Southern Region Rainbow PUSH Coalition

 

 

Civil and Criminal Justice System

 

In June, 2009, the Atlanta office of RPC organized Constitutional Law Update, featuring noted civil rights lawyers Barbara Arnwine and Loretta King to discuss the current state of civil rights law.  The program qualified for Continuing Legal Education Credits that practicing attorneys must earn in most states to maintain their license to practice law.

 

The Atlanta regional office has filed an appeal on behalf of Reginald and Jennifer Spearman, Pennsylvania siblings facing 25 years in confinement on a conviction with dubious evidence.  In September, 2009, the office also won a new trial for Calvin Stevenson, an Augusta man sentenced to 45 years in confinement for a crime in which he played only a minor role.  His co-defendants pled guilty and received less than 10 years in confinement in exchange for false testimony against Stevenson.  The federal district court found that Stevenson had been denied the right to counsel in violation of the 6^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

 

Trade Bureau – Business Development Director Randolyn “Tina” Jones is focusing the Trade Bureau monthly meetings on promoting new enterprise among minority and female-owned firms, as well as increased access to capital.  TB also specializes in indentifying and connecting TB members with public and private contracting opportunities.   Several member firms trace new business with firms like SunTrust, BP and Viacom directly to TB efforts and contacts.

 

The TB is organized into industry-specific spokes, including financial services, real estate and construction, professional services, advertising, public relations and food.  Among this year’s guest speakers are representatives from Citizens Trust Bank, Compucredit and the Small Business Administration.

 

The Atlanta office partnered with the Atlanta Business League, conceptualizing the “5% Solution”, aimed at encouraging blacks to spend 5% of their disposable income with minority-owned firms.

 

Equal Employment and Contracting Opportunity - RPC has filed suit against the State of Georgia to require it to democratize the allocation of state-subsidized pre-K slots.  It also successfully represented a group of nurses who alleged race discrimination against the corporate owner of a chain of nursing homes.  RPC is currently engaged in representing a group of beverage distribution employees who allege race discrimination.  So far, the mediation has resulted in promotions, cash settlements and diversity training for company managers.

 

International Affairs - Southern Region Director Joseph Beasley led a delegation to Haiti and the Dominican Republic in Spring, 2009, investigating human rights abuses in both nations.

 

Keep the Vote Alive! - RPC registered voters throughout the primary and general election season during 2008. 

 

Foreclosure Prevention

RPC’s demands for alternatives to foreclosure led CitiBank and Wells Fargo to withdraw more than 200 homes scheduled for foreclosure from the monthly sheriff’s sale in Fulton County in September.  Negotiations are continuing. Members of Rainbow PUSH picketed the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta in November, 2008 and again in September, 2009, to express concern that average Americans are experiencing the brunt of the deepening economic crisis.  RPC is on record in support of Bankruptcy reform and foreclosure moratorium as solutions to the foreclosure crisis.  It also supports reform of Georgia’s draconian foreclosure statute.

 

Cracker Barrel

Joe Beasley and Gail Davenport intervened with the Clayton County District Attorney to bring felony charges against a man accused of brutally beating a customer at the Morrow outlet of the restaurant chain.

LEGISLATIVE ACTION

RPC vigorously and successfully opposed House Bill 291 during the 2009 session of the Georgia General Assembly.  Under the guise of outlawing discrimination, House Bill 291 would have outlawed most voluntary remedies for discrimination in Georgia.  The bill would have done exactly the opposite of what it purported to do, i.e. outlaw discrimination.  Instead, by outlawing the consideration of race and gender, virtually every voluntary effort to foster diversity and inclusion would become illegal. 

 

CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION FUND, INC.

 

 

One Thousand Churches Connected

This non-sectarian, non-denominational self-help alliance of more than 1300 congregations is at the heart of CEF.  This year, 43 new congregations joined the alliance.  OTCC conducted seminars on end of life care with VITAS, taught Credit Smart classes and participated in numerous fairs, seminars and other educational events.  Axel Adams works closely with all denominational leadership on the local, regional and national level.  OTCC established a partnership with the Census Bureau to assure a full count in the Southern region. Continued to spread the good news of financial literacy, while attending to those who have become casualties of the economic recession.

 

Foreclosure Prevention

CEF in Atlanta counseled hundreds of families facing foreclosure and escalating mortgage payments.  CEF made applications for payment forbearance, modification, refinance and other foreclosure prevention measures.  CEF sponsored “Community Talk” on WAOK -AM frequently focusing on foreclosure with community experts such as Mechelle Glass of CCCS and mortgage counselor James Glenn.

 

PUSH-ing for Safety

As a result of discovering that the leading cause of teen deaths in the South is auto collisions, UPS and The Peachtree Street Project continue their partnership with public schools to teach safe driving techniques to nearly 10,000 metro youth, using UPS’ Five Seeing Eye Habits interactive curriculum. 

 

Research – The Peachtree Street Project is sponsoring a business case study competition open to area business students.  CAU B-school Dean Ed Davis and professor Jamie Pleasant are leading the competition.  An update of its studies on corporate governance in the Southeast – of which their have been three editions – is planned for 2010.  The study examines the extent to which Fortune 500 Corporations in the Southeast practice diversity and inclusion.

 

Education - The project hosted its ninth annual “Creating

Opportunity” event in October, 2008 featuring a Youth and Young Adult Summit with more than 400 participants, a Business Breakfast, as well as sessions on constitutional law, faith and finance.

 

Shareholder Activism - The Peachtree Street Project attended annual shareholder meetings at Ford Motor Co., Newell Rubbermaid, Equifax in an ongoing effort to promote diversity and inclusion.  Representatives also traveled to Kentucky to meet with Toyota officials to raise similar issues.

 

Athens, GA – In 2008 and again in 2009, the project supported back to school efforts in Athens, distributing more than 2000 book bags and supplies.  Athens is on the northern end of a string of counties in east Georgia that experiences “persistent poverty”, i.e. a rate of poverty 25% or more, for more than two decades. CEF also hosted a leadership meeting in Athens to encourage community stakeholders to take a more active interest in building a healthy community at Bethel Midtown Village.  It also worked with Timothy Baptist Church to produce an overview of how local residents could access benefits of federal economic stimulus funds.