Category Archives: Front

Editorial, Front

Veterans Day thoughts from a widow

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Another Veteran’s Day without my husband, Lonal Robinson, a Vietnam Veteran. It feels different. A void has been left. I however, remember his work to reintegrate himself into life on the home soil. His work as a young man made him a great man because he did what was necessary to build a life for his family and contributed to society through unselfish volunteer work; such as the youth sports leagues in Illinois, Arkansas, and Houston, TX, with the Peggy Park Rebuild and #Emancipation Park renovation! His life was recognized four years ago by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee at Houston’s City Hall Veteran’s Day Ceremony. So, today, I will remember his service as I recall my uncles who served along with a brother, plus one son, who choose to call me his mom. I love them all for the lessons taught and the burdens they lifted from citizens back home who yet not know or understand what the soldiers had to do to return home to America. Being in the family of a service member brings with it many details of life. Happy Veteran’s Day America! Thank you for your grateful service statement may not be enough. We probably need to open doors of opportunity that have been closed and provide real regulatory benefits beyond the VA Education Bill and the VA Housing Loan Bill.

So, today, I will remember his service as I recall my uncles who served along with a brother, plus one son, who choose to call me his mom. I love them all for the lessons taught and the burdens they lifted from citizens back home who yet not know or understand what the soldiers had to do to return home to America. Being in the family of a service member brings with it many details of life. Happy Veteran’s Day America! Thank you for your grateful service statement may not be enough. We probably need to open doors of opportunity that have been closed and provide real regulatory benefits beyond the VA Education Bill and the VA Housing Loan Bill.

We have a new president-elect and a Congress with enough votes to get any legislation passed and signed that is desired and or needed by those who have served our grateful nation. We can and should do more for the families of those who have served. Lip service is not what families require. Tangible results are needed to advance American families.

May God bless and I will see you next week.

Editorial, Front

Defeat of HRC

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Franklin Jones
 

The defeat of HRC was based on her failure to deliver a large enough portion of white voters to coalesce with minority voters to win a majority of votes in the Electoral College.
If the split inside the white community is not great enough, the black vote will not determine the outcome. That was the case in this election. The increase in the number of white voters and the across the board support of white voters for Trump led to his win.
Half of the American public appears ready to join the xenophobic and European nationalist fervor that is gripping the western “democracies.”

The question for me is how can the high level of black participation in this election can be mobilized to participate in the liberation struggles of African peoples. We have to seriously discuss the limits of electoral politics and what else we must do to achieve equality and justice.

Front, News

AJC Congratulates President-Elect Trump, Urges Quick Steps to UniteNation and Reassure Allies

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NEW YORK, Nov. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — AJC, the global Jewish advocacy organization, congratulates Donald Trump on his election as the 45th President of the United States.

“American democracy has spoken after a long and bitterly-fought campaign,” said AJC CEO David Harris. “We wish President-elect Trump well, as he prepares to assume the highest position in the land and the most powerful political position on the planet. And we also extend our best wishes to Secretary Hillary Clinton for her many years of distinguished public service to our nation, the strong campaign she ran, and, I would add, her friendship to AJC.”

“Now that the election is over, a first priority should be to address the wounds of an extraordinarily divisive contest. The United States is one country with one destiny, and any expression of bigotry and exclusion, as we’ve regrettably seen during the extended campaign, must never be allowed to corrode our pluralistic fabric,” Harris added.

Smooth post-election transitions are an essential requirement of our political system. In that spirit, AJC looks forward to working with President-elect Trump and his administration, as well as with the new Congress, on the priority policy concerns that AJC has advocated during this campaign, including at the Republican Convention in Cleveland and Democratic Convention in Philadelphia. Among them:

— America’s diversity must be defended against any further attempts to demonize or stigmatize on the basis of ethnicity, race, gender or faith;

— The United States needs to assert strong global leadership, which only our country is capable of, especially in support of allies and treaty obligations around the world, and in the face of dangerous regional and global state and non-state actors;

— The unique U.S.-Israel relationship, based on shared democratic values and national interests, should continue to go from strength to strength.

From its birth 110 years ago this month, AJC has cherished American democracy and the unparalleled opportunities and protections that our country’s system aspires to offer all its citizens, whatever their background or identity.

“The right to vote is a pillar of democracy, and the nation has spoken. We wish President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence a successful Administration that, we earnestly hope, will take early steps to reach out to every American, including concerned minority communities across the land; reaffirm our links to our friends across the globe; and, in the months and years to come, advance peace, security, and prosperity for our nation and the world,” said Harris.

