Maxine Waters Sponsored “Inclusion” Section to Wall Street Reform Bill

Section 342 of the new Wall Street Reform law mandates that each of the multitude of federal agencies named in the bill must set up an "Office of Minority and Women Inclusion." Section 342 is the result of a bill that Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) sponsored.

Section 342 includes these words: "To ensure, to the maximum extent possible, the fair inclusion and utilization of minorities, women, and minority-owned and women-owned businesses in all business and activities of the agency at all levels, including in procurement, insurance, and all types of contracts." Section 342 goes on to say that not only does it apply to companies that do business with any of these federal agencies, but it also applies to any subcontractors who work for those companies - like their lawyers, brokers, accountants and asset managers.

When We Almost Lost

Emancipation Day

It was then D.C. Ward 5 Councilman Vincent Orange who initiated legislation that created Emancipation Day in D.C. and current D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty who tried to eliminate the paid holiday for D.C. employees to save $1.3 million.

D.C. Emancipation Day celebrates an Act that President Lincoln signed April 16, 1862. The Act physically freed about 3,100 enslaved Africans in the District of Columbia, nine months before Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that physically freed the enslaved in States that Lincoln did not control. The Federal government paid the D.C. slave owners and left the formerly enslaved in economic bondage.

On the flip side, it was Vincent Orange who initially opposed marriage equality in D.C., but Adrian Fenty who championed marriage equality and equated same-sex marriage to the once illegal status to his own parent’s racially-mixed marriage. Orange, who is now running for Council Chair, now supports same-sex marriage.

MoveOn Targets Target

Target, the retail giant, became one of the first companies to take advantage of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision allowing unlimited corporate cash in elections.

Target spent more than $150,000 in the Minnesota Governor's race backing state Rep. Tom Emmer, a Republican who supports Arizona's immigration law, wants to abolish the minimum wage and gave money to a fringe group that condoned the execution of gay people.

MoveOn.org gathered more than 175,000 on-line signatures denouncing the move, held rallies at Target and now there is an anti-Target Facebook page with more than 55,000 members. MoveOn also encourages supporters to call Target (612.696.3400) or send them an e-mail.

While Black adult men experienced the highest unemployment in July at 17.8 percent (compared with 9.4 percent for White males in July), this rate is down 0.6 percentage points from June's 18.4 percent.

Black women, however, saw a jump in joblessness to 13.7, up 1.1 percentage points from June's 12.6 percent. White women unemployment stood at 7.6 for two months in a row.

New Amsterdam Market - New York City
Market Ice Cream Fair, Sun, Aug 22 12p - 4p
More than fifty vendors from all over the region will gather at the South Street Market District in Lower Manhattan with everything from fruits, vegetables, meat and cheese, to pickles, bread, wine and more. The market will also feature six ice cream makers for the special Ice Cream Festival.

Let Your Motto Be Resistance
Lecture by Dr. CR Gibbs, Thu, Aug 26, 2p-4p
Gibbs, author, historian and POH “Praising the Past” contributor, will give a historical account of enslaved African rebellions and other forms of resistance to slavery in the Western hemisphere at Sankofa Video and Books, 2714 Georgia Ave, NW. Free.

4th Annual Pilgrimage to Richmond, VA in honor of Gabriel’s Rebellion
Bus Ride from Washington to Richmond, Sat, Aug 28, 8a-8p, $35
Participants will be exposed to the history and landmarks of Gabriel Prosser’s attempted revolt in 1800 including Spring Creek, where the rebellion was planned and Shockoe Bottom, the major slave market in Richmond. Catered lunch and a DVD featuring a panel discussion on political prisoners will be included and before coming back to DC the tour will stop at Happily Natural Day.

Reclaim the Dream
Sat, Aug 28, 11a, Dunbar High School, 1301 New Jersey Ave, NW Washington, D.C.
47 years ago the March on Washington took place where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech. 47 years later, Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network invites you to reclaim the dream.

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Carole Simpson Raps CNN

on CNN

Former ABC News anchor Carole Simpson dominated a diversity debate on Reliable Sources. She even took issue with CNN on its equal opportunity practices, while on CNN.

Ida Jones, Port Of Harlem’s book editor and assistant curator of manuscripts at the Moorland-Springarn Research Center of Howard University, will moderate a discussion on the women’s rights movement. The discussion commemorates the 90th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which prohibits each state and the federal government from denying any citizen the right to vote because of that citizen's sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920.

The free National Park Service event takes pace at the National Archives Building, Williams G. McGowan Theater, Thursday, August 26 at 7p.