SHEIKHA LATIFA AL MAKTOUM OF DUBAI: IS SHE DEAD OR ALIVE? (HUMAN RIGHTS OF WOMEN)

PRINCESS SHEIKHA LATIFA AL MAKTOUM OF DUBAI:

IS LATIFA DEAD OR HAS SHE BEEN IMPRISONED AGAIN?

DID INDIA HELP TO SEAL LATIFA'S FATE?

PLEASE PRAY FOR LATIFA.

DUBAI IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO VISIT BUT WHAT ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS?

HOW MUCH FREEDOM ARE UAE WOMEN IN 21st CENTURY ALLOWED?


Post Sources: BBC News, Forbes, Independent.co.uk, NDTV, Youtube


*******Dubai princess: UN asked to intervene over ruler's daughter 'detained against her will' after failed escape from UAE


Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammad al-Maktoum tried to flee in February 2018.

The lawyers representing an Emirati princess believed to be detained in the UAE have asked the UN to urgently intervene to help secure her release.

Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammad al-Maktoum – the daughter of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum – tried to escape the UAE in February before the boat she was on was allegedly intercepted off the coast of India and she was forcibly returned home.

“The whereabouts of Sheikha Latifa is currently unknown. However, given the circumstances and reports in the media, it is believed that she is in the custody of the UAE authorities, detained against her will,” Toby Cadman, of law firm Guernica 37 International Justice Chambers, told The Independent.

As such, he added: “She is subject to ‘enforced or involuntary disappearance’ – and further, if it is confirmed that she is in the custody of the UAE authorities, she is being ‘arbitrarily detained’.”

Tiina Jauhiainen, a Finnish friend of Ms Maktoum’s, told Human Rights Watch she was also involved in the escape attempt, and that the two of them left the UAE in late February, boarding a boat belonging to French-American dual citizen, Herve Jaubert.

Guernica 37 is also representing Mr Jaubert and Ms Jauhiainen.

On 4 March the boat was intercepted by armed men, said Ms Jauhiainen, off the coast of India and they were forcibly returned to the UAE.

Upon Ms Maktoum’s disappearance, a video was released in which she said: “I’m making this video because it could be the last video I make.”

Guernica 37 has now lodged an appeal with the UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture.

“We alleged that both [the UAE and India] are responsible for the enforced disappearance of Sheikha Latifa,” said Toby Cadman.

The UN working groups now have to decide whether to pass on the communication to those two countries, Mr Cadman said.

“Once communicated to the concerned states they will be invited to respond as a matter of urgency. They can refuse or decline to respond or they can respond to the substance of the allegations.

“We would encourage both states to respond and to clearly set out where she is being detained, why, and to release her forthwith. We will then urge the UN to take greater action in securing her immediate release.”

An Indian English-language newspaper reported that the Indian Coast Guard intercepted the boat, at the behest of Emirati authorities – something denied by both India and the UAE.

A source close to the Dubai government said in April that the princess was “brought back” to the Gulf country.

But while Ms Jauhiainen was later released, after being forced to sign a confession in Arabic, Ms Maktoum has not been let go, according to the source.

“UAE authorities should immediately reveal the whereabouts of Sheikha Latifa, confirm her status, and allow her contact with the outside world,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Human Rights Watch’s Middle East director.

“If she is detained she needs to be given the rights all detainees should have, including being taken before an independent judge.”

Radha Stirling, the founder of Detained in Dubai, an international authority on UEA law, told The Independent that she last spoke to Ms Maktoum as the yacht was allegedly being raided off the coast of India, and she has not been heard from since.

“All their communications were then severed, and we believe there was electronic warfare aircraft” above the boat, blocking contact with the outside world.

And while Ms Jauhiainen and the crew members were held in the UAE for three weeks, and threatened not to speak out about the case, they are now doing so as they believe it is the only way to help Ms Maktoum be freed.

“At first they were very nervous, of course,” said Ms Stirling. “But they thought it was the only way for Latifa to have a chance at freedom.”

Ms Maktoum had previously tried to escape in 2002, she said in the video released in March, but UAE authorities stopped her at the border, returned her to Dubai and held her in a detention facility, where she was tortured, for three years.

At this weekend’s Kentucky Derby, friends in the US skydiving community flew a banner saying: “DUBAI, WHERE IS PRINCESS LATIFA?”

Ms Stirling is quietly optimistic the renewed focus on her case will mean she might soon be released.

“We are hopeful. It becomes very difficult for them when you have the UN involved and Human Rights Watch, and the whole world talking about it – it looks extremely bad for them to keep her locked up.

“She has faced torture and abuse and detention, and forced medication for years. An assurance from the government of the UAE isn’t enough – people aren’t going to stop campaigning for her absolute freedom.”

The Emirati authorities have not responded to a request for comment.

LINDSAY SAUNDERS-VELEZ, 20 (TRANSGENDER WOMAN) FORCED INTO MEN’S PRISON & RAPED

LINDSAY SAUNDERS-VELEZ, 20 (TRANSGENDER WOMAN) FORCED INTO MEN’S PRISON & RAPED:

COLORADO JUDGE SENT LINDSAY BACK TO MEN’S PRISON AFTER PREVIOUS RAPE.

I DON’T SUPPORT GAY/ LGBTQ RIGHTS BUT THIS IS INHUMANE AND WRONG.

LINDSAY WAS BORN MALE, PLACED IN FOSTER CARE AND HAS LIVED LIFE AS A FEMALE SINCE AGE 4.

I’M SORRY BUT THE JUDGE IN COLORADO IS WRONG.

REGARDLESS OF GENDER LINDSAY IS STILL A HUMAN BEING WITH INALIENABLE RIGHTS.


Sources: AP, The Independent, TIME, Yahoo News, Youtube


**** Transgender woman 'raped at men's prison' hours after judge blocked move


A transgender inmate says she was raped at a men’s prison hours after a judge threw out her request to block corrections officers from keeping her in a disciplinary unit.

Lindsay Saunders-Velez claims she had been threatened, harassed and assaulted since entering Colorado’s prison system last spring for violating her plea deal in a menacing case.

The prisoner filed a lawsuit against the state’s corrections agency in July, branding the system “discriminatory and dangerous” for transgender offenders.

Last month, her lawyers requested a judge not send Saunders-Velez to her jail’s “punishment pod” for a disciplinary infraction, saying she could end up with inmates who had tormented her.

The judge said the attorneys failed to prove an imminent risk, and rejected their request .

However, the 20-year-old was attacked during her time in the pod and needed more than a week in the infirmary recover, according to her attorney, Paula Greisen.

“This issue is not going to go away,” she said: “We’re going to fight it until these individuals are treated with the respect they deserve.”

