VOL. 54, NO. 37 • JUNE 27 - JULY 3, 2019
Schools Out for the Summer; Educating Youth Continues Year Round
House Committee Holds Hearing on Reparations By Stacy M. Brown WI Senior Writer @StacyBrownMedia A House Judiciary subcommittee held a hearing last week on slavery reparations, a topic which hasn’t been discussed by lawmakers for at least a decade. The hearing, held June 19 by the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, focused on House Resolution 40, proposes to establish a commission to study the consequences and impacts of slavery and reparations to African Americans. Sponsored by Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, H.R. 40 would create a commission of 13 members who would compile a report of findings and recommendations on the issue and send it to Congress. “The real issue is whether and how this nation can come to grips with the legacy of slavery that still infects current society,” Jackson Lee said when discussing the legislation earlier this year. “While we have focused on the social effects of slavery and segregation, its continuing economic implications remain largely ignored by mainstream analysis. These economic issues are the root cause of many critical issues in the African-American community today, such as education, healthcare and crim-
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HEAT WAVE TAKES OVER GREATER DC REGION
WI Bridge Center Section
Norton Remains at Forefront in Securing Vital Resources for Black Dads
Teens Most Impacted by Lack of Positive Roadmaps and Role Models to Follow 5 The staff at Roots Activity Learning Center in Northwest keep infants cool in a small portable pool. (Shevry Lassiter/The Washington Informer) The iconic Motown vocal group Martha and the Vandellas cashed in with “Heat Wave” in 1963 with their song that described a brother “burning with desire” and “going insane” in ways akin to how one feels when the thermometers hover near the 100s. Similarly, the heat has arrived in the Greater Washington Area and will remain for the rest of the week and weekend. Temperatures will average in the 90s, even reaching the 100s before isolated thunderstorms cool things down on Saturday or Sunday. The elderly, children, pets and the sick face the greatest risk of succumbing to heat stroke, cramps or exhaustion. Stay safe by staying in air conditioned buildings, home preferably, or places like libraries, malls or shopping centers that have air conditioning. Also, be sure to drink plenty of fluids, avoid strenuous activities, never leave animals or children in vehicles, wear light clothing and be sure to check on family members and neighbors.
Advocates for Reparations Organize, Agitate on Capitol Hill
By D. Kevin McNeir WI Editor @dkevinmcneir African-American fathers, teens and adults alike, particularly those unmarried and bereft of positive examples of fatherhood, have long borne the brunt of undue criticism for their inability and failure to adequately support, guide and serve as
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Juneteenth Congressional Hearing Preceded DC Forum, 30th Annual Reparations Convention in Detroit By Sam P.K. Collins WI Contributing Writer @SamPKCollins A high-profile congressional subcommittee hearing on reparations revealed, above all else, that opponents of H.R. 40 haven’t been able to accept empirical evidence proving the devastatingly long-term economic effects of chattel slavery and race-based legislation on the collective well-being of those who descended from enslaved Africans. On Juneteenth, as the hearing touted as “H.R. 40 and the Path
to Restorative Justice,” entered its third hour, Julianne Malveaux, a well-regarded economist and one of more than a half-dozen witnesses testifying before the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, admonished the elected officials who focused more on her fellow panelists’ apprehensions about reparations and anecdotes of individual success more than figures she and Ta-Nehisi Coates, another public witness, brought to the table.
AGITATE Page 50
5 Rep. Val Demings (D-FL), joined co-hosts (l-r) Reps. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Danny K. Davis (D-IL) for the Congressional Black Caucus Black Men and Boys hearing at the U.S. Capitol Thursday, June 20 drew supporters hearing testimony on “Black Fatherhood: Understanding the Effect of Fathers Who Care.” (Roy Lewis/The Washington Informer)
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