Rev Al Sharpton: Celebrate Progress, Challenges Remain

Al Sharpton: A new battle in 2013

Al Sharpton 11:49 p.m. EDT August 23, 2013

Recent court rulings show need to march on Washington again.

(Photo: Win McNamee, Getty Images)

When I hear people discuss the civil rights movement, I often pause to listen. No matter how well they may know the history of non-violent marches, Martin Luther King Jr.'s leadership, segregation, police brutality, boycotts, water hoses, bulldogs and more, they often speak of the struggle in a past tense. It's as if the fight for equality is somehow over and Dr. King's dream fully realized.
Though black people may no longer be forced to drink from separate water fountains or sit at the back of the bus, justice across all levels of society has yet to be fulfilled. I often say that we have much to

Al Sharpton: A new battle in 2013

Al Sharpton 11:49 p.m. EDT August 23, 2013

Recent court rulings show need to march on Washington again.

(Photo: Win McNamee, Getty Images)

From USA Today:


When I hear people discuss the civil rights movement, I often pause to listen. No matter how well they may know the history of non-violent marches, Martin Luther King Jr.'s leadership, segregation, police brutality, boycotts, water hoses, bulldogs and more, they often speak of the struggle in a past tense. It's as if the fight for equality is somehow over and Dr. King's dream fully realized.
Though black people may no longer be forced to drink from separate water fountains or sit at the back of the bus, justice across all levels of society has yet to be fulfilled. I often say that we have much to celebrate in terms of progress, but more challenges remain for us and for the generation that follows.

Historic Bond Ties African-Americans and Independents Together

The Historic Bond that Ties African-Americans and Independents Together
By Bob Friedman

Last week I joined Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network on the march from Selma to Montgomery. I am one of the 40% of Americans who are independent of both of the major parties. Back in the days of Ross Perot, the media called guys like me "angry white men."


Along the route, I spoke with many people and brought greetings from Dr. Lenora Fulani, the country’s leading African American independent with whom I’ve worked closely and from IndependentVoting.org, the country’s largest organization of independent voters of which I’m a part.

I have been an independent activist concerned with voters’ rights for many years. In Birmingham, as chair of the Petitioners Alliance, I helped lead the first citywide Initiative & Referendum movement. With Senator Hank Sanders, one of the sponsors of this historic march, I wrote legislation to open access to the Alabama ballot. And with Rep. Demetrius Newton, I designed legislation for proportional democratic selection of presidential electors. As independents, we fight for reforms that not only protect the right to vote. They increase the power of the vote.

For this march, I was proud to have fellow independents Mark Bodenhausen and Lorna Lindsey join me for the historic bridge crossing in Selma. Lorna had never been to a major demonstration before. We added our voices to the call for an end to voter ID laws that suppress the full participation of all our citizens. Independents have experienced disenfranchisement ourselves. We know that when partisan interests wave a flag about so-called voter fraud in an election year, you can pretty much count on the fact that they’re doing it for partisan reasons, not to protect our democracy.

Partisanship is destroying our democracy and making our government incapable of moving our country forward. I far from alone in this concern. Right now, our Congress has a 97% disapproval rating. Most Americans look at Congress and see how partisan its behavior is and feel angry that our government is not working for them.

We need to broaden participation in our democracy, not narrow it. We need to make sure that no American is turned away from the polls because they don’t have the right ID. And that means photo ID, State ID and political ID. In 26 states, independents are prevented from voting in primaries, not because they don’t have an ID, but because they don’t belong to a party! That’s just wrong.

There is an historic bond that ties African Americans and independents together. That bond is based on our shared belief that our democracy must work for everyone, not just the powerful, not just the parties—but for the people!

Bob Friedman
Birmingham, AL 
205-701-2799

Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network Celebrates MLK

NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK
Birthday salute to Dr. King at National Action   (By HERB BOYD Special to the AmNews) There's not enough room here to recount all the speeches and comments, and there were some precious ones from Erica Ford on stopping the violence; from Dr. Lenora Fulani, who reminded listeners that "poverty is also violence"; and from City Comptroller John Liu, who announced that without King, "I wouldn't be standing here today," he said.