Federal law requires prisons to individually asses where to house each transgender person, said Demoya Gordon, an attorney with LGBTQ+ advocacy group Lambda Legal’s transgender rights project.

But, she added, almost all facilities still housed inmates based on their genitalia or birth gender, resulting in many transgender women being abused or raped during their sentence.

Saunders-Velez entered Colorado’s foster care system as a child, then spent years in its youth corrections system, according to her attorneys and court records.

The prisoner says she has been “out as a trans female” since the age of four and was diagnosed with gender dysphoria in 2016, beginning hormone treatments in 2017.

Her lawsuit states that it was after she entered an adult prison on a three-year jail term in May last year and was sent to Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility that her problems with other inmates began.

Court records detail incidents in which male prisoners frequently pulled down a privacy screen shielding Saunders-Velez from view as she used the bathroom in her cell.

She said other prisoners threatened her, and in December she reported an inmate sexually assaulted her during a brief transfer to another Colorado prison.

“To escape,” Saunders-Velez swallowed razors and was sent to a hospital before being reassigned to “territorial”, her attorneys said.

Prison staff denied her requests to be called Lindsay and to be identified with female pronouns, according to the complaint, as well as refusing requests to be searched by a woman.

The most recent Bureau of Justice statistics from 2012 suggest around 3,200 inmates in America’s state and federal prisons identified as transgender.

Some 40 per cent of transgender inmates reported being a victim of abusive sexual contact by another inmate or a staff member, 10 times the rate among the general prison population.

Several authorities, including the San Francisco and New York City jail systems, have begun to house transgender prisoners by the gender they identify as.

In Colorado, at least one other inmate is suing the corrections department over its treatment of transgender people. The agency said it was unable to comment on ongoing litigation.

TIME’S UP - WOMEN TO MARCH SUNDAY JANUARY 21, 2018 - SUPPORT WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS (WEAR BLACK)

TIME’S UP - WOMEN TO MARCH SUNDAY JANUARY 21, 2018 - SUPPORT WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS (WEAR BLACK):

TIME’S UP MOVEMENT RAISES $15 MIL.

VIOLENCE, SEXISM, DISCRIMINATION & SEXUAL HARASSMENT AGAINST WOMEN HAS NO PLACE IN THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS WORLD.

WOMEN HAVE EQUAL HUMAN RIGHTS TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS & HELP CREATE JOBS WITHOUT FEAR.

TIME'S UP.


Sources: Post Sources: Heavy.com, Telegraph.co.uk, CBS News, Page Six, Youtube


******* Women’s March on Washington D.C. 2018: Route, Time, & Map for January 20


The Women’s March organization is hosting a one-year anniversary event, called Power to the Polls, on January 21. But Washington D.C. is hosting its own Women’s March today, January 20. A year ago, the women’s march in D.C. was massive, so expect a big crowd again today. The March on Washington 2018 (in D.C.) rally begins at 11 a.m. Eastern today, January 20, at the Reflecting Pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. The march itself is expected to start around 1 p.m., according to the event’s official Facebook page. You can’t bring tripods, chairs, or tables. But you can bring cardboard posters or signs, as long as there are no metal or wood posts to hold them up.

Be sure and arrive early, because the event is going to be massive. At least 9,600 have RSVP’d that they plan to attend, and about 5,500 are expected. The rally portion of the event will feature several talented speakers. Here is a map of where the rally will be taking place:

The march, which is expected to begin around 1 p.m., will march all the way to the White House. Although the organizers did not to release the march on their website, according to their march’s Route Webpage, they have released the map via other sources. Thrillist shared a map of the march and where it will be taking place, courtesy of the Women’s March. You can view the map and route here. The march will travel along Constitution Avenue and Independence Avenue. Marshals will help direct the marchers so they know where to go.

Numerous special guests will be speaking at the rally before the march begins. They include:

• Daryl Davis, musician, actor, lecturer, and race relations consultant. He’s the leader of the Daryl Davis Band and wrote Klan-Destine Relationships. He appeared on HBO’s The Wire.
• Judith Heumann, an international disability rights advocate. She served as the first Special Advisor for International Disability Rights during the Obama administration.
• Kofi Annan, president of the Fairfax County NAACP. He’s a native of Georgetown, Guyana, and immigrated to America at the age of 12. He served eight years in the U.S. Army and is now the founder and CEO of Veteran Career Counseling Services, LLC.
• Judy Gearhart, executive director of the International Labor Rights Forum. She teaches human rights at Columbia University.
• Tim Kaine, former Vice Presidential nominee for the Democratic Party.
• Brittany T. Oliver. She’s the founding director of Not Without Black Women, and is a race and gender activist. In 2016, she received national recognition for challenging white feminism during the early stages of the Women’s March on Washington.
• Joanna Lohma, professional soccer player. She’s been a professional athlete for 13 years and is a Sport Diplomat.
• Mia D. Mason, owner of Managers Lendors Investors, Inc.. She’s a veteran LGBT Infantry servicewoman, an Army electronic warfare officer, and a Naval aviation electronic technician.
• Chris Carson. She’s President of the League of Women Voters.
• Kelly Convirs-Fowler, delegate for the 21st district in Virginia.
• Kamala Lopez, director, actress, and President of Heroica Films.
• Jean S. Gearon, Ph.D., Women’s Alliance for Democracy & Justice
• Susan Platt, President of Platt Consulting.
• Kings Floyd, co-chair of DC Metro ADAPT
• Marcela Howell, executive director of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda
• Eve Hurwtiz, Treasurer of March On
• Nuchhi Currier, President of the Women’s National Democratic Club
• Muthoni Wambu Kraal, VP for Outreach and Training at EMILY’s List
• Eleanor Smeal: President and co-founder of Feminist Majority Foundation
• Toni Van Pelt: President of the National Organization for Women
• Marilyn Karp: A leader of Indivisible Nova West, a group focused on Getting Out the Vote.
• Elise A. Bryant: Director and Labor Educator
• Greisa Martinez Rosas: DACA recipient and potential Dream Act beneficiary
• Nadia Hassan: Young Leaders Institute
• Ann Marie Benitez: Senior Director of Government Relations, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health
• Wendi Wallace: Political Outreach Director for Planned Parenthood Action Fund
• Tom E. Perez, Chairman of the DNC
• Bryce Armstrong, Miss District of Columbia USA 2018
•Performers will include Batala in Washington D.C. and SongRise.

This isn’t the only event in the nearby area that you can attend this weekend. On Sunday, January 21, at 7 p.m., a book discussion on feminist books will take place at the home of an Arlington NOW member (details here.) And on Saturday at 1 p.m., Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ in DC will be hosting an abortion discussion, focusing on the effects the pro-life movement has had on African Americans.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


***** Sexism against Female entrepreneurs


In the wake of the ongoing sexual harassment scandals in Hollywood and beyond, women across the world are taking a stand.
This Sunday, thousands of women (and men) will join forces in cities the world over, taking to the streets to march and send the message that 'Time's Up' - the name of a legal defence fund set up to financially support women who have experienced sexual harassment, assault, or abuse in the workplace.

