Black Voter

Manny Otiko   |   OW Contributor
Oct 28 2010

Is know-how enough?

With California currently facing major political and economic problems, now might be the time for an experience hand at the helm. At least that is what Jerry Brown believes.

Attorney General Jerry Brown is the Democratic candidate for California governor, and he is not new to the job. A life-long public servant, (or career politician depending on which way you see it), Brown served as governor for two terms in the 1970s. He has also run for president several times and served as mayor of Oakland.

Cynthia E. Griffin-  |   OW Managing Editor
Oct 28 2010

Takes an economical approach to fighting recidivism

If she wins election for California Attorney General (AG), San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris will make history as the first woman and African American to head this office. She would also hold the distinction of being the first Asian-American (AG) the state and the first South Asian-American attorney general in the United States of America because of her Indian descent.

Oct 21 2010

Los Angeles’ preeminent African American voter empowerment organization, the African American Voter Registration, Education and Participation (AAVREP) project, kicked off their general election campaign three weeks ago with a goal of registering 10,000 new voters.

This week, as the deadline for new voter registration ended, they had exceed that goal by 1,150 people.

Oct 21 2010

Tea Party, hot button issues, Obama all in the mix

On November 2, California voters will go to the polls to determine, if the nation has shifted from the “yes, we can” rhetoric of the Obama campaign to the “no you cannot” bombast of the Tea Party, according to political analysts.

This election is particularly poignant for African Americans, because it will determine the nation’s direction on job creation and significant health care reform, these analysts say. Blacks have higher unemployment rates and less access to health care than many other groups.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.
 

Alabama
Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will address the annual African American Business Council luncheon on June 28. Hrabowski, who is chairman of President Barack Obama’s Advisory Commission on Education Excellence for African Americans, has a national reputation for his work studying the performance of minority students in math and science. Hrabowski, named one of the 10 best college presidents in the country by Time magazine, was a child leader in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham in the 1960s.
 

Arkansas
The Liberty Counsel filed a motion and a brief in United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas seeking to intervene on behalf of a Concepts of Life crisis pregnancy center to defend against a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The groups seek to impose a permanent injunction before the Human Heartbeat Protection Act goes into effect July 18. Liberty Counsel also filed a brief opposing the ACLU’s request for an injunction. The “Heartbeat” bill states that when a woman seeks an abortion at or after the 12th week, doctors must test for a fetal heartbeat before an abortion is performed and inform the pregnant mother that the child in her womb has a heartbeat. If a heartbeat is detected, a woman cannot have an abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, and if a mother’s life is in danger. “As we promised when the legislation was introduced, Liberty Counsel will defend this law without reservation for the people of Arkansas, born and pre-born,” said Matt Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel. “No right is more foundational than the right to life. Without life, all other rights are irrelevant,” concluded Staver.