AJC, founded 110 years ago this week, is the premier global Jewish advocacy organization, with 22 offices across the United States, 10 posts around the world, and 33 international partnerships. It is a strictly, non-partisan 501(c)(3) agency.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Front, News

Labor Voters Key to Winning Electoral Coalition in Harris County races

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Block-walks, Phone Banks, Mail, Social Media Fuel Turnout

 Houston, TX – Members of labor unions in Texas took advantage of a changing Texas political climate to help build winning progressive coalitions in Harris County, Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation Executive Director Hany Khalil said today.

   “Labor unions helped put victorious candidates over the top by running a multi-pronged ground campaign in which union voters heard about the importance of voting for candidates backed by the AFL-CIO’s Committee on Political Education (COPE),” Khalil said.

   The AFL-CIO campaigned heavily for Mary Ann Perez for House District 144; county-wide candidates Kim Ogg for District Attorney, Ed Gonzalez for Sheriff, and Anne Harris Bennett for Tax-Assessor Collector; Anne Sung for HISD District VII; and to defeat HISD Proposition 1.

   “The national picture was bleak, but in Harris County, working people made advances on Election Day,” Khalil said. “Unions knocked on 19,987 doors, sent mail to 14,028 households, and had 7,751 personal conversations with union families in Harris County. We were also pervasive on social media in calling for voter turnout.”

   “In 2016,” Khalil said, “we focused on driving up turnout of members who did not have a history of voting regularly. If you were a union member in the Gulf Coast area, you very likely heard from us several times, and we have long known that member-to-member communications highlighting a working families message are effective in turning out votes. Two-thirds of the 6,000 union members who voted early in Harris County were ones we targeted for turnout and may have accounted for a large share of the 7,855 votes that made Ann Harris Bennet our new Tax-Assessor Collector.”

   “Union members alone cannot form a majority, but in the Gulf Coast area in 2016 we spoke up together with allies to show it is possible to build a winning coalition here,” said Zeph Capo, President of the Area Labor Federation. “We are celebrating a strong result while resolving to continue our efforts to build a better Texas.”

   Texas AFL-CIO President John Patrick said the labor movement’s Get Out the Vote operations in and around Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and other parts of the state helped bring about a sea change from the results of the 2014 election, Patrick said.

   “This election marks a new era in coordinated campaigning for labor in Texas. The Dallas and Tarrant County Central Labor Councils (CLCs) worked together on block-walks of mutual interest. The Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation covered ground that used to be covered by several CLCs. The entire labor movement arrived at priorities in cooperative fashion.”

   “We appreciate the thousands of volunteer hours put in by union members around the state. The labor movement knocked on at least 50,000 doors and made many more phone calls and mail contacts during the campaign. On social media, the labor campaign generated more than half a million impressions across several platforms, all in service of turning out union members, family members, and allies. What we did this year laid solid groundwork for the future. We honor our affiliates who worked overtime to take our Get Out the Vote program to the next level.”

   “The conversations we had with union members were not merely about candidates,” Patrick said. “From the minimum wage to paid sick leave, from improving public education to equal pay for men and women, issues that affect our workers’ everyday lives took precedence. The candidates we endorsed were on board with our agenda to provide a fair shot for every working family.”

“Labor’s vote made a major difference in Texas. Amid a tragic national result, Hillary Clinton’s performance here, coming within a margin we have not seen lately, set the stage for pickups in congressional, legislative and local races around the state,” Patrick said. “Union members seized on the opportunity, and we are proud the 2016 election set a new standard for statewide union participation.”

 The Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO is an umbrella organization that coordinates the political, community, and educational programs of 45,000 union members in 13 Gulf Coast counties.

City, Front

Trump wins, glass ceiling still solid

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Around 1:30 pm CST on November 8, Hillary Clinton (D), the first female presidential candidate from a major political party  was stunned by Republican businessman Donald Trump in an upset victory for the 45th President of the United States of America. Running mate Mike Pence called the victory “A Historic night.” With his family standing near him, Pence (R) Governor from Indiana said that he was deeply grateful in being given the opportunity serve. He then introduced the president-elect business tycoon and television personality Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States. He has never held any job in government and made a decisive win. In front of a crowd chanting USA, he began by saying Hillary has worked very hard and we owe her a debt of gratitude. Trump having won the necessary 270 electoral college votes to become President said that he will bring the country together and unify the people of America.

Clinton, leading in the popular vote did not speak to supporters on election night instead, deferring to make a statement on Wednesday.

Cars & Trucks, City, Editorial, Front

The Houston Sun’s Endorsement

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Sun recommends the following candidates to the offices they are seeking because after review of their candidacy, they will serve the public best.

