By Rev. Dr. Clenard H. Childress, Jr.

NATIONWIDE/ (BlackNews.com) – The hijacking of the Civil Rights Movement by homosexual activists took a quantum leap with the barring of Donnie McClurkin from the Martin Luther King Concert celebration. Such a strategic strike by the LBGT could not have happened without the compliance of the normal House Negroes of the Democrat Party, who also profit from the plight of African-Americans. This has become typical of Democrat administrations. African-Americans must take complete notice of the fact that the voice of the Black Community was completely disregarded for a few disgruntled homosexual activists. Mayor Vincent Gray, of Washington, D.C., due to pressure from the Lesbian Bisexual Gay Transgender lobby requested internationally known gospel singer, and Senior Pastor of Perfecting Faith Church, of Freeport, New York, be banned from performing. Mayor Vincent Grey, and undoubtedly the White House, all agreed.
It is a sad day for the church, especially for the Black Church, for let us realize, this move was executed after careful consideration of the possible repercussions. Their assessment? The Black Church will remain complacent, will more than likely abandon their brother, and go away, with little objection. Such assessments can be made due to the Black Church, and most of its members’ ungodly alliance with the Democrat Party, who now dictates to them who can perform at concerts, and who cannot. Please for one minute don’t think that Mayor Gray didn’t receive a call from the Oval Office affirming the request of the LGBT insisting that Donnie McClurkin not perform. I might also add, we should not think for a second that Barack Obama, who will be speaking at the Lincoln Memorial next Wednesday, could not have intervened on the behalf of Donnie McClurkin, but refused. The president could have mirrored Martin Luther King’s response to the insistence of the gay agenda being in the platform, by Bayard Rustin in 1963, which resulted in Rustin leaving the movement. When Martin L. King spoke at the Lincoln Memorial, he stood strong to his moral convictions; the President doesn’t have the same moral convictions as Martin, and in comparison, they are miles apart, and thus you have the expulsion of Donnie McClurkin from the performance. It is clear to one and all, the homosexual agenda trumps the Black Church in urban communities. Regina Griggs of PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays) made a very valid and crucial observation stating:
“Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy cited public ‘animus’ against gays as a reason to strike down part of the Defense of Marriage Act, yet gay rights groups promote hatred against former homosexuals,” said Griggs. “As shown with Donnie McClurkin, ex-gays are the most powerless and discriminated against minority in America today. At the behest of gay activists, the Black mayor of a major urban city removed an African-American from a civil rights event despite the protests of local Black ministers. Respecting the lives of people like Donnie, who have decided to change, and including them in the conversation, is part of building a tolerant society.”

The Machiavellian tactics of the homosexual activists is clearly seen here. They speak tolerance and acceptance, yet they attack, bully, and punish those with whom they disagree.
We all need to recognize that Donnie McClurkin is the worst nightmare of the Gay agenda. The insistence of the gay agenda to ignore psychiatrists, and even the liberal American Psychiatric Association, who factually state, there is no homosexual or lesbian gene, thus those who are trapped in the lifestyle, is due to a flawed orientation, not genealogy. I have repeatedly said, “you don’t give civil rights to sexual orientation because the orientation might be flawed.” There are thousands of people such as Donnie McClurkin that have been freed from the homosexual lifestyle, and it is directly due to that freedom, he was barred from performing at a Martin L. King Gospel Celebration. Oh the irony! Remember, the request of the Black Church was ignored. Despite numerous calls from Pastors, they were basically told, ‘you don’t have enough clout… your influence is insignificant… and above all, you will vote for us anyway, so why should we listen…?’
Well Church, I am reminded of an awesome sermon and later title of a book, by Martin Luther King, and I must interject its title here by asking this salient question: “Where Do We Go From Here? What will the Black Church do? How will the Black Pastors of Washington, D.C. respond? I would say: if there is no response, then the lack of one will do far more damage than the offense itself. Then we will we be reminded of another sermon of Martin’s called…
“Unfulfilled Dreams?”
Rev. Dr. Clenard H. Childress, Jr. is the founder of www.BlackGenocide.org – a website designed to reach the Afro-American community with the truth about abortion.