It comes exactly a year after the global women's marches in protest at Donald Trump's inauguration, which saw half a million people descend on Washington DC to defend women's rights, amid concerns that the US President would begin to dismantle them. Many wore hats with pink ears, and celebrity supporters included Emma Watson and Madonna.

The 2018 march in London - which starts opposite Downing Street at 11am on Sunday January, 21 -, seeks to capitalise on the activism kick-started by the #MeToo hashtag that sprung up in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal, and has seen a widespread move to tackle sexual harassment in the workplace.

In a statement, the organisers said: ‘We are coming together to pledge that we are going to make change in big and small ways. We will stand side by side, once again, in solidarity with our sisters, brothers and siblings around the world. Together we are strong and if we all work for a better world then time is really up for oppressors of women.’

In 2016, just nine per cent of all start up funding went to female founders, according to data from Barclays and the Entrepreneurs Network. With male entrepreneurs 86 per cent more likely than their female counterparts to raise venture capital funding in the UK, it’s safe to say there is an issue.

Such a climate even lead two young women entrepreneurs to invent a fake male co-founder to correspond with potential investors. Penelope Gazin and Kate Dwyer, who founded the online art marketplace Witchsy, created an imaginary third co-founder Keith Mann to help get their business off the ground.

"It's frustrating that a significant proportion of funding goes towards male-founded or led businesses," Annabel Denham, programme director at The Entrepreneurs Network, previously toldThe Telegraph. "This is not just an economic discussion, though we know start-ups are vital to the UK economy: we want to see smart, savvy businesswomen getting the same opportunities as their male counterparts."


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*** Time’s Up very close to $16M goal


Since launching January 1, the Time’s Up initiative has raised $15.86 million of its $16 million goal.

To celebrate, Reese Witherspoon shared a video on Instagram with Brie Larson, Kerry Washington, Tracee Ellis Ross, Rashida Jones and Tessa Thompson thanking everyone for their generous donations.

“We have raised $15 million so far from more than 10,000 people who have donated from 60 countries, all 50 states and this is just the beginning,” Ross said.

“This is only possible because of you,” Thompson added.

Time’s Up is also raising money for a legal defense fund for both women and men who believe that they’ve been discriminated against or harassed in the workplace.

Jones and Washington invited viewers to wear black Sunday in honor of the 2018 Golden Globes, where stars are wearing black to take a stand against sexual harassment and sexual assault.

Many attendees are also donning the Time’s Up pin, which was created by costume designer Arianne Phillips and jewelry designer Michael Schmidt.

TRUMP CHIDES UNITED NATIONS FOR MISMANAGEMENT, URGES IMMEDIATE REFORM

TRUMP CHIDES UNITED NATIONS FOR MISMANAGEMENT, URGES IMMEDIATE REFORM:

TRUMP WANTS TO LEAD UNITED NATIONS IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION TO HELP MORE PEOPLE GLOBALLY NOT FATTEN THE POCKETS OF ELITE GLOBALISTS.


Sources: Business Insider, CNN, Fox News, Reuters, Youtube


**** 'Bureaucracy and mismanagement': Trump urges reform during his first UN visit


U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the United Nations for bloated bureaucracy and mismanagement on his first visit on Monday to U.N. headquarters, calling for "truly bold reforms" so it could be a greater force for world peace.

Ahead of his maiden speech to the annual U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, Trump hosted a short event to boost support for changes to the United Nations.

"In recent years the United Nations has not reached its full potential because of bureaucracy and mismanagement, while the United Nations on a regular budget has increased by 140 percent and its staff has more than doubled since 2000," Trump said.

"The United Nations must hold every level of management accountable, protect whistleblowers and focus on results rather than on process," Trump said.

"I am confident that if we work together and champion truly bold reforms the United Nations will emerge as a stronger, more effective, more just and greater force for peace and harmony in the world," Trump said in his first remarks at the U.N. in New York since his inauguration as president in January.

In a building where long statements are commonplace, Trump spoke for just four minutes.

Some 128 countries were invited to attend Monday's reform meeting after signing on to a U.S.-drafted 10-point political declaration backing efforts by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "to initiate effective, meaningful reform."

U.N. Security Council veto powers Russia and China did not sign the declaration.

Businessman Trump, who complained during his 2016 election campaign about the United States paying a disproportionate amount of money to the United Nations, made the point again on Monday.

"We must ensure that no one and no member state shoulders a disproportionate share of the burden and that's militarily or financially."

The United States is the biggest U.N. contributor, providing 22 percent of its $5.4 billion biennial core budget and 28.5 percent of its $7.3 billion peacekeeping budget. The contributions are agreed on by the 193-member General Assembly.

Guterres, who also took office in January, told the meeting: "To serve the people we support and the people who support us, we must be nimble and effective, flexible and efficient."

He agreed that U.N bureaucracy was a problem that kept him up at night.

"Our shared objective is a 21st century U.N. focused more on people and less on process," Guterres said. "Value for money while advancing shared values – that is our common goal."

Trump also said that all peacekeeping missions should "have clearly defined goals and metrics for evaluating success."

The United States is reviewing each of the U.N. peacekeeping missions as annual mandates come up for Security Council renewal in a bid to cut costs.

The United States is a veto-wielding council member, along with Britain, France, Russia and China.

On Sunday night, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson met with U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.

When asked if the U.N. refugee agency could perform its current missions if the United States cut its voluntary contributions to the budget, according to a pool report Grandi answered: "I would say no."
"U.S. aid is vital to what we do to support refugees around the world and to find solutions to their situations," Grandi said.

OTTO WARMBIER - MOST LIKELY MURDERED BY N. KOREAN GOV'T (US RETALIATION??)

OTTO WARMBIER - MOST LIKELY MURDERED BY N. KOREAN GOV'T:

BUT WHY WAS HE OVER THERE ANYWAY?

N. KOREA CLAIMS OTTO WAS SPYING.

WILL THERE BE US RETALIATION?


Sources: Fox News, Youtube


**** Otto Warmbier dead: Trump condemns 'brutal' North Korea regime


President Trump slammed North Korea's "brutal regime" Monday after the death of college student Otto Warmbier, who was released by the communist nation in a coma last week.

"Lot of bad things happened," Trump said during a White House meeting with technology CEOs, “but at least we got him home to be with his parents."

"It's a brutal regime," Trump went on, "and we'll be able to handle it."

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States held North Korea accountable for Warmbier's "unjust imprisonment" and demanded that the country release three other Americans it is holding prisoner for alleged crimes against the state. The U.S. government has previously accused North Korea of using such detainees as political pawns.

