Black Press News Digest: Blacks Still Disenfranchised at Polls

Congressman Urges Congress to Renew Voting Rights Act

AOL Black Voices staff writer Terence Samuel reports that Congressional Black Caucus member Georgia Democrat John Lewis has urged Congress and President Bush to extend the Voting Rights Act when it expires in 2007. Lewis notes that blacks voters in many districts are still subject to intimidation, voting irregularities, and the threat of disenfranchisement. This makes it even more urgent that Congress and Bush strengthen voting protections.

Prison Population Grows by 1000 Per Week

The United States continues to lock up more of its citizens than any other country in the world according to the Sentencing Project’s annual report on the nation’s jails. The Associated Press’ Elizabeth White writes in BlackNews.Com that a disproportionate number of those jailed are African-American males. They now make up nearly one-half of America’s 2.2 million prisoners.

All White Juries More Biased than Diverse Juries

All white juries are far more likely to convict a black or Latino defendant than racially mixed juries reports Greg Mathis for the Black America Web. A study by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that white jurors tend to make up their mind about the guilt of a minority defendant even before the start of a trial. This finding once again points up the need for diversity in the jury selection process to insure fair verdicts.

Black Congressman at Center of Political Storm

NNPA writer Lorinda Bullock reports extensively on the allegations that Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson took bribe money from Nigerian officials to facilitate a hi-tech business deal. The FBI raided Jefferson’s Capitol Hill office and seized documents in the case. This touched off a firestorm of bi-partisan protest from House representatives about the violation of separation of powers. Jefferson maintains his innocence, and said that he will not resign.

Republican Congressional and State Officials Press for NAACP Audit

A number of Republican congresspersons and state officials are demanding that the IRS step up its probe of the NAACP writes Black Press USA correspondent Hazel Trice Edney. The NAACP is under IRS fire for allegedly violating the provisions of its tax-exempt charter by openly endorsing Democratic candidates. The NAACP came under intense IRS scrutiny when NAACP president Julian Bond attacked President Bush in a keynote speech at the NAACP convention in 2004.

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