Project 21: Press Releases

Members of the conservative black leadership network Project 21 are saddened by the passing of civil rights icon Rosa Parks, and honor her actions as a catalyst for positive change toward making America an equal-opportunity society. Parks died of natural causes at her home in Detroit, Michigan on Monday night.  She was 92 years old.  This year marks the 50th anniversary of her arrest in Montgomery, Alabama for not giving up her seat on a city bus to a white passenger.  Her arrest led to the 13-month Montgomery bus boycott and was a factor in the rise of civil rights ...
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Uncertainty regarding the beliefs, affiliations and legal career of White House counsel Harriet Miers has produced a wide array of opinions from conservatives. To follow are comments from black conservatives affiliated with Project 21: Deneen Moore (New York, NY): "Is she a David Souter in a dress?  That's just something we don't know.  It's disappointing that the ease of this nomination is taking precedence over her views of the Constitution.  Given the important issues to be decided by the Supreme Court, now is not the time to gamble on an unknown judicial philosophy.  A nomination should not be based on ...
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Members of the black leadership network Project 21 demand that the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) join with them in condemning remarks made by CBC member Representative Charles Rangel (D-NY) in which he called President George W. Bush "our Bull Conner," referring to the 1960s segregationist icon. "Charles Rangel's comments are morally vacant and beneath the pale, but obviously not out of character for him and his supporters," said Project 21 member Mychal Massie.  "How many blacks today suffer from beatings, fire hoses or have dogs set on them for trying to seek a seat at ...
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Members of the black leadership network Project 21 condemn Wednesday's ruling by a federal judge holding that the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, with its reference to God, in a public school is unconstitutional. Project 21 members say the decision in the case of Newdow v. Congress of the U.S., handed down during the Senate confirmation hearings for Judge John Roberts, serves as a timely reminder of the importance of jurists who adhere to a strict originalist interpretation of the Constitution. "This is yet another in a series of attacks on the religious traditions on which our nation was ...
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Liberal Activist Group Cited as Key Player in "Political Hate Crime" Against Hispanic Candidate Members of the African-American leadership network Project 21 will join the Coalition for a Fair Judiciary, Hispanic activists and others in front of the Washington, D.C. offices of People for the American Way at 10:00 am on Monday, September 8, 2003 to protest the group's leading role in an ongoing campaign that is denying President George W. Bush of his constitutional right to choose judicial nominees and expect timely hearings and votes on those nominations by the U.S. Senate. People for the American Way is located ...
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President Bush's decision to nominate Judge John Roberts to become chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court is applauded by members of the black leadership network Project 21 as an indication of the President's faith and confidence in Roberts's abilities as both a jurist and a leader. "Nominating Judge Roberts at this time is both logical and reasonable.  While it can certainly be said that this indicates the President's confidence in Roberts, I believe it also speaks highly of Roberts's ability to lead and continue the atmosphere of collegiality fostered by the late Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist," said Project ...
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U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Hubbs Rehnquist's passing is mourned by members of the black leadership network Project 21. "Chief Justice Rehnquist will be remembered as one of a few historic heads of the Supreme Court," said Project 21 member Horace Cooper, a law professor at the George Mason University Law School.  "A conservative jurist who was appointed to an activist liberal Court, Chief Justice Rehnquist helped restore a new federalism in constitutional law and strengthened local law enforcement.  His tenure marked a new tolerance for faith and religion in the public square.  Overall, the Rehnquist Court significantly moderated ...
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Members of the Congressional Black Caucus held a press conference today in which it was that asserted God "cannot be pleased" with the Bush Administration's response to Hurricane Katrina and suggested race is a factor affecting the likelihood of a person's survival in the aftermath of the hurricane. Speaking at the press conference, Rep. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), said "To the President of the United States, I simply say that God cannot be pleased with our response."  Cummings also said: ""We cannot allow it to be said that the difference between those who lived and those who died in this ...
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Responding to an ad hominem attack from a left-wing front group, members of the black leadership network Project 21 defend the assertion that the beliefs of civil rights legend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are more in line with the record of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge John Roberts than they are with the agenda of left-wing special interest groups currently laying claim to Dr. King's legacy. In an August 24 press release, Project 21 member Mychal Massie said: "John Roberts is the type of jurist who represents the beliefs of great Americans such as James Madison and Martin Luther ...
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National Press Club Event Highlights Minority Support for Supreme Court-Nominated Jurist Project 21 member Mychal Massie will take part in a Thursday, August 25 press conference to discuss African-American support of the record and beliefs of Judge John Roberts, who was recently nominated to fill the current vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court. The press conference will be held at 10:00am in the Zenger Room of the National Press Club (529 14th Street NW, 13th floor) in Washington, DC. "John Roberts is the type of jurist who represents the beliefs of great Americans such as James Madison and Martin Luther ...