Warmbier was held by North Korea for more than 17 months before he was medically evacuated June 13. He died Monday at University of Cincinnati Medical Center, near where he grew up in suburban Wyoming.

Warmbier’s family said in a statement that "the awful torturous mistreatment our son received at the hands of the North Koreans" meant that "no other outcome was possible beyond the sad one we experienced today."

In a written statement, Trump said that "Otto's fate deepens my Administration's determination to prevent such tragedies from befalling innocent people at the hands of regimes that do not respect the rule of law or basic human decency."

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who has led the charge for tougher sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear missile program, said "Countless innocent men and women have died at the hand of the North Korean criminals, but the singular case of Otto Warmbier touches the American heart like no other.

"While Otto Warmbier's memory will always be a blessing to his loved ones," Haley added, "it will also serve as an indelible reminder to us of the barbaric nature of the North Korean dictatorship."

Warmbier had traveled to North Korea as part of a tour group when he was detained at Pyongyang's airport in January 2016. The company that organized the trip, Young Pioneer Tours, announced after Warmbier's death that it would no longer organize tours of North Korea for U.S. citizens.

"The assessment of risk for Americans visiting North Korea has become too high," said the company, which has also offered tours to Iran, Iraq and former Soviet republicans and boasted of booking "budget tours to destinations your mother would rather you stayed away from."

The State Department warns against travel to North Korea, but does not explicitly forbid it. While nearly all Americans who have been there have left without incident, visitors can be suddenly seized and face lengthy incarceration for what might seem like minor infractions.

On Capitol Hill, Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif., the chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, called for the U.S. to ban all tourist travel to North Korea.

"Travel propaganda lures far too many people to North Korea," Royce said. "This is a regime that regularly kidnaps foreign citizens and keeps 120,000 North Koreans in barbaric gulags."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Warmbier was "murdered by the [North Korean dictator] Kim Jong-un[sic] regime."

"In the final year of his life, he lived the nightmare in which the North Korean people have been trapped for 70 years: forced labor, mass starvation, systematic cruelty, torture, and murder," McCain said, later adding, "The United States of America cannot and should not tolerate the murder of its citizens by hostile powers."

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said North Korea should be "universally condemned for its abhorrent behavior.” He added that Warmbier’s family "had to endure more than any family should have to bear."

Ohio’s other senator, Democrat Sherrod Brown, said the country's "despicable actions ... must be condemned."

“Our hearts are broken for Otto’s family and everyone who knew and loved him,” Brown added.

The state's governor, John Kasich, described Warmbier as "a young man of exceptional spirit."

"This horrendous situation further underscores the evil, oppressive nature of the North Korean regime that has such disregard for human life," Kasich says.

LGBT'S MOVEMENT BLACK HATEFUL FEMINISTS (CHARLOTTE)

LGBT'S MOVEMENT BLACK HATEFUL FEMINISTS: (CHARLOTTE)

NOT ALL BLACK FEMINISTS USE HATE & RETALIATION TO ADVANCE THEIR AGENDA.

What purpose do BLACK Women serve in the FEMINIST Movement?

How EFFECTIVE is the role of BLACK FEMINISTS if they are spreading HATE?

How EFFECTIVE can BLACK FEMINISTS be as LEADERS if they are using their Authority and Power to inflict RETALIATION upon people who disagree with their agenda?

~ As a Black Feminist, I see how the wider movement fails women like my mother

I call myself a Black Feminist and hold that label dearly, but the naming happened after the fact. I was a black feminist from the moment, as a child, I recognized the domestic violence was gendered and somehow seen as acceptable because of this.

When neighbours called the police to our back-to-back terrace in what is now the red light district of Bradford, I would feel anger that my mother's fear of the police and what they stood for took precedence over her own safety.

As a Nigerian immigrant whose abuser had full control of her documentation and the processes through which she had managed to remain in the country, my mother believed that speaking truthfully to the police was not a choice she could make.

As I grew, my childish anger gave way to a recognition that my mother was a Black woman caught in her own particular understanding of what it meant during the 80s and 90s to be Black and a woman in Britain: a place where over half the population agreed that we lived in a racist society; a place where immigration was (and continues to be) seen as a damaging factor in British life; a place so hostile to her presence that a walk home from work resulted in racist abuse so regular that it wasn't worth mentioning.

Through the work of feminists looking at race, class, disability, sexuality and nationality, I came to understand my mother as a person who was, as we all are, constructed by social and cultural forces beyond her control.

My jumbled-up feelings and ideas found full voice in the work of literary and academic black feminists: women like Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, bell hooks, and Kimberlé Crenshaw showed the meaningless of separating sexuality, class, race and gender oppression when they simultaneously affect the lives of Black women.

What a relief it was to discover that in "feminism" you could find a place that collated all the experiences of women like my mother – women who were, and continue to be, routinely ignored by the dominant feminist movement.

Within the media, and indeed the movement, there has been much celebration of our feminist resurgence. Yet our success is being marred by infighting. White, middle-class and young women are often seen as the ones spearheading this new wave of activity.

Their high-profile campaigns – to have women on banknotes, challenge online misogyny and banish Page 3, for example – though necessary and praiseworthy, do not reflect the most pressing needs of the majority of women, black and minority-ethnic women included. The problem is not that these campaigns exist, but that they are given a focus and attention that overshadows other work feminists are engaged with.

Organisations such as Women Asylum Seekers Together, which has groups in London, Liverpool, Leeds, Cardiff and Manchester, are not only meeting to support and empower themselves through their shared experience.

They are also working on challenging gender discrimination within the UK immigration system – a system that can still ask whether a rape victim had adequately resisted her rapist, or whether a trafficked woman had enjoyed her work as a prostitute.

Women from countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo – which the UN calls "the rape capital of the world" – are met by a culture of disbelief that sees them as asylum claimants to be interrogated and caught out rather than as vulnerable and in need of support. This is a feminist issue, too, but the movement is largely silent on the plight of such women.

Or organisations such as Manchester's Lesbian Immigration Support Group, which offers practical help to members with asylum applications based on sexuality. Or the London-based black feminist organisation Imkaan, which is working in partnership with Women's Aid to support and maintain specialist services dealing with violence against women for black and refugee women. In these times of austerity, the ability to save refuges from closure is no small feat and should be celebrated. 

Yet such groups do not make the headlines or gain enough support despite the profound change in lives that they enable.

The majority of women both in the UK and across the globe do not live lives that are negatively impacted by sexism alone. Because of this reality, the black feminist concept of intersectionality, the idea that oppressions criss-cross and compound each other, has been seismic.

Through it black feminists have been able to point out the failures of the wider feminist movement – which lie in its continual failure to capture and reflect the extreme differences in how women live their lives. That we sometimes point this out with a lack of patience has garnered more column inches than the critiques we are making. 

