OPENING ReMARCs - 05/31/12 | iamempowered.com

From the President's Desk:

CBC and Black Clergy Occupy the Vote

This week, Members of the Congressional Black Caucus met with several hundred clergy leaders from the Conference of National Black Churches to discuss new voting laws and their potential impact on African-American voters.

At a time when the hard-fought right to vote is threatened across the country by regressive and discriminatory laws, churches have a role to play in educating voters, helping them to register and finding a way to get them to the polls on Election Day.

Lawyers were on hand to help guide the clergy members about the law. As Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Emanuel Cleaver - himself a United Methodist pastor - said, "The day is over when they could just stand in the pulpit and say 'Go vote. It's your duty.' They've got to now be equipped with some sophisticated information to help inspire a turnout and protect parishioners from some of the schemes that are out there."

Since last year, at least 15 states have passed, and 38 states are considering regressive voting laws, including photo identification requirements, restricting voter-registration drives by third-party groups, curtailing or eliminating early voting, eliminating same-day registration and disenfranchising convicted felons who've served their time.

The new laws could deny as many as 5 million people - most of them minorities, elderly or low-income - the right to vote.

We enthusiastically applaud the CDC and the black clergy for their vital efforts to OCCUPY THE VOTE. To register to vote, find a polling place, report a problem or get answers to voting questions, call the Voter Empowerment Hotline at 1-866-MYVOTE-1.

It’s your right, your voice, your vote.

To Be Equal:

Save Black Men – Get Your PSA Screening

“With the prevalence of prostate cancer disproportionately affecting our men, we must be vigilant to ensure aggressive testing continues for this most vulnerable population.”

- Cedric M. Bright, M.D., President of the National Medical Association

Last week, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended that healthy men should no longer take a routine PSA blood test for prostate cancer because the procedure may lead patients to pursue unnecessary and potentially debilitating treatments for a disease that may never fully develop. This week, the National Urban League joins the National Medical Association, the Prostate Health Education Network (PHEN), the American Urological Association and other leading medical experts in rejecting that conclusion especially for African American men who are 60% more likely to develop prostate cancer and twice as likely to die from it.

We agree that unnecessary medical tests should be avoided, but the evidence for eliminating PSA screenings for prostate cancer, especially for African American men, is inconclusive at best. Instead of abandoning PSA screenings for everyone, we encourage more education for both providers and patients that will allow men to make more informed decisions about the risks and benefits of the test. There are several reasons for our position.

Click here to read the full column.

From the Road:

Former President Bill Clinton Addresses High School Graduates in New Orleans

The graduation ceremony held May 17 for 37 New Orleans youngsters wrapping up a college prep program called Urban League College Track had all the typical trappings: local dignitaries -- Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins -- proud parents and a beaming class of seniors sporting colorful regalia. It also had star power. The presence of former President Bill Clinton lent the event the atmosphere of a Hollywood premiere.

Camera crews lined up for interviews an hour ahead of time, guests chatted in the lobby waiting for a glimpse of the country's 42nd commander-in-chief, and men in dark suits with earpieces stood ready outside. Appropriately, it all took place in the historic Joy Theater on Canal Street.

Click here to read the full article.

Coming Up:

New Annual Conference Website Launched

The 2012 Annual Conference Website is a one-stop resource for attendees, sponsors, the general public interested in free events, speakers and journalists. You can register, become a sponsor, check out the schedule, plan to attend the free Expo, Career Fair, College Fair, and Small Business Summit. Learn more about the thought leaders, policymakers and celebrated artists participating in the conference and about the conference theme, “Occupy the Vote: Employment and Education Empower the Nation.”

Click here for more information.

2012 BEEP Leadership Conference: Empowered for Employment

Please click here to register for this year’s conference, taking place June 6-9, 2012 at the Buena Vista Palace Hotel & Spa in Orlando, Florida. This year’s theme is “Leadership Development: Empowered for Employment,” which will explore the different, varied aspects of leadership, from communication to vision, from service to excellence, arming us with the tools necessary to lead.

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