The New Frontier Democratic Club, known for its commitment to civic engagement and leadership, recently celebrated its 64th Installation Dinner on April 14. This noteworthy event brought together community leaders, activists, and politicians to recognize and inspire ongoing efforts in democratic engagement.
During the early 1990s, Ward Connerly, then-President of the California Civil Rights Initiative Campaign, was the leading African American supporting Proposition (Prop) 209, the ballot initiative that outlawed Affirmative Action in California in 1996.
The Coalition for A Just and Equitable California (CJEC), a reparations advocacy group, is inviting residents of Northern California to attend a “Listening Session” to discuss reparations.
Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) summed up what he viewed as the reason for low turnout and public engagement at the ninth meeting of the California Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African Americans.
Today the California State Assembly voted to pass ACA 5. The bill authored by Assemblymember Dr. Shirley Weber (D-San Diego), chair of the California Legislative Black Caucus, sponsored the bill. This could allow Californians to vote on Affirmative action in the November 2020 general election.
Last week, African American activists confronted affirmative action opponents on a Zoom town hall a conservative Republican candidate organized. At least one Republican elected official attended the event that the Silicon Valley Chinese Association Foundation (SVCAF) supported.
After decades of relentless political indifference, reparations for slavery have finally arrived at the forefront of national American politics. Practically every 2020 Democratic presidential candidate has embraced the concept to some degree. Many of them attended Al Sharpton’s National Action Network convention in April and promised to sign H.R. 40 if elected president. However, many Black Americans remain concerned as to how substantial the candidates’ plans for reparations truly are. Are candidates making reparations a real priority, or has the term merely become the latest buzzword, guaranteed to garner applause on a debate stage?