Rev. Al Sharpton on MSNBC: Cable News Wants More "Pop"

SHARPTON
Hiring Of Sharpton By MSNBC Follows Larger Trend (WNYC/NPR) That kind of hiring is somewhat of a trend, he says. Other examples include Eliot Spitzer at CNN and Fox News hiring Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee. "I think what we're seeing increasingly is that cable news executives are looking for people who pop on screen and will get people to watch the shows," Deggans says.

Rev. Al Sharpton Honoring MLK with Jobs March on Washington Sat. Aug. 27

LAST WORD
Tourists, locals alike honored by King memorial (By BEN NUCKOLS, Bloomberg Businessweek) Hundreds of people slowly filed through the entrance to the 4-acre memorial site on a warm, sunny Monday morning in the nation's capital. Before reaching the sculpture, they passed through two pieces of granite carved to resemble the sides of a mountain. About 50 feet ahead stands the 30-foot-tall sculpture by Chinese artist Lei Yixin. King appears to emerge from a stone extracted from the mountain, facing southeast across the Tidal Basin to the Jefferson Memorial.


Rev. Al Sharpton To March For Jobs In D.C.

Written by NewsOne Staff on August 22, 2011 4:47 pm

Rev. Al Sharpton and National Action Network (NAN) will hold a mass march for jobs and justice on Saturday, August 27, 2011 in Washington, D.C.
The rally and march is expected to attract thousands of members of the civil rights community.
Martin Luther King III, Tom Joyner, CEO of the National Urban League Marc Morial, NAACP President Ben Jealous, and other notable figures are scheduled to lead the march and speak to attendees.
The march will begin on Constitution Ave NW and 17th Street NW at 1:30pm and progress to the King Memorial site on Ohio Drive, SW and West Basin Drive, SW.
According to a press release, NAN’s goal to emphasize what it was that gave Dr. King such an exalted place in American history.
NAN states:

It was his work for civil rights and labor rights that made him the historic figure he has become. It was near the grounds of his monument that he was planning a tent city for poor people when he was killed. NAN will use the occasion of August 27th to raise this unfinished business and challenge those that seek to undo what Dr. King tried to do for working people and labor in this country.

“There are relatively few moments in our lives that make history; The weekend of August 27th & 28th will be one for the history books as we not only commemorate the 48th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream Speech’, but also when the world bears witness to the unveiling of the national King Memorial,”  Rev. Sharpton shared in a statement released today.

Independent voters say 54 - 40 percent the United States should not be in Afghanistan.

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• November 18, 2010 - American Voters Say Ban Cell Phones While Driving, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Support For War In Afghanistan Collapses --  Independent voters say 54 - 40 percent the United States should not be in Afghanistan.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Open primaries in case of democracy (By Rosa Scarcelli, Bangor Daily News) There’s a clear choice missing among those wishing to advocate change to Maine’s election system. Missing is discussion of a reform that would be easy and inexpensive to implement as well as effective in increasing voter participation and reducing the negative campaign tactics associated with the political fringes. The change I’m talking about is open primaries.
• Guest opinion: First, look in the mirror (GREG CUSACK, Des Moines Register) Abolish the caucus system, moving either to open primaries or to a ranking primary election in which the two or three candidates garnering the most votes proceed to the general election. Only in this way will we eliminate the steady march to the ideological extremes that characterize our times.
• Quinn lobbies for "open" primary legislation (by Sean Crawford, WBEZ 91.5)

ELECTION REFORM

• Drawing will choose Calif. redistricting finalists (By JULIET WILLIAMS Associated Press, Mercury News) The General Assembly will likely shelve Quinn's changes as party leaders use primaries as a way to keep tabs on who is voting and  target them  for campaign donations.

