The Webb Report

Colorado African American Network

Special Commemorative Election Publication November 2016

The Webb Report

Reflections of the Past, Representing the Present, Planning for the Future

Our Daughters are Watching

We simply can't turn back the clock on civil rights, women's rights, and basic human rights. That's why we need an incredible voter turn out in the next 25 days. We can't take anything in any race for granted. The stakes have never been higher … especially for our daughters.

Donald Trump's disrespectful behavior and repeated insults toward women are not only appalling, they demonstrate just how unfit he is to be president. This is not the behavior I expect from our leaders and this is not the message I want to send to young women. Trump has called women fat pigs. He's called them slobs. He's called them dogs. He's insulted their weight, appearance, and attractiveness.

Too many young women already struggle with their self-image, worrying they don't look the way television and magazines tell them they should. And if Donald Trump is elected, they'll have to hear the same thing from their president.

Who governs matters. We must elect Hillary Clinton as the first female president, on November 8th. In Colorado, we have a unique opportunity to take the Senate majority and flip red seats blue by electing women

like Rep. Lois Court, Janis May, Emily Tracy, Sen. Nancy Todd, Rep. Angela Williams, Rachel Zenzinger and Rep. Rhonda Fields, all who have been proven fighters for women and families.

I am running for the Senate to make sure all voices are heard, and all of Colorado's working families are represented. Over the years, I have fought for stronger schools, better paying jobs, safer communities an a economy that works for everyone. I serve because I deeply believe we owe it to our children and grandchildren to provide them with more opportunity not less.

As State Senator, I will continue to take action for you, our community, and the State. You and I know that our state is strong when families, schools, and businesses are strong. We have a chance to make history this election, and I’m so glad you’re a part of it. Let's win this!

I humbly ask for your vote.

Rhonda Fields

Candidate for State Senate – District 29

As many voters begin early voting

this month, I want to encourage everyone

to vote.You should not ignore this privilege, which many people around the

world still do not have.

I am in a unique position because I have worked closely with Hillary Clinton and I know I am casting my vote for an intelligent, compassionate and dedicated candidate. I worked with her while she was U.S. Secretary of State as a delegate to the United Nations and while she was First Lady during my terms as Denver’s mayor.

I have looked directly in her eyes and I know when she speaks she does not spin her answers to suit my concerns. Having been in politics for more than 50 years, I know when someone is genuine and when someone is not.

I have seen firsthand how Hillary genuinely cares about every segment of our country, including minorities, women and people of all faiths. When Hillary tells American Muslim families that she wants them to feel a part of America and not shunned, she means it. When she tells African-Americans that she is going to work to overhaul the justice system, she means it.

When she reaches out to families who have lost loved ones to gun violence, her sympathy is not for a sound bite. When she vows to strengthen gun laws, she won’t back down. When city mayors ask her to help with violence and other issues in their communities, she will help.

She has listened to voters who are concerned about the high cost of health insur-

Colorado African American Network - November 2016

The Webb Report

Hillary Clinton:

The Clear Choice for President Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb’s Endorsement

ance and the need for more jobs. She won’t ignore the college graduates drowning in student loan debt or the under-paid and under-appreciated public school teachers.

She will address the unnecessary police shootings and start real dialogue how to demand change in every community.

She’s willing to listen to her fellow Democrats. She adopted much of the platform of ideas from Bernie Sanders on jobs, education and closing private prisons to make the Democratic Party platform the most liberal in history. She is working with Al Gore and others to seriously address environmental concerns.

Yet, Hillary does not offer empty promises of claiming she can change the country overnight because she knows she will need to work with both Democrats and Republicans in the Congress to create real change. She was able to do that as a U.S. Senator from New York and she will be able to do it as president.

As a former U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary also knows how to work with world leaders. She will be a tough negotiator when necessary, and know when to use diplomacy and when to use force.

She understands that her words can carry the weight of peace or war and will not abuse that power of the presidency.

Hillary also knows when to apologize for her mistakes. We shouldn’t expect our leaders to be perfect and when they falter, they need to admit it and move on.

She also knows how to take unfounded criticism. Her good friend, Michelle Obama, said it best: “When they go low, we go high.”

Hillary has not allowed the brutal campaign to infect her belief that America is great. That positive attitude doesn’t mean she doesn’t see our problems but she knows we must work together for real change.

Reflections of the Past, Representing the Present, Planning for the Future

“United we stand, divided we fall” has been used by many groups from the ancient Greeks to the U.S. during wars.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish as fools.”

Hillary will work to repair the divisions and not create more. She has not, and will not, scapegoat any one religious group or ethnicity for the ills of our nation or world. But she does know how to deal with extremist groups that want an unbalanced leader and not someone like Hillary who understands them.

I know Hillary will be a strong leader morally and spiritually. She has a thick skin and can take the heat as President. She will surround herself with a Cabinet of diversity so that all segments of our country will be heard.

Many people think all politicians are the same, but Hillary is not paying lip service to the American voters when she says she wants to help create a better America. She could have easily retired but she genuinely is concerned about the direction our country is headed without a strong leader.

I have been so fortunate that in my lifetime our country elected the first black president, Barack Obama. Hillary will continue to protect and advance President Obama’s legacy and agenda.

I believe once the ballots are in front of Americans the majority will do like me and cast their vote for the first female president. I’ve been around politics a long time and I can genuinely say your vote for Hillary Clinton is for the best candidate by far. In my mind, there really is no other choice to move our country forward.

The Webb Report (TWR) – Colorado African American Network – November 2016 is published by Bizzy Bee Enterprises. Contents of TWR are copyright 2016 by Bizzy Bee Enterprise and no portion may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. Publisher/Editor: Rosalind J. Harris; Contributing Writer: Charles Emmons; Contributing Photographer: Bernard Grant; Editorial Consultant: Wellington E. Webb. For more information, call 303-292-6446 or email publisher@urbanspectrum.net.

Pictured on the cover (is a partial list of African American elected officials in Colorado) - STATE OF COLORADO: Lieutenant Governors - Joe Rodgers (1999-2003); George L. Brown (1974-1979), Senator (1957-1974), State Rep (1955-1956); Secretary of State, Vikki Buckley (1995-1999); State Senators - Peter C. Groff (2003-2009), State Rep (2001-2003); Ed A. Jones (2003-2006); Penfield W. Tate Ill (2001-2003), State Rep (1997-2000); Gloria T. Tanner (1994-2000), State Rep (1985-1994); Regis F. Groff (1975-1994); State Representatives - Rhonda Fields (2010- ); Angela Williams (2010-); Jovan Melton (2012-); Tony Exum Sr. (2012-); John Buckner (2012-2015); Janet Buckner (2015); James Coleman (Candidate); Leslie Herod (Candidate); Dominique Jackson (Candidate); Terrance Carroll (2003-2011); Rosemary Marshall (2001-2009); Wilma J. Webb (1980-1992) First Lady of Denver (1991-2003); Wellington E. Webb (1973-1977, Denver City Auditor (1987-1991), Denver Mayor (1991-2003); Sam Williams (1987-1994); Arie P. Taylor (1973-1984); Glenda Swanson Lyle (1993-1996); King M. Trimble (1978-1980), City Council (1980-1983); Jerome C. Rose (1969-1972); Paul Hamilton (1969-1972); Daniel Grove (1965-1968); Robert C. Rhone, Jr., (1964); Isaac E. Moore (1957-1960, 1964-1966); Elvin R. Caldwell Sr. (1951-1955); Oswald C. Abernathy (19471950); Earl W. Mann (1943-1948, 1951-1954); Joseph H. Stuart (1895-1896); District Attorney - Norm Early (1983-1993); Denver City Council - Albus Brooks (2011-); Christopher Herndon (2011-); Michael Hancock (2003 -2008), Mayor (2011-); Elbra Wedgeworth (1999-2003); Edna Mosley (1992-2003 - Aurora); Allegra "Happy'' Haynes (1991-2003); Hiawatha Davis Jr. (1983-1999); William R. Roberts (1971-1991); Elvin R. Caldwell Sr. (1955-1980); City and County Clerk & County Recorder - Stephanie O'Malley (2007-2011); Mayors - Leon Young (1997 - Colorado Springs); Odell Barry (1975-1980 - Northglenn); Penfield Tate II (1974-1975 -Boulder), City Council (1972-1973); Ada Evans (19741977 - Fairplay) The Webb Report – Colorado African American Network – November 2016

1

On the Road for the White House…

E

lection Day is close. Ballots have been mailed.Voter registration reps roam the entrances of supermarkets with clipboards in hand ensuring passersby’s are registered for one of the most important elections of the new century. Are you ready? Do you have a plan for voting? Are you bringing your friends and family along with you?

Colorado has some of the most progressive voting laws in the country.You can vote by mail or you can register and vote on the very same day. What could be easier? Despite the ease of this process, some people still don’t vote. They don’t feel their vote will count or the candidates don’t express their exact views.

President Barack Obama currently has a 57 percent approval rating, the highest of any previous president at this point of his term with 10.7 million jobs created and 20 million people with healthcare who did not have it before. This is significant progress in a political climate that was unfriendly to progressive initiatives and nearly brought government to a standstill.

It is important to sustain this progress.

Who knows what would happen if those less progressive or unsympathetic are elected. To make sure you vote for continued progress, Democratic Party surrogates have hit the road all around the country. Social media worked significantly for Barack Obama, but old Democrats like former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb, know there is nothing like a good ground game to get out the vote. They tell you about the critical nature of this election is to our future. We cannot turn back the clock.

Donna Brazille

The first to come was the new Democratic Chairperson, Donna Brazille.

The Louisiana native has been a frequent commentator on CNN. But she left that desk in order to campaign for Hillary Clinton, Colorado U.S. Senate incumbent Michael Bennet, U.S. House Representatives candidate Morgan Carroll, and other democrats. Brazille addressed a group of democrats at Moe’s Original BBQ in Aurora in August.

