Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 10-27-17

White House and Political News
HBCU
Howard University Cheer Squad Has Been Kneeling For More Than A Year In Protest
Civil Rights Groups Suing Ben Carson And HUD For Allegedly Aiding Affordable Housing Segregation
Much like the frontlines of the Black Lives Matter move- ment and similar protests by WNBA players, at Howard University Black women have been at the forefront in protesting systemic racism.
The women of HU’s cheer squad began kneeling in protest during the playing of “The Star Spangled Banner” shortly after San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began the form of silent protest in September of 2016.
Unlike similar protests by cheerleaders at Kennesaw State, there has been little, if any, blowback.
“I think about the national anthem and what it stands for,” cheer co-captain Syd- ney Stallworth told the New York Times. “I think about liberty and justice for all, and how it’s not being ex- ecuted in our country right now. And I think about how lucky I am to go to the great-
The Cheer Squad at Howard University have supported the protest started by Colin Kaepernik for over a year by kneeling during the National Anthem.
est historically black univer- sity in the country — not ar- guably; it’s the greatest — and so lucky to have this plat- form.”
According to The Complex, Howard’s pre-game ritual typically involves the playing of James Weldon John- son and J. Rosamond Johnson’s “Lift Every
Voice,” which informally holds the distinction as the black national anthem. The band leaders, cheerleaders, and attendees commonly hold a raised fist in the air in an act of solidarity during the playing of “Lift Every Voice.” After “Lift Every Voice” ends, they switch from a raised fist to a bent knee in unison.
A coalition of civil rights organizations filed a lawsuit Monday against the U.S. De- partment of Housing and Urban Development and its secretary, Ben Carson.
The suit is aimed at stop- ping a move by Carson the civil rights groups say will only fur- ther racial and economic seg- regation.
A policy known as the Small Area Fair Market Rent rule was set to go into effect on January 1, 2018, after years of advocacy, research, and public debate. In August, however, HUD abruptly announced it would be delaying the rule’s implementation for two years, claiming that further study was needed.
A HUD spokesperson, said that while his office cannot comment on any pending liti- gation, the delay of the Small Area rule does not represent any change in agency policy. The spokesperson also re- ferred to a blog post HUD posted on August 25 reiterat- ing this point, specifically that the delay was a decision “in- formed by research” and that waiting until next summer when the pilot’s final report is released will allow for more successful implementation.
BEN CARSON
More than 5 million people in 2.2 million households use federal housing choice vouch- ers — colloquially referred to as Section 8, referencing the statute that created the subsi- dies — to help afford rent on the private market.
The subsidies, however, are based on metropolitan-wide rent formulas, meaning that many low-income families are often relegated into communi- ties with few job opportunities, poor-quality schools, and high crime rates.
The rule change would have required — or will require — public housing authorities to calculate so-called fair mar- ket rents based on ZIP codes instead.
Rep. Al Green Rips Into Ben Carson During Hearing On Public Housing
On Monday, Rep. Al Green tore into Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson during a con- gressional hearing on pro- posed budget cuts of around $6 billion to HUD.
Green wanted specific numbers from Carson, asking for an itemization of the cuts. When Green pressed him specifically on public housing, Carson said that the cuts would be “in the neighborhood of” $2 billion to $3 billion.
Green began to get more frustrated when Carson would not give him specifics on cuts to housing vouchers and community development block grants.
“If you don’t know, I will accept that as an answer,” Green finally said, though Carson insisted that he did know but didn’t “want to open
REP. AL GREEN
the books and look at the num- bers.”
He also lambasted Carson over comments he made ear- lier this year that people with the “right mind set” could pull themselves out of poverty.
“Poor people are not poor because they choose to be poor,” Green told Carson.
PAGE 6-A FLORIDA SENTINEL-BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2017