November 2012
Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving
President Obama Wins Big Again and Wins Nevada
A Message from the Editor
Welcome to the Clark County Democratic Black Caucus first newsletter. As Communication Chair I will be serving as your Newsletter Editor. This newsletter was written and edited by myself and Chairwoman Yvette Williams. All members will receive this newsletter monthly and hope you will forward me your ideas or pertinent information to make this newsletter work for all of our members. Please feel free to contact me on our contact page any time. We hope all members of the CCDBC read, enjoy, and receive important information about the CCDBC, upcoming events, and how you can remain involved. If you're a visitor and would like to receive more information about the great things the CCDBC is doing, please sign up above.
Thank you for reading.
Tony Hickman
(2012-14 CCDBC Executive Board Members)
Thank you for reading.
Tony Hickman
(2012-14 CCDBC Executive Board Members)
CCDBC launches it's online newsletter and website
The Clark County Democratic Black Caucus (CCDBC) has a new website. The CCDBC website will be a direct link to our community for information about your federal, state and local officials, upcoming events, and happenings in Nevada’s African American Community. Also, the website will give members the opportunity to communicate directly with each other in the near future. In addition, members will soon be able to renew his or her membership online, and will offer several membership options at the request of our members. Please check back often for the latest updates, call to actions and see how your Caucus is growing and what you can do to help.
Message from the Chair
I am honored and delighted to serve as Chair of the CCDBC, where members in our community have a forum to come together on issues impacting the African American community in Nevada. Thousands of Nevadans joined together to change America in 2008 by electing Barack Obama President of the United States of America. Friendships were formed and dreams were shared in hopes of a better future for all Americans and in particular Nevada.
In February 2007, when I had the privilege of meeting U.S. Senator Barack H. Obama, I had no idea my life would change forever. Senator Obama had the audacity to hope for a different kind of government. One where the American people had greater participation and transparency. It was this campaign journey and the friends I met along the way that gave me my voice and it is my hope that we can inspire you.
We have seen what a government looks like that engages their citizens. As the presidential nominee for the DNC, Barack Obama invited grassroots participation in determining the final 2008 National Platform and asked for submission of planks. The CCDBC participated and submitted planks for consideration. We were successful in getting many of those planks included and was proud to be acknowledged in the official 2008 Platform brochure as a grassroots contributor to the National Platform.
Today, our voice for change on policy that disproportionately impacts people of color and those disenfranchised, continues to bear fruit in our local and state government. The hard work of getting candidates elected that are supportive of our issues and actively working with our elected representatives to include our agenda in legislation is the major focus. Each year our membership determines the CCDBC Platform and renew our commitment to organize and unite political action on behalf of those so often under represented in the political process, and we invite you to join us.
I wake up everyday thinking about how we can make life better for Nevadans. Serving as Vice Chair of Clark County Department of Family Services Citizen Advisory Committee, it is sometimes difficult to witness firsthand the struggles of mothers and families trying to make it through these difficult times. Friends and people you and I care about facing devastating circumstances as they work to survive day to day.
We need new and innovative solutions to the social problems our communities face in Nevada. We need a fresh perspective, strong leaders willing to lead based on our values, and people like you and me with the audacity to speak up and have our voices heard and our needs met. I believe that together, with an understanding and commitment to each other, we will all benefit from a resilient Nevada economy, quality education, and a renewed environment where our families thrive.
We each have the opportunity to sit on the side lines or actively move the ball down the field towards the goal line. I hope that you find our “virtual” world informative and empowering, and that we inspire you to become actively involved in your community and consider joining our Caucus family of change agents. We must individually ask ourselves if we're willing to actively participate, and if you're unable we encourage you to be the "cheerleader" on the sidelines and rally us all on to victory. This is our moment with the wind at our back. Together we can do this. YES WE CAN!
Kindest Regards,
Yvette Williams
In February 2007, when I had the privilege of meeting U.S. Senator Barack H. Obama, I had no idea my life would change forever. Senator Obama had the audacity to hope for a different kind of government. One where the American people had greater participation and transparency. It was this campaign journey and the friends I met along the way that gave me my voice and it is my hope that we can inspire you.
We have seen what a government looks like that engages their citizens. As the presidential nominee for the DNC, Barack Obama invited grassroots participation in determining the final 2008 National Platform and asked for submission of planks. The CCDBC participated and submitted planks for consideration. We were successful in getting many of those planks included and was proud to be acknowledged in the official 2008 Platform brochure as a grassroots contributor to the National Platform.