Brazille’s has been a political organizer more than 30 years. She first met Wellington Webb in 1982, and had the opportunity to work with House Representative Pat Schroeder. “I was a student who benefitted from Title IX, and I just want to let you know, Pat Schroeder

Donna Brazille

Photos by Bernard Grant

confirms Brazille’s endorsement and advocacy for the candidate. She commented on Clinton’s path after college. “She went down to Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi to serve disabled children and poor children and to help them have a school and get a head start. That is why I trust her to continue to do what is right and what is just.” Clinton was a classmate with not only Bill Clinton at Yale Law School, but also Robert Reich (Secretary of Labor 1993-97) and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

What else is at stake? Supreme Court appointments. For Brazille, now is not the time to turn back time in areas where we have achieved progress, often viewed as limited. “And whether you are for voting rights, gay and lesbian rights or workers’ rights, we have to demand that we have justices that will make sure all Americans will not face discrimination, and that we will not go back to the days when you cannot marry the person you love. So I trust that Hillary Clinton will make good appointments to the supreme court of the United States.”

This election is about looking forward.

Certainly historically, Democrats in the modern era have been more willing to put forth progressive and moderate initiatives for the benefit of everyone, yet the needle hasn’t moved much because of politics.

The obstruction that President Obama has faced is unprecedented, and Secretary

was such an amazing lawmaker. She represented us well. Pat Schroeder, Bella Abzug, Shirley Chisholm - so you can imagine my roots when it comes to equal rights; when it comes to civil rights; and when it comes to making sure that this country will never go back on the commitment to ensuring that every American citizen will have equal rights and equal protection under the law.”

Brazille has nine presidential campaigns under her belt, and for her the stakes couldn’t be higher. “We have to keep the White House because that is the house that will give us all a roof over our heads and give all our children a head start, and it matters that Hillary will become the 45th president of the United States of America.”

Secretary Clinton has been a friend for more than 30 years, and although some may question her integrity, Brazille trusts her implicitly. “I trust her with every part of my life. I trust her to make sure that every child has a head start. I trust her that workers and organizers and students can go to school. I trust her to build the infrastructure in this country to keep America safe and strong. What more do you need to know about how you should trust her? That when we are asleep at night she is not going to Tweet at 3 in the morning and start a war someplace. We trust her. We are around her.”

Clinton’s passions and levelheadedness

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Clinton will need able allies for needed change.

“So don’t send people to congress who will not reflect your values. We have to have people in congress who will work for all American people and that is why I am proud to say that Michael Bennet should return to congress. He’s a great environmentalist, and he is someone who reflects your values.”

Brazille’s background is no different from many other hard-working Americans. She was born to a janitor and a maid. Her father later joined the service, and they put at least eight children through college. “My father was a veteran, and I care about our nation’s veterans. I’m 56 years old, so this is for all you millennials. I love you. I am giving back and paying it forward. I want to win, because it is so vital that we don’t turn back the page of history. We have come so far.”

Before you sign that mail in ballot or pull the lever in the polls, remember that this critically important election is about the future, your future and the future of your families and children. What is our involvement in bringing needed change to our communities and country? Many public officials have echoed the sentiment that bad people are elected to office and make bad decisions when people don’t vote.

“This election is too vital for us to sit back and to not help out all of our candidates from the courthouse all the way to the White House. Whether the issue is about the environment or raising the minimum wage – which I stand for 100 percent – we must turn this election into a referendum on the future and know which candidate and which political party believes in the future and will fight for the future. It doesn’t matter if you are a poor child in the bayou of Louisiana or a middle class worker on your second shift, we need everybody to get out and make sure that everybody registers and votes.”

“Let’s send these great people to the state house so that the governor has two more years to make a lot of progress and a lot of change. Let’s send these great people to congress. And let’s put a woman in the White House. I have joy. I have joy.

This election is about our future. To some of you I have said this before. I have lived long enough to see a Black president of the United States, and thanks be to God, I am going to see the first woman elected.

So there is no stopping us now. I want to see the first Hispanic, the first Asian American; I want to see the first openly

...On the Road to Democracy

By Charles Emmons

gay American, the first Muslim American, and the first Jewish American. We have no more boundaries in this country. There is no ceiling high enough, because we are going to soar this Election Day,” Brazille said as she pumped up the capacity crowd at the event hosted by the Arapahoe Democrats.

And the work to get voters out in Colorado continued by numerous, people, including Denver East High School alumni, actor, producer, director Don Cheadle, and some perhaps not so well known like Congresswoman Barbara Lee.

chances of continuing, needed changes are greatly improved. There are 52 seats at stake in the U.S. House that Democrats want to take back. Clinton’s campaign tagline is “Stronger Together” and earlier this year, she made the statement “more unites us than divides us.” For Lee this is the crux of democratic initiatives and progress.

“That is very true, and that is what she is focusing on. And what the campaign is focusing on and when you look at, for example, education – access to affordable quality education from beginning in pre-

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee

school. All of our young people, not only families who can afford a good quality public education, but everyone should have access to that. Hillary Clinton’s past history record and what she stands for now, speaks volumes to education, debt free college education, and ensuring the strengthening of our minority serving institutions because education is an equalizer.”

We have made progress in education and economically, and we must continue to choose political allies that understand our issues and bring them to the forefront from the statehouse to the White House.

Despite what Hillary Clinton’s opponent has said about African Americans being taken for granted, we know that is not true.

“African Americans are very smart voters. African Americans have voted for the best candidates who are going to address all of the issues in terms of racial justice, in terms of equality, in terms of voting rights, in terms of jobs, and education.

African Americans are very discerning in who they vote for because we know who we vote for and what they stand for. We know how to hold people, elected officials

Rep. Barbara Lee has been a Democratic political soldier for years.

Representing California’s 13th District that includes the city of Oakland and parts of former Representative Ronald Dellums district, she is known for casting the only dissenting House vote for bombing Iraq during the presidency of George W. Bush. Lee came to Colorado in September for numerous events to make sure we understand how crucial voting is in this most important swing state.

“Colorado is a state that is critical.

People here are very politically aware and astute and I am here not just to help push the vote out for Secretary Clinton but also for our congressional candidates as well. I am cautiously optimistic about taking back the house. Hillary Clinton as president will need a democratic House of Representatives.”

There hasn’t been a Democratic House majority since President Obama’s first term. Even then with a Republican senate majority it was improbable, that he would be able to advance progressive legislation. With allies in the House and reaching across the aisle, Hillary Clinton’s

accountable.” Donald Trump’s comments are insulting to African Americans. It implies that we are lacking the mindset to make political decisions. “That implies we don’t know what we are doing. It implies we don’t know who we are voting for, it implies we don’t know the issues, it implies we are uneducated about our vote and our candidates, and that to me is just insulting and it’s disrespectful.”

Lee is a political fighter, and her predecessor and mentor, House Representative Shirley Chisholm endured insults and disrespect as she served and became the first woman to run for the presidency.

“Shirley Chisholm was a great woman. She got me involved in politics. She was my mentor. She had to deal with a lot of the sexism and racism. When I look at how she paved the way for Jesse Jackson, Barack Obama, and now Hillary Clinton, Shirley accomplished much and cracked that ceiling. And now when I see and listen to Hillary Clinton, as I know Hillary Clinton, she has really embodied what Shirley once said, “If you don’t have a seat at the table, then bring a folding chair.”

Well Hillary Clinton not only has brought that folding chair, but she has created that table for everyone to have a voice.”

Don Cheadle

Despite the advances gained through civil rights and social justice movements, it has taken a long time for African Americans to have a seat at the table not only in the politics, but in the entertainment industry as well. Those who continue to rise are using their platform to stand up for and show the world what is right and just. Actor, producer, director, and Denver East alumni, Don Cheadle returned to Colorado to work with young volunteers in Denver to get out the vote. Our neighborhoods are changing, as well as the population centers of our

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cities. Cheadle was interviewed by the Hillary Clinton Campaign Captain for Colorado, Annie Ruiz at the EXDO Center in the RINO neighborhood. (The interview was streamed over Facebook.)

Cheadle, who was his usual affable self, told the small gathering of volunteers that there was still much work to be done.

“We are under 100 days and it is very important that we all do what we can to energize this movement and make sure people get to the polls and avail themselves of the right to have their voices heard.” Cheadle is a political fighter on a world scale, being an advocate for social justice in Africa.

“We’re a battleground state no matter what anybody else tells you. It’s really important because the polls are getting closer, and closer. We want to make sure that we get that gap larger and larger.

Make sure that young people understand how important this is. And with this election, I can’t think in recent history of any more stark contrast between two candidates.”

The debates are in the can. Donald Trump has shown who he is. Hillary Clinton has shown who she is and what we can be, stronger together. At this point, now is not the time to turn back the clock. We must continue to look forward and leverage the tools, knowledge, and resources available to make this the best country. “When I was 17, 18, 19 years old, I did not have the luxury of the internet, and the ability to really network and communicate pretty easily with likeminded individuals who are asking themselves the same questions.You can literally ask Siri, “How can I get involved?” So it has never been easier to find a place to get together. And if you ask yourself that question and take stock in your own life, were do you have influence? Where do you find your community? Is it in church?

Is it in school? Is it at your workplace? A lot of people think that they have no power as individuals and that’s not true.

You always have the power to take stock and find people who are already doing it.

You don’t have to re-invent the wheel. The strongest thing you can do is to find those people who are already doing it and they can show you how to slip into that Jetstream and amplify your voice.”

This election is about the future of the country. How do our leaders reflect who we are and what we stand for? This is a critical question.

Continued on page 4

On The Road for the White House...

Continued from page 3 “There are so many things that we, not only as individuals but as a nation, need to look at including how we want to be seen globally, and how we want to be seen as world leaders, not isolationists, xenophobic. What we really don’t want to do is go backwards. I think a lot of the policies we are hearing, that are coming out of the Republican Party, would send us in the opposite direction. They want to repeal Obamacare. They want to rescind all the progress that the LGBT community has made. They want to roll it back to a time that was not favorable to anyone who didn’t look a certain way. The rhetoric has never been more dangerous.You see a lot of the vitriol coming out where they are not hiding.”

