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Georgia Gubernatorial Candidate, Stacey Abrams, Visits Arkansas

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The Georgia gubernatorial race is becoming a national race with African Americans around the country rallying behind Democratic candidate Stacey Abrams, the first African American female nominee of a major party for governor.

Former Little Rock Mayor Lottie Shackleford hosted a reception for Abrams at Hearne Fine Art Gallery in Little Rock. Shackleford, the first female and African American mayor of Little Rock, is familiar with the expectations inherent in being “the first.”

“It’s a lot of excitement on our part as Black women,” Shackelford said. “I’m constantly saying, ‘When you look at the rungs of a ladder whether its politics or economics…White men are at the top, and Black women are on the bottom. The middle varies between Black men and White women. But, the constants are White men at the top, Black women at the bottom.’ But for us as Black women to have a black woman as a major party nominee for governor is a major accomplishment on Stacey’s part and the people of Georgia.”

 

 

At the reception, the Yale-educated lawyer and member of the Georgia state legislature, talked about her parents who worked hard to provide for their six children and stressed faith, education, and service.

“We’re running because we know we are all entitled to this dream called The American Dream,” Abrams told supporters. “We have an obligation in these days to speak truth to power.”

Voting Black in a Red State

President Donald Trump endorsed Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp , and former President Barack Obama endorsed Abrams.

“Her campaign is ignited by and connected to ‘Yes, We Can,’ the Obama campaign slogan,” Angela Burt pointed out. Burt is the president of the Dunbar Historic Neighborhood Association. “An African American female from the South…it has to be a ‘Yes, We Can.’”

Kemp, who has been Georgia’s Secretary of State since 2010, is currently under fire after several media outlets investigated and found that his official Secretary of State voter app is linked directly to the social media accounts for his campaign. The NAACP is calling for his resignation .

With 96 days until the election, Abrams and her campaign are focused on turning out the vote.

“I think it’s an indicator of the times for women,” said Bob Nash, who worked in the Clinton Administration. “She’s not just chasing windmills. She has a good chance of winning if the turnout is there, Black women and Hispanic women and men who see this as a positive for the state. The only people who will be opposed are the Trumpsters.”

Abrams defeated a White opponent, former state legislator Stacey Evans, to win the Democratic primary, and she did so with more than 70 percent of the vote ().

Abrams’ Little Rock Connection

In Little Rock, the 44-year-old recalled her first election. She ran for student body president at Spelman College and remembered the friends who believed in her. The mother of one of those friends, Dr. Annette Slater, wiped tears from her eyes as Abrams spoke.

“Hopefully, people will read her book, and she talks about her experiences,” Slater said. “She has the education, the economics, and the experience in politics. She writes about taking responsibility for the gifts God gave you.”

Abrams book, Minority Leader: How to Lead from the Outside and Make Real Change, shares insights from her years as the Minority Leader of Georgia’s House of Representatives. Representative Vivian Flowers, chair of the Arkansas Black Caucus stood among the supporters and used her cell phone to videotape Abrams’ remarks. Flowers said, “Thank you for setting a new standard, breaking barriers and creating a new normal for the country.”

 

Black History

Trump Signs Executive Orders That Will Impact HBCUs and Black Schoolchildren

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order that will provide support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and establish a White House Initiative on HBCUs to “deliver high-quality education to a growing number of students.”

According to the White House, the Initiative will help develop private-sector partnerships, institutional development and workforce preparation in technology, health care, manufacturing and finance. 

The president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Dr. Harry L. Williams said, “Today’s executive order serves as strong reaffirmation of President Trump’s support of investment of historically Black colleges and universities. This executive order should serve as a call-to-action for corporations, foundations, members of Congress and state lawmakers to redouble their efforts to support HBCUs and their students. TMCF looks forward to continued engagement with the administration and Congress to deliver results for HBCUs and the students they serve via appropriations and other legislative actions.”

On the same day, Trump signed another executive order that removes safeguards for African American schoolchildren by eliminating an Obama-era initiative to protect Black schoolchildren from excessive disciplinary action.

During the Obama administration, the first Black president’s administration created guidelines that sought to prevent school discipline from having a disproportionate effect on minority students. Trump revoked the civil rights initiative during his first term and Biden did not formally restore it. 

At his signing today, Trump said his decision was especially important to the current Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who held the signed order.

“Under the Biden-Harris Administration, schools were forced to consider equity and inclusion when imposing discipline,” McMahon said in a statement. “Their policies placed racial equity quotas over student safety – encouraging schools to turn a blind eye to poor or violent behavior in the name of inclusion.”

She added, “Disciplinary decisions should be based solely on students’ behavior and actions.

Studies show that Black students are punished more often than their white counterparts.

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President Jimmy Carter Appointed the First Black Woman to Lead a Federal Agency

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President Jimmy Carter advanced opportunities for African Americans throughout his life,
advocating for justice and peace consistent with the Christian values he embraced. Since his
death on December 29 at age 100, Mr. Carter’s praises have been sung from his home state of
Georgia to points around the globe. And while the former president’s one-term in the White
House is dismissed by some political pundits for a lack of policies or accomplishments that
changed the course of history, his character and integrity set him apart.


Carter became the first president to appoint a Black woman head of a federal agency. He chose
Patricia Roberts Harris to lead the Housing and Urban Development when he took office in
1977.


Harris said, “I feel deeply proud and grateful this President chose me to knock down this barrier, but also a little sad about being the ‘first Negro woman,’ because it implies we were not
considered before.”


Senator William Proxmire questioned Carter’s choice, saying Harris came from too much wealth and influence to be an effective leader. But Carter stood by his decision, and Harris stayed in the position for two years.


The 39th president’s name is also included on the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.


Civil rights activist, Rev. Al Sharpton recalled a conversation he shared with Carter.


“It was very significant, I was talking there at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, and I was talking to President Clinton and President Carter,” Sharpton recalled. “And when Clinton and I finished talking, President Carter touched me on my arm and said, ‘How are you doing with your ministry, Al? I see you out there with your activism. Don’t leave your ministry … keep your prayer life going.’ And you could tell he sincerely meant it. He was not one who talked about his religion as a political kind of something you could say to voters.”


President Joe Biden declared January 9, 2025, a national day of mourning. Millions watched the former president’s funeral on television as he was remembered as a man of honesty,
compassion and faith – which included championing the rights of Americans who knew firsthand the struggle of injustice

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The Congressional Black Caucus Prepares for “Important” Work

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The Congressional Black Caucus started the 119th Congress with its largest membership. There were 62 members sworn in today.

“On behalf of the entire Congressional Black Caucus, congratulations to the members of the Executive Committee of the 119th Congress. 53 years after our Caucus’ founding, our work to improve the lives and conditions of Black people in America is more important than ever before,” said CBC President Steven Horsford.

Photo Credit: Ron Busby, U.S. Black Chambers Inc.

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