BLOOMBERG 2012

• Michael Bloomberg: An Independent Presidential Candidate Can't Win in 2012 (Posted by Stephanie Condon, CBS News)

COLORADO

• Wilson declared victor in HD 61 race - 'Undervotes' up Curry's tally, but not by enough (Gunnison Country Times)

NEW YORK

• Independence Expenditures - Echoes of Bloomberg's own CFB rebuttal and Nora Anderson in the Haggerty case (By Chris Bragg, City Hall News)

EDUCATION REFORM

• Sharpton: Obama, Congress must act on failing education to stop a national crisis of black and white (BY REV. AL SHARPTON, SPECIAL TO THE DAILY NEWS)
• We Know How to Teach Black Kids (By: John McWhorter, The Root)

NYC DP Pols Resist Support for Nonpartisan Elections

NYC CHARTER REVISION

• City Leaders Blast Proposal To End Partisan Primaries (By: NY1 News)
• A vote for open primaries (Crain's New York) Seven years after voters decisively rejected a proposed system of nonpartisan elections, the commission reviewing the City Charter is considering the question again. The panel believes open primaries—in which the top two finishers advance to the general election—would help reverse a decline in voter turnout that has continued since the public chose to keep the current system. Voters should be given the choice this November to reconsider their 2003 decision.
• Rev. Al Sharpton clashes with Mayor Bloomberg and pet cause calling for nonpartisan elections (BY KATHLEEN LUCADAMO, DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU) "We can't allow people to drive us away from the empowerment of our community," said Sharpton. He added, "If we end up with no party....We go back to Ground Zero."
• No Easy Answers In Charter Review (By DOMENICK RAFTER, Queens Tribune) On non-partisan elections, most commissioners agreed that the current process is unfair to most voters. Commissioner Fiala said that there were more than three quarters of a million voters in New York City not registered in a party, thus meaning they could not vote in partisan primaries, which is where most elections in the city are decided.
• Non-Partisan Elections (Brennan Center for Justice/ReformNY) Just a few short weeks ago, it looked like the issue of non-partisan elections was dead for the City Charter Revision Commission. In the past few days, however, there appeared to be a serious pushback -- claims of its demise were said to be premature.

Check here for VIDEO of community and expert testimony before the NYC Charter Revision Commission

Independent (Youth) Week in NYC: Charter Revision Hearings and National Action Network Conference

Last week was a busy one here in NYC for independents and youth, and independent youth:  2 public hearings for the NYC Charter Revision Commission, one in 'da Bronx on Monday and one on Staten Island on Tuesday, where young independent activists are speaking out in favor of nonpartisan elections. Then off to the National Action Network conference at the Sheraton in Manhattan where Dr. Lenora Fulani brought the house down at the Education panel discussion, calling on the conference to "close the discussion on the achievement gap," and start paying attention to scientific breakthroughs in human development, discussions that are taking place internationally but that US leadership refuses to investigate.

"...Here in the US, we are doing publicity tours with Newt Gingrich to promote public awareness of the problem. With all due respect to Reverend Sharpton and my sisters and brothers in the National Action Network, that is insufficient for Black America and for all America..."

Dr. Fulani is recognized as having created the contemporary independent movement with her historic run for President in 1988 when she became the first woman and first African American to ever be on the ballot in all 50 states. She ran as an independent, collecting over 1.5 million signatures nationally and a quarter of a million votes. Fulani is a co-founder of the All Stars Project, Inc. and founder and director of Operation Conversation: Cops and Kids.

Up this week, Charter Revision hearings tonight in Queens and Tuesday night in Brooklyn. Watch the April 19 Charter Commission Hearing Live from Long Island City, at LaGuardia Community College, via Webcast at 6pm Monday.

Meanwhile...

• Voters in West Virginia  and North Carolina are becoming more independent.
• Oregon  Washington experience says YES! to Top Two open primary. [Thanks to Richard Winger at Ballot Access News for this correction. Apologies for my East-Coast-centricity! All you West Coast states don't *really* look alike -- but you do have a certain independent streak that I really appreciate!]
• 5 out of 6 Pennsylvania gov candidates support open primaries (bill introduced by Eugene DePasquale) for the Keystone State.
• California Dem Party rejects open primaries.
• Florida Gov Charlie Crist says he's not gonna run for re-election as an independent but lots of folks wish he would.
• Nationally speaking, the Top Two right now are Barack Obama and Ron Paul.
• Today's Pew Research polls finds Americans are living in Distrust, Discontent, Anger and Partisan Rancor.