“That, however, gives me more impetus than ever to do what I am doing and encourage people that if you don’t want to lose all of the gains that we made, and you want to see progress as opposed to regression, then you have to come out and let your voices be heard and encourage those around you. This isn’t a time to sit on our hands and not be a part of this process. If they are going to come out in blocks and vote in lockstep, we have to as well. This can’t be one where we wake up Nov. 9 and we go, ‘oh man I really should have done something. “ Photo by Bernard Grant

Mayor Shirley Franklin

The images of politicians shaking hands and kissing babies is imbedded in our collective psyche, but it is meaningless if they are not engaged and doing the work for their constituents. One of the hardest working public servants, former Atlanta mayor, Shirley Franklin also answered the call this fall. Stopping at events at the Automobile Dealers Association and a

town hall meeting at Blair Caldwell Library, she continued the work of this important campaign for democracy.

“The last time I was here I was campaigning. Many of you in Denver opened your pocketbooks to help me win what was an improbable race. I had never run for office before. I met Wellington in a downtown hotel. He sat me down and said ‘You know you are going to lose this race if you don’t change what you are doing.’ So he gave me some great political advice. I remember it to this day. He said ‘you have to meet the people wherever they are and however few or many there are.Voters are not going to come to you.

You have to go to them. That really kind of shifted my campaign a lot. I think it is a model we have to use.You’ve got to go where the people are, however many or few, so we can make sure we are inspiring for this important election.”

At these political gatherings where we glean inspiration and enthusiasm for Hillary Clinton, there could be 10, 25 or 100 people. It doesn’t matter, as long as you are listening and reaching them in some way. For Franklin, 183 is a significant number. One hundred eighty three was the margin of votes that won her election to mayor, in a city that had up until her race, resolved elections with runoffs. In her heart she believes those 183 were some of the last she encountered closest to Election Day. One must not believe your vote has no consequence.

“Those were the people that I saw in small groups and in some way or another made an impact on them, or my surrogates met them and were able to tell their story. Which brings me to my point – each of us who believe in a democracy has to be surrogates for that democracy.

Now I would like you to be a surrogate for my candidate, but mostly I would like you to be a surrogate for democracy.”

The shrill alarmist tone from the other side and his notion that he can fix everything that is wrong and specious reasoning. This is a country that has problems, yet it is wrongheaded to believe one person can fix them.

“The reason this country is great is because people invested; they invested there time, their talents, their energy, and their resources. And the most important resource…money is great we got to have it, but the most important resource is your passion and your time. I’m here because Colorado matters to me. Let me say that again. What you do in November and how people vote in Colorado in November matters to me in Georgia.”

Politics may be local, but it is crucial to understand that the individual voter is part of the electorate whole. Pundits and analysts on CNN and other networks will shuffle the colors on the map. Colorado is a purple state now, but is on the verge of going blue.

“But I know that Colorado will go blue. So that is one of the reasons that I just want to pitch in and give you encouragement. If you need any encouragement, Hillary Clinton and Michael Bennet are the kind of leaders that we need. They are the kind of leaders who are smart, good, know what they are talking about, do their research, and have been on the ground. We know what their record is.

They have great vision so they are not pie in the sky. They don’t make it up as they go. They are also the kind of folks who stay connected. We’ve seen that in many different ways. “ Hillary Clinton has a record of being a champion for children and families. As the baton is passed to future generations, it is imperative to have competent, insightful, reasonable leaders who understand what must be done for the betterment of all who contribute their sweat and toil for this country. “I am not sure what the other candidate for president is going to say between now and then in November, but he has said enough for me to know that I wouldn’t hire him for my cabinet.

He has said enough for me that I would not want to leave the country in his hands for my grandchildren and great grandchildren one day. In part it is because what he says, but I don’t know whether he means anything that he says or whether he means all that he is saying.”

“I can run as a woman. I ran as someone I believe who was qualified and committed. I believe that is what she is doing. I was obviously a woman. She is obviously a woman. There is no question from me and from many Americans, and for many of you, that it is important to break the glass ceiling. But it is most important to have a smart, dedicated, committed president who will pay attention to the issues that matter long-term.”

Issues linger and now is not the time for complacency. It takes hard work to lead this country in a manner that is just.

It takes resolve and temperament to manage dissension and unreasonableness evident in congress. Franklin believes Clinton’s Republican opponent lacks a fundamental misunderstanding of how government works and the necessity of compromise and reason. “He’s assumed that party affiliation can solve the problems the country faces. And party affiliation doesn’t solve problems. It helps you elect people who struggle with that.”

Clearly the Obama presidency has been a battle with Congress and the rest of the world. Policy initiatives are questioned, and his authority has at times been perceived as illegitimate. In such an atmosphere it is difficult to govern, but Democrats have not taken African Americans for granted. “We all know about some of the things that President Obama has struggled with just in terms of developing policy. Had it not been for the

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Democrats we would not have a health care system that is more inclusive. Had it not been for Democratic leadership in the House and the Senate we would not have a fairer system for college loans and interest. Had it not been for the Democrats we might not have de-escalated the war.

So he (Donald Trump) has a very narrow view of how the political process works.”

Our needs and issues are common.

Effective politics requires communication, consensus, and compromise. “I believe Hillary Clinton is correct, which is most Americans want opportunities for their families, opportunities for their children, and an opportunity to live in a peaceful world. And all of that unites us whether you are in a party affiliation or a nonparty affiliation and frankly whether you are from most of the world’s population.

There are clear differences in terms of opportunity that African Americans have had in the United States. We have suffered some tremendous obstacles in achieving our personal, family, and community goals.”

Wes Moore

Is there still an American Dream, particularly for African Americans? Education is the assumed equalizer, yet cities around the country face the same problems of deficiencies in high school graduation rates and an ill-prepared workforce for 21st century jobs. Baltimorean, author, social entrepreneur, producer, decorated U.S. Army officer, veterans’ and education advocate Wes Moore came to Denver to address veterans groups in September. “I am a very proud Baltimorean, but I know that the issues that are being debated now are not just going to impact Baltimore and they are not just going to impact Maryland. Who we elect this election cycle is going to be incredibly important.”

While late in the campaign there are distractions, talk of conspiracy theories,

and little discussion about the issues.

Character in a president is important, and we should be appalled, but what is at stake should not be minimized.

“It’s almost easier to say what’s not at stake because there is not a single issue where we don’t have long-term implications as we are thinking about it. When we think about growth in terms of access and completion of education. When we think about our standing around the globe. When we think about what is happening with our military and how we think about military deployments. How we think about military activities and how we take care of our veterans when they come back home. How we think about issues of housing and equity and how we think about economics. There isn’t a single issue that the next president isn’t going to be wrestling and debating with, and I think that adds a level of seriousness that we have to take with this decision.”

It is not time to think that we have healthcare, we have low unemployment and higher employment, and we cannot sit back and let things take care of themselves. We need a president that understands how to create policies and implement them. Hillary Clinton understands that these advances have had a lesser impact on many of our citizens, and more work needs to be done.

“Hillary Clinton is the only candidate who has put together a real plan and policies about not only what it means to have college access, but also what it means to have completion and what the importance of it is. We have a situation right now in my hometown of Baltimore. In the year 2020, 80 percent of all the jobs in Baltimore City are going to require a post-secondary credential, community college, four-year college, or trade school, something past Frederick Douglass High School. And currently 2/3 of all Baltimore City high school graduates after six years out of high school have nothing.”

Denver and Aurora are no different.

Jobs of the future will require more than a high school diploma. “I think that the next president has got to have a very clear and cogent understanding of not just what needs to be done, but the importance of what needs to be done. And these are things that Hillary Clinton is not new to.

Hillary Clinton has been advocating and pushing for these types of opportunities for her entire career. So I think about who I trust on those issues that I care deeply about, and one of those issues is how do we turn educational assets and opportunities into real long-term prospects for our citizens. She is the person that I trust with that responsibility.”

Another issue that Moore cares about is military veterans. As an advocate for veterans, he understands their plight and struggles, and the issues and mechanisms that have impeded their care and progress

when they return home. The VA serves veterans from all our foreign wars. It was the last federal agency to convert to an electronic filing system. While Clinton’s opponent has said he will fix the VA and stand up for veterans, there has been little, if any, specific better policies proposed. “Secretary Clinton has actually put together very detailed plans about what making the VA better actually means.

Standing with veterans behind you is one thing. Coming up with core policies about what makes veterans stand up for themselves and have true advocates for them in the White House is something completely different. And so when you think about where Donald Trump has been on theses issues and where Secretary Clinton has been on these issues it’s a completely night and day comparison.”

Moore, an Afghanistan war veteran, has elevated his commitment to his country.

And he is ready to continue to fight for what is right and what is needed. “Every single victory that we have had in this country has had to have been hard fought.

And every single bit of progress that we have made has got to be protected. There will be no coasting to victory in this election. There will be no, ‘oh well she has got it in the bag in this election,’ because one thing we have to understand is that is not the way our democracy works. Our democracy works by making sure that people are active. Our democracy works by making sure people are involved and engaged. And that means not just going out and saying ‘if I vote or if I don’t vote, it kind of doesn’t matter, because she has got the win. It’s about really understanding the issues and why she is the best candidate.”

“In my opinion, it is a very clear choice.

It’s the reason why I want to spend my time and lend my voice and whatever I have to make sure she becomes the next president of the United States. But the reason isn’t just because I think she is a better person. The reason is that I think the issues that she is going to advocate for are that important to our country’s future, and therefore we have to take this election incredibly seriously when it comes to not just leading up to it, but post after she is elected.”

U.S. Rep Marcia Fudge

respect of the rest of the world. Certainly we need a president that needs to understand the significance of public education, as we find ourselves in situations where schools are becoming more segregated, and they are continuing to take away resources for public education. What is important is that we maintain Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, as we know it. And that we would not allow Social Security to be privatized, because as you look at it, the fact that more than 50 percent of all Black women that have retired are on Social Security. And if it were to be privatized, a large portion of them would go into poverty almost immediately.

Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are signature programs and safety nets brought to America by Democrats. Jack Greenberg, one of the attorneys who argued Brown v. Board of Education in front of the Supreme Court, died in midOctober. Progress in this country has always required the best efforts of everyone, and everyone must have access to opportunities to be their best.

