On this Inauguration day, I choose to reflect on President Obama’s first inauguration on January 20, 2009 and what it meant to me. It was a blistering cold day with temperature in the 20’s. I attended with a college friend and sorority sister. We were so excited that we could hardly sleep the night before. My friend wanted to get there very early to make sure we had a good spot. We were not fortunate to have tickets with seats. We settled on arriving at 7:25 am.—a little later than the original 5:00 am time my friend suggested. The actual swearing in was not until 12 noon. The time passed by effortlessly. We talked to those in the crowd as though they were old friends. As I looked around the crowd, I saw faces of all races, ethnicities and ages. I recall an older black woman who came from Florida. Her son brought her a ticket and paid for hotel room in November. When she had to have back surgery, her son assumed she would not be able to attend. She was determined to make … [Read more...] about Remembering Barack Obama’s First Inauguration
President Obama
Scandal Prone Hillary Clinton Needs Olivia Pope
Hillary Clinton’s email issues over her improper and perhaps illegal use of a private server in her house while serving as Secretary of State loom large over her presidential aspirations. And even though Bernie Sanders has repeatedly stated that he is not interested in Hillary Clinton’s emails, many folks and the FBI are interested. If you add the email legal issues to her likeability and trust issues which rank quite low, one might assume that she needs the help of Olivia Pope, the fictionalized character in the TV series Scandal. Coincidently, crisis management lawyer Judy Smith, the real life Olivia Pope, represented Monica Lewinsky during the Bill Clinton sex scandal. For that reason, I doubt if Clinton will be using Judy Smith. But Clinton needs a good crisis manager lawyer. As a lawyer, I often represent clients who experience legal issues involving criminal grand jury political investigations before they are charged with a crime. Clinton needs lawyers who are not in her inner … [Read more...] about Scandal Prone Hillary Clinton Needs Olivia Pope
Scalia’s Replacement Should be an African American Woman
With the passing of Justice Antonin Scalia on February 13, President Obama has a chance to make a lasting legacy upon the Supreme Court of the United States. The Supreme Court is now split with four conservatives and four liberals. With a lifetime appointment, there is an opportunity to impact our country for generations. And I urge President Obama to nominate an African American woman to the highest Court of the U.S. I do not ask for appointment of an African American woman justice because there has never been one to sit on the bench in its history since 1789. I certainly do not ask because of any quotas that Justice Scalia spoke of in terms of African Americans. I do not ask because Justice Scalia would turn over in his grave. I do not ask because Black women voted higher than any other group to re-elect President Obama in 2012. I ask because the bench needs to further reflect the diversity of our country, in terms of women and Blacks. The nine member bench currently … [Read more...] about Scalia’s Replacement Should be an African American Woman
Why Women Make Less Than Men in 2014
Nearly all women in almost every line of work are paid less than a man including women who have attended universities and colleges, attained advanced degrees and acquired excellent job experience, according to recent research analyzed by the Association of American University Women (“AAUW”). And in some cases, the gender pay gap is larger at higher levels of education. Often times, women do not know they are paid less than their male counterparts. That’s why the Paycheck Fairness Act 2014 needs to pass to close loopholes in existing laws and make it easier for all women to know and inquire about salary information without retaliation. The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions held a full hearing on it on April 1, 2014. And the Paycheck Fairness Act is not being pushed for a show vote by Democratic Senate leaders. Equal pay for women should not be a political issue. It should be a reality for all women. Yet, in 2014 on average, women earn 77 … [Read more...] about Why Women Make Less Than Men in 2014