By Robert Weiner and Khel Gordhan
Originally for the PuLSE Institute
To Bankole Thompson, a wonderful colleague for decades-1st African American Newspaper Editor to interview Obama, former MI Chronicle top editor, Detroit News opinion columnist, Radio host, first journalist in history to serve on the Board of Martin Luther King Jr.'s civil rights organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Cong. Conyers' close friend, and of course Founder and Chairman of PuLSE, which has become America's leading anti-poverty organization. Perhaps a hundred collaborations-with you, Bankole- including chapters in two of your books, with the latest, Hope on The Mountain of Fear (and who allowed us and him to be spot-on with the Housing Bill as Chapter 1!) Bankole was close to Cong. Conyers, where I was for 6+ years (and a lifetime of friendship after that) before I went to the Clinton and Bush White Houses and then created our ongoing, award-winning national op-ed writing group, recruiting young journalists as co-authors, after I worked with Claude Pepper, Ed Koch, Charlie Rangel, Cong. Conyers, and Ted Kennedy.
AND to Tina Patterson, President and General Counsel of The PuLSE Institute & and all its Operations since 2018, with her works cited by the Georgetown University Law Center, with lifelong work to help people overcome challenges, including in the state appellate defender's office. She is rightly proud to have worked as a federal government attorney for the Social Security Administration -- more on that later.
SO much to thank you and PuLSE for, and everyone here!
To live up to the Conscience of Democracy Award right here at the famous Detroit Athletic Club- is a true highlight!
Here's what I want to do with my 2-4 minutes. Here are 20 actions CONGRESS and the next PRESIDENT have to do in the next 3 or 4 years to correct the damage both of these four years, if he remains, and the first four Trump years:
#1) As all presidents do, and what Congress can do, reverse EVERY executive order of Donald Trump. Every one! And if you think that's unusual, it's NOT. Every President who comes in does that about the EO's of the President of the opposing party.
#2) Pass the John Lewis Voting Rights ACT to counter the racist Jim Crow-like rulings of the Supreme Court.
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