Civil Rights Leaders Unveil BLACK AGENDA for Obama’s Second Term
Over 60 leading civil rights, social justice, and business leaders came together in Washington DC to unveil a black agenda for President Obama’s second term.
The major priorities of the agenda included:
- Achieve Economic Parity for African-Americans
- Promote Equity in Educational Opportunity
- Protect and Defend Voting Rights
- Promote a Healthier Nation by Eliminating Healthcare Disparities
- Achieve Comprehensive Reform of the Criminal Justice System
Rev. Al Sharpton, NAACP President Ben Jealous, and Melanie Campbell of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation were among those in attendance.
“The plight of the African-American community underscores the urgency of our demand. The African-American community was disproportionately battered by the Great Recession, and has benefited the least from the fragile economy recovery. Unemployment remains unacceptably high; income inequality and the ever-widening wealth gap threaten to relegate the black community to perpetual underclass status. Those who wish to curtail investment education and career preparation further dim the prospects for upward mobility for our young people,” the leaders wrote.
The leaders also pledged to vigorously oppose any effort by federal, state or local government to roll back the right to vote by supporting federal election reform, including the Voter Empowerment Act so that long lines at the polls will not be the rule instead of the exception.
Is this agenda a comprehensive one?
Will the Obama Administration pay it any mind?
Sound off below!