February 07, 2019
VOL. 34, No. 06
Local and National
TRUMP’S
STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS
Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor
in Brief
•The House is holding the first hearing on America’s gun violence crisis in nearly a decade. Lawmakers will debate a number of new gun safety bills. Nearly 40,000 Americans died from gun violence in 2017, and the following year was the worst on record for gun violence in schools. •Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones is not expected to extend head coach Jason Garrett’s contract as he enters the final year of his deal. •Two recent news headlines that indicate the condition of African Americans and the American justice system, tell you everything you need to know; (black) Teen Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison for Killing Police Dog” and “LAPD officer who Beat (black)woman on camera – Leading to her Death – Sentenced to 16 months in Jail.” •Court documents indicate Trump hired undocumented immigrants for $4 an hour for a demolition project. Many of the workers later testified that they would often work 12- to 16-hour shifts without gloves, hard hats or masks. •Trayvon Martin would have celebrated his 23rd birthday this week had he not been murdered by an Hispanic vigilante who claimed Martin was killed in self defense.
Trump appeared in front of a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night for the annual State of the Union address and true to the form he has demonstrated from the time his campaign for president began, he does not have any difficulty misleading his audience or outright lying. His one hour and one half speech
was speckled with a mixture of facts and figures, many of which were untrue but his two favorite issues dominated the address; his quest for a border wall with Mexico to cope with what he said is a crisis of crime and drugs in the United States caused by illegal immigration. Among other false assertions, the president said, “The U.S. economy is
growing almost twice as fast today as when I took office, and we are considered far and away the hottest economy anywhere in the world.” The American economy expanded at an annual rate of 3.5 percent in the third quarter of 2018. Growth in Latvia and Poland was almost twice as fast. Same for China and India. Even the troubled Greek 2
and History (ASALH). In February 1926, Woodson proposed the establishment of Negro History Week to honor the history of African Americans, and their contributions to American life. Dr. Woodson, known as the Father of Black History, chose the second week of February because it commemorates the birthdays of two men who greatly affected the African American community: Abraham Lincoln (February 12) and Frederick Douglass (February 14).
Negro History Week became Black History Week in the early 1970s. In 1976, the week-long observance was expanded to a month in honor of the nation’s bicentennial. You may wish to celebrate Black History Month at the University of Southern California and the California African American Museum in Exposition Park with an artistic viewing and reception. Youth artists explore 2 “Taking a Stand,” de-
Francis Taylor, Asst. Editor
February is Black History Month, a time to recognize, celebrate, and honor the rich and diverse history and important contributions and achievements of African Americans. Black History Month is an annual observance in February, celebrating the past and present achievements of African Americans. In 1915, Dr. Carter G. Woodson—historian, teacher, and author—founded the Association for the Study of African American Life
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