“The Affordable Care Act, Pell Grants – I could go on and on about what is at stake in this election. I think what is important is we understand that if we don’t vote in this election, if we don’t elect Hillary Clinton, we will not recover in my lifetime. Because the people who I work with are already talking about how they are cutting public education, so our children will never get a fighting chance.

They are already talking about doing the things we have discussed, cutting Pell Grants, changing what we provide for our seniors and for our poor and for our disabled.”

“Do we want to continue to be the leading nation in the world or do we want for us to not understand how important it is for us to do things like infrastructure, research and technology to still be the leading nation in the world?”

The perception is that America leads, but it should not be in this position at the expense of the poor and disadvantaged.

U.S. Rep Marcia Fudge

Surrogates like Marcia Fudge have their eye on the future and are mindful of the past accomplishments of Democrats that must be sustained. Fudge came to Colorado to address a group from the Delta sorority as a guest of former Colorado Senator Hon. Gloria Tanner.

Fudge is a U.S. Representative from Ohio, another crucial swing state. Working in the House, she has a keen understanding of her colleagues, what is lacking, and what is needed.

“First thing I think is at stake is we would have a president that would get the

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In urban areas, infrastructures and spirits are crumbling. What is happening in cities requires our attention. “It’s really not Democrat or Republican, red or blue.

Roads are roads. Bridges are bridges. They will not pass an infrastructure bill. They just won’t do it.” Whether it is deteriorating infrastructure or lead in the water or in dilapidating buildings, sometimes government is needed as a protection, when the marketplace fails. “They just don’t believe that people, who are poor people and who are struggling, are deserving.

They believe that they are not deserving of our help. And in my opinion that is part of why we are elected officials – to take care of the people we represent.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided some jobs to people in Colorado along the I-70, I-270 corridor. Roadways that we travel daily need repair. We have relegated government the responsibility of managing and maintaining systems and policy areas that interconnect us. If these are taken care of we can go about the business of our daily lives, managing our businesses, taking care of our families and our children. This election is about maintaining that future we desire. It requires everyone’s participation in using their voice.

“We need to energize millenials in a way that says to them no matter the election or the people that are running, their futures are at stake in every election.

“Young people, if they can’t get their Pell Grants, if they can’t go to school, if they can’t send their children to school, if they are not going to have healthcare or they get bankrupt when they get sick or the other things that go along with being young and to be able to buy your first home - all of the things that are important to them. They should understand that this election is about them, it is not about me.

It is about the future of this country It has been said that millenials are a changing generation. They see everyone as equals; race and color are not so much Continued on page 6

...On the Road to Democracy

Continued from page 5 a factor, and are in fact strength in shaping the culture of the workplace. They played a significant role in electing our first African American president in 2008, yet Fudge points out that their participation dropped off 40 percent for his re-election in 2012. Even if their favored candidate didn’t win the nomination, their idealism must again be harnessed and leveraged.

“So if what they really want is to live in a nation where they believe that all people are equal, where they believe that where there is no hate and where everyone has a shot at the American Dream, then they ought to want to vote, because every single young person that votes makes a decision to involve themselves in their future. And I don’t know how many people just want other people to continue to make decisions for them. And that is what you do when you don’t vote, you allow whoever wins to make the decision for you as to what happens in your life.”

Your vote matters. Progress is a process. Shirley Chisholm paved the way for both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Just because we have seen and experienced this milestone in history, which many of us thought we would never see, doesn’t mean we can sit back and hope that Hillary Clinton will be elected. From a legacy standpoint, we cannot put President Obama’s legacy in the hands of someone who does not respect him.

“So I think it’s important that we realize that it is important for people of color, who in a very short order, are going to be the majority of people in this country start to invest in our futures by putting people in office who understand our problems and our concerns and who agree with the fact that there are some changes needed to be made to make everybody’s life better.”

“I would just like to say, bad people are put in office by good people who don’t vote. And even though, in Colorado which has a very progressive voting system – most states do not. Since the Shelby decision three years ago, more than 20 states have made it more difficult for people to vote. People don’t try to take away from you that which has no value. They understand the value of the vote. We need to understand the value as well, and exercise our right to vote to ensure that for generations to come, we have some influence on our own destiny.”

U.S. Rep James Clyburn

Political soldiers who have long fought for justice economically, educationally, and socially understand the need to shape our own destinies given the opportunities that we have been afforded. Representing the 6th District in South Carolina, James Clyburn is the 3rd ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives. A

U.S. Rep James Clyburn

founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), his roots are deep in the Civil Rights Movement as he completes his 24th year in Congress. He spoke to a small gathering at the African Grill and Bar in Green Valley Ranch and at a campaign event of U.S. Senate candidate Morgan Carroll. He has a down to earth manner, and he reminded the group at the restaurant that although there has been progress, it has to be sustained, because of Supreme Court decisions and the attempted erosion by Congress of different civil rights legislation. Every vote will count to get representatives that will maintain progress.

“Most people are aware of the rightward drift that is taking place in this country that came rushing forward after Barack Obama was elected in 2008. Or the advent of the so-called Tea Party in 2010, and the Republicans took over the congress. They have been working hard to repeal not just the Affordable Care Act. But if you look at all the bills they propose, it is cutting away at things like the Civil Rights Act of 1965. The Supreme Court has given almost a death knell to the most effective part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. But while folks are looking at the Supreme Court they aren’t looking at what the Congress is doing to the Civil Rights Act.” The seeming overarching notion that okay, we have gotten this far...we have a Black president, we’re 50 years past certain legislation, and the wrongs have been righted we don’t need it anymore, simply isn’t true. For Clyburn the pendulum continues to swing back right to left and back again.

“This whole notion that once you cross a threshold you don’t have to worry about that anymore, I have never understood how we ever got to that point.

Because the same Supreme Court that gave us Dred Scott, gave us Plessey v Ferguson. What gave us Brown v. Board of Education now gave us Shelby. So it keeps

going back right to left, back right again, back left again. And the only thing that keeps this country from drifting too far left or too far right is the intervention of voters. And if the voters don’t intervene, this country will drift over the edge. So that is what makes this election very consequential.”

Clyburn wants to see everyone engaged, and is somewhat concerned about what he sees on social media and its perpetuation of sound bites, negativity and misinformation on the Internet.

Sometimes you have to go beyond the 144 characters on Twitter. Government requires effort and coalition building to resolve common problems. Clyburn supports Clinton because of her willingness and commitment.

“Let’s deal with economics. On four occasions with Hillary Clinton, I heard it very clear that if she is elected, the Congressional Black Caucus’ Antipoverty Program will be the center of her programs. And at the center of that program is our 10-20-30 Initiative, that is targeting 10 percent of all the money in any particular category, each of those areas where 20 percent of the population is stuck below the poverty level for the last 30 years. We always measure persistent poverty by more than 30 years. And we always say that a county or a community that has 20 percent or more of the population at the poverty level for 30 years is a persistent poverty county. So we have said if this is true we ought to fight this process by targeting 10 percent of the money into that community. She has adopted that. There are just less than 500 counties, 496 that fall into that category.”

Chronic poverty is race neutral. There are numerous counties around the country that have fit and benefitted from the 10-20-30 Initiative, 139 represented by Democrats, 331 represented by Republicans and 18 were split. Some of the poorest counties in the country include rural areas of the south, mining regions in Appalachia, and Native

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American communities in the Dakotas.

We have to come together to address these problems. 10-20-30, initially proposed in the Stimulus has benefitted 4,655 rural communities with $1.7 billion in funding to give clean water and infrastructure. It has been adopted in a bi-partisan way for other appropriations.

Poverty and investment is just a part of the equation. Clinton also proposes reforms in the criminal justice system and a commitment to education. “She has made it very clear of what her commitment is on early childhood education. She has made it very clear on what her commitment is to traditional Black colleges, and to the cost of student loans so that kids can get a post-secondary education and not come out with massive debt. That is why she called it debt free education. I would like someone in the Black community to tell me what Trump’s education program is.”

Hillary Clinton will build upon President Obama’s legacy. His great accomplishment, that is often maligned, is the Affordable Care Act. “Let me make this clear. She will build upon the Affordable Care Act. Now the Affordable Care Act has brought 20 million people into insurance coverage. And these guys keep talking about the expense of the program. Before the Affordable Care Act, the way insurance companies kept down their expenses was to kick women off their policies when they found out they had breast cancer or something, kick men off for prostate cancer, and denying coverage to children born with diabetes.”

There are key benefits to the legislation. 1.) No denial for pre-existing conditions, 2.) Children can retain coverage up until the age of 26, 3.) Caps on coverage are eliminated, and 4.) Under the 80/20 provision insurance can spend no more than 20 percent of premiums for operating costs; otherwise they go back to the customers. For Clyburn the impact of this legislation became personal when he received an email from a constituent in Florence, SC. “She said the night that we passed the bill she stayed up. We passed it on a Sunday night; it was almost midnight.

She said she stayed up all night waiting on that bill to pass because her 8 year-old child had been treated for cancer and they lost coverage. They had reached their limit, because of the cancer treatment. She remembered sitting and worrying about would happen to her and her husband if one of them got sick, or if her child’s cancer was to come back. She said passing the Affordable Care Act solved that problem.’”

Good effective government most often requires bold solutions like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, and the Affordable Care Act. It also requires agencies that protect us as a whole like the EPA and more recently the CFPB.Yes

Sen. Elizabeth Warren

these must be funded, but what happens if these safety nets and agencies are not available for us or our families. As a citizen, it is more than a right; it is your duty to stand for democracy and what you believe in by voting in leaders from the statehouse to the White House who will represent your interests.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts has rock star status in the Democratic Party. She made a swing through Colorado in October appearing on the Auraria Campus with Sen. Bernie Sanders. Warren exemplifies what Democracy is about. She got right to it in her address. The entire address can be viewed on YouTube. “I am proud of the debate Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have had in this campaign,” she said. “I am proud that we have the most progressive Democratic platform in American history.”