by Djana Milton
After self-appointed neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman was acquitted in the wrongful death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, his brother – Robert Jr. – tweeted, “Today… I’m proud to be an American.”
I am proud to be an American every day. But the knowledge that it is apparently possible to get away with killing someone without punishment is not a contributing factor to my love of country.
On NPR’s website, one of the early top-rated comments was:
One thing I don’t understand is what was the young man supposed to do when approached by an armed guy on the side of he [sic] road? Black, white, whatever, if a guy with no obvious authority stops anybody on the side of the road in an accusatory manner, exactly what could they say to put them at ease? (emphasis added)
As the prosecution summarized, it’s any child’s worst nightmare (or any person, really): walking home alone, in the dark and being followed. How many television shows, movies and books begin this way? The creepy music starts. The tension is palpable. Something bad is about to happen.
As first described by American physiologist Walter Cannon in the 1920s, such conditions cause the human body to mobilize its resources to deal with threatening circumstances. It’s called the flight-or-fight response.
We know from witness Rachel Jeantel’s testimony that Martin tried the former – flight – but that didn’t work.
The two individuals – civilian adult and minor – came face-to-face. What was Martin to do? According to Florida law, the Zimmerman family and their attorneys, Martin’s only alleged defensible position was to become victim to his pursuer. A successful self-defense by Martin was apparently out of the question.
The Zimmerman family would understandably rather have their loved one survive.
In his 2012 interview with Sean Hannity, Zimmerman seemed to have no remorse about setting off the chain of events that culminated with him killing a child. He does not regret getting out of his car. He does not regret taking his gun with him. He does not regret pulling the trigger. He believes it was all part of “God’s plan.” Perhaps that’s why he didn’t call 911 and ask for medical assistance as Martin lay dying for up to 10 minutes.
According to defense attorney Mark O’Mara, Zimmerman will spend the rest of his life looking over his shoulder. If true, he at least won’t have further opportunity to act as an angel of the god he believes wanted him to take a life.
Zimmerman’s delusions aside, it is difficult to believe Florida’s various defense laws are intended to afford so little protection to potential crime victims. The precedent established here is concerning. How this will play out for other young people deemed out of place in the future is worrisome.
Kids should be able to go to convenience stores, walk in the rain, talk on the phone and wear hooded sweatshirts as long as doing so is lawful and parentally-approved. They should be expected to return home alive from such excursions.
Kids should also be able to flee from “creepy” men or, that failing, have leave to effectively protect themselves when so accosted.
What is more, grown men who kill kids through the consequences of their own actions should be held accountable.
As Tina Tuner sang in that Mad Max movie, “We don’t need another hero.” We certainly don’t need any more George Zimmermans.
Florida needs to re-examine and correct its laws before these patterns of behavior get out of hand, else this country will find itself undeserving of anyone’s pride on any day.

Djana Milton, is a member of the Project 21 Black leadership network. Comments may be sent to Project21@nationalcenter.org.

Over the last few decades, numerous studies have revealed that education is the best indicator of lifetime earnings of individuals. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that median weekly earnings of individuals with bachelor’s degrees were approximately $400 higher than that of high school graduates in 2012. But workers with professional degrees had weekly earnings about $1,100 higher than those with only a high school education.
Now, new research from a variety of federal agencies indicates that education also increases the amount of retirement income. This is underscored by U.S. Census data for the period 2000 to 2011. Income in the Census study excludes Social Security benefits.
On average, college graduates received $8,482 in retirement income annually not including Social Security. This was $6,500 per year greater than that of high school graduates. Moreover, each additional year of education increased expected non-Social Security retirement income.
The Survey of Consumer Finances published by the Federal Reserve verifies that persons with more education not only have more retirement income. They also  have more financial assets than those with less education.
To understand the importance of education, data compiled by the Social Security Administration indicate that 60 percent of elderly individuals have no retirement income other than Social Security. The Social Security Administration also estimates that each year of additional education reduces the probability of having no retirement income by 3 percent.
In addition to education increasing retirement income, Census data indicate health benefits are associated with additional education. Among those greater than 65 years of age, college graduates are 6.2 percent less likely to have problems with independent living than high school graduates. And college graduates are 21.8 percent less likely to have independent-living difficulties than those with an 8th grade education.
All of the above should be good news to those currently attending college. It should mitigate some of the anxieties students might harbor about finding a job in the current environment as well as repaying their college debts.
The studies also have special meaning for those who are still in high school. And they should encourage them to seek additional education if they want to earn more income, have greater retirement benefits, and enjoy a healthier life.

