Page 2 The Skanner May 17, 2017
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Opinion
Trump Wages War on Obama’s Legacy in First 100 Days
T
here was the proposed
massive budget cut to
the Department of Hous-
ing and Urban Develop-
ment; the incessant rhetoric
about a rise in crime in the
nation, that lacked evidence
to back it up; the threats of a
renewed war on drugs. There
was even a failed attempt to
bully Republican lawmakers
into passing a flawed bill that
sought to roll back the Afford-
able Care Act, a law that pro-
vides healthcare to millions
of Americans.
This was President Don-
ald Trump’s first 100 days
in the White House. Trump
didn’t win a single legisla-
tive achievement during his
first 100 days. For policies
that impact the lives of Af-
rican Americans, it was just
as perilous as you thought
it would be. During the
2016 campaign, Trump often
described the Black commu-
nity as a monolithic, stereo-
typical caricature. Trump
used the types of violent
stereotypes one parrots af-
ter they’ve binge-watched 11
seasons of “Law & Order,” but
have never actually been to
an inner city.
So, much of what Donald
Trump focuses on is about un-
doing the accomplishments
of the first Black President of
the United States. The obses-
sion with “alternative facts”
Lauren
Victoria
Burke
NNPA
Columnist
and the erasure of President
Obama’s legacy continues to
be the core focus within the
Trump Administration.
Days before his 100th day
in office, Trump’s spokesman
Sean Spicer blamed President
Obama for the fiasco sur-
rounding Gen. Michael Fly-
“
ed African Americans in the
1980s and 1990s.
“We can wish that we could
just turn away and reduce
law enforcement,” said Ses-
sions in 2016. “But I do believe
that we’re going to have to
enhance prosecutions. There
just is no other solution.”
During a trip to Richmond,
Va., on April 11 Sessions said:
“We need to say, as Nancy Rea-
gan said, ‘Just say no.’ Don’t
do it…We can reduce the use
of drugs, save lives and turn
back the surge in crime that
inevitably follows in the wake
of increased drug use.”
Much of what Donald Trump fo-
cuses on is about undoing the ac-
complishments of the first Black
President of the United States
nn. Flynn, a loud supporter of
Trump during the 2016 cam-
paign, was fired by Trump
as National Security Advi-
sor on Feb. 13 and ended up
holding the position for the
shortest time in U.S. history
(24 days) after it was reported
Flynn lied to Vice President
Pence.
Trump’s Attorney Gener-
al Jeff Sessions, perhaps the
most dangerous federal offi-
cial for African Americans,
sought to revive the “War on
Drugs,” a set of policies that
disproportionately impact-
None of this should be a
surprise to the Black com-
munity. Sessions comes from
Alabama where incarceration
is high art. Placing humans
in cages is Alabama’s leading
industry. At 70, Sessions is
a stark reminder of another
era. He’s also a reminder of
how old, failed policy is dif-
ficult for so many to break
away from. With so many Re-
publicans embracing “smart
on crime” policies, Sessions
is determined to star in the
movie “Groundhog Day” on
federal crime policy.
The inmate population in
the U.S. rose from 500,000 in
1980 to 2.2 million in 2015 and
has made the U.S. No. 1 in the
rate of incarceration in the
world. When there’s an up-
tick in law enforcement, do
more police show up in Man-
hattan or the Georgetown
section of Washington, D.C.?
Of course not. A quick glance
at the stop-and-frisk statistics
the ACLU tabulated in New
York City over a ten-year pe-
riod, in an effort to identify
the communities that experi-
enced the greatest number of
interactions with police after
an elected official (in that case
former New York City Mayor
Rudy Giuliani) decided to “get
tough on crime,” tells the sto-
ry.
Pastor Darrell Scott of
Cleveland, a Trump support-
er, held a summit on gang
violence in Washington D.C.
on April 18. The focus was on
crime in Chicago and Trump
Administration officials at-
tended. Did they introduce or
invite any policy proposals to
address any of the underlying
issues that plague some of the
predominately Black neigh-
borhoods in the Windy City
(i.e., high unemployment,
high poverty, poor schools)?
Not quite yet.
