Page 32 - Florida Sentinel 2-3-17

Black History: A Salute To The 44th President Barack Obama
• Major Trade Agreement
• First Sitting President To Visit U.S. Prison September 2015
In an unprecedented visit with nonviolent drug offenders at the medium-security El Reno fed-eral prison in Oklahoma, President Obama filmed a special for HBO’s “Vice” doc- umentary pro-gram, which aired this past Sun- day night.
The presentation highlighted how the United States has too long ignored the effect of high incar-ceration rates on minority and poor communities.
President Obama made history when he became the first U. S. President to visit a U. S. prison.
After years of nego- tiations, 12 countries reached a final agree- ment on the content of the TPP in October 2015, and the full text of the treaty was made public in November 2015. In July 2015, Congress passed a bill giving trade promotion authority to the presi- dent until 2021; trade promotion authority requires Congress to vote up or down on trade agreements signed by the president, with no possibility of amendments or filibusters.
• President Obama Commutes More Sentences Than Any Other U.S. President— 1,715
After a final clemency push during his last week in office, President Obama commuted 1,715 sentences — more than any other president. Dur- ing Obama’s eight years, he granted more commu- tations than the past 13 presidents did in 78 years combined.
In an essay for the Harvard Law Review, President Obama recognized a place for individual clemency, writing that while “these actions are no substitute for achieving lasting changes to federal sentencing law through legislation,” the effort was “a way to restore a degree of justice, fairness, and proportionality to the sys- tem.”
"This is an effort that has touched me personally, and not just because I could have been caught up in the system myself had I not gotten some breaks as a kid," Obama wrote.
President Obama speaks during meeting with leaders from the Trans-Pa- cific Partnership. November 2014.
PAGE 14-C FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2017