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Liberal Senators may attempt to delay a confirmation vote for Judge John Roberts by forcing a fight with the Bush Administration over privileged work-related memos. Citing other instances where procedural tactics have been used to obstruct confirmation processes, members of the conservative black leadership network Project 21 are renewing calls for senators to give the nomination fair and timely consideration as required by the Constitution. "Liberals understand Judge Roberts is a qualified, accomplished and deserving candidate for the Supreme Court. This obstructionism speaks to the level they will go just to fight President Bush," said Ak'Bar Shabazz, a member of ...
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Liberals on the Internet took a quick trip to the gutter with regard to the nomination of Judge John G. Roberts, Jr. to the U.S. Supreme Court. On the left-wing Daily Kos web site, a participant suggested the behavior of the nominee's four-year-old son, Jack, warrants investigation while another speculated about the toddler's sexuality. "Is nothing sacred anymore? Is no one exempt from insulting partisan attacks?" asked Project 21 member Michael King. "If someone mentions the relatives or personal lives of a liberal, there are wails and caterwauling from the left. But it seems that it's always open season on ...
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Initial liberal reactions to the nomination of Judge John G. Roberts, Jr. bear a striking - and amusing - resemblance to the left's reaction to the nomination of then-Judge David Souter in 1990, say members of the black conservative network Project 21. "This kind of reaction just goes to show that the liberals harbor a lot of preconceived notions about anyone nominated by a conservative president," said Project 21 member Donald Scoggins. "They'd probably have the same complaints about Ted Kennedy if President Bush nominated him to the High Court." In the July 25 Weekly Standard, David Skinner recounts liberal ...
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A pilot program injecting controversial "Ebonics" slang into the curriculum of two San Bernardino, California public schools would harm students more than help them, say members of the black leadership network Project 21. The plan to introduce Ebonics into the classroom is part of the San Bernardino City Unified School District's Students Accumulating New Knowledge Optimizing Future Accomplishment (SANKOFA) Initiative. The goal of the program is to improve the academic performance of black students by keeping them interested in their studies. Sankofa, a word from the Akan language of present-day Ghana, is translated as "We must go back and reclaim ...
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The selection of Judge John G. Roberts, Jr. is being commended by members of the black leadership network Project 21. "Judge Roberts is a superb pick for the Supreme Court," said Project 21 member Peter Kirsanow. "His integrity, intellect and judgment are unassailable." Project 21 member Lisa Fritsch added: "In selecting Judge Roberts, President Bush has proven once again that polls and ad campaigns are not driving his decisions. This judge is a respected representative of sound and balanced jurisprudence." Project 21 members hope the Senate will avoid the political wrangling that has plagued judicial nominations over the past few ...
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Members of the black leadership network Project 21 are demanding that Toyota executives apologize for subsidizing a speech by the Nation of Islam's Louis Farrakhan at the 2005 annual conference of Reverend Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and Citizenship Education Fund. Project 21 members also ask Toyota to sever any financial ties to Minister Farrakhan, Reverend Jackson and Jackson's groups. The National Legal and Policy Center is reporting that Toyota sponsored a luncheon titled "Incarceration or Education: The Choice is Yours," at which Farrakhan spoke, in Chicago on June 16. Toyota was listed a platinum sponsor of the conference, a level ...
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With tonight's announcement of a Supreme Court nominee, members of the black leadership network Project 21 implore senators to engage in a quick and fair confirmation process that is free of partisanship and political power-plays. "The President has chosen. It is now prudent that this nominee be accorded fair and timely proceedings that are free of the rancorous hyperbole Americans have witnessed in the Senate over the past few years," said Project 21 member Mychal Massie. "This process is not about left or right, but rather about the nominee's willingness to support and defend the Constitution. Let us hope that ...
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Today's announcement of a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court provides President George W. Bush with an important duty that has the potential to affect judicial decision-making for generations to come. Members of the black leadership network Project 21 are calling upon the President to ensure that all nominees under consideration will preserve and protect the U.S Constitution. Peter Kirsanow, a Project 21 member and commissioner on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, said: "I'm confident that the President will nominate someone with integrity and wisdom who understands that the proper role of a Supreme Court justice is to interpret ...
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With the release of startling new government figures on HIV and AIDS showing African-Americans are the "most severely impacted" community, members of the black leadership network Project 21 are repeating a call to black Americans to be more conscious of their behavior as a way to decrease their risk of contracting the deadly disease. "AIDS activists would have us believe that catching HIV can happen to anybody at any time. This is only true if we carelessly opt to have promiscuous, unprotected and random sex with multiple partners or choose to make illegal drugs part of our life. The myth ...
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On June 13, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution by a voice vote apologizing to the victims, survivors and descendent of racist lynchings that occurred between 1882 and 1968. The first anti-lynching legislation was introduced 105 years ago. Such legislation passed the U.S. House of Representatives on three occasions, and was championed by presidents and buoyed by overwhelming public opinion. No anti-lynching bill, however, could pass in the Senate due to filibusters led by Southern senators. A group called the Committee for a Formal Apology lobbied the Senate for the resolution, and is also pushing for a formal apology for ...
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