Project 21: Press Releases

Project 21 Releases Plan to Reinvigorate Black Churches, Including Tax Incentives for Supporting Church Day Care and Schools, Bans of Race-Based Abortions and Ending Federal Restrictions on Church Speech Washington, D.C. – Black churches have long been the most important institutions in the black community and reinvigorating them is critically important to further black progress, according to the black leadership network Project 21. Project 21 is urging policymakers to create Tax Credit Scholarships that would allow individuals and businesses to earn tax credits for donations in support of church-sponsored daycare and K-12 educational programs. This recommendation – one of seven ...
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Rollback of CAFE Mandate Is Compliant with Project 21’s “Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America” Washington, D.C. - The Project 21 black leadership network is thanking two members of President Trump’s cabinet for easing regulations that disproportionately hurt black Americans and jeopardized driver safety. Noting that excessive regulatory costs are among the most significant non-racial obstacles to black economic progress, Project 21 thanked Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt for their decision to roll back Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) vehicle emissions standards.  Project 21 deems this action to be “Blueprint Compliant,” ...
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"Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America" Could Improve Lives of Millions Washington, DC - Celebrating "Juneteenth," the oldest and most popular commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States, leaders of the Project 21 black activist organization urge black Americans seeking more opportunity and prosperity to question political beliefs that have failed them. Project 21's new "Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America" furthers Juneteenth's goals of self-improvement and stronger communities by offering innovative policies that address longstanding problems affecting black households. "Blacks and conservatives both value freedom, and that's what Juneteenth is all about. It's ...
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Prohibit Illegal Immigrants from Accessing Public Services Washington, DC - Illegal immigrants should be prohibited from accessing all but emergency public services because the cost of these services unfairly and disproportionately falls on black families, according to the black leadership network Project 21 in its "Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America." The Blueprint is Project 21's 57-point plan for removing barriers blocking blacks from empowerment and ensuring that they have their chance of attaining the American dream. The influx of millions of illegal immigrants has strained public services and placed a disproportionate burden on black communities, Project 21 notes ...
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... Make Them Safer By Arming Personnel, Black Leaders Say Washington, D.C. – Students trapped in failing schools can be freed by encouraging competition among public schools through the provision of vouchers and “Tax Credit Scholarships,” according to the black leadership network Project 21 in the latest installment of its “Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America.” Project 21 suggests funding these programs by reducing funding for schools failing to meet certain minimum academic standards and by replacing the “Presidential Campaign Fund” tax form check-off with one supporting needs-based educational support. Education is considered the key to upward mobility, ...
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Washington, D.C. – Excise taxes should be repealed because they harm the poor disproportionately by requiring them to pay a higher portion of their incomes in taxes, say members of the Project 21 black leadership network. In its “Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America,” Project 21 calls for repealing both gasoline taxes and “sin taxes” on items such as alcohol, soda, tobacco, non-tobacco nicotine products and fatty foods. This, they say, will reduce the burden on those who are economically at risk. “With fuel prices on the rise, repealing taxes that can add up to 60 cents per ...
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Black Leaders Offer Better Deal From the Criminal Justice System Washington, D.C. – Law enforcement agencies focus too much on revenue-generating activities that have a negative impact on poor and minority communities, further straining the relationship between police and the communities they serve, according to the black leadership network Project 21. As part of its “Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America,” Project 21 recommends 10 criminal justice reforms. Among them: Requiring convictions be obtained before assets are forfeited, prohibiting incarceration for fine-only misdemeanors, requiring fines and forfeitures go to general funds rather than an enforcing agency’s budget and ...
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Black Activists Ask Justice Department, EEOC to Investigate “Troubling Trend” Targeting Employees’ Race and Gender Washington, DC. – Over 8,000 Starbucks locations nationwide will close today to counsel approximately 175,000 employees about how to avoid their “implicit bias… [to] ensure everyone inside a Starbucks store feels safe and welcome.” Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), at the request of the Project 21 black leadership network, are considering whether to investigate if such training is actually a violation of Starbucks employees’ civil rights. Last month, Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson mandated company-wide “racial bias training” ...
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HUD Welfare Reform Efforts “Compliant” With Project 21’s “Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America” Washington, DC. – During a meeting with Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson, representatives from the Project 21 black leadership network informed him that a welfare reform measure he had proposed is considered by Project 21 to be “Blueprint Compliant.” This means the proposal, allowing local housing authorities to institute work requirements for eligibility in subsidized housing, is considered consistent with a recommendation included in the organization’s “Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America.” “Secretary Carson is creating a path for ...
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Black Leaders Suggest Linking Federal Student Aid to Policies That Help Black Students Succeed Washington, D.C. – Failures by K-12 school systems to prepare black students for college are compounded by inadequate college admissions policies and support programs, according to the black leadership network Project 21. This, the group says, can make black students’ completion of a college education a difficult prospect. As part of its “Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America,” Project 21 recommends tying federal student financial aid eligibility to minimum graduation rates as a means of incentivizing colleges to provide black students with the support ...