There have been differences in this campaign. But the differences have made us stronger. In her address she changed the conversation. Democrats often viewed as taxing and spending by Republicans, the real story that used to work is taxing the rich and investing for everybody else so they could take advantage of opportunity and rise themselves. Warren commented that between 1935 and 1980, GDP went up and 90 percent of America got 70 percent of the new growth. In 1980 the Republican Party took us in a new direction. Between 1980 and 2015, 90 percent got zero growth in income.

With the Reagan administration taxes were cut as well as investment in education and infrastructure. The GOP adopted a policy that the economy works great for those at the top, and a policy of I got mine, you are on your own. The Democratic platform is fighting back the lingering vestiges of this policy.

Warren, an Oklahoma native, invoked her own story. She doesn't want to think her story is stuck back in time. Her father was a salesman who had a fatal heart attack when she was 12. With her two brothers in the military overseas, her mother had to take a minimum wage job.

Warren aspired to be a teacher, but the only way she could reach her goal was to attend a commuter college at $50 per semester. “This opened millions of doors for me,” said Warren.

Warren questions Donald Trump’s plan to win the presidency, based on fanning the flames of fear and hatred and getting fellow Americans to turn on each other.

His words make her furious, and Warren said she doubled down that he would never be the President of the United States. She commented that Hillary Clinton has been standing up and been on the receiving end of attacks for 25 years.

“But she doesn't back down.” Clinton is fighting everyday says Warren for children, healthcare, for women, for human rights, for and level playing field.

“She has brains, guts, she has thick skin, steady hands and most of all basic decency which is what this country needs, and that is why I am with her!”

Warren swooped in Monday morning to a field office in Aurora to thank volunteers for all their work in getting the vote out. She entered like a rock star, and her message was short and to the point. “I believe in science,” she said as she related the story of her colleague Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) bringing a snowball into the senate chambers to refute global warming. “This election is about health, the economy, democracy and our earth.

Hate is not all right. We can’t do it alone.”

She concluded before an avalanche of people wanting pictures with her, “Democrats believe in democracy. We’re stronger together!”

Democracy requires the vigorous participation of an enthusiastic electorate.

African Americans put Barack Obama in the White House. Clyburn noted in his remarks that the expectation from the other side is this year’s turnout will be similar to the one in 2004, which wasn’t great.

Prove them wrong and dispel the hype.

Let’s turn out and vote for Democrats in November in the same numbers that elected Barack Obama in 2008, and reelected him in 2012.

Making Progress for Colorado

By Michael Bennet

Every day families across Colorado go to work, helping their kids get ahead and making our communities a better place.

That’s the approach I’ve taken as your U.S. Senator.

Our economy is rebounding, but we need to make sure no one gets left behind. That’s why I’ve supported job training programs, as well as initiatives to help our small businesses grow. And as a former school superintendent, I’ve seen how unnecessary regulations can make educating our kids harder, as well as the unacceptable disparities that affect kids in poverty. So we overhauled No Child Left Behind, increasing local control while maintaining accountability.

And because quality education should be accessible to everyone at every stage, I’m working to make childcare and college more affordable. You shouldn’t have to sign up for a lifetime of debt to get a college degree, so we’ve expanded Pell Grants and I’m working to simplify the financial aid application process.

We’re also working to make safe, affordable housing more accessible. I voted to boost the budgets for public housing agencies, to increase funding for more than 35,000 affordable housing units, and to let fixed-income tenants have their income recertified every three years, instead of annually.

Together, we’ve managed to accomplish a lot for Colorado.

But there’s still much left to do, including raising the minimum wage, ensuring women get equal pay for equal work and reforming our criminal justice system.

I’m running for reelection because I reject the premise that Washington has to stay so dysfunctional. I want to lead us out of that dysfunction, and I’m ready to work with anyone to do that. We need to come together, find common ground and do what voters sent us to Washington to do.

That’s why I’m asking for your vote for U.S. Senate.

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Hillary Clinton’s Vision for America: We’re Stronger Together

Hillary Clinton believes that we’re stronger together—and that America does best when the economy works for everyone, not just those at the top. She believes in an America where everyone counts and everyone has a role to play in building our future.

Hillary has laid out a comprehensive vision for moving our country forward through detailed policy plans that will make a difference in the lives of everyday American families. Read on to see some of Hillary’s plans for her Presidency.

Creating Good-Paying American Jobs

While Colorado has created 350,000 private sector jobs since coming out of the Great Recession, we still have work to do to make sure everyone who wants to work can find a good-paying job — one that pays enough to support a family. That’s why, in her first 100 days in office, Hillary will make the biggest investment in good-paying jobs since World War II, putting us on a path to a stronger future.

Independent analysis by Mark Zandi, a former economic advisor to John McCain, calculated that under Hillary’s plans, Colorado would see a gain of 177,000 jobs and a loss of 58,000 jobs under Trump’s plans – a difference of 235,000 Colorado jobs.

Hillary’s 100-Day Jobs Plan will grow jobs in Colorado by making the boldest investments in infrastructure since Eisenhower built the interstate highway system —rebuilding Colorado’s C+ rated roads, bridges, and airports and connecting all Coloradans to affordable, high-speed broadband Internet, which nearly 1 million Coloradans currently lack access to. She’ll invest in Colorado manufacturing and crack down on trade abuses, cut taxes and red tape to support innovation by small business owners and entrepreneurs, and support scientific research and technological innovation in our state.

Fighting for Racial Justice and Criminal Justice Reform

As president, Hillary Clinton will fight to break down all the barriers that hold Americans back and build ladders of opportunity for all people—so that every child in America can live up to his or her God-given potential.

Hillary will reform our broken criminal justice system by reforming sentencing laws and policies, ending racial profiling by law enforcement, strengthening the bonds of trust between communities and police, and more.

She’ll end the epidemic of gun violence in our communities, which is the leading cause of death for young African American men—more than the next nine leading causes combined. We must do more to crack down on gun stores that flood our communities with illegal guns and deprive our children of their futures.

Hillary will fight against environmental injustice. Clean air and clean water are basic human rights. But too many children in low-income housing are exposed to lead. African American children are twice as likely to suffer from asthma as white children. As president, Hillary will work to reduce air pollution, invest in the removal of toxins like lead, develop greener and more resilient infrastructure, tackle energy poverty, and boost efforts to clean up highly polluted toxic sites.

Restoring Basic Fairness to Our Tax Code

When it comes to taxes, too often the wealthiest and the largest corporations are playing by a different set of rules than hardworking families.

Hillary is committed to restoring basic fairness in our tax code and ensuring that the wealthiest Americans and large corporations pay their fair share, while providing tax relief to working families. That’s not only fair, it’s good for economic growth, because she will use the proceeds to create good-paying jobs here in America—and make bold investments that leave our economy more competitive over the long run.

Her plan will restore basic fairness to our tax code. It will close corporate tax loopholes like inversions that reward companies for shifting profits and jobs overseas. It simplifies and cuts taxes for small businesses and will provide tax relief to millions of middle-class families.

Making Quality, Affordable Education Accessible to all Americans

Hillary believes an affordable, high-quality education should be within reach for all Americans. Her plan will ensure that cost is never a barrier to higher education, and will make college tuition free at community institutions.

Under Hillary’s plan every student in America will have the option to graduate from a public college or university in their state without taking on any student debt, and families with incomes up to $125,000—more than 83% of Colorado households—will pay no tuition at all at in-state public colleges and universities.

Her plan will also provide much-needed relief to millions of Americans with existing student loan debt by allowing them to refinance at better rates.

In addition to expanding access to higher education, expanding early childhood education has been close to Hillary’s heart throughout her career. Despite research showing its benefits, only about half of the roughly 8.1 million 3- and 4-year-olds in the United States are enrolled in preschool. As President, Hillary will establish high-quality pre-K programs including providing pre-K at no cost to children from low-income homes and homes with limited English proficiency.

Defending and Expanding the Affordable Care Act Hillary Clinton has spent her career leading the fight to expand healthcare access for every American — even when it means standing up to special interests. She worked across the aisle to help pass the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which today covers eight million kids nationwide and about 100,000 in Colorado every year.

Hillary’s plan brings down out-of-pocket expenses and reigns in the cost of prescription drugs while defending and expanding on the Affordable Care Act. She’ll keep up the fight for universal coverage by creating a “public option” that fosters competition in the industry, leading to better outcomes for everyone.

Keeping us Safe from Threats at Home and Abroad

As secretary of state, Hillary Clinton worked to restore America’s leadership in the world after it was badly eroded by eight years of the Bush administration’s go-it-alone foreign policy. From building a global coalition to impose crippling sanctions against Iran, to brokering a ceasefire in Gaza and protecting Israel, to supporting President Obama’s decision to bring Osama bin Laden to justice — defending America and our core values is one of the cornerstones of Hillary’s campaign.

As president, Hillary Clinton will stand up to Vladimir Putin to deter Russian aggression in Europe and beyond. She’ll work with our allies to promote strong rules of the road and institutions in Asia, including putting pressure on China to play by the rules in cyberspace, on currency, human rights, trade, territorial disputes and climate change.

Hillary has a real plan for confronting terrorists. She has laid out a comprehensive plan for taking on ISIS, defeating them through a combination of intensifying the coalition air campaign against ISIS fighters, leaders, and infrastructure; stepping up support for local Arab and Kurdish forces on the ground and coalition efforts to protect civilians; and pursuing a diplomatic strategy aimed at resolving Syria’s civil war and Iraq’s sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shias — both of which have contributed to the rise of ISIS.

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All Politics are Local?

W

By Charles Emmons

e are in the midst of a presidential election. Voter turnout is expected to be more significant than in mid-term election years.

That is something that both parties more or less expect. This is advantageous to candidates as well as those advocates of ballot measures. All politics is local, and in many cases public servants won’t be successful unless they started in their locales or at least have keen and specific knowledge about issues that impact their constituents.

Political ads, on television in particular, tend to shout at us, as if we don't have the ability to decide for ourselves. Savvy voters have the ability to decipher the noise, and savvy candidates provide

Amendment 69-Statewide Healthcare system

forums to air these issues. Jovan Melton (HD41), representing a portion of Arapahoe County, holds regular town hall meetings for his constituents at the Heather Gardens community center.