Wayne Curtis, Ph.D., a former superintendent of Alabama banks and university business school dean, is retired from the board of directors of First United Security Bank. He may be contacted at wccurtis39@gmail.com.

by Senator Hank Sanders

“Senator Sanders, why are you going to the March on Washington?”   This question sprang from two different reporters using similar words.  This question took on added significance because I just had surgery some five days earlier.  The answer was multifold.
I wanted to go to the 2013 March on Washington because I missed  going to the 1963 March on Washington 50 years ago.  I wanted to go because voting rights are under severe attack requiring us to take a strong stand.  I wanted to go to send Congress a message that they must revive Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act by passing a new Section 4(b).   I wanted to go because the attacks on all the Trayvon Martins of the world continue.  I wanted to go because the 1963 March on Washington was a great historical event that turned the tide of history for the better and 50 years must be celebrated/commemorated.  I wanted to go to the March on Washington.
In August of 1963, I was working at Honeywell as an electronic technician in New York City.  I was scheduled to enter Talladega College in the middle of September, just weeks away.  I checked on the free busses and made plans to go to the March on Washington.  However, I did not have anyone I knew to go with me so I did not go.  I have been sorry ever since that I missed the 1963 March on Washington.  I can’t correct the past but I can prevent it from repeating itself.  I had to go to the March on Washington.
Voting rights is the right that protects all other rights so it is absolutely critical.  It has been under increasing attack for several years.  Many states attacked by passing restrictive voting measures starting in November of 2010.  In June of this year, the United States Supreme Court attacked by striking down Section 4(b) of the 1965 Voting Rights Act thereby killing Section 5, the very heart of the Voting Rights Act.  Then some states immediately commenced passing or proposing or implementing all kinds of restrictions on voting rights.  North Carolina is the poster child for the attacks on voting rights.  I had to go to the March on Washington.
Only Congress can correct the destructive action of the U. S. Supreme Court.  The March on Washington is on August 24 but the date of the 1963 March was August 28, 1963.  There are commemorative events scheduled for the 28th, but the March that sends the message is August 24th.  I want to help send the U. S. Congress a message:  correct Section 4(b) so Section 5 can be revived.  I had to go to the March on Washington.
We have just seen how the legal system mistreats the Trayvon Martins of the world.  Trayvon Martin, a boy just pass his sixteenth birthday, was gunned down by 28 year old George Zimmerman.  Trayvon was not doing anything wrong but he died anyway.  Then his killer was turned loose by a nearly all White Florida jury.  There are just too many Trayvon Martins of the world being sacrificed.  I had to go to the March on Washington.
There are other rollbacks of rights from affirmative action to education to immigration, etc.  I want my very body to speak jointly with hundreds of thousands of other bodies saying, “We will not go back!”  I had to go to the March on Washington.
The March on Washington is the greatest march ever.  It changed the course of American history.  Before the March, African Americans could not eat in the same restaurants, sleep in the same hotels, use the same bathrooms in public places or vote to elect candidates of their choice.  Before the March every advance in human rights came from the courts.  After the March, the Congress of the United States moved.  The result was the 1964 Public Accommodation Act that removed the forced separation in public places; the 1965 Voting Rights Act that gave every citizen the right to vote and other laws that made life better for all.  We were no longer dependent just on the courts and efforts in the streets to protect rights.
The 1963 March on Washington was conceived in hope and desperation.  There were little marches in various locales across the South.  There were “Freedom Rides” and “sit-ins” and boycotts and other protests that brought the courts into the picture.  Progress was scattered when it existed at all.  The 1963 March on Washington brought together all the protest streams into one big river of protests and big progress followed.
Most of the responses to the proposed march were conceived in fear and implemented in harsh haste.  “The March is going to turn into riots.”  “The March is going to wreak violence.”  “The March will not do any good.”  “The March will hurt rather than help,” and so on.
The organizers of the March hoped for a hundred thousand.  Two hundred fifty thousand showed up.  Dr. Martin Luther King made a speech for the ages.  Those who predicted violence, riots and failure were wrong.  With hundreds of thousands at the March, there was not one act of violence, not one arrest, not one act of ugliness.  It was a thing of beauty that changed this country.  The media was enthralled for days after the March.  The United States Congress was moved.  Other national institutions were moved.  The people were moved.  The whole country moved.  And I failed to go 50 years ago but I am going to the March on Washington this time.
EPILOGUE – We don’t always get a second chance.  Even when we get a second chance, we don’t always recognize or take it.  I am glad that I got a second chance to help move us forward.  I am glad I seized the second chance.

