President Obama to Deliver Back to School Speech September 14

As students begin their school year, President Barack Obama will deliver his second annual “Back to School” speech on Tuesday, September 14.

The President’s Back to School Speech is an opportunity to speak directly to students across the country. Last year, President Obama encouraged students to study hard, stay in school, and take responsibility for their education.

“Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide,” President Obama said to students last year.

President Obama’s Back to School remarks will be broadcast in schools and online nationwide. More details on the President’s speech will be announced soon.

Chairwoman Lee Statement in support of the Reclaim the Dream Rally

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, released the following statement today in support of the “Reclaim the Dream Rally” on August 28, 2010:

“Forty-seven years ago Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom to remind America of the ‘fierce urgency of now,’ which ushered in an era of sweeping civil rights legislation that fundamentally changed our nation for the better.

“Great progress in America has been made, but we still have much work to do to. We join you today to reclaim our dream for jobs and justice.

“Conservative activists are bent on thwarting progress and are also aiming to turn back the clock to a time when the ‘riches of freedom and the security of justice’ that Dr. King spoke of were denied to many Americans. Some are even attempting to hijack and pervert the legacy of Dr. King and the spirit of that which brought us together seeking a better America.

“Against this backdrop it is fitting that we rekindle the spirit of that earlier effort. I applaud the organizers of the ‘Reclaim the Dream Rally’ for spearheading the effort to honor and remind us all of the enduring legacy of Dr. King. We will move forward to reclaim our dream to provide jobs for all, a good education for our children, a clean environment, to build schools instead of prisons, for universal health care for all, and yes, to study war no more.”

Kagan Confirmed to Supreme Court

Elena Kagan will be the third women on the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Senate voted today 61 to 31 to confirm the former solicitor general.

“The Lawyers’ Committee is pleased with the bipartisan vote in confirming Elena Kagan as Associate Justice to the U.S. Supreme Court,” said Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Barbara Arnwine. “In her historic appointment as the fourth woman to ever serve on the high court, and as the third woman on the current bench, we expect and hope that she will rule in the mode of her predecessor, Justice John Paul Stevens, and her mentor, Justice Thurgood Marshall.”
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100 Years and Counting, National Urban League Keeps Pushing Forward

As the National Urban League wraps up its centennial anniversary convention in Washington, D.C., the organization has made a very compelling case for its continued relevance.

Not only did President Obama deliver a passionate speech on the urgency of education reform, but he did so fully acknowledging the continued work the Urban League is doing in inner cities across the country.

That’s the continued power of the Urban League.

Whitney M. Young, who served as Urban League president from 1961 until 1971, once said, “ Civil Rights is more than just the passage of legislation…more than the adoption of a new policy by the company—more than the removal of a sign or a vulgar symbol…Civil Rights, as we define it, is equalizing the life chances of a human being.”

Those words are as true today as they were back then. If progress among African-Americans is to continue, life chances, even with a Black president, have to move more toward parity.

The parity includes education equality, equal opportunity in the workplace, equal access to capital, and true due process in the courtroom.

At it’s big black-tie gala Saturday night at the Washington, D.C., Convention Center, the Urban League honored Maya Angelou, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Levar Burton, and Alfre Woodard as “Living Legends” for their work to advance the standing of African-Americans through their work and life. Each honoree broke through barriers with sheer hard work and dedication. We should let their lives serve as an example for us all.

The Urban League’s motto is “I am Empowered.” African-Americans should used the organizations 100-year example of empowerment as a model to fight for injustice wherever it exists.

“These are challenging times for urban communities,” Urban League CEO Marc H. Morial said, “as the nation faces an almost unprecedented employment crisis, growing division among our elected leaders and the economic and environmental disaster on the Gulf Coast.”

Let’s all vow to join the struggle for the next 100 years.

Black Caucus Submits Questions for Sup. Court Nominee Elena Kagan

As Senate hearings begin today, the Congressional Black Caucus sent questions to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick J. Leahy requesting that Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan be asked to respond.