Melton is part of the Historic 8, a group of African Americans elected to the Colorado statehouse in 2014. Melton is young. The crowd at Heather Gardens was much older and mostly not Black, yet the discussion was lively. It was evident they appreciated him and the opportunity to discuss the ballot issues.

Colorado makes it easy to vote, and you should vote on ballot issues. They have long-term consequences, perhaps more than a candidate ever would. Take TABOR (Taxpayer Bill of Rights) and its ongoing impact. On the ballot there are Amendments to the Constitution and Propositions. Melton is on the committee that approves the Blue Book language, and he explained the differences. The House brings forth laws and they become statutes similar to propositions.

Amendments to the Colorado Constitution become foundational law, and require 2/3 majority of voters to become law. Each ballot is different, depending on locale.

Melton invited Rich Jones from the Bell Policy Center to summarize some of the measures.

•This is an amendment because statutory law would be at more risk of elimination in future •Government and business entities seem opposed •It’s expensive on the front end to create a single payer system, but costs may shake out on the other end after implementation

Amendment 70-Increase minimum wage

•Drivers of this amendment are housing and expenses •Oakland and San Francisco have raised minimum wage and there has been minimal effect on business pricing •It was an amendment in 2006, must be changed in Constitution by citizen vote •60M are barely making it nationwide, in Colorado 30 percent looking for a loaf of bread

Amendment 71-Ability to change the Colorado Constitution •Concern about TABOR •Former Mayor Wellington Webb supports this measure •1912-1964, 72 Amendments made to Colorado Constitution; 1964-1979, 74 Amendments made to Colorado Constitution. By comparison - 26 changes have been made to the U.S. Constitution

•Colorado has been an initiative state since 1912 whereby citizens may initiate and ratify amendments to their state constitutions without the legislature.

Melton noted that Colorado is one of two states that offer the easiest way to amend its constitution.

Amendment 72-Smoking Tax

•Taxing sin discourages smoking •Costs to the healthcare system •Current tobacco tax is in the Constitution vs. Marijuana Tax which is not

Amendment T- Change Archaic language regarding servitude and slavery

•This got unanimous support in the House and the Senate.

We must become more vigilant, educated voters. Policy is frequently based in precedent, and states monitor what others are doing. Remember poll taxes in the south and the new restrictive voter registration laws challenged in no less than 20 states today. Vote, and take others with you. Don't let bad people get elected and make bad laws.

Closing the meeting Melton said, “Election outcomes make a difference.

Your voice has far-reaching impact.”

2016 Ballot guides are available from the Bell Policy Center, for more information, visit http://www.bellpolicy.org and the Colorado League of Women Voters, http://www.lwvcolorado.org.

“I’m just like everyone else.”

I’ve faced the same kinds of challenges as my neighbors have. Throughout my life, I have been able to advocate for myself, and now I want to go to Colorado’s State Capitol to make sure that everyone gets a fair shot at being successful.

Two subjects consistently come up while I’m going door-to-door, talking to voters in Aurora’s House District 42. Many people say they’re worried about the quality of their children’s education and the lack of accessible housing across our state.

I was once a homeless teenager, so I know how important it is to have a safe and affordable place to live. I believe housing is the cornerstone to self- sufficiency. That’s why I’ve served the people of Aurora as a Commissioner for Housing & Community Development. I’ve also served on Denver’s Commission on Homelessness. I have some ideas on how we can create more options for affordable housing and I’m committed to ensuring the health and safety of families across our state.

As a high school dropout, I also know what it takes to get an education. I put myself through undergraduate school at Metropolitan State University and graduate school at the University of Denver. (I must still pass a foreign language exam to fully matriculate.) We have to do more to promote hope for all of our kids. To me, that means giving them a good start by supporting options for early learning and helping our children get ready to start school. It means nurturing the “whole child” by including physical education, the arts and civics. We also need to offer substantive options for vocational training.

Often represented in both of these issues are systemic barriers, which greatly limit our collective opportunities. We have to be creative and courageous,

but together, we can overcome.

Vote for me, Dominique Jackson on November 8. www.jacksonforcolorado.com The Webb Report – Colorado African American Network – November 2016

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Michael Bennet - Is Our Man Op-Ed by Wellington,Wilma and Allen Webb

As this election season ramps up, never has our country been at more of a crossroads. This November we will decide if we are a country that works together to solve problems and build on the progress we’ve made or one of uncompromising political ideology. The race for Colorado’s U.S. Senate seat is an embodiment of those two schools of thought.

Darryl Glenn emerged out of a crowded primary that, at one point, had more candidates than the presidential Republican primary. His rigid ideology is far worse than most Republicans in Washington, D.C. today – he thinks the problem with Congress is that there is too much bipartisanship and he’s tired of Republicans reaching across the aisle. If you think Washington is working too well, and you’d like to be represented by someone who would rather grandstand on the Senate floor than compromise to find solutions that work for our state, then Darryl Glenn is your man. We, however, want someone in Washington who keeps his head down and works to solve the tough problems and that’s why we’re endorsing Michael Bennet’s reelection for Senate.

For seven years, Michael Bennet has consistently fought for and represented our interests in Washington. He’s less concerned with his image on cable TV and more with what seems to be the impossible these days: working across the aisle to produce real results in Washington.

Michael knows that education is the first step to success. He believes that no student should have to forgo college simply because he or she cannot afford it. He’s successfully fought to increase Pell Grants and is working to simplify the FAFSA questionnaire so more students can access financial aid.

Michael knows that our success doesn’t end with education, so he’s fighting for more job opportunities for African Americans and to help working families in Colorado. He made it easier for small businesses to write off more start- up costs and his office works with Five Points Business District to publish a monthly newsletter with tips on how to use federal resources as a small business. He supports raising the mini-

mum wage because too many hardworking fulltime Coloradans are still living in poverty. And because Colorado has some of the most expensive child care in the country, Michael is fighting to expand child care tax credits so working parents can afford to put their kids in safe hands while at work.

Michael has been a friend of ours and the African American community for years.

Recently, when Senator Cory Booker came to visit our great state, he and Michael toured the Vickers Boys and Girls club to highlight important community issues like access to quality education and criminal justice reform. He and Senator Booker have sponsored legislation to reduce mandatory minimums, provide judges with more discretion in sentencing, and ban solitary confinement for juveniles. Michael is also fighting against draconian voter ID laws that will disenfranchise thousands of eligible voters, particularly African American voters. And Michael is fighting to restore the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and require states with gross voting rights violations to submit major voting changes to the U.S. Department of Justice.

He is with us for both good times and the difficult moments when our community is hurting. Earlier this year, he celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Zion Baptist Church with us. And after the recent shooting in St. Paul, Baton Rouge and Dallas, he attended New Hope Baptist Church with Mayor Hancock to show support for both the African American community and law enforcement. He knows that for both communities to heal, we must come together and address the issues of mistrust by putting a greater emphasis on outreach between African Americans and those responsible for protecting and serving us.

Michael might not always have all the answers, but he’s the kind of person who doesn’t walk away from a problem that is too difficult to solve. He’s spent the last seven years working on education and economic inequality issues in Washington and he’ll continue to take on the toughest problems we face as a nation today.We need more leaders who are willing to work with those they disagree with – and Michael Bennet is our man.

Democrat Leslie Herod for State Representative A Progressive Plan That Puts Families First “My progressive plan focuses on action for families. Together, we’ll make Denver stronger for all of us!”

Helping Kids Prepare for Jobs of the Future Leslie knows families value our schools more than anything else.

She’ll help strengthen Denver’s schools with real investments in teachers and classrooms, so our students can succeed and parents can be sure they’re giving their kids the best.

Helping Families Afford to Stay in Denver With housing costs going up, more and more families are being pushed out of Denver. Leslie has a progressive plan to bring housing costs in Denver back down, so every family that wants a home in Denver can afford one.

Paid for by Leslie Herod for Colorado. Linda Drake, Treasurer.

Ballots Due by 7PM on Nov 8th. Learn more at www.LeslieHerodForColorado.com The Webb Report – Colorado African American Network – November 2016

10

Dear Friends,

Now for the candidates

President and Vice President – Hillary Clinton and Tim Kane

The endorsements listed below are my guide to the ballot initiatives for this election. Whether you agree with me or not, make sure you vote. Mail-in ballots will begin arriving the week of Oct. 17.

Amendment 69 – NO

I will live long enough to see America vote for the first African American president of the United States, Barack Obama, and now we have the opportunity to elect the first woman president of the United States.

Hillary will preserve the Obama legacy and expand on it. She adopted much of the platform of ideas from Bernie Sanders on jobs and education and closing private prisons to make the Democratic Party platform the most liberal in history.

Amendment 70 – YES, YES, YES

Michael has fought in a bipartisan way to represent Colorado. He’ll continue to work hard to generate jobs, fix the immigration system, and address many community issues. Michael has been assessable to his constituents and will continue to listen to our concerns.

Amendment T - YES

This item proposes amending the Colorado Constitution to remove outdated language that currently allows “slavery” and “involuntary servitude” to be used as punishment for the conviction of a crime. There is no question this language should be removed.

This item proposes creating a statewide health care system. ColoradoCare, which currently manages Obamacare, would be expanded and provide health insurance for all Coloradans. While I believe in a single-payer system, I do not think this is the right approach.

This item proposes increasing the state minimum wage from $8.31 an hour to $9.30 an hour beginning Jan. 1, 2017. To me this is one of the most important amendments on the ballot. How many people can pay their daily bills on $8.31 an hour? Increasing the minimum wage 90 cents an hour isn’t much but it will help many, many families. There is no choice but to vote yes.

Amendment 71 – YES, YES

This item requires signatures be gathered from each state senate district to place a constitutional initiative on the ballot and increases the percentage of votes to adopt a constitutional amendment. The United States Constitution has been amended only 27 times in 230 years. Our state constitution has been amended 150 times in 140 years because you only have to go to one large city to get signatures without going through the entire state. We must be more careful what we put in our constitution.

U.S. Senate – Michael Bennet

Denver Ballot Issues

Amendment 72 – NO, NO

This item proposes an increase in the state tax on a pack of cigarettes from 84 cents to $2.59. My concern is there is no clear answer where this increased tax would be spent. I’m not giving the state my money for them to write a blank check.