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Provision “Compliant” With Project 21’s “Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America” Washington, D.C. – A provision of the “Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018” (HR 2, the “Farm Bill”) requiring able-bodied recipients who receive food stamp benefits to work is “Blueprint Compliant,” according to the black leadership network Project 21. This means it is consistent with a recommendation included in the group’s “Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America,” says the group. “We don’t live in a world of unlimited resources. We absolutely must separate out the greedy from the needy,” said Project 21 Co-Chairman Horace Cooper. “When those ...
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Costs to be Covered by Disarming Federal Agencies Washington, DC. – To improve community-police relations, police should get out of the regulation business, be given greater training in identifying and dealing with those with autism and other cognitive disabilities, build stronger bonds with the communities they serve by offering gun safety training and be given greater recognition for the good deeds they do. These innovative policy proposals and more are being offered by the Project 21 black leadership network as part of its “Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America.” Tens of thousands of police officers from across the nation ...
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Project 21 Calls for Repeal of Discriminatory Laws Hindering Black Economic Prosperity Washington, D.C. – Jim Crow-era regulations created for the express purpose of denying blacks economic opportunity are still on the books and must be repealed to promote black prosperity, according to the Project 21 black leadership network in its forthcoming “Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America.” Recommendations in Project 21’s Blueprint meant to encourage employment opportunities for black communities are being released just after the U.S. Department of Labor announced its April jobs report. While the latest jobs report indicates that the overall black unemployment rate ...
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Project 21 Proposes Bold, Innovative Reforms to Promote Black Opportunity and Prosperity Washington, D.C. – Project 21, the black leadership network, has asked the White House and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office for a “better deal” for African-Americans, urging both to support its new 57-point plan for promoting black opportunity and prosperity. During meetings last week, Project 21 leadership presented White House and Majority Leader staff with its “Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America,” which identifies 10 key areas for reform – covering everything from educational reform to deregulation to criminal justice reform. “The Blueprint represents a dramatic ...
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Starbucks Shutdown Prompts Concern That “Racial Bias Training” Programs Actually Violate Civil Rights Non-Minority and Male Employees Could Be Disadvantaged Washington, DC – With the Starbucks chain of coffeehouses planning to shutter over 8,000 locations on May 29 to train approximately 175,000 members of its workforce on issues of alleged “implicit bias” and “promot[ing] conscious inclusion,” the Project 21 black leadership network has asked the federal government to look into whether blanket assumptions by an employer in such situations constitute a violation of employees’ civil rights. “Not only does implicit bias training on the part of employers eat up valuable ...
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St. Louis, MO/Washington, D.C. - "Stacy On The Right," the daily talk radio program hosted by Project 21 Co-Chairman Stacy Washington, has expanded its reach with the pickup of three new terrestrial radio stations in Georgia and Florida. "It's exciting to see more program directors add us to their lineups," said Washington. "My brand of clear-headed, engaging and thought-provoking discussion is a perfect fit for today's hectic media landscape. People want content delivered calmly and succinctly with a mix of guests, calls and commentary. We provide just that." Washington's show, broadcast live from 3-5pm daily, is now heard on the ...
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Ambitious Executive Order on "Economic Mobility" Called a "Welcome Development" Project 21 to Issue "Blueprint for a Better Deal for Black America" Aligning with Aspects of Trump Reform Agenda Washington, D.C. - Calling it a "welcome development that will lead to greater economic prosperity," black conservatives from the Project 21 black leadership network are praising the Trump Administration's new executive order designed to improve and expand upon welfare reform efforts begun more than two decades ago. "With communities across the country beginning to truly enjoy the recently-enacted tax cuts, the Trump Administration is now turning to welfare reform. This is ...
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Trump Congratulated on “Well-Written and Well-Delivered Speech” to “Make Americans Freer, Happier and Even More Prosperous” Washington, D.C. – Following President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address, black activists with the Project 21 leadership network are available for comment. In tonight’s address, President Trump spoke of a “new American moment” in which “[t]here has never been a better time to start living the American Dream.” He touted the approximately 3 million workers receiving bonuses tied to his tax reform package as well as his desire for “every American to know the dignity of a hard day’s work.” He ...
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Planned "Teach-Ins" Against Trump Tax Cut Are "Misusing" King Legacy Washington, DC -  Attaching their anti-Trump agenda to the upcoming national holiday commemorating the life and accomplishments of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., congressional liberals plan to hijack the civil rights-era tactic of "teach-ins" to further demonize recently-passed tax reform and to promote amnesty for illegal aliens. Black activists with the Project 21 leadership network condemn this misappropriation of the King legacy, particularly since the recent economic upswing has been beneficial to black Americans. "This is a stunning development. In the name of black America and our nation's historic ...
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"Cynical" Attack on National Anthem Divides Nation NAACP Chapter's Demand Contradicts Earlier Claims That Protests Are Not About Flag Washington, D.C. - As the NAACP's California chapter argues that the "Star-Spangled Banner" should be dropped as America's national song because it is "racist" and "anti-black," members of the Project 21 black leadership network condemn such claims as cynical and divisive. Black conservatives with Project 21 also note that this lobbying by the NAACP conflicts with earlier claims by left-wing activists that activities such as NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem are about free speech and not directed at the ...
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