CELEBRATING AMERICA
During this challenging time, let us remember to celebrate the good in our nation every day--not just on the 4th of July. Let us praise our Creator for the blessings we each receive every day. When we find ourselves challenged by the opinions and actions of our fellow countrymen and women, let us remember to see the strengths that our Creator forged into each one of us. For when we look for and find each other's strengths, we are much more likely to find common ground. And when we find common ground, we can look for healing ways to move forward to strengthen our nation and build the more perfect union that Americans have sought generation after generation. When we listen to each other with open hearts, we are more likely to feel heard. And when each of us feels heard, we are more likely to listen to each other's perspectives and look for healing solutions. Americans have always been and always will be problem solvers. We believe in the fundamental goodness of human nature. We believe the human spirit is indefatigable. We believe we can and will rise up to meet every challenge. Let us all be grateful for the good will that exists in our fellow Americans and work together to do what we can each day to improve our nation. May God continue to bless each and every one of us. And may God continue to bless the United States of America.
The most common way people give up their power is
by thinking they don't have any. - Alice Walker
by thinking they don't have any. - Alice Walker
Overcoming Coronavirus (COVID-19) |
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As our local, state and national leaders act to help Americans survive the coronavirus (COVID-19), we must remember that God calls on us all to do our part to save American lives and at the same time to defend our U.S. Constitution and protect our democratic elections so that America remains strong past this national emergency. When voting to authorize funding to help save American lives and stabilize our economy through the coronavirus crisis, our elected officials must also enact an updated continuity of government plan. Given our current President's previous references to serving more than two terms in office (the Constitutional limit) and his authoritarian tendencies, it is essential that our Congressional leaders act now to preserve our U.S. Constitution, our Bill of Rights, our liberty and our freedoms, our right to free and fair elections, and our American way of life. Now is the time to stand for the survival of our Republic. After several state presidential primary elections were postponed, election issues occurred. And the future of both national political party conventions remains in question. Our political parties can adjust as needed. However, inclusion of federal funding for mailing absentee ballots to voters nationwide for the November election is critical to ensuring that the presidential election proceeds as scheduled. And our state and local governments must establish fail-safe ways for voters to deliver our ballots to be counted at the local level. Americans built the United States of America with TRUE GRIT -- and we will overcome this coronavirus crisis. Throughout our nation's history, Americans have always risen to the occasion and we will again now in our time. God bless us, every one. And God bless the United States of America. |
As we face our ongoing national reckoning to end illegal and unacceptable brutality by our police and others against our fellow Americans of African American heritage, we must move forward to diversify our prosecutorial offices where 95% of our 2,400 local, state and national prosecutors were classified as "white" and only 5% were classified as "people of color" in 2015. In 14 states, all elected prosecutors were "white." See https://wholeads.us/justice/. 
Let's expand our civil rights movement to work together with key community leaders to encourage our American Bar Association and our justice-minded groups across our nation to adopt this mission: We will recruit, train and mentor people from diverse backgrounds through school, college and law school to pursue careers on our local, state and national prosecutorial teams.
Most cases never go to trial before a judge or jury. Instead, our prosecutors use discretion to decide whom to hold accountable, whether to bring or drop charges, whether to charge a misdemeanor or felony, whether to demand prison time or accept alternatives--and how to proceed when our police are accused of misconduct. Our communities deserve diverse representation when these important decisions are made. |