Conversations on Civil Disobedience

Watch Lindsay Campbell's mobLOGIC.tv coverage of the Sean Bell protest Wednesday....

NEW YORK, NY May 09, 2008 —Gov. David Paterson said he'll let federal officials and the NYPD finish up their investigations into the fatal shooting of Sean Bell before implementing his own changes, like the use of a special prosecutor. (WNYC)

More details of Gov Paterson's statement on NY1

Posted May 9, 2008 – Wednesday’s massive rally denouncing the acquittal of three NYPD detectives who killed Sean Bell, an unarmed young Black man, was just the beginning, says the Rev. Al Sharpton, who has promised to bring New York to a standstill until justice is served. (BET)

And more from BET here......

and from i live in my truck, more footage....

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Senators to test McCain's independent clout (USA TODAY)
• Democrat registrations on the rise (KHAS-TV - Nebraska)

CAMPAIGN

• Obama's Consolidation of the Party (Matt Stoller, Huffington Post)
• The Superdelegate Problem (Alternet)
• Tales from the Trail: Did Rush help Hillary in Indiana? (Reuters blog)

SEAN BELL PROTEST * Sharpton: 'Conyers Wants To See For Self'- Congressman To Visit Scene Of Bell's Death, Sharpton Says At Rally (WNBC)

50 Shots. No Justice, No Peace.

I shared a cell last night with Lindsay Campbell, host of MobLogic.TV's daily program, after being arrested at the entrance of the Brooklyn Bridge just yards away from One Police Plaza in the Sean Bell protest organized by Rev. Al Sharpton. Tune in tomorrow for a glimpse of the mass arrest of 216 protesters.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

CAMPAIGN

• Clinton continues despite dire predictions (USA TODAY) David Parker, a Democratic National Committee member and lawyer in Statesville, N.C., said letting the race continue is "good for the party because it brings those white independent voters over to the Democratic side, and we will need them in the fall."
• Clinton looks like a winner in West Virginia. Obama hopes pinned on independent voters (CHARLESTON, W.Va. Prime Buzz)

NORTH CAROLINA

• Primary prods a few superdelegates (News Observer) The Obama campaign estimated it knocked on 500,000 doors, including 200,000 on election day.
• Non-Democrats Influenced Ind., N.C. Vote (CBS News)

REFORM
Redistricting: Making it fair (Jacksonville Times-Union)

SEAN BELL PROTEST

• NYPD Arrests 216 Protesters (About/Civil Liberties blog)
• Sean Bell Protesters Slow City; Sharpton, Paterson Will Meet (NY Sun)
• Sean Bell Protest Hits Brooklyn (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Dems buoyed by new voter sign-ups in Az, U.S. (Tucson Citizen) That 18 percent jump in total voter registration includes 108,000 new Democrats, 116,000 additional Republicans and 196,000 voters affiliated with no political party with ballot status.
• Students, Nuns, Denied RIGHT to Vote in Indiana Today Following Supreme Court Approval of State Photo ID Restrictions (The Brad Blog)
• Libertarian trio seek Boulder County seats (Longmont Times-Call)
• It's another big night for Obama (Detroit Free Press)
• So far, a split (Philadelphia Daily News/Associated Press)

SHARPTON BELL PROTEST TODAY

• CLOSING THE CITY (BET News)
• Day of protest over Bell case may mean potential nightmare for commuters (DAILY NEWS)
• Officials prepare for Bell verdict protests (Newsday)
• In wake of acquitals, anger simmers New York (Final Call)
• Detectives Union Heads To D.C. To Discuss Bell Verdict (WNBC)
• Bell Supporters Plan Civil Disobedience Acts Across The City (NY 1)

Lenora Fulani: Sean Bell verdict shows much more to do on issues of racial justice

April 26, 2008

My name is Lenora Fulani and I represent hundreds of thousands of independent New Yorkers – black, white, Latino and Asian – who believe in fairness and justice for all people. We are deeply saddened and angry over yesterday’s verdict in the Sean Bell case.

