Washington, DC – Melanie L. Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and convener, Black Women’s Roundtable Public Policy Network, issued the following statement about President Obama’s new initiative “My Brothers Keeper”:

“I was galvanized and honored to be present to witness the launch of President Barack Obama’s bold new initiative, “My Brothers Keeper”, that will focus on providing opportunities for boys and young men of color. “My Brothers Keeper” Initiative is committed to utilizing proven tools to ensure access to basic health and nutrition, provide high-quality early education, and help young men stay in school and find a good job.

“Clearly boys and young men of color have lagged behind for years. Data demonstrates that they are exceedingly at-risk from grade school through adulthood. Disparities remain in reading proficiencies proficiencies, unemployment rates, incarceration rates and murder rates. The school-to-prison pipeline is a reality for youth of color as they have disproportionately more contacts with police than whites – in school and on the streets.

“It will take the hard work of our entire village to tackle the issues facing boys and men of color in America. The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and Black Women’s Roundtable Public Policy Network are eager to work in collaboration with President Obama and his Administration, our partner organizations and others to provide ladders of opportunity for our youth. Empowering boys and young men of color will uplift girls and young women of color, strengthen communities of color, and fortify America as a whole. As Americans, we should all commit to being ‘My Brothers Keeper.'”

Washington, DC – Earlier this week President Barack Obama; Attorney General Eric Holder; senior advisor to President Obama, Valerie Jarrett; and director of the Domestic Policy Council, Cecilia Munoz; met with Black leaders of civil rights organizations at The White House to discuss jobs, income inequality, voter suppression, criminal justice reform and other issues that impact the Black community. Melanie L. Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and convener, Black Women’s Roundtable, participated in the meeting and issued the following comments about the conversation:

Melanie L. Campbell speaking at the White House in 2013

“My first observation when walking in the room was there were four women and three men representing the civil rights community and several women of the Obama Administration. It was a great way to close out Black History Month and gear up for Women’s History Month by engaging a substantive dialogue with President Obama and his Administration on issues that are important to the black community.

“I was honored to join our sister leaders in the meeting including Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense Fund; Lorraine Miller, interim president, NAACP; Patricia Rosier, president, National Bar Association, alongside our colleagues Reverend Al Sharpton, president and founder, National Action Network; Marc Morial, president, National Urban League; and Wade Henderson, president, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.”

“After hearing President Obama’s agenda priorities, the group had the opportunity to present the 21st Century Agenda for Jobs and Freedom, a document created by Black leadership in 2013 detailing their priorities on economic opportunity, voting rights, education, healthcare and other issues.

“I had an opportunity to commend President Obama on behalf of Black Women’s Roundtable, for his strong emphasis on the gender-wage gap in his State of the Union Address and for his statement, ‘when women succeed, America succeeds.’ I urged President Obama to continue to encourage Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, The Family and Medical Leave Act and to also use his executive powers to address the gender-wage gap.

“The racial disparities in the criminal justice system have had an extremely destructive effect on Black and Latino families and communities across the country, so it was encouraging to hear President Obama and Attorney General Holder discuss their commitment to ending inequities in the criminal justice system.

“It was very clear that our 21st Century Agenda aligns with the president’s agenda in several areas that impact the African American community. The meeting was extremely productive and, as sister Lorraine Miller, said, ‘a great moment for the civil rights movement.'”

Melanie L. Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (The National Coalition), issued the following statement today on President Obama’s nomination of The Honorable Anthony Foxx, Mayor of City of Charlotte, NC, to serve as Secretary of Transportation:

On behalf of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, we are pleased to support President Obama’s nomination of The Honorable Anthony R. Foxx, Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, to serve as secretary of the U. S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

Mayor Foxx’s exceptional public service background leading the City of Charlotte prepares him to lead the DOT with distinction. His leadership in the successful expansion of The Charlotte/Douglas International Airport and bringing modern electric tram service to the city of Charlotte improved the city’s transit infrastructure to compete in a global economy. Mayor Foxx clearly understands how to use public service projects that revitalize our nation’s crumbling infrastructure to increase opportunities for businesses and workers.

We encourage the U. S. Senate to swiftly hold confirmation hearings for Mayor Foxx in so he can begin his new role leading the Department of Transportation on behalf of the American people.

Founded in 1976, The National Coalition serves as an effective convener and facilitator at the local, state and national levels to address the disenfranchisement of marginalized communities through civic engagement, women and girls empowerment, youth civic leadership development and public policy. For more information on The National Coalition visit www.ncbcp.org

Washington, DC – The Unity 12 Campaign will host The Ronald Walters Election Day Command Center on Tuesday Nov. 6, 2012, at the National Education Association’s Headquarters 1201 16th Street, NW Washington, DC. Unity partners will track election results and any problems that may occur at the polls.

Several partners from the Unity ’12 coalition will serve as liaisons to communicate hourly reports from state coordinators who are managing get-out-the-vote activities and supervising poll monitors. The state liaisons will keep track of conditions at the polls, monitor black voter turnout, and get exit poll results from Unity ’12 states that are conducting exit polls. The command center will pay special attention to the trends from key battleground states. Unity ’12 states are: AL, FL, GA, IL, IN, LA, MD, MI, MS, NC, OH, PA, VA, and WI.

Coordinators on the ground will provide updates via conference calls scheduled throughout the day. Twitter followers will get up-to-the-minute election coverage from the command center’s social media center using #UNITYVOTE, and view videos and photos from polling precincts across the country. Video, photos, and blogs can be accessed via the Unity ’12 Campaign website: www.unityvoterempowermentcampaign.org.

Scheduled participants in conference calls include: National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP) field coordinators, Black Youth Vote! coordinators, student coordinators for the HBCU Challenge,political analysts, andNCPCP Unity ’12 partners. Unity ’12 Partners on hand at the command center include: The National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, A. Philip Randolph Institute, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, The Ronald Walters Center at Howard University, The Praxis Project, National Education Association, and the National Urban League.

WHO: Unity ’12 Campaign partners
WHAT: Ronald Walters Election Day Command Center
WHERE: National Education Association Headquarters
WHEN: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2012 SCHEDULE:

CONFERENCE CALLS WITH STATE COORDINATORS AND NATIONAL BLACK LEADERS:

Press Call-In Conference Calls:
1:3O P.M., 6:30, 8:30 P.M.
(call in # and pass code RSVP in advance to Edrea Davis @edmedia@dogonvillage.com or (818) 613-9521.

COMMAND CENTER & WATCH PARTY: 10 A.M. – Until

TIME: 10 A.M. – Until
LOCATION: National Education Association Headquarters
1201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC
CONTACT: RSVP in advance to Edrea at (818) 613-9521 or edmedia@dogonvillage.com.

The NCBCP Campaign, in partnership with APRI and 40 other national and state-based organizations and affiliates, is leading its non-partisan Unity ’12 voter empowerment efforts in 14 states through its Black Youth VoteiThink 2012, Black Women’s Roundtable Power of the Sister Vote and Foot Soldiers for Democracy Initiatives to ensure that black voters register to vote, secure proper ID, verify their voting status, and are allowed to cast a vote that counts on election day. The NCBCP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to increasing black civic engagement and voter participation. For more information on the Unity ’12 Campaign visit www.unityvoterempowermentcampaign.org or www.ncbcp.org.