Federal

President and Vice President

Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine

United State Representative, District 9

Al Green

United State Representative, District 18

Sheila Jackson Lee

United State Representative, District 29

Gene Green

Statewide Texas

Railroad Commissioner

Mark Miller

 

Judge, Supreme Court, Place 3

Debra Lehrmann

Judge, Supreme Court, Place 5

Dori Contreras Garza

Judge, Supreme Court, Place 9

Eva Guzman

Judges

 

Chief Justice, 1st Court of Appeals:

Sherry Radack

Justice, 1st Court of Appeals, Place 4

Barbara Gardner

Justice, 14th Court of Appeals, Place 9

Tracy Elizabeth Christopher

District Judge, 80th Judicial District

Larry Weiman

 

District Judge, 125th Judicial District

Kyle Carter

 

District Judge, 127th Judicial District

R.K. Sandill

 

District Judge, 129th Judicial District

Michael Gomez

District Judge, 133th Judicial District

Jaclanel McFarland

District Judge, 151th Judicial District

Mike Engelhart

District Judge, 164th Judicial District

Alexandra Smooth-Hogan

District Judge, 337th Judicial District

Renee Magee

District Judge, 351th Judicial District

Mark Kent Ellis

 

 

Harris County

 

District Attorney

Kim Ogg

Judge, County Civil Court at Law No. 1

(unexpired term):

Clyde Raymond Leuchtag

County Attorney

Vince Ryan

Sheriff

Ed Gonzalez

County Tax Assessor-Collector

Ann Harris Bennett

Referendum

Houston ISD, Proposition 1

NO

 

 

 

 

 

Business, Front, News

Experts warn that Black homeownership is endangered as primary wealth building tool

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"Institutional denial of access to mortgage credit is the single-most detrimental factor obstructing wealth building among Black Americans," says Ron Cooper, president of NAREB, the nation's real estate trade group dedicated to increasing home ownership for Black Americans and ensuring they receive fair and equal treatment throughout the home buying process.

WASHINGTON–Annual Legislative Conference cautioned that mortgage lending disparities coupled with public policies and inactions by governmental institutions conspire to impede the growth of Black homeownership.  the State

Ron Cooper, President National Association of Real Estate Broker
Ron Cooper, President National Association of Real Estate Broker

of Housing in Black America (SHIBA), the 2016 homeownership rate for Blacks was 41.7%, lower than the national homeownership rate during the Great Depression years of the 1930s. By contrast, the 2016 homeownership rate for non-Hispanic Whites was 71.5 percent.Congresswomen Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) both remarked that the targeting of minority communities, loss of equity, loss of the pathway to wealth accumulation in the Black community is why homeownership needs to increase.

“The continued institutional denial of equal access to mortgage credit is the single-most detrimental factor obstructing wealth building among Black Americans. NAREB is issuing a clarion call to lawmakers, regulators, government agencies, and lenders that a change must and will come. No longer will Black Americans be locked out,” said Ron Cooper, President of NAREB formed in 1947 to ensure equal and fair access by Blacks to own homes and opportunity for Black real estate professionals.

Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY), in his Issues Forum remarks, he  said that homeownership is the most important investment in the Black community and further stated that the data contained in NAREB’s report revealed that mortgage originations among Black borrowers continue to decline well after the financial crisis.  He added, “While I agree that we do not want to return to the excesses and abuses of the past, we must still find a way toward responsible lending for creditworthy borrowers, including those borrowers of modest means. Policies must be set in place to ensure affordability and increase access to mortgage credit, and there’s an essential role the government must and should play in that process.”

NAREB’s CBCF Issues Forum panelists echoed the mantra that Blacks are victims of a separate and unequal financial system that does not adequately evaluate or reflect a borrower’s real ability to pay. Current credit models are outdated and do not look discrimination in the face.  Expert panelists included: James H. Carr, co-author of the SHIBA Report, Professor of Urban Affairs, Wayne State University and Coleman A. Young Endowed Chair; Nikitra Bailey, Executive Vice President, External Affairs, Center for Responsible Lending; Larry Parks, Senior Vice President, External and Legislative Affairs, Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco; Maurice Jourdain-Earl, Managing Director, ComplianceTech; Lisa Rice, Vice President, National Fair Housing Alliance, and Mark Alston, Chair of NAREB’s Public Affairs Committee. Panelists universally agreed that lenders continue to use these instruments that work to deny Black borrowers a mortgage loan when other credible models exist, but are not widely used by lending institutions.