Proposition 106 – NO

This proposal would give terminally-ill people access to medical “aid-in-dying medication.” While I will be voting no, after watching my brother-in-law suffer for more than two years in a horrible state, I can see why so many people will vote for this amendment.

Proposition 107 & Proposition 108 – NO & NO

These proposals would establish a presidential primary in Colorado that allows participation by unaffiliated voters.

2A – YES: This would allow Denver to contin-

ue to collect a tax to fund Denver’s preschool program through 2026.

2B – YES: This proposes an amendment to the Denver City Charter that would inscribe the Office of Independent Monitor (which helps oversee the police department) as a permanent fixture in Denver city government.

4B – YES: This proposal reauthorizes the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) to continue to collect a regional penny-on-$10 sales tax for our art and cultural facilities in Denver and the metropolitan area.

Ordinance 300 – NO: This would allow “Designated Consumption Areas” to use marijuana. Don’t we have enough weed in Denver already?

Congress – Morgan Carroll

I am supporting all of the Democratic candidates because they fight for us. One in particular that I am pushing for is Morgan Carroll, who is running in District 6. Wilma and I have worked with Morgan on a number of issues. Unlike her opponent who questioned Barack Obama’s American citizenship, she never stooped so low.

Among her work in the state Legislature, she was a lead in questioning the costs of the new Veterans Hospital and making sure veterans get timely care. Let’s shock the world and get Morgan Carroll elected. If you live in Aurora, tell your friends she supports our issues and has been a supporter for years.

If we want Denver to be a great city, then we need great schools.

This fall please vote

Paid P aid for for by fo

by Denver’s Denver’s K Kids ids

The Webb Report – Colorado African American Network – November 2016

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The Honorable Wellington E. Webb Former Mayor of Denver The Honorable Wilma J. Webb Former First Lady of Denver

A History of the Democratic

T

By Charles Emmons

he Democratic Party is the oldest voter-based political party in the world. Andrew Jackson started it in 1824, and was the first president elected from the party in 1829.

Both Republicans and Democrats mounted grassroots efforts to get voters out for their parties. As the country expanded, they relied on patronage for financing, which led to a reliance on big city political machines and networks of newspapers.

Irish immigrants increasingly controlled the cities and Democrats were a proponent for farmers as well as urban workers. It was less attractive to businessmen, plantation owners, Evangelical Protestants, and social reformers. The party advocat-

Party

ed westward expansion and Manifest Destiny and opposed national banks.

Between the Civil War and the Great Depression in 1932, only two Democratic presidents were elected. They were more competitive in Congress, electing majorities in the House of Representatives 15 out of 36 times. But it was often splintered by the interests in the Eastern cities and the agrarian elements of the poor farmers in the South and West, an indication of what was to be a part of its legacy.

The Democratic Party has long seen splits over the interests of North and South. Southern Democrats wanted to expand slavery beyond the South. The Free Soil Party, a faction of the party opposed this. Free Soil Party members sided with the Republicans in 1854, which had little support in the South. Lincoln was elected president in 1860, in part due to Democratic Party infighting and on the premise that Democratic slaveholders were trying to take over the federal government.

After Emancipation and Reconstruction many African Americans became Lincoln Republicans. But then Reconstruction ended when Republicans agreed to withdraw federal troops in southern states protecting progress. Jim Crow laws ruled the day. Many Blacks languished with little opportunity in the south in the agriculture industry.

In 1929 Wall Street crashed. In 1932 Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected and initiated New Deal programs like the WPA, and later Social Security. This was a progressive era for Democrats who held the White House until 1945 at the end of War II. Roosevelt’s wife, had his ear, and urged equality in the armed forces. This eventually brought the inception of the Tuskegee Airmen and Harry S. Truman, Roosevelt’s vice president, integrating the armed forces.

The war brought prosperity to many African Americans who found jobs not only in the service, but also in supporting the war effort. The Korean War brought

The Webb Report – Colorado African American Network – November 2016

12

more African Americans into the service.

Thousands of Blacks migrated from the south to the northern cities. When Truman took over after Roosevelt’s death in 1945, there were numerous factions he had to contend with including, big city political machines, liberal coalitions that included the NAACP and AFLCIO, and southern states.

Truman was re-elected in 1948 after overcoming opposition by the Dixiecrats, Democrats who opposed his platform for civil rights and anti-segregation laws. He entered the Korean War without congressional approval. There was a significant opposition by the coalition of conservative Republicans and southern Democrats.

Truman dropped out of the 1952 election, and Eisenhower was elected over Adlai Stevenson twice. In the 1958 election Democrats made dramatic gains in the

House, mostly due to organized labor.

However most Democrats from southern states were conservative and they sided with Republicans in blocking liberal progressive legislation.

Although Democrats had majorities in the House every election from 1930-1992 (except 1946 and 1952), the Conservative Coalition blocked every piece of liberal legislation from 1937-1970s. The exceptions were Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society programs in 1964-65. To counterbalance the Conservative Coalition the Democratic Study Group was created with the intent of liberalizing the institutions of Congress.

The Kennedy-Johnson era brought the most significant change for the Democratic Party. The legislation and the battles for civil rights behind the scenes, and on the television caught the attention of the country. Kennedy insisted Freedom Riders be protected by federal marshals and after his assassination. Johnson was able to push through the Civil Rights Act of 1964-65 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As the liberal Democrats embraced civil rights the south became more Republican. Newly enfranchised Blacks voted Democratic and leaders that inspired generations, like Julian Bond, Barbara Jordan, and John Lewis emerged.

Change seemed to be on the horizon.

While the Viet Nam War raged on, mass opposition raged also in the country.

When Robert Kennedy was assassinated after wining a key primary in California our hopes were dashed. In 1968 Democrats nominated Hubert Humphrey who barely lost to Nixon in the election, but Democrats retained control of Congress.

Another Democratic president wasn't elected until Jimmy Carter in 1976. Carter created the Department of Energy and the Department of Education. He bolstered social security, and appointed record numbers of minorities and women to judicial posts.

But he was not able to pass a national health plan or reform the tax system as he promised. In 1980 Carter lost reelection to Ronald Reagan, and Democrats lost 12 Senate seats, but retained control of the House.

Conservative Democrats or so-called Reagan Democrats were instrumental in his election, and the election of George H.W. Bush. In response to these defeats the Democratic Leadership Council was created in 1985 to move the party rightwards to the center to recover support lost to Republicans. The goal was to retain left of center voters as well as moderates on social issues, and to broaden appeal to those who opposed Republicans.

This shift perhaps was instrumental in electing the next Democratic president,

Bill Clinton, in 1992. It was the first time in 12 years there was a Democrat in the White House. This was a heyday. The federal budget was balanced; the economy was robust and significant gun control legislation was passed. The Family and Medical Leave Act gave workers up to 12 weeks of un-paid leave for childbirth or family medical issues. Clinton was the first re-elected president since Johnson 1964, but Democrats lost both Houses in 1994.

With decreasing labor membership in the 1960s, unions lost much of their influence with Democrats and some argued it had become more pro-business and lessprogressive. Some more left-leaning progressives felt a degree of alienation. Al Gore barely lost the 2000 election in the Electoral College by four votes, despite winning the popular vote. Democrats gained five seats in the Senate and 50-50 split. But the Republicans regained Senate control in 2002 and 2004, leaving Democrats with only 44 seats, the fewest since the Depression era.

But 9-11 changed the country.

National security got more attention than domestic issues. Although there were recessions and job losses in 2001 and 2002, Democrats made little inroads running on jobs and economic issues. At the 2004 convention Sen. John Kerry was nominated because he was more centrist, had support of the Democratic Leadership Council and more electable than the progressive Sen. Howard Dean.

Kerry lost and the Party began some self-reflection. The Iraq war wasn't popular, the handling of Katrina was a disaster, and the deficit ballooned. The time was right for change in 2008. In mid-term 2006 they regained the House. Nancy Pelosi became the first woman elected as Speaker of the House.

Within 100 hours of being sworn in, the 110th Congress had passed the Democratic 100 hour Plan that includedfunding, raising the federal minimum wage and ending subsidies to oil companies.

Other initiatives, including funding stem cell research and cutting the student loan interest rate died in the Senate.

Progress is hard work, and with Democrats, progress has not come without struggle. When Barack Obama was inaugurated the 44th president in 2009, he faced un-precedented opposition and obstruction from Republicans. Within the first 100 days, he signed legislation for fair pay, child insurance, and the Stimulus package.

During his first term he also appointed Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court.

Obama’s legacy will be determined by this election. His signature legislation is the Affordable Care Act, which Republicans would like to repeal.

Election 2016

Making Voting Accessible & Convenient Every registered voter in Colorado will receive a ballot in the mail at their address on file with the Secretary of State.

If you need to register to vote or update your mailing address, you must do so on or before October 31st in order to receive a ballot in the mail. After October 31st, you can register to vote in person at any Voter Service and Polling Center (VSPC) in your county. You will be able to cast a ballot in person after registering.

How to Register to Vote

Coloradans can register to vote up to and on Election Day. If you have a driver’s license or identification card issued by the state of Colorado, you can register online at GoVoteColorado.com. Alternately, you can register to vote in person at a VSPC beginning on October 24th. You must have been a resident of Colorado for 22 days

by Election Day.

How to Vote

(There are 3 different ways!)

Return your ballot by mail. Remember to include postage! off the ballot you received in the mail Drop at a VSPC or drop box. Visit JustVoteColorado.org to find your nearest VSPC or drop box.

in person at any Voter Service and Vote Polling Center in your county. VSPCs will be open beginning Monday, October 24th.

Remember: If you vote in person you must bring an ID, but it doesn’t have to be a photo ID. For more information, visit JustVoteColorado.org.

Questions?

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Visit JustVoteColorado.org to find answers to frequently asked questions, learn about your voting rights, and more. Call our Election Protection hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE for additional assistance or to report issues.

Just Vote! Colorado Election Protection is a non-partisan voter assistance project and is not affiliated with or promoting any party, candidate or ballot issue.

