Laura Richardson

“I applaud and welcome the passage of H.R. 4173, The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act,” declared Congresswoman Barbara Lee, chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), several of whose members, led by Congresswoman Maxine Waters, were responsible for the bill’s key provisions. "Nobody has more at stake here than Black America," says Kai Wright, senior writer for The Root. Read Full Story

They did it. The Congressional Black Caucus raised a little hell and made things happen. By standing together to boycott a key House committee vote and threatening to abandon support for banking regulations, the CBC was able to get $6 billion dollars added to key legislation to help the African American community . Of the $6 billion dollars, $4 billion of it was added to a Wall Street regulation bill and $2 billion added to a House bill on jobs. After firmly supporting the moves of the CBC last week , I again say, "Way to go." African Americans are learning a lot about ... Read Full Story

Rep. Maxine Waters is leading the charge against President Obama, as the chief spokesperson for the Congressional Black Caucus in its critiques of America's first black President. The current black unemployment rate of 15% is almost double that of whites, showing that this economy is hitting our community more deeply. The Congressional Black Caucus is fighting now to pressure President Obama to address this disparity. Yahoo News reports: "Obama has tried desperately to stay away from race, and all of us understand what he's doing," said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver , D-Mo. "But when you have such a disproportionate number of African Americans unemployed, it ... Read Full Story

President Barack Obama announced a broad proposal for job creation , targeting small business with more aid for the unemployed, but the jury is out on whether members of the Congressional Black Caucus , who have called for targeted efforts to help black Americans, will be satisfied. The jobs plan rolled out by President Obama during a speech at the Brooking Institution Tuesday morning followed the general theme of aid packages unveiled during his administration: general assistance to the poor and unemployed but none targeted at specific groups. For small businesses, the president has proposed extending tax breaks for some small business capital investments ... Read Full Story

Black Caucus Stalls Finance Overhaul In one of the clearest examples of how the weak economy is overtaking Obama administration priorities, the Congressional Black Caucus forced the House to shelve its revamp of financial-sector regulation for two weeks. [The Wall Street Journal] Oldest Black Newspaper Marks 125th Year With Gala For 1,250 Guests The Philadelphia Tribune, the nation's oldest and the Greater Philadelphia region's largest newspaper serving the African-American community, will celebrate its 125th year on Saturday with a gala for more than 1,250 people. [All Headline News] Three States Set New Unemployment Records Three states set new record unemployment rates in October, according ... Read Full Story