This is saddening but predictable. It is a type of quibbling that enables procrastination in the matter of the difficult work of turning feminism into feminisms – something more representative of our wonderful variety.

It is ironic that even some within the feminist movement, when engaging with criticism from black feminist quarters, use the stereotype of the angry and humourless black woman. At the black feminist meetings I attend we are angry with a lot of things, because – shock horror – we live in a world where racism, sexism and economic inequality abound.

Our meetings are, however, also filled with laughter and a deep love for having a space in which much that is said is empathised with, not minimised, questioned and treated defensively.

I call myself a black feminist because I am unwilling to be silent and complicit.

The Black feminist academic Sara Ahmed puts it well when she writes that "sometimes you can only stand up by standing firm. Sometimes you can only hold on by becoming stubborn".

Emotionally, Black feminism reminds black women that the racism and sexism they experience on a daily basis are not a figment of their individual imaginations but are real and structural.

Critically, black feminism is championing a more nuanced understanding of how oppression and privilege operate.

We, all of us, must understand that at the level of the individual, we can at differing points occupy positions of privilege. I am a black woman from a working-class background. I also have qualifications from elite universities that mean I am able to access a career, friendships and a lifestyle my 18-year-old self would never have imagined. When and where I experience privilege or oppression changes from day to day, hour to hour.

Though women who live in the "real world" – ie outside academia – may not bandy the word intersectionality, it nevertheless speaks to our lives within it. This is not to deny that power can be invested in language and that for some the term is perhaps alienating. It would be great if we had a word already in existence that conveys the complex and complicated nature of oppression. 

We do not.

The language that we currently use serves to compartmentalise inequalities. It won't do. I am less interested in whether feminists choose to use the word or replace it with (no less academic) phrases such as multiple oppressions. What is of greater concern is how we work to empower women whose lives are impacted by a number of inequalities.

Despite prevailing misconceptions, intersectionality is not merely concerned with the academic; it is and always has been about tangible positive change for those who so easily slip through the gaps of popular thinking and attention.

Organisations such as Southall Black Sisters, which are committed to meeting the needs of black and minority-ethnic women, did not exist in my hometown. My mother remained locked in an abusive relationship, living in shame and fear, isolated and helpless. I cannot dare to imagine what difference such a group might have made to her as a young black woman. It is too painful to think of what could have been.

For the feminist movement, it is also best to not repeat the mistakes of the past. It would demonstrate an inexcusable carelessness for the lives of women like my mother who are too often silenced and unheard.

• This article was amended for legal reasons on 9 December

Sources: The Guardian, YouTube

Hillary Clinton Will Attract Many Women Voters In 2016 Simply Because She Is A Woman

"If America is going to LEAD, we need to stand by the WOMEN in AFGHANISTAN after our Combat Troops come home."

"There is No limit to how Big little girls can Dream. Let's keep fighting for FREEDOM & EQUALITY."

Hillary Clinton, 2013








"A Man is Not a Financial Plan."

Quote by Ginita Wall & Candace Bahr, Co-Founders of WIFE.org;
a Non-Profit Financial Counseling Program for Women



‪#‎HillaryClinton2016‬

MANY VOTERS CAN RELATE TO HILLARY & OBAMA:

HILLARY IS A WOMAN, OBAMA IS A BLACK MAN.

I can relate to HILLARY CLINTON even though she is Super Wealthy, simply because she is a natural born WOMAN.

No MAN can top that regardless of how Empathetic he tries to be.

In 2008 many BLACK & LATINO Voters were able to relate to BARACK OBAMA JR because he was BLACK.

No WHITE Citizen in the United States of America can ever relate to what BLACK & LATINO people have experienced and are still experiencing in this country.

Just as NO Man can ever relate to what WOMEN have experienced and are still experiencing in this country.

Thus the idea of HILLARY (highly qualified Woman) campaigning for the office of U.S. President in 2016 excites me!

I know the GOP is trying to put CARLY FIORINA on their ticket in 2016, but CARLY although well-qualified, does Not have HILLARY's appeal.

Yes WOMEN can LEAD and I'm ready for HILLARY CLINTON in 2016!

Sources: CNN; Daily Beast; Youtube; WIFE.org

ST. LOUIS RAMS PLAYERS HONOR MIKE BROWN & SUPPORT FERGUSON PROTESTERS IN SOLIDARITY BEFORE SUNDAY'S GAME ("HANDS UP, DON'T SHOOT")

ST. LOUIS RAMS PLAYERS HONOR MIKE BROWN & SUPPORT FERGUSON PROTESTERS IN SOLIDARITY BEFORE SUNDAY'S GAME:

"HANDS UP.........DON'T SHOOT"

Article Source: NBC New York; Youtube

ARTICLE: "Rams Raise Arms In Apparent Show Of Solidarity For Ferguson Protesters"

Five St. Louis Rams players stood with their arms raised in an apparent show of solidarity for Ferguson protesters before trotting onto the field for pregame introductions.

A Rams spokesman said Sunday the team was not aware the gesture had been planned before the game against Oakland.

Wide receivers Tavon Austin and Kenny Britt came out together first, with the move obscured by a smoke machine in the upper reaches of the Edward Jones Dome. Stedman Bailey, Jared Cook and Chris Givens — all of whom are black — then came out and stood together with arms raised.

After Tre Mason scored on an 8-yard run to make it 45-0 in the fourth quarter, he and Britt raised their hands together.

There have been riots, looting and buildings burned in Ferguson since a grand jury declined Monday to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of unarmed Michael Brown in August.

Across the street from the stadium, about 75 protesters gathered in the second half as about 30 police wearing riot gear watched from a safe distance. Protesters chanted "Hands up, don't shoot!" ''No Justice, No Football!" ''This is what Democracy looks like," and "We're here for Mike Brown."

The Rams had additional security measures in place for the game, including armed personnel from the National Guard. The team has wanded fans outside entrances all season.

On another front inside the stadium, a group of fans formed letters spelling "Keep the Rams in St. Louis" in seats in the north end zone.

UNITED NATIONS HARSHLY CONDEMNS UNITED STATES FOR POLICE BRUTALITY AGAINST BLACK PEOPLE (DEMANDS U.S. GOV'T IMMEDIATELY ADDRESSES ISSUE)

UNITED NATIONS TORTURE COMMITTEE HARSHLY CONDEMNS UNITED STATES FOR RACISM......POLICE BRUTALITY..........AND EXCESSIVE FORCE:

U.N. OFFICIALS DELIVER 16-PAGE EMBARRASSING, SCATHING REPORT REVEALING HOW HORRIBLY POLICE MISTREAT BLACK YOUTH & BLACK INMATES IN THE UNITED STATES.