VOTE Yes ON

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Photo by Erin Bird, courtesy of Denver Botanic Gardens

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The Webb Report – Colorado African American Network – November 2016

13

Higher Heights for America…Building the Political Power of Black Women

By Charles Emmons

As we approach Election Day it is

instructive to look back. Who elected President Barack Obama into office? It was largely because African Americans turned out in huge numbers. And who voted the most within the community? It was women. Black women have political economic and political power, yet they are not recognized. This was the message at a gathering of nearly 300 women the end of September.

The cross-generational salon talk was held at Wystone’s Northfield and was organized by State Rep. Angela Williams in partnership with Higher Heights for America, a national non-profit exclusively dedicated to harnessing, organizing and mobilizing Black women’s political power making sure they have the tools to effectively engage, advocate and lead.

Rep. Williams represents the Northeast Denver neighborhoods of North Park Hill, Stapleton, Green Valley Ranch, and Montbello. It was like a who’s

“At present our country needs women’s idealism and determination perhaps more in politics than anywhere else.”

Photo by McBoat Photography

who at the informal gathering with Hon. Gloria Tanner, Hon.Violet Ricks, Rep. Rhonda Fields, Rep. Janet Buckner, Dr. Fannie Evans, and Carla Ladd being some of the notables attending in support of the event.

Williams told the women that it’s to stop minimizing Black women’s voices, and that women bring African Americans

together in the state. “This has always been about building a collective voice of influential African American women in the State of Colorado. Ultimately, we always show up as the most active and reliable voting bloc in any election,” said Williams.

“Our community needs it, our state needs it and our nation will definitely be all the better for it.”

The Webb Report – Colorado African American Network – November 2016

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Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm

Glynda Carr, one of the founders of Higher Heights for America thanked the women for being the largest salon conversation in the country. She remarked about activist Mary McLeod Bethune, an advisor to Roosevelt, Truman, Coolidge, and Hoover, and her quote on the wall of the newly opened African American History Museum in Washington, D.C.

“If we have the courage and tenacity of our forebears, who stood firmly like a rock against the lash of slavery, we shall find a way to do for our day what they did for theirs.”

-Mary McLeod Bethune Black women lead. Black women exemplify courage, but they continue to be the least heard. Carr commented that Black women spend $.85 of every dollar or $565B in the community. “We showed up and showed out because Obama was Black and we were motivated to campaign and organize in a way that hadn’t been done before and became political donors,” said Carr.

In this historic role Black women took to social media. “What Black women must do is harness social media to move political dollars. Why can’t we develop an organization and money in the community? There are 23M Black women in this country, but we are underrepresented,” said Carr. As Black women make inroads economically and politically it is time to organize collectively to advocate and push for their equity due.

This advocacy for equity comes from a groundswell of these conversations occurring across the country, in 34 cities since 2015. The aim is to devise a blueprint and roadmap before 2020. It appears the walls and doors may be closed, but the ceiling is cracked. The synergy began in that room.

Carr gave them a 20-minute discussion exercise with purposeful and targeted assignments with 4-5 similar peers. We

stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us, and Carr first asked them to weigh in on this and other questions regarding Black women and leadership.

The questions included to name Black women in history you admire, what is the top issue for Black women, what is the biggest barrier to running for office, how do we collectively make this the year, and how do we do something individually?

Carr will take the answers and publish a case study from the data. A few women took the mike and reported the results.

The women named local women like Dr. Rachel Noel, as well as Michelle Obama and Barbara Jordan. A group of teens also named Rhonda Fields and Angela Williams among others. Recurring themes regarding other questions were that knowledge of events and the political process, encouragement by others, and mentoring would help women become more involved and willing to run for a position. Some other poignant comments made: “TV has stigmatized us and impedes our ability to be taken seriously.”

“Women set the pace for the village.”

“Support one another. Speak authentically and there is no need to be competitive.”

The young teen group made a significant contribution to the discussion. They believed collective healing, mentoring and coalition building, generational dialogue and support and thinking for themselves is essential to building political power.

Facts You Should Know About

• Black women make $.60 for every dollar a white man makes • Pay equity days: The day women must work into the next year to earn what a man earned the previous year • Women’s pay equity day is April 15th • Black women’s pay equity is August 15th • 18 U.S. Representatives are Black women - 3.4% of Congress but 7% of the population • No Black women in the U.S. Senate - Only one women of color in the U.S. Senate • 1840+ State legislators yet there are only 259 Black women legislators in the country • There are four (4) Black women mayors in cities - Toledo, San Antonio, Washington D.C., and Baltimore

At the conclusion of the discussions and presentations of the groups, Carr pointed out opportunities, places and forums where women can start being more political. These include commissions, school boards, church leadership, and even school PTO’s. “Build the capacity to lead and use the resources that you have.”

Carr’s goal is to have 20,000 members in Higher Heights by 2020.

Black women must continue voting, no matter who is running. Carr talked about her mother who always had a vote plan of bringing a cooler with water and 10 other people to the polls. She urged the women to have their own plan. She also commented that on average it takes asking Black women 9 times before they will run for an office. This is an area where there is work to be done.

By the tone of the buzz of conversation in the room, it was evident that the discussion was vigorous. Williams in thanking and closing the event said,

“Everyone was still here. No one left.” She then laid out her vision for future interactions – for the room to come together for advocacy, to stand up and talk about inequities, to take advantage of state contracts and influence opportunities, to influence decisions that are being made that affect our families. “We can’t be hating on each other. We are stronger together,” said Williams.

This event was a beginning. Williams plans future sessions on how to strengthen Black women’s voices in grassroots advocacy campaigns and the electoral process. “From the voting booth to elected office to boardrooms and CEO offices, Colorado’s Black women can and must translate their political power into business, education and economic growth,” added Williams.

Editor’s note: For More information, visit http://www.higherheightsforamerica.org, @HigherHeights4, #BlackWomenRun, #BlackWomenVote, #BlackWomen Lead

I am running to be the next State Senator of Senate District 33.

As the the State Representative for the past six years representing House District 7, I have been a successful legislator who can bring people together on both sides of the isle to find common solutions to complex issues.

As one of the few minority women serving in the legislature, standing up for women’s rights and advancing the rights of Colorado women is a priority. As your next State Senator I will continue to fight for equal pay and a woman’s right to control her own health decisions. For our community and my son, I have taken action to implement police reforms. Under my leadership, law enforcement now have improved training protocols, increased transparency, improved background employment checks, and body camera requirements. l also helped make college affordable for thousands of Colorado students, who now qualify for in state tuition thanks to the ASSET bill I sponsored and I will continue to work for more accessible affordable education for all Coloradans. In addition to improving life working families remains a priority of mine. I support increasing the minimum wage for Colorado workers. As a business owner for 14 years, I have always and will continue to be a voice for small businesses, removing barriers and promoting growth. I will continue to introduce legislation that promotes equality for small minority businesses in state procurement contracting.

As your next State Senator, I will continue to listen to the community’s concerns, remain visible and accessible to constituents. I will fight for affordable college for our students and introduce legislation like the WORK Act I sponsored in 2015 which created $10M in grants to train skilled workers. I will be your voice on economic development, senior services and accessible health care.

“It will be my honor to earn your vote on Nov. 8th.”

Vote for Angela Williams the legislator who gets things done.

Angela

Williams FOR STATE SENATOR

SENATE DISTRICT 33 • DEMOCRAT

The Webb Report – Colorado African American Network – November 2016

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I’ve always believed that it is important to realize that we are all more alike than we are different. I truly feel that there are fundamental issues that many of us can agree upon without letting negativity, divisiveness, and partisan disputes get in the way of improving the lives of the people in House District 40 and Colorado as a whole.

With that said, for the next legislative session I plan on focusing on education. As a former teacher education has always been a passion of mine. It is clear that a great education is the key to success and good-paying jobs. Parental involvement goes hand-in hand with education and I plan on supporting policies that make it easier for working parents to be involved and attend events that occur at their kid’s school.

In addition, I will also focus on achieving equal pay for women, increasing the minimum wage, bolstering women’s preventative health initiatives, protecting reproductive rights and freedoms, protecting the environment, and finally standing up for veterans issues by assuring that they get the care that they deserve. With the support of the voters in House District 40 I am very optimistic that we can come together to work on these issues to improve the lives of the people of Aurora and Colorado.

For more info visit: JanetBuckner.com Reach out to us at: repjanetbuckner@gmail.com

In public service there is no greater honor than being able to serve your own community and country. Morgan Carroll was born and raised in Aurora, and a graduate of Aurora High School. If Carroll is elected to Congress she will be serving Colorado District 6, including Aurora.

Carroll has gone from gas station clerk making minimum wage to a successful career in law. After she was elected to the Colorado State Legislature, Morgan won the respect from her peers on both sides of the aisle. Carroll’s real record for change is the motto for her entire campaign.

Morgan’s life experiences have shaped her record as a public servant. She’s still paying off the student loans she accumulated in college and law school, and has worked to cap tuition hikes. When elected, Morgan will work to lower student loan rates and make higher education more accessible for everyone.

She understands the need for quality and affordable medical care. As a young girl, Morgan’s dad was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, his health care costs wiped out their family’s savings. That’s why Morgan has fought to make health care more affordable to all.

Carroll believes Congress can work past its ideological roadblocks to accomplish real results. She has passed tough campaign finance and lobbying reforms, expanded job opportunities for veterans, and brought good-paying jobs here to Colorado.

Congressman Mike Coffman is an entrenched, extreme incumbent who has pledged to support Donald Trump. He fought to redefine rape, told Spanish-speaking voters to ‘pick up a dictionary’ if they wanted to vote, and was a keynote speaker for an anti-Islamic group.

For Morgan Carroll, politics is personal. There’s no doubt it’s going to be her greatest challenge yet. But if the fight was easy, it wouldn’t be for Morgan. She’s never backed down, never will.

The Webb Report – Colorado African American Network – November 2016

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“Our Constitution exists to UNITE us and PROTECT us … it is not for special interest clutter.”

– Mayor Wellington Webb

PAID FOR BY RAISE THE BAR – PROTECT OUR CONSTITUTION

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Vote!

Return your ballot today.

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