The letter signed by CBC Chair, Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Chair of the CBC Judicial Nominations Taskforce, applauds Kagan’s outstanding background and President Obama for nominating “a person who understands the real-world consequences of judicial decisions.” However, the CBC submitted questions to clarify issues related to race and criminal justice.

The complete letter is below.

June 28, 2010

Senator Patrick J. Leahy
Chairman
Committee on the Judiciary
224 Dirsken Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Chairman Leahy:

The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) believes that Elena Kagan possesses outstanding academic and professional credentials, and applauds President Obama for nominating a person who understands the real-world consequences of judicial decisions. However, the CBC has questions about the more »

Statement by the President Obama on National HIV Testing Day

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of AIDS is six times higher in African-Americans than among Whites. The following is a statement from President Obama on National HIV Testing Day.

“This Sunday is National HIV Testing Day, an occasion to raise awareness of the steps each of us can take as individuals to fight HIV/AIDS. As we mark this day, I would like to renew my call for all Americans to help reduce the risk of infection by getting tested for HIV and learning their HIV status. One in five Americans who are currently living with HIV– more than 230,000 people — do not know their status. The majority of HIV infections are spread by those who are unaware that they have the disease. And research shows that people who know their status take better care of themselves and take steps to reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to others. That is why it is so important that people get tested.

In recent years, we have made huge advances in HIV research, prevention and care. Still, HIV and AIDS remains an epidemic in this country. That is why my Administration is launching in the coming days a comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy focused onreducing new HIV infections, increasing access to care, and reducing HIV-related health disparities. But government cannot address this important issue alone. We need the commitment of businesses, churches and faith groups, philanthropic organizations, the scientific and medical communities, educational institutions and others. And all of us have a responsibility to reduce our risk and know our status, to continue to support those already affected by this disease, and to fight the stigma and discrimination people still face. So on this National HIV Testing Day, let us all recommit to do our part to help stop the spread of HIV and AIDS.”

First Lady Michelle Obama Has Busy Weekend Planned for G20 Summit

First Lady Michelle Obama will travel to Toronto, Canada to participate in the G20 Summit spousal program this weekend. On Saturday, Mrs. Obama will join President Obama at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, where a special arrival ceremony will take place. She will then attend a spousal dinner. Sunday morning, she will attend a brunch that will include Canadian women of distinction.

President Obama Calls Afghan President Karzai

In a call earlier today, President Obama informed President Hamid Karzai of his decision to accept General Stanley McChrystal’s resignation and his intent to nominate General David Petraeus to assume command of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. Both leaders expressed admiration and praise for General McChrystal’s leadership and service over the past year. President Obama underscored that this personnel change in no way impacts United States policy in Afghanistan or the level of our commitment to Afghanistan’s future. The President also emphasized that the United States and Afghanistan must continue to work together to sustain the momentum against the Taliban building on the constructive VTC that the two leaders held yesterday. President Karzai welcomed the nomination of General Petraeus and assured President Obama that he would take all steps necessary to support a successful transition.

Family of Black Tea Party Supporters Speak Out Against President Obama

From top to bottom: Lloyd Marcus (onstage at a Tea Party rally in Washington, D.C.), his father Lloyd Marcus Sr., and his brother Aaron Marcus (both at the same rally).

White House Issues New Flow Rate Estimates on Oil Spill

Based on updated information and scientific assessments, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and Chair of the National Incident Command’s Flow Rate Technical Group (FRTG) Dr. Marcia McNutt (Director of the U.S. Geological Survey) today announced an improved estimate of how much oil is flowing from the leaking BP well.

Secretary Chu, Secretary Salazar, and Dr. McNutt convened a group of federal and independent scientists on Monday to discuss new analyses and data points obtained over the weekend to produce updated flow rate estimates. Working together, U.S. government and independent scientists estimate that the most likely flow rate of oil today is between 35,000 and 60,000 barrels per day. The improved estimate is based on more and better data that is now available and that helps increase the scientific confidence in the accuracy of the estimate.
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