Today, our voice for change on policy that disproportionately impacts people of color and those disenfranchised, continues to bear fruit in our local and state government. The hard work of getting candidates elected that are supportive of our issues and actively working with our elected representatives to include our agenda in legislation is the major focus. Each year our membership determines the CCDBC Platform and renew our commitment to organize and unite political action on behalf of those so often under represented in the political process, and we invite you to join us.
I wake up everyday thinking about how we can make life better for Nevadans. Serving as Vice Chair of Clark County Department of Family Services Citizen Advisory Committee, it is sometimes difficult to witness firsthand the struggles of mothers and families trying to make it through these difficult times. Friends and people you and I care about facing devastating circumstances as they work to survive day to day.
We need new and innovative solutions to the social problems our communities face in Nevada. We need a fresh perspective, strong leaders willing to lead based on our values, and people like you and me with the audacity to speak up and have our voices heard and our needs met. I believe that together, with an understanding and commitment to each other, we will all benefit from a resilient Nevada economy, quality education, and a renewed environment where our families thrive.
We each have the opportunity to sit on the side lines or actively move the ball down the field towards the goal line. I hope that you find our “virtual” world informative and empowering, and that we inspire you to become actively involved in your community and consider joining our Caucus family of change agents. We must individually ask ourselves if we're willing to actively participate, and if you're unable we encourage you to be the "cheerleader" on the sidelines and rally us all on to victory. This is our moment with the wind at our back. Together we can do this. YES WE CAN!
Kindest Regards,
Yvette Williams
The First NV African American Goes to Congress
The Clark County Democratic Black Caucus (CCDBC) wants to congratulate Congressman-Elect Steven Horsford on winning his election to represent Nevada’s 4th Congressional District. Steven Horsford is the first African American and minority ever elected to Congress from Nevada. He will be the first Nevadan to become a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the youngest representative from Nevada.
The 4th Congressional District is one of Nevada’s most diverse Congressional Districts. According to the Nevada State Legislature, about half the population are Non-Hispanic White and the other half are African American, Hispanic, Asian and other people of color. In addition, the 4th District has the largest African American population of any Congressional District in Nevada; the African American population is over 15%. This high number of African American eligible voters (and their high turnout) made the difference between Mr. Horsford winning or losing his election to Congress. Steven Horsford had one of the closest Congressional elections in Nevada this year; he won by 50% of the vote. Many CCDBC members worked to get Steven Horsford elected by donating or volunteering on his campaign. Most importantly, the CCDBC was proud to officially endorse Steven Horsford for Congress on September 17, 2012. We are also pleased to report the election of Congresswoman Elect Dina Titus to Congressional District 1, new African American State Senators Elect Kelvin Atkinson, Aaron Ford, Patrica Spearman. Returning African American State Assembly members include Harvey Munford, Dina Neal, Jason Frierson, Steven Brooks, William Horne. Cedric Crear was re-elected to Regent and Allison Serafin was elected to the Board of Regents, Linda Young to CCSD Board Trustee, and Commissioner Lawrence Weekly to the Board of County Commission. We also want to congratulate one of our Advisors, Assemblyman Joe Hogan on his re-election. For a complete list of candidates the CCDBC endorsed and won their election go to 2012 Election on our website. A warm congratulations to State Senator Mo Denis on his new role as Senate Majority Leader of the State Legislature in the 2013 session. He will be the first Hispanic to serve in this leadership role. Your 2012 Election Feedback
We are interested in your opinion and how you felt about the 2012 election cycle. Please visit "Your Voice" section of our website and complete the polls. It will only take a few minutes and this will give us vital information about what's important to our members in preparation for future elections. Also, some information will be used to lobby for protection of voting rights laws next session, such as early voting.
Doing the Right Thing on Employment
We are very proud to report that the Board of County Commissioners are doing the right thing when it comes to employing all sectors of our community. As you know, for the past 3 years the CCDBC has been pressing for inclusive employment of African Americans in Nevada and was very disappointed State Legislators failed to pass legislation last session that would require contractors (AB144) to report who they hire by ethnicity and gender. The current law passed now requires contractors on public works jobs to report the number of Nevada workers on each job.