U.N. DEMANDS THAT U.S. FEDERAL GOV'T OFFICIALS INDEPENDENTLY INVESTIGATE & ADDRESS THESE ISSUES IMMEDIATELY.

Article Sources: International Business Times; TIME; CNN; PressTV; Youtube

ARTICLE: "Ferguson Shooting: UN Torture Committee Condemns US For Excessive Force In Law Enforcement"

The United Nations on Friday denounced the U.S. for reportedly violating an international treaty against torture, including several instances of police shootings of unarmed black youth.

In a 16-page review of the U.S.’ track record on torture since 2006, the U.N. took aim at what it said were “numerous reports” of police brutality against minorities as well as distressing conditions in some U.S. prisons, according to Reuters.

The document, which does not mention the recent events in Ferguson, Missouri, specifically, came in the wake of a grand jury’s decision not to indict a Ferguson police officer in the August shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown.

The U.N. Committee against Torture cited several examples of "excessive use of force by law enforcement officials, in particular against persons belonging to certain racial and ethnic group.”

The report, the U.N.’s first on the U.S. since 2006, condemned the extensive use of Tasers against people resisting arrest, citing two recent cases in Florida and Chicago that turned deadly.

In response to the grand jury’s decision not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson for Brown’s death, committee member Alessio Bruni said the U.N. "has to respect the decision" of the jury, according to CNN.

The comments were made Friday at a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, where Brown’s parents testified in front of the committeeearlier this month.

The committee’s report focused mainly on the U.S.’ treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, however its allegations broadened to include other alleged abuses, such as the “prolonged suffering” endured by victims of prison rape and death row inmates who undergo so-called botched executions, as well as the excessive use of solitary confinement.

Wilson gunned down 18-year-old Michael Brown in August.

The shooting sparked national protests over police brutality and the nature of policing in the U.S. Wilson will not stand trial for the shooting after a grand jury found that he had acted in self-defense, a decision that was met with riots across the country.


#StopPoliceBrutality

DENNIS RODMAN: Sings "Happy Birthday" To Kim Jong Un! Leave RODMAN Alone! He's NOT A POLITICIAN!

#RODMAN


LEAVE DENNIS RODMAN ALONE

It is NOT DENNIS RODMAN'S Job to help Free KENNETH BAE.

It's Pres OBAMA'S Job!

CHRIS CUOMO vs DENNIS RODMAN: GOV'T MEDIA PROPAGANDA

It's quite obvious CHRIS CUOMO'S recent Attack on RODMAN was Planned.

DENNIS RODMAN took CHRIS CUOMO'S bait, but CNN knew he would behave in such a manner because it's well documented RODMAN has a short fuse.

FYI: Yes, CHRIS CUOMO is the Brother of NY Gov ANDREW CUOMO.

ANDREW CUOMO is a good friend of Pres OBAMA'S.

Rumor has it ANDREW CUOMO may run for U.S. President in 2016.

Can anyone please explain what does DENNIS RODMAN'S Sports-related trip to NORTH KOREA have to do with the Imprisonment of KENNETH BAE?

DENNIS RODMAN has NO business involving himself, Nor his Basketball teammates in POLITICS to help free KENNETH BAE.

DENNIS RODMAN is NOT a POLITICIAN.

Nor is DENNIS RODMAN a Statesman.

He is a former Star ATHLETE.

It is the U.S. State Dept's Job to help free KENNETH BAE.

Not DENNIS RODMAN'S!

CHRIS CUOMO knows this.

DENNIS & His Basketball Teammates were visiting NORTH KOREA on a PAID Sports-related mission PERIOD!

NOT a POLITICAL or CIA Assignment!

However since the OBAMA Admin has FAILED to help free U.S. Prisoners held captive in other countries, Pres OBAMA will do anything to Divert attention away from what his Administration has NOT done to help free U.S Prisoners.

Even it means directing the MEDIA to attack a former Star Athlete with a Short fuse......i.e., DENNIS RODMAN.

And if you don't believe Pres OBAMA'S Administration Controls the MEDIA, you are living in a Fantasy world because he DOES.

It's called GOVERNMENT PROPAGANDA!

In fact EVERY legally elected U.S. President Controls the MEDIA via GOVERNMENT PROPAGANDA.

I repeat.

DENNIS RODMAN is NOT a POLITICIAN.

Nor is DENNIS RODMAN a Statesman.

He is a former Star ATHLETE.

It is the U.S. State Dept's Job to help free KENNETH BAE.

Not DENNIS RODMAN'S!

CHRIS CUOMO knows this.

It is NOT DENNIS RODMAN'S Job to help Free KENNETH BAE.

It's Pres OBAMA'S Job!

LEAVE DENNIS RODMAN ALONE




ARTICLE: "Give Dennis Rodman A Break"

This week, we've been treated to the increasingly familiar sight of former NBA star and provocateur Dennis Rodman attending events in Pyongyang, North Korea. It's his fourth trip in less than 12 months.

On Tuesday, an angry Rodman defended his visit in a CNN interview straight from Pyongyang, at one point saying to "New Day" anchor Chris Cuomo, "I don't give a rat's ass what the hell you think ..." in response to question about Kenneth Bae, an American detained in North Korea.

When will we tire of this circus?

In case you don't watch cable news, you might miss that the media really loves this kind of thing. No story about North Korea is too weird to go unreported, even if there is no real information to disseminate. Recall the recent rumor that Kim Jong Un's uncle was executed by being fed to hungry dogs, which most likely was started as satire on Chinese social media but was at first reported widely in the media (CNN was unable to confirm and did not report the story).

In media discourse, North Korea is the classic enemy. The regime's injustices, quirks and dysfunctions are reassuring to Americans that their own country is just the opposite: Normal, well-functioning, a land of peace and liberty.

But add in Rodman to the North Korea story, and it's bound to produce eye-popping headlines:

"The Weird American Athlete Goes to Weird Country story is just too easy not to cover."

Rodman himself seems to be thriving on finding a strange smidgen of relevance through his visits to North Korea (and perhaps a Paddy Power paycheck). Though often described as quite shy, he has always enjoyed challenging the values of Middle America. North Korea is providing him a new avenue to be in the spotlight.

The most passive player in this tragicomedy is Rodman's home country, the United States. The U.S. State Department has deployed the rhetorical equivalent of an embarrassed teenager whose dad has shown up to dance at his prom. Something along the lines of "this has nothing to do with us" is what the State Department has said with every one of Rodman's trip. Last winter,the State Department criticized Rodman's timing as it followed a nuclear test and rocket launch. This time, it has merely said a private individual can do what he wishes.

This is an understandably cautious position. After all, Rodman has professed his love and undying affection for Kim, and he is probably not a canny enough operator to spearhead any form of political outreach along the lines of the "Ping-Pong diplomacy."