Read the rest of this commentary at
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B-CU Grads Protest Betsy ‘DeVoid’ in Epic Fashion
Why I’m Proud of the B-CU Grads that Protested Education Betsy ‘DeVoid’
I
could not be more proud of
the
students
at
Bethune-Cookman Univer-
sity (B-CU) than if I had
raised them myself. Respond-
ing to the university’s very
late selection of Education
Secretary Betsy DeVos for the
spring commencement speak-
er, graduating seniors chose
to turn their backs on a wom-
an who described HBCUs as
“pioneers of school choice.”
The students’ repudiation of
DeVos’ very right to be pres-
ent was well coordinated; the
protest reflected their ability
to be sophisticated, not reac-
tive, when confronted with a
speaker that epitomizes the
very refutation of their HBCU
education. It is my hope and
dream that these students can
continue to operate in forma-
tion, as they oppose oppres-
sion.
I don’t know how DeVos
(hereafter referred to as “De-
Void,” as she is devoid of good
sense, history, literacy, and
even courtesy) came to be
B-CU’s commencement speak-
er. I suspect that the White
House (Omarosa Manigault)
made a call to offer an admin-
istration speaker and they
went for it. Maybe Trump
Whisperer Manigault’s new
hubby, Florida Rev. John Al-
len Newman, has some ties to
the college and he saw this as a
Julianne
Malveaux
NNPA
Columnist
way of burnishing his wifey’s
credentials as a HBCU savior.
Maybe there is a bunch of
Black Republicans on the
B-CU board of directors stand-
ing in the wings and hoping
“
Betsy “De-
Void,” is no
Mary McLeod
Bethune
for goodies from “45.” Truly,
this is all speculation but,
most of the time, commence-
ment speakers are secured
months before graduation.
This speaker was thrust on
students and their families
just ten days before the cere-
mony.
For most students, speakers
are the sideshows, not the
main deal in commencement,
unless the speaker is some-
one like President Barack
Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Den-
zel Washington, or Viola Da-
vis. White folks might prefer
Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep,
Wolf Blitzer or Sheryl Sand-
berg. Commencement speak-
ers are expected to spout up-
lifting platitudes, offer sage
advice, maybe share a private
challenge, and wish the grad-
uates well and do it in less
than 20 minutes. Students are
sitting at the edge of their
seats, not because they are
waiting for the punchline, but
because they want their de-
grees.
What was B-CU President
Edison Jackson thinking? In
his printed statement on May
1, he said, “The legacy of Dr.
Bethune is that she was not
constrained by political ideol-
ogy, but worked across all
parties to support B-CU.
Moreover, students are di-
rectly impacted by funding
dollars that are dispersed
through the Department of
Education. B-CU receives $4
million annually through Ti-
tle III, which supports teach-
ing, research and infrastruc-
ture. Additionally, Title IV
impacts the ability of B-CU
students to receive federal fi-
nancial aid, overall influenc-
ing
the
ascension
of
Bethune-Cookman University
students.”
Maybe President Jackson
thought he was making
friends by inviting DeVoid to
speak at B-CU’s graduation.
Actually, he made a spectacle
of the graduation by inviting
a woman who had already dis-
paraged HBCUs with her ig-
norance. And he did it in the
same week when her boss,
“45,” said (and then quickly re-
versed himself ) that he was
not sure that some federal
provisions for HBCUs, such as
the HBCU Capital Finance
Program, are constitutional.
It is odious that DeVoid has
received an honorary degree
from B-CU. What has she done
to earn it? According to Presi-
dent Jackson, “Through Sec-
retary DeVos’ life work, her
contributions extend far be-
yond her home state of Michi-
gan. Secretary DeVos has sup-
ported
educational
opportunities for students in
over 25 states and supported
Central Florida through sev-
eral philanthropic efforts: 100
Black Men of Central Florida;
Jones High School, and the
Parramore neighborhood lo-
cated in Orlando to name a
few. Secretary DeVos is a
graduate of Calvin College in
Grand Rapids, Mich. She is
the wife of community activ-
ist, entrepreneur, and philan-
thropist Dick DeVos, where
they have four adult children
and six grandchildren.” This
earns her an honorary de-
gree? Really?
Read the rest of this commentary at
TheSkanner.com