There has been progress in this city, under the firm leadership of Rev. Al Sharpton, with respect to issues of racial justice. His voice has been passionate and consistent. He has done more to take us out of extreme polarization and recurrent racial violence than he is ever given credit for. But, as the verdict in the Bell case shows, there is much more to do.

Even as we give expression to our rage – through civil disobedience and other actions Rev. Sharpton calls for – we must continue all efforts for the fundamental cultural changes required to eliminate the racialism that permeates our institutions.

No police department, no judge, no court of public opinion, will be fair until we can bring about the cultural and human development that takes us beyond race-based biases that are deeply rooted in them. This is a painful truth for the black community and for all who seek justice. But we must face it and act accordingly. Even as we follow Rev. Sharpton’s lead in protest, we must be sure to keep our eye on the long term prize.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Everything Obama in Harlem:

• Obama’s Color Line (By Juan Williams-NY Times)


• Bloomberg, Obama set to chat over breakfast Following Sen. Obama's successful night of fundraising at the Apollo (WABC)


• Obama brings his message to Harlem (Chicago Tribune)


• Campaign splits Jacksons-Jacqueline for Hillary, Jesse for Barack (Chicago Sun Times)


• Reverend Al Sharpton is undecided about backing Barack Obama (NY Daily News)


• Obama Plays the Apollo (NY Post)


• Obama Targets Harlem Audience at the Apollo (Columbia Spectator)


• Obama Takes His Campaign to Harlem (NY Times)


• Obama Gets His Morning Coffee With Bloomberg (The Atlantic-Marc Ambinder)

CNN/YouTube Debate:

• CNN Debate Winner-CNN Polls Show Ron Paul Winner of Debate (Black Hills SD News)

Open primaries: The Parties vs. The People:

• Idaho: Closed primaries thrown out-Judge dismisses lawsuit from 71 GOP members-link to ruling (Magic Valley Times-News)


• Virginia: Pledge of Allegiance (By Tobin Harshaw-NY Times Opinionator)

pq

Just a New York conversation without independent voters...

They'll quote former New York mayor Ed Koch, they'll interview Rev. Al Sharpton (who calls Michael Bloomberg "Ross Perot with a resume"...(The Economist). But they won't call two-time independent presidential candidate Lenora Fulani, or president of the Committee for an Independent Party Jackie Salit (who ran Mayor Bloomberg's independent 2001 mayoral campaign in New York, giving him the margin of victory and winning him the election), nor will they pick up the phone and call independent voters... It's a curious world where empty conversations rule the day in the media.

Rev. Al Sharpton says black voters should focus on issues

Sharpton spoke at the NAACP Freedom Weekend and says black voters haven't yet been "invited to the prom"....

Hillary, Obama, Sharpton, independent and black voters

Hillary's numbers are dropping and Obama's are rising among independents in New York.... and a South Carolina poll shows similar results, particularly among black voters... which puts Clinton supporters in a tough spot..... Rev. Sharpton's endorsement is on the line....

Lenora Fulani honored

Dr. Lenora Fulani, the first woman and first African American to ever be on the ballot in all 50 states when she ran for President in 1988 as an independent, was honored on Friday by the New York chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. Also honored was state Sen. Eric Adams, co-founder of 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care. Fulani was cited for her work to bring cops and kids together in dialogue in a project called "Operation Conversation", begun after the violent shooting of Sean Bell in Queens, NY. She reported on the project this weekend at Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network conference.

Fulani also had words with NY1's Dominic Carter at the conference...

Main attraction remains the Hillary/Obama showdown--what will Sharpton do?

Here's a collection of very smart observations by Pamela Wallin , a consultant on Canadian-U.S. relations, corporate director, author and former news anchor for CTV and CBC in the Canadian Pembroke Daily Observer: "...Ironically, these two barrier breakers seem to have taken away - from each other - the very advantage that gender and skin colour once afforded them. That said, most agree, Obama may be standing in the world's most dangerous spot - between Hillary Clinton and the White House...."

No doubt, Al Sharpton is in "deep thought" right now. Let's hope he makes the right decision!