Blacks have laundry list of issues for Obama
Hazel Trice Edney/NNPA Editor-in-Chief
Issue date: 2/8/09 Section: Cover
Leslie Baskerville, president and CEO of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education, said that in an appeal to Obama's then-transition team, she made a plea for the restoration of Title 3 funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
"Title 3 funding is the life-blood of HBCUs … It keeps their doors open," Baskerville said, noting how the Bush Administration recommended "a whopping cut of Title 3 dollars that would be tantamount to a million dollar loss per institution that's eligible."
H. Alexander Robinson, president and CEO of the National Black Justice Coalition, points to HIV/AIDS disparities in the Black community.
"The office of National AIDS Policy has to be reinvigorated. There hasn't been a director in that office for almost two years," said Robinson. "During that entire administration, it has been left to languish.''
Coming back to what the nation has said is Obama's number one issue, Julie Cunningham, president and CEO of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, said "putting America back to work," is crucial, but it must be done such that African-American contractors get a piece of the pie and that "there is accountability and compliance tied to those dollars."
Public policy issues notwithstanding, Freida Thompson, the artist, said her friends are discussing a historic concern that they doubt will be changed by the Obama presidency, but they hope he will at least try. That is racism.
"People are saying it's going to be the Whites against the Blacks. I really want him to say something about that. I really want us all to get along," Thompson said.
Illustrating the depth of the problem, Thompson recalls something that her 7-year-old grandson, Angelo, said: "'Grandma, now you're going to need security for Sir Barackster.'"
"Title 3 funding is the life-blood of HBCUs … It keeps their doors open," Baskerville said, noting how the Bush Administration recommended "a whopping cut of Title 3 dollars that would be tantamount to a million dollar loss per institution that's eligible."
H. Alexander Robinson, president and CEO of the National Black Justice Coalition, points to HIV/AIDS disparities in the Black community.
"The office of National AIDS Policy has to be reinvigorated. There hasn't been a director in that office for almost two years," said Robinson. "During that entire administration, it has been left to languish.''
Coming back to what the nation has said is Obama's number one issue, Julie Cunningham, president and CEO of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, said "putting America back to work," is crucial, but it must be done such that African-American contractors get a piece of the pie and that "there is accountability and compliance tied to those dollars."
Public policy issues notwithstanding, Freida Thompson, the artist, said her friends are discussing a historic concern that they doubt will be changed by the Obama presidency, but they hope he will at least try. That is racism.
"People are saying it's going to be the Whites against the Blacks. I really want him to say something about that. I really want us all to get along," Thompson said.
Illustrating the depth of the problem, Thompson recalls something that her 7-year-old grandson, Angelo, said: "'Grandma, now you're going to need security for Sir Barackster.'"
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Jah Kil
posted 2/09/09 @ 5:09 PM EST
President Barack Obama has taken anti-black positions. Sa a democrat, he has said he is anti reparations.
'nough said. but, the ppres needs too understand the power of the the tpeople. (Continued…)
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