorely needed in Jena today."

Blanco's spokeswoman, Marie Centanni, is quoted by the Associated Press as saying that the governor is unable to grant pardons without a recommendation from the Louisiana Pardon Board. Oddly enough, a similar request made by the caucus to Blanco in September was received with a statement from Blanco's office saying the governor can only grant pardons after a person has been convicted and sentenced.

Scooter Libby received a commutation of his jail sentence ... and he will likely be pardoned in full by the president next year at this time. It is a shame that Gov. Blanco is a spineless government bureaucrat and not a true leader.

Anyhow, Villagers, do you agree with the CBC ... have the Jena 6 suffered enough punishment? Is a pardon the way to go at this point?

Rest In Peace: Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA)

There are so few African Americans serving in Congress that it is a national tragedy whenever we lose one. I imagine that I am more alert to the work of these brothers and sisters because my grandfather once represented the city of Detroit as their congressman. Therefore, it is with sadness that I learned that Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, a seven-term congresswoman from southern California, died early today of cancer. She was 68.
The congresswoman had asked for a four- to six-week leave of absence from the House last week to deal with her illness. She represented a heavily Democratic southern California district that includes Compton, Long Beach and parts of Los Angeles.

"She was a champion for the consumer and fought injustice wherever she saw it. She always valued public service and served her state and nation with grace and honor," said California Democratic Party Chairman Art Torres, who served with her in the California state Legislature.

Millender-McDonald is the second member of Congress to die this year of cancer. Republican Rep. Charles Norwood Jr. of Georgia died in February after battling cancer and lung disease.

"Many of us are very saddened by her death, and in some respects stunned by it," said state Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas, who has worked with Millender-McDonald in different capacities for over two decades. "She knew about the issues of justice and injustice, and carried that banner wherever she went."

The congresswoman, a native of Birmingham, Ala., worked on former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley's unsuccessful 1982 gubernatorial campaign and other local races as a volunteer before getting elected to the Carson City Council in 1990. She went on to serve in the California state Assembly, and in 1996 sought a U.S. House seat during a special election. She won a full House term in November 1996 and has subsequently won re-election easily.

Millender-McDonald has recently worked on issues including election reform and opposing the genocide in Darfur. She drew national attention in 1996 when she took then-CIA director John Deutch to Watts to address the community following a newspaper report alleging that profits from domestic sales of crack-cocaine were funneled to the CIA-backed Contras in Nicaragua.

This year, Millender-McDonald became chair of the Committee on House Administration, which oversees operations of the House and federal election procedures.

She is survived by her husband, James McDonald, Jr., and five adult children. At the end of the day, all of the accolades and honors don't matter much. It all comes down to family. I urge all villagers to keep her family in our prayers this week.

Dancing with the Devil

House Majority Whip James Clyburn now is the highest-ranking African American elected official in the federal government and the second African American to hold the third-ranking position in the House: Pennsylvania Rep. William H. Gray III (1979-91) was the only other. When Clyburn addresses a joint session of the legislature in his home state of South Carolina on April 10, he will do so with a sense of pride — and a sense of history. He will become the first African American congressman in more than a century to address the South Carolina General Assembly.

The Capitol building in which Clyburn will speak is the same one where statutes passed in the late 19th century — known as "Jim Crow" laws — essentially deprived the state’s large black population of the franchise and other civil rights.


As such, you would think that Clyburn and the other members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) would understand how disappointed that African American citizens are to see that the CBC Institute (CBCI) has cut a deal with Fox News to sponsor two debates, one with Democrats and another with Republicans in the 2008 presidential race.

As many of you might remember, Nevada Democrats and Majority Senate Leader Harry Reid were slammed by liberal blogs for agreeing to a Democratic debate with Fox News a few weeks ago, and backed out of the deal under pressure. Liberal activists complained that Fox News was slanted toward Republicans, would distort the debate, and should be shunned. The breakpoint occurred when Roger Ailes, head of Fox News, in a joke at an an awards dinner, poked fun at President Bush for confusing Senator Barack Obama with Osama bin Laden. (Mr. Obama later said he didn't take offense, but many in the blogosphere did.)

According to Fox:

The first of the two debates will be among Democratic candidates and will be held on September 23rd at the Fox Theater in Detroit. The second debate will be among Republican candidates and will take place in the fall of 2007 at a location to be determined. Both debates will serve as a forum for the candidates to make their platforms known.

In a statement accompanying the Fox announcement, chairman of the CBC, Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi, said this:

"As a leading organization dedicated to educating the public on issues of national policy, the CBC Institute is committed to presenting the presidential candidates to the broadest audience possible."

"Our goal with each debate is to provide a platform that will allow voters to hear the positions of candidates from both political parties. Collaborating with FOX News provides an opportunity to take this presidential election to millions of households."

ColorofChange.org has released a statement asking CBCI to reconsider.  Field Negro, African American (Black) Opinion and others in the blogosphere brought this issue to the forefront when it first surfaced. It is time for all villagers to become informed and take a stand. The online petition is the type of activism that warriors in the village can take immediately. At a minimum, we would like your insights on the controversial move made by the CBCI to partner with Fox News for this debates.

"The CBC Institute's decision is shamefully out of step with most Black voters, and we will continue to push on the CBC Institute to drop this deal. Every presidential candidate now must decide whether to legitimize Fox - a network that calls Black churches a cult, implies that Senator Barack Obama is a terrorist, and uses the solemn occasion of Coretta Scott King's funeral to call Black leaders ‘racist.' We will be launching a petition asking presidential candidates to attend the CBC Institute's CNN debate and reject the Fox debate."  Fox News has consistently attacked Black people, Black leaders, and Black cultural institutions. Despite this, the Congressional Black Caucus Institute has announced that it will partner with Fox to co-host presidential debates.

The Congressional Black Caucus is letting us down at a time when Black Americans need strong and strategic leaders more than ever. We are beginning a campaign to make it clear to key CBC leaders, and the voters in their districts, that the majority of us are not with them. We must keep raising our voices, making it clear beyond a shadow of a doubt that Black America is speaking out against this kind of irresponsible and disrespectful representation.

Do you think that our Black congressional leaders are being 'fair and balanced' ... or do you think that they are selling out for the almighty dollar bill? What say u?