On this trip, Rodman addressed the unavoidably political nature of a relationship with North Korea, saying his visits could "open the doors" to "talk about certain things." In the CNN interview, he argued that it's a "great idea for the world."

Rodman's celebrity status and sporting prowess has given him access to Kim. At some point, when both the U.S. and North Korean governments are feeling a little brave, perhaps they can try to thaw the ice with more professional diplomats tagging along on cultural or sporting exchanges.

There are precedents. For example, the U.S.-China Ping-Pong diplomacy of the 1970s had its genesis in table tennis player by the name of Glen Cowan. Once he broke the ice, the governments began talking.

The kind of engagement that Rodman is pushing cannot always be seen as merely rewards for a naughty regime, as much as we appear locked into a carrot-and-stick way of thinking about relations with North Korea. It can be mutually beneficial. We have the potential to gain as much as they do. Breakthroughs might be sudden and surprising, but they are usually underpinned by creative thinking, dialogue and the mutual acceptance that no one can get exactly what they want.

Unfortunately, this particular trip does feel somewhat like a gift, coming as it does on Kim's birthday and less than a month after the violent and very public purge of his uncle and second-in-charge, Jang Song Thaek.

Had Rodman pulled out or delayed, the channel for opening may well have closed. If he really is in it for the long haul, he probably couldn't afford to slight the leader on his birthday.

Domestically, it is great PR for Kim. He gets to appear gregarious and inclusive in front of his people. Notwithstanding Jang's execution, this is the image he has been assiduously cultivating. He's eager to promote his friendly, approachable image while at the same time enjoying watching some former stars play his favorite sport.

For now, little will come out of Rodman's visits other than extraneous news. But as Pyongyang continues to devote resources and energy to sports development, its appetite for athletic exchanges will increase.

Let's warily hope, to use Rodman's phrase, that this can "open the doors" to other things.


Source: CNN

Chen Guangcheng Arrives In U.S. To Study Law At NYU School Of Law

Is Chen Guangcheng just temporarily visiting the United States to REST & Study Law? Or He is planning to Defect?









Chinese human rights activist Chen arrives in U.S.

Chinese human rights Activist Chen Guangcheng arrived Saturday evening in the United States, bringing an end to a diplomatic firestorm that erupted after he escaped from house arrest and took to YouTube to complain about abuse he said his family suffered at the hands of authorities.

United Airlines Flight 88 landed at New York/Newark Liberty International Airport to little fanfare after the U.S. State Department prohibited public and media access. Traveling with Chen were his wife and two children.

Less than two hours later, Chen, 40, spoke from New York University, where he will participate in a fellowship.

"I am very grateful to the assistance of the American Embassy and the promise of the Chinese government for protection of my rights as a citizen over the long term," Chen said to a mob of reporters and onlookers. "I am very gratified to see the Chinese government has been dealing with the situation with restraint and calm."

The activist indicated through a translator that the U.S. government granted him partial citizenship rights. He asked people to work with him to "promote justice and fairness in China." And Chen said he was looking forward to recuperating in "body and spirit."

Reporters traveling with him were denied access to Chen for much of the 13-hour flight from Beijing until he agreed to talk to one member of the media.

Chen expressed mixed feelings about arriving in the United States, saying he has unfinished business at home, according to CNN's Steven Jiang, who was on board the flight.

Chinese-speaking diplomats from the U.S. Embassy in Beijing traveled with the family, according to two senior State Department officials.

Chen had neither passport nor visa in hand when he was abruptly shuttled to the Beijing airport for the flight. At the airport, Chen waited with his wife and two children in a secure location. He was in a wheelchair, dark glasses over his eyes -- Chen is blind.

Chen had been in a Chinese hospital for the past few weeks, awaiting the documents to travel to the United States.

The self-taught legal activist angered Chinese officials with his fight against alleged forced abortions under China's one-child policy.
Chen spent four years in prison, and was then held under constant lockdown in his village.

In his April video after his escape, Chen addressed the Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao, detailing alleged abuses during the family's 18 months of heavily guarded detention at home.

"They broke into my house and more than a dozen men assaulted my wife," he said. "They pinned her down and wrapped her in a comforter, beating and kicking her for hours. They also similarly violently assaulted me."

On Saturday, Chen said he was confident officials will conduct a thorough investigation of the abuse and treatment toward him.

"I don't believe the central government will lie to me," he said.

Journalists and supporters were prevented from visiting Chen during his house arrest. One of those supporters is Hollywood actor Christian Bale, who was roughed up by security guards while attempting a visit in December. Chen indicated Saturday he would like to meet Bale.

Bale, in an e-mail Saturday to CNN, said, "Please shake Chen's hand, and give him and his family a hug from me upon their arrival in the U.S. They must be overwhelmed with relief at being together, and finally, safe; but also worried about their family who remain in Shandong. I would love to meet with Chen when he has the time."

Bob Fu, president of ChinaAid, a Texas-based Christian human rights organization that has been campaigning for Chen's freedom, said the activist was deeply grateful to the international community's efforts to secure his freedom -- efforts that tested U.S. relations with the Communist giant.

Chen spent six days in the U.S. Embassy after he escaped house arrest ahead of a visit to Beijing by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The move infuriated Chinese authorities.

The one thing Chen could not leave behind was fear of reprisals for the rest of his extended family at the hands of the authorities in Shandong Province in eastern China.

"My elder brother was taken away by these thugs without any reasoning and then they came back and started beating up my nephew, and they used stakes and violently beat him up," Chen told the House Foreign Affairs Committee in a telephone call from his hospital room earlier this week.

Chen added that his relatives' homes had been broken into and they had been beaten by people working for the government.

Chen said his nephew Chen Kegui tried to defend himself and now faces a "totally trumped-up" charge of attempted homicide. "After my nephew was beaten up, he actually was waiting to surrender himself and the police come back again and violently beat up my sister-in-law," Chen said.

The authorities in Linyi, the city that oversees Chen's village, had issued a statement accusing Chen Kegui of injuring government officials with a knife and saying he would be dealt with according to the law. They have declined to comment on the matter since.

ChinaAid urged the international community to continue to monitor the situation for Chen's extended family in China, amid concerns over possible reprisals by the authorities.

Amnesty International echoed that concern.

"Chen's journey to the United States would not have been possible without his own valiant character, the courageous support of his family and friends and the robust voice of the international community that never stopped working on his behalf," said Frank Jannuzi, head of Amnesty International's Washington office.

"But while Chen and his immediate family are safe, Amnesty International continues to be concerned about those in China who share his quest for justice, for they remain in serious jeopardy," he said. "Countless people, known and unknown, are subject to arbitrary detention, beatings and other forms of repression.

