House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the first female speaker of the House ran with the big dogs and won. She acted with grace under fire and pressure. She accomplished what no men before her could do. She got the votes for health care. But, did she really win for women? Nancy Pelosi is extraordinary in her political prowess. The Washington Post attributes her as being one of history’s most skilled vote getters. Speaker Pelosi comes from a long line of political vote getters. She is a native of Baltimore and daughter of former Baltimore mayor Thomas D’Alessandro, Jr. Her father knew a thing or two about getting votes. I grew up in Baltimore hearing stories about her father, mayor Tommy D’Alessandro, Jr. She is cut of the same cloth as her political family, father and brother, Thomas D’Alessandro, III, also a former mayor of Baltimore. As an African American native of Baltimore, I revel in the pride that it took a native Baltimore woman and an African American president to pass the … [Read more...] about Act Like A Woman, Think Like A Man
LegalSpeaks Blog
The Census Form and Post Racial Category
The 2010 census forms are out to complete. I read a recent Washington Post letter to the editor that questioned why there are so many terms on it for various race categories. The writer wanted to know the necessity if we are post racial. And that’s my point. We are not post racial. I am so sick and tired of hearing we are in a post racial era. When I hear post racial, I hear many people saying let’s forget there are persons of color and racial differences among us. That’s what Chris Matthews said after President Obama’s state of the union address. Matthews referring to President Obama said he “forgot he was black”. Matthews said " he is post racial”. Matthews and all others who think so are wrong. As an African American female, I am proud of my race and ethnicity. I do not want to become post racial invisible. This country once thrived on the concept of the melting pot theory. Migrating from white European countries, white immigrants melted or blended in with white … [Read more...] about The Census Form and Post Racial Category
Women’s Her Story Month
Iraqi women went to the polls and were on the ballot on March 7, 2010. American women were granted the right to vote in 1920. March is women's history month. I call it her story month. We celebrate our history, our successes and look forward to our future. While much has been gained, there’s still so much more to do. President Obama in noting March as women’s history month stated we “must correct persisting inequities” facing women in every sphere. Since receiving the vote in 1920, we’ve seen the first woman run for democratic nomination as president of the US. No, it was not Hillary Clinton. It was Shirley Chisholm (D. NY). Congresswoman Chisholm (D. NY) was the first woman to run for the democratic nomination as President of the US. She was also the first African American woman elected to Congress. In 1972, she became the first African American candidate for president. In doing so, she blazed the trail for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Shirley Chisholm ran on the … [Read more...] about Women’s Her Story Month
Tea Party Convention Serves Raw Racism
Just like raw sushi is an acquired taste, so is racism. Last week, the Tea Party convention gave lessons in one major subject. It’s called Racism 101. We learned racism is fine and doing well in America. That’s for those who didn’t know it. Unfortunately, it is a reminder we need to hear in our so called “post racial” era. The Tea Party crowd was led by teachers Tom Tancredo, a former Republican Congressman and Sarah Palin. Tancredo was the opening act. Palin closed the show. Tom Tancredo decried that people who could not spell the word “vote” nor say it in English voted for President Obama. He boldly told the crowd we need a civics literacy test before people can vote in this country. We used to have one. It was aimed at preventing Blacks from voting. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed any practice denying the right to vote on account of race. This includes giving literacy tests. Unfortunately for Tancredo, the good ‘ole days are gone. But if we have literary tests now, … [Read more...] about Tea Party Convention Serves Raw Racism
Mr. President Please Do Not Give Up On Health Care Reform
Intellectually I see health care reform being flushed down the toilet or worse yet thrown under the bus. Emotionally I want it to survive and with the public option. I was always told I wanted to have my cake and eat it too. Realistically, I know that won’t happen. I have never encountered catastrophic medical bills, Yet, I recall vividly an incident over 20 years ago that I’ve never forgotten. A former colleague and friend had health insurance through our job. Yet, she still was left with staggering six figure debts due to her daughter’s treatment for leukemia. Her daughter had been suffering with leukemia for several years. Her daughter ultimately succumbed to the disease. My friend and her husband were left with staggering debt to pay due to the unpaid portion by her health insurance. Her credit suffered in return. Then she received the job offer of a lifetime to help ease the pain. It was based on a conditional clearance. Due to her staggering debt and poor credit rating as … [Read more...] about Mr. President Please Do Not Give Up On Health Care Reform
Thank You Mr. President
Thank you Mr. President. President Obama’s State of the Union address relieved some of my jitters. As the captain of our ship, President Obama reassured us that we are not lost in the storm. He assured us that we are on the right course, even if it doesn’t appear so right now. It’s always darkest before the day. Obama stressed that we as Americans do not lose hope in hard times. We keep on pushing to get the job done. He needed to address the lightening bolt speed in which we now expect results. Rome was not built in a day. The mess we’re in will not go away in one either. Intellectually that may be true. Emotionally we need results sooner rather than later. Sometime this year some job relief must be seen. It must be measurable results. President Obama spoke long and hard about jobs. Yes, he’s listening to us. I was glad to hear him say that no one was pleased about bailing out Wall Street and the banks. He likened it to having a root canal. He clearly felt our pain on that … [Read more...] about Thank You Mr. President