NV Department of Transportation reported an average of 1% for both African American and women workers on their contruction jobs and sought to implement a pilot diversity program to address this employment disparity. After working with the NDOT these past 2 1/2 years on this program (under the leadership of Assemblyman Joe Hogan) we saw a tremendous improvement (increase to 5% on average) on the 15 Fwy widening project, a quarter billion dollar project. We believe the legislature can better serve our community if they have employment data to analysis when establishing policy. We will continue this fight in the 2013 session but are tremendously pleased that the Board of County Commissioners are adopting such reporting in their contracts. We appreciate the County Commissioners for listening to our concerns and including us in this important conversation. We look forward to implementation in 2013 and their continued leadership on issues of disparity. Bravo to Clark County for taking steps to do the right thing. |
Record African American Voter Turnout
According to the CNN exit poll, African American made up 9% of all voters in Nevada. President Obama received 92% of the Black Vote and Mitt Romney received 6% of the Black Vote in Nevada. No other racial and/or ethnic group supported President Obama by a higher margin. The President won Nevada by over 66,000 votes and received 52% of the vote in our State.
Sadly, Congresswoman Shelley Berkley lost her bid for U.S. Senate by a very small margin to Dean Heller. CNN exit poll shows African American voters voted as high as 20% for "none of the above" in this race and an additional 9% for Dean Heller. We will make additional analysis available once certified. According to CNN, nationwide, President Obama won re-election with 51% of the vote. Look for impressive African American turn out numbers in the December newsletter. In addition, the President received over 3 million votes, won the majority of popular votes in 26 out of 50 states and the District of Columbia, and won 332 Electoral Votes. The Clark County Democratic Black Caucus (CCDBC) was very proud to support the first African American President for re-election, and had a large percentage of their members volunteering on his campaign. Learn more about how our members helped this election at our November 21st meeting at the new Las Vegas City Hall starting at 6:00 p.m. In addition, many African Americans were elected to the Nevada State Legislature and other state and county offices in November. More information about the election will be discussed in next month’s newsletter, once results are certified by the Nevada Secretary of State. CNN Politics (2012, November). Election Center. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/results/main Nevada Legislature (2011). Nevada Reapportionment and Redistricting 2011: Final District Plans Congressional, Legislative, and Board of Regents. Retrieved from http://www.leg.state.nv.us/Division/Research/Districts/Reapp/2011/FinalPlans.cfm _______________________________________________ If you didn't get your early vote button at the 2012 March & Rally, be sure to pick one up at the next member meeting. We have a few remaining and want to make sure our members get one. We still get calls from political collectors asking for our 2008 early vote button. 
2012 Early Vote March & Rally Tops 1500
Congratulations to all that attended from the community to make the March to the Polls & Rally an incredible event.
A great big THANK YOU to Commissioner Lawrence Weekly for his continued support, leadership, and shared vision in making this event one for the record books. This event was a testimony to the enthusiasm and commitment the African American community has to early voting with over 1500 residents attending the day long event. You can be proud that almost 1100 participants cast their ballot at the Pearson Center during the exciting event that brought civil rights icon and Congressman John Lewis, Lynn Whitfield, and other surrogates for President Obama to our African American early vote kick-off. A big shout out to African Americans for Obama, KCEP Radio, pastors and other community leaders for bringing our community together. We can all be proud. No December Meeting
Gentle reminder that due to the holidays we do NOT meet in December. Our next meeting has been moved up to Monday, January 7th at 6:00 p.m. at the Las Vegas City Hall due to the Martin L. King holiday on our regularly scheduled meeting day. We hope you will join us in the parade on January 21st. What better way to celebrate the King Holiday than the inauguration of President Obama's second term. If you are interested in serving on the parade committee please send us an email to [email protected] expressing your interest and a committee member will get back to you.
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Save the Dates:
December 8, 2012 NSDP Central Comm Mtg 1p.m. If you can't attend be sure to send in your proxy
December 8, 2012 Pat Grimes Davis Memorial 2:30 p.m. WLV Arts Center 947 W. Lake Mead Blvd., LV
January 7, 2013 County Commissioners 9 a.m. Vote - Implementation of Compliance w/Monthly Employment Utilization
January 7, 2013 Monthly Meeting 6:00-7:30 p.m. Las Vegas City Hall 495 So Main St. (free parking voucher)
Janaury 16, 2013 Educational Forum 5:30 p.m. In partnership with CCSD & the ML King Committee
January 21, 2013 M L King Parade Downtown Las Vegas
February 17-18, 2013 Black Caucus Lobby Day Date to be determined
April (TBD), 2013 CCDBC 5th Anniversary Celebration
August 30, 2013 Obama Brunch