Business, City, Front

Fitch Releases Preliminary Analysis of Pension Reform Plan

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According to Mayor Sylvester Turner’s communication staff Janice Evans released that in the first analysis of Mayor Sylvester Turner’s pension reforms by a financial market expert, Fitch Ratings writes the proposal “includes reforms to benefits and contribution practices that could improve the sustainability of the city’s pensions.”  Fitch also comments on the plan’s use of Pension Obligation Bonds, noting this is not deficit financing because the POBs will replace an existing liability rather than as a substitute for the City’s required annual pension contributions.

“This early validation from a global leader in credit ratings and research is encouraging and a sign we are on the right track,” said Mayor Turner.  “The plan we have put forth is the only plan that provides both immediate and long-term financial benefits and takes the pension issue off the table for good.”

The proposal the mayor will present to state lawmakers for consideration in the upcoming 2017 legislative session will immediately reduce and later eliminate the City’s $7.7 billion unfunded pension liability and costs considerably less next year and every year after when compared to what the City would need to pay in the absence of reform. The plan includes:

  • Benefits changes that immediately reduce the unfunded liability by $2.6 billion while still maintaining defined benefit plans for City employees
  • A closed 30-year payoff period
  • $1 billion in POBs
  • A more realistic rate of return of 7% for future investments
  • A requirement that the city makes the full required annual contributions to the pension systems
  • Limits on annual costs going forward and mandatory negotiations on benefits changes to bring costs back in line if they exceed the specified limits

According to Fitch’s analysis released Friday, “use of POBs alone typically is insufficient to correct underlying sustainability concerns and provides only temporary relief in the absence of broader reforms. However, POB use in conjunction with reforms to benefits and contribution practices increases the odds of strengthening funding positions and improving long-term sustainability.”

Fitch and other credit rating agencies have previously cited Houston’s pension liabilities and voter-imposed revenue cap as credit concerns.  Once the City’s pension problems are fixed, Mayor Turner has said that he will ask voters to repeal the revenue cap. 

Mayor Turner intends to ask City Council to approve his plan within the next few weeks.  Bill filing begins in Austin in mid-November.

Community, Front

TX House Representative Dist.139­ Jarvis Johnson to Confer Community Awards & Speak on Mental Health ­ Saturday, October 8th

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TX State Representative Jarvis Johnson candidly speaks saying, “Mental and emotional well­being is an important aspect of everyday living. We need to remove the stigma associated with mental health so intervention can occur at the onset.” The fast and frantic pace of society, sickness, death, unemployment, disability, divorce, break­ups, all has an impact on mental health. Yet, many African Americans find that mental health and mental illness are tough topics to discuss.

The Gulf Coast of Texas African American Family Support Conference will get the conversation started with the theme “Unveiling Masks: Real Conversations to Shatter Stigma, and Myths” on Saturday, October 8, 2016, 9:00 am to 2:30 pm at the United Way of Greater of Houston, 50 Waugh Drive Houston, Texas 77007.

The conference is coordinated by dedicated community stakeholders, one community leader stated, “Mental health conditions, such as depression or anxiety, are real, common and treatable as well as recovery is possible. Another community leader, shared, Good mental health strengthens your ability to cope with everyday hassles and more serious crises and challenges.” Shalone Turner, 2015 conference attendee stated, “If it could be okay in society to talk about mental health, things could be different…” Shalone Turner The mission of GCTAAFSC is to strengthen the knowledge and skills of individuals with mental health, developmental disabilities, families, community members and professionals about available health care services by using culturally sensitive education supports and partnerships.

Conference Day:

The conference day will commence with an open plenary address by Dr. Shirley Price, followed by breakout sessions and will culminate at an Award’s Luncheon with Zina Garrison, former World Tennis, and Olympic Gold Medalist keynote address. Rep. Johnson will confer and extend the Flame of Inspiration Award to Destiny Richardson and Jerome Green. The conference will offer an informative exhibition area, free flu shot clinic sponsored by Walgreens Pharmacy, 12 workshop sessions on mental health, disability awareness and the conference will focus on individuals, families and the community with an emphasis on youth only sessions for ages 15­-24.

Front, News

Bland family settles civil suit for $2 million

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After the Sandra Bland family settled a wrongful death civil lawsuit,  for two million dollars, State Rep. Garnett Colman said, “I will file the Sandra Bland Act this upcoming session. The Sandra Bland Act will include her family’s wishes and recommendations that have been discussed at the House Committee on County Affairs’ oversight hearings that have risen out of the Sandra Bland case.

Additionally, Sandra Bland’s family’s Texas-based attorney Tom Rhodes will be speaking at the upcoming County Affairs hearing on September 20th, 2016.“