By Caryn Freeman
The Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference has
brought a diverse group of activists, professionals, business leaders, policy
wonks, academics, entertainers, students and media together to discuss the most critical legislative and social issues facing African
American’s. Jobs, education, gentrification, ownership, political empowerment
and the cradle to prison pipeline were considered the central issues and of
greatest consequence to the black community.
Wednesday’s “Black Power and the 2010 Census Changing
Faces and Changing Faces in Urban Communities” sparked a discussion on
gentrification. Howard grad and panelist Shani O. Hilton, a writer for the
Washington City Paper discussed her views on young middle class blacks moving into
the cities in her March 2011 article “Confessions of a Black Gentrifier.” The
article explored young African Americans coming to grips with their role in gentrification
and distinguishing weather their presence was a part of what was displacing
other African Americans.
The audience also raised questions about what happens
to black political power as the urban demographic changes. For elected
officials the ability to make decisions about the distribution of government
resources especially in cities the power to allocate of billions of dollars of
public funds is at stake. Initially the drive for political power evolved from
the dregs of segregation. But what are the political and racial implications of
these demographic changes? Panelist Dr.
Michael Fauntroy explained the possible ramifications, “political power holds
only if the constituency stays together census suggest an altered political for
blacks is on the horizon,” he said.
Education, another rallying point drew large crowds
with varied opinions form legislators and education advocates. The blueprint
for reform seemed to be shared amongst both parties. Fostering programs that
respond to current market needs such as science, technology and math. Attracting
qualified teachers to urban communities that are skilled in these areas and
leadership in the schools themselves. Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA) talked
about the future job market facing the next generation, a high tech information
based economy. “If you don’t get an education past high school you will not get
a job in America. Under educating blacks by only to the ninth grade and then
allowing them to dropout is a violation of the constitution. Get these children
out of the cradle to prison pipeline and put some of the money we are spending
on incarceration into education and we will get more of our children past ninth
grade,” Congressman Scott told the crowd.
Another session explored the “Rise and fall and Rise
Again of the Black Middle Class.” LaPhonza Butler, President of SEIU, Services
Employees International Union, talked about organizing and jobs in the new
economy as a way blacks will make their way back into the middle class. African
Americans make 35-45% more when they are organized in a union and African Americans
are more likely to join a union over any other group in the United States. She
also talked about the explosion of jobs in healthcare in the next decade. How
does that relate to African Americans? Four million jobs between now and 2018 will be
healthcare jobs. Americans will need to be provided care and with recent
reforms it’s going to be a very different healthcare system than the system
that we know today. The number of people who will be over sixty-five in the
next ten years that is more than the total population of Canada. Butler serves
as the youngest labor leader in the country in the second largest union in the
country, SEIU. She grew up and went to
college in Mississippi. “My mom worked three jobs to put me and my two brother
through school, my father died from heart attack,” she explained, “I knew what
healthcare meant because my mom didn’t have any SEIU gave me the opportunity to
work on behalf of women like her mother.”
Journalism and media were examined in “How
Advertising in Black Media Affects Jobs.” Black journalists talked about the
images depicted of African Americans in media as a reflection of laziness not necessarily
racism. The panel emphasized the importance of having a relationship with the
local community your reporting on. “If your reporting murders talk about the
impact on the community. The lack of commitment
and research are what makes reporters and producers reach for B- roll that
supports negative stereotypes,” Camille Edwards, Vice President of News at NBC 4 told the
crowd.
“Stupid producer news,” as one audience member described it, “adds nothing to
the public discourse.” Noting that often in local news nothing is said about
education, homelessness or serious health issues.
The National Association of
Black Journalists, NABJ released the 2011 Diversity census report at the
conference highlighting significant disparities in hiring minorities to management positions at the nations leading
news outlets. The panel encouraged young journalists to pursue management
positions to help influence decisions on how images are used in an effort to reduce
the perpetual use of ruinous imagery of African Americans, particularly young
males. It seems that journalists are not
asking management what’s the news agenda or what's the public agenda or even where
is the relevance and why we are putting on this on air? These questions are typically
asked and answered by management where there is virtually no minority representation.