Church coalition supports suit against Wal-Mart
Urges Supreme Court to uphold women’s rights
WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) strongly supports the class-action lawsuit brought by female Wal-Mart employees. This case represents the largest such gender lawsuit in history and highlights Wal-Mart’s systemic discriminatory practices.
Lawyers for women suing the nation’s largest retailer built their case on affidavits from more than 100 workers and a statistical model showing that while women make up 80 percent of the company’s hourly workers, they account for only 30 percent of its managers. They allege pay discrepancies, unequal promotion policies and a male-dominated management. NBCI abhors discrimination in any form and stands by these women to seek justice.
As a national organization committed to eradicating racial disparities, we reached out to Wal-Mart to create a strategic partnership. As a corporate giant, Wal-Mart has the resources and scope to enact real change nationwide and we were eager to enact programming to benefit African Americans.
Unfortunately, we came to discover that Wal-Mart’s priority was to brutally crush competition and exploit their workers, especially minority women. We refuse to partner with an organization whose commitment to their employees and the community is so easily broken—Wal-Mart should be forced to adhere to the standards that we as Americans deserve.
Wal-Mart has proven to be a company resistant to innovation within its work force and community. Their primary motivation is profit—at any cost. They undermine small businesses while maximizing their own profit margins. Despite the fact that their profit margins are wide, they are unwilling to compensate their employees fairly.
The church is appalled that Wal-Mart would make its profits on the backs of women and children by systematically underpaying them, degrading their human spirit.”
NBCI urges the Supreme Court to uphold the rights of these women, women who in an effort to support themselves and their families have been subjected to discrimination and exploitation. We will fight to achieve justice and hold Wal-Mart accountable for its actions.
The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI) is a coalition of 34,000 African American and Latino churches working to eradicate racial disparities in healthcare, technology, education, housing and the environment. NBCI’s mission is to provide critical wellness information to all of its members, congregants, churches and the public. The NBCI’s methodology is utilizing faith and sound health science. The National Black Church Initiative’s purpose is to partner with major organizations and officials whose main mission is to reduce racial disparities in the variety of areas cited above. NBCI offers faith-based, out-of-the-box and cutting-edge solutions to stubborn economic and social issues. NBCI’s programs are governed by credible statistical analysis, science-based strategies and techniques, and methods that work. Visit our website at www.naltblackchurch.com.
As the drama surrounding the Supreme Court’s consideration of the legitimacy of the Affordable HealthCare and Patient Protection Act (Obamacare) continues to deepen and to attract widespread intellectual, legal and political attention, certain things are already clear. The healthcare industry does fall within the boundaries of the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution, and Congress does have the authority to regulate interstate commerce.
In 1961 the Freedom Riders were young, unafraid and bold enough to believe they could make a difference and combat Jim Crow segregation and bigotry in the Deep South.
The four courageous California college students—Edward Johnson, Robert Farrell, and Helen and Robert Singleton—participated in the rides, seeking to improve the lives of their southern brothers and sisters while clearly endangering their own.
Before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat and move to the back of the bus in Montgomery, Ala., 15-year-old Claudette Colvin had refused to yield her seat to a White passenger on March 2, 1955, and was arrested.
Parks’ similar act followed on December 1 of the same year.
Born Sept. 5, 1939, Colvin understood early what injustice was.
According to one report, she had been inspired by her ancestors who endured and fought the institution of slavery.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Continuing to push her theme “getting smart on crime” Kamala Harris was sworn in as the 32nd California attorney general and simultaneously became the first woman, African American and South Asian American to serve in the post.
With nearly 20 years of courtroom experience as a prosecutor, Harris is a litigator who takes a hard line against violent crime, especially victimization of children, but also understands that getting tough on crime and filling up prisons is not the only answer.
LOS ANGELES - A judge has issued a temporary restraining order preventing any new elephants at the Los Angeles Zoo until a hearing is held next month, according to a lawyer for the man who filed the taxpayer lawsuit.
Attorney David Casselman, who represents Aaron Leider, said the directive handed down by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge John Shepard Wiley is good through Oct. 25, when he and Leider will ask that no additional elephants be brought to the zoo until after a Nov. 2 trial is completed.