By Horace Cooper

Justice Department lawyers should not attempt to prosecute George Zimmerman for the death of Trayvon Martin.
They likely won’t succeed, and would probably compound the awful precedent set by the state of Florida in pursuing this case over objections from the lead criminal investigator, police chief and the community’s prosecutor.  These missteps were followed with a decision to bypass a grand jury.
Adding a pro-prosecution judge, all the safeguards protecting Americans from political or unwarranted prosecution were missing, allowing this train-wreck of a case to proceed.
If the feds follow suit, they will head down the same path of an unjustified prosecution — re-establishing, nationally, a practice not seen since Woodrow Wilson pursued his political goals through abusing federal prosecutorial authority. Wilson’s use of the Espionage and Sedition Acts to arrest and silence critics as well as the media rolled back the clock on constitutional rights.
Like Wilson era abuses, today’s Justice Department must distort the meaning of hate crime statutes to charge Zimmerman. First, prosecutors lack a definitive finding that Zimmerman is, in fact, a racist. After interviewing 35 people — including co-workers, neighbors and even an ex-girlfriend — an FBI investigation failed to find proof that Zimmerman’s actions were racially motivated on the night Martin died.
Even the so-called profiling issue disintegrates upon closer review. The lead detective in the case told the FBI that Zimmerman was suspicious of Martin because of his clothing and the time of day — not Martin’s ethnicity.
With its own investigatory arm already doubting any racial animosity, it makes prosecuting the matter as a hate crime extremely hard.
But it gets harder. The next hurdle requires finding Zimmerman’s specific intent to kill Martin. The jury in Sanford established Zimmerman was acting in self-defense when his gun discharged.  Zimmerman intended to protect himself from death or great bodily harm.  With murder in the second degree and manslaughter on the table, jurors found Zimmerman not guilty of both.  While not dispositive, it creates a difficult hurdle to overcome.
Finally, unlike the judge who all but embraced the prosecution of Zimmerman, a federal judge is likely to be truly neutral. Recognizing the importance of protecting all citizens, federal courts will review any new charge with a jaundiced eye. Evidentiary rulings and a host of procedural hurdles would likely make the case stillborn at the earliest stages. Issues from Martin’s use of the term “cracker,” testimony from unreliable witnesses and Martin’s drug impairment at the time of the incident will be far more relevant in federal court.
President Obama should never have politicized this case, but instead allowed it to run its course wherever on-the-ground investigators took it. But Obama injected himself early on when he speculated to the media that the son he never had would “look like Trayvon.” His Justice Department then funded agitators and community activists to try to influence the initial Zimmerman investigation.
A Justice Department interested in the rule of law and not the rule of the mob would steer clear from this case and any like it. For the sake of millions of potential Zimmermans in the future, let’s hope so.
Horace Cooper, a former law professor and former congressional leadership staffer, is the co-chairman of the Project 21 Black leadership network. Comments may be sent to Project21@nationalcenter.org.