For Chen, whose escape from authorities in Shandong played out like a Hollywood thriller -- a persecuted blind man who climbed over a high wall and hid in a pig sty -- Saturday's sudden journey over an ocean and a continent was perhaps a fitting chapter in his story.

Sunday morning, Chen will begin a new life in America, calm and resolute as always.
New York University law professor Jerome Cohen first met Chen when the activist traveled to the United States as part of a State Department program in 2004.

"You got the feeling you were in the presence of some Chinese equivalent of Gandhi or something," Cohen said. "He had this gentle but steely moral force."

Chen never sought out to be a rabble-rouser, Cohen said, though he will always be thought of as one.


View Larger Map


Sources: AP, CBS News, CNN, NY Daily News, Youtube, Google Maps

LaWana Mayfield: Charlotte's 1st Openly GAY, Elected Politician & 80,000 Constituents!

I recently had a Long Conversation with Newly Elected Charlotte City Council Member LaWana Mayfield (D).

After speaking with her on Issues involving District 3 & improving the Quality of Life for ALL Charlotte Constituents, I now know that Voting for her was the RIGHT thing to do.

Ms. Mayfield is very Passionate about helping People & she's Passionate about Politics.

She is an Fierce Supporter of Pres. Obama & Equal Human Rights which includes Gay Rights.

Prior to being elected as Charlotte-Mecklenburg's FIRST Openly Gay Politician, Ms. Mayfield worked as a Community Activist & Community Organizer.

Although Ms. Mayfield is Charlotte-Mecklenburg's FIRST Openly Gay Politician, she doesn't use her Sexual Orientation as a Personal Soapbox.

Instead her Soap Box Issues are Issues that involve the People of Charlotte & Equal Human Rights for the People of Charlotte, which includes Gay Rights.

As a BLACK Political Blogger, I am using my Social Media Activism to Educate the BLACK Community about Gay Rights which are included in Human Rights.

Pres. Obama's Administration has to push Gay Rights Equality in order to help bring about REAL Equal Human Rights for EVERYONE!
Including the BLACK Community.

This is because in America the Civil Rights Movement has been extremely SLOW to bring Real Change for BLACKS & Latinos.

Thus Equal Human Rights for EVERYONE, MUST include BLACKS, Latinos & the Gay Community!

Ms. Mayfield now serves in former Charlotte City Member Warren Turner's District 3, which houses a Population of 80,000 Constituents, Most of them BLACK & Latinos!

That's 80,000 Possible Votes For President Obama In November!!!!

I have often Blogged about Mr. Turner's Very Slack, Distant Relationship with his BLACK Constituents.

While in Office Mr. Turner ONLY seemed to Focus on his WHITE Constituency & Invested ONLY in those Areas.

While his BLACK Constituency in Southwest Charlotte suffered.
For Ex: NO Economic Development Growth, Corrupt HOAs & Poor Public Transportation for Constituents who ride City Buses to Work & to visit their Physicians.

Mr. Turner who served 8 Years, was practically run out of Office by a Mob after being Publicly Humiliated following a Sexual Harassment Scandal.

I Pray his Family recovers from that Scandal but I'm happy he NO longer represents District 3!

Perhaps now Southwest Charlotte's 80,000 Constituents can Finally get some much needed LOVE!

I extend a Warm Welcome to Ms. Mayfield.

I believe she is important to the 2012 DNC & to the Charlotte Community.

I did NOT Vote for Anthony Foxx during his first bid as Charlotte's Mayor because at the time he appeared to represent Status Quo/ Elite Politics.

Especially as it relates to helping Charlotte's Homeless Population.

And because it appeared as if Mayor Foxx didn't give a darn about Charlotte's Homeless citizens, I spoke out Loudly against his Complacency on this issue on my Blog.

However over time I begin to notice a Change in his Governing style.

Mayor Foxx's Administration began to Focus on Helping Reduce Charlotte's Homeless Population by providing Resources for them so they can become Self-Sufficient.

So last November 2011, this time I DID Vote for Anthony Foxx!

Our BLACK & White Politicians Should Earn the BLACK Vote! Especially BLACK Politicians!

Versus Expecting to just receive the BLACK Vote with providing NOTHING for BLACK Voters in return.

I believe LaWana Mayfield's Previous Community Activism EARNED My Vote.

I am Blessed to have her as my Charlotte City Council Member.

I Pray for Ms. Mayfield's Continued Success!

"BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE!"

INCOME EQUALITY!







Charlotte elects first openly Gay Council Member


LaWana Mayfield's election to the Charlotte City Council this fall was unusual in that she knocked off a long-serving incumbent.

It was historic in that she became the city's first openly Gay Council Member.

When she was preparing to run, Mayfield, a community organizer, said she and her friends wondered how her sexual orientation would play with voters.

What would people think? Would it dominate the campaign?

Not so much, as it turned out.

"We focused so much energy on being prepared to discuss my relationship, we were shocked it didn't come up," said Mayfield, 41. "I didn't have one person ask about my sexuality. I stood at doors and said 'Here is my platform. Do you have any questions?' "

Mayfield defeated Warren Turner in the Democratic primary in September. She then easily defeated Republican Ed Toney in the general election in November.

Mayfield doesn't discuss her sexuality unless asked. Her answer: She wants to represent everyone in her district.

She said she is mostly focused on two issues for her District 3, which includes low-income areas in west Charlotte: improving access to food for residents by attracting more grocery stores or better access to existing ones, and cracking down on absentee landlords.

Mayfield's election has also put focus on whether the city should offer benefits to same-sex partners, an issue that has been simmering for several years.

Mayfield said the issue should be studied, but she deferred on taking a lead role to council member Patsy Kinsey, a fellow Democrat.

Kinsey said she has been working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender groups for a year and believes she is close to getting the six votes needed to make the change.

"I want to do this the right way," Kinsey said.

Mayfield is a native of Opa-Locka, Fla., a Miami suburb. Both her parents died when she was in high school, and Mayfield said it took her a few years to decide what she wanted to do.

In her mid-twenties, she began volunteering, which was her entry into the world of Community Organizing.

She moved to Charlotte 12 years ago. She worked for the Red Cross and did disaster-relief work after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Iowa floods in 2008.

She has worked for the Immigrant Solidarity Committee and the Charlotte Community Justice Coalition.

After being sworn in Dec. 5, Mayfield, who lives in the Historic Camp Greene neighborhood, said she has been studying to get up to speed on city issues.

A week after taking office, she was one of nine council members to vote in favor of a controversial incentive package to bring Chiquita Brands International's headquarters to Charlotte.

"I did my research - the city provided the who, what, when, where and why," Mayfield said. "At the end of the day I will look at the facts. If I honestly believe it will be beneficial to Charlotte then I will support it."


View Larger Map


Sources: Charmeck.org, McClatchy Newspapers, WCNC, Youtube, Google Maps