Racism? Yes Eric Holder ONLY Attorney General EVER held in Contempt of CONGRESS

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On June 20, 2012, I watched twenty-three Republicans all who appeared to be white Americans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee vote to recommend that Attorney General Eric Holder, an African-American, be cited for contempt of Congress. Seventeen Democrats five who appeared to be African-Americans voted against the unprecedented measure. Many will argue that this is a legal and/or political matter and nothing more. I believe differently. It was a racist act. Representative Cummings was one of the five African-Americans on the committee. Watching his face as he voted and watched others vote broke my heart. It broke my heart because of the emotional, spiritual, and financial pain that racism caused me as a child and an adult. Vera Richardson Preview my Civil Right Act 1964 memoir Screwed by Former Governor and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer

"SCREWED BY FORMER GOVERNOR AND ATTORNEY GENERAL ELIOT SPITZER"

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Download copy of book 1/12/14 to your computer "Kindle Cloud Reader, with one click" Kindle, smart phone and devices.

On 7/20/13 President Obama asked "How do we learn some lessons from this and move in a positive direction?" "But beyond protests or vigils, the question is, are there some concrete things that we might be able to do. There has been talk about should we convene a conversation on race. I haven't seen that be particularly productive when politicians try to organize conversations. They end up being stilted and politicized, and folks are locked into the positions they already have. On the other hand, in families and churches and workplaces, there's the possibility that people are a little bit more honest..." 

Trayvon Martin's verdict was an unjust criminal verdict but African-Americans have suffered and continue to suffer from unjust CIVIL verdicts and court rulings/decisions too. 
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DTQWMJE#_ Click on link to Read 2 of the seven perjured declarations filed by Sptizer in my employment discrimination case. You can also download and buy the kindle version of my book SCREWED BY FORMER GOVERNOR AND ATTORNEY GENERAL ELIOT SPITZER". 

Anybody can read Kindle books—even without a Kindle device—with the FREE Kindle app for smartphones and tablets. You can borrow the book for FREE
Read this book or just the first 70 pages and HELP CHANGE this nation by engaging in  a conversation on racism that is supported by facts and the documents included in the book itself. My hope is that this book and conversation will  result in action by Mr. Obama who is our dear president and great leader of the free world.

One form of racism Employment discrimination can be addressed and curbed by President Obama with an executive order. He can amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 again like he did in the Lilly Ledbetter case. Amending the act again will allow victims of employment discrimination to have juries and not JUDGES decide if their employers discriminated and/or retaliated against them.

Vera Richardson

Purchased physical copy Screwed by Former Governor and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer

Screwed by Former Governor & Atty Gen Eliot Spitzer http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DTQWMJE/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_iET0sb140F3A9 via @amazon Dwload my memoir FREE 2 yr comp-Kindle Cloud Reader

THE HELP Must See Movie for African-Americans

I am encouraging African-Americans to reconsider their decision not to support of even view the movie "The Help."  The movie is current available on DVD and Blu- ray and has been nominated for Sag and Golden Globe awards including best actress for Viola Davis.

As a race of people African-Americans are currently losing ground on hard fought battles for equality, jobs, housing, education, and voting rights. We must use our God given talents and common sense to save ourselves. Since the election of this nation's first "Black" president Barack Obama many in politics are openly stating "that they want to take their country back."

The Help is a great tool to use to remind us and our children of some of the possible implications of cries by white politicians to take their country back mean. It is also a tool to use to encourage and educate our children and their friends to strive to achieve academic, political, personal, and financial success from an early age. Lastly is also an excellent tool to motivate us to put on your matching shoes and work to re-elect President Obama in order for him to continue his vision of moving this country forward by achieving equality and justice for ALL Americans including us.

NOTE: Picture of actress Viola Davis and Vera Richardson was taken by my daughter Julieannah in January 2009 at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, CA.

Vera Richardson
Author of Screwed by Former Governor and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer

Dear President Obama: We Can’t Wait the Civil Right Act of 1964 needs to be amended again

President Obama we can’t wait the Civil Right Act of 1964 needs to be amended again. The Herman Cain alleged work place sexual harassment news coverage present you the perfect time to once again address and correct unlawful work place behavior that harms minorities emotionally and financially. President Obama I believe that we can’t wait until next year or your next term in office to address employment discrimination and the toll that it has on African-Americans.

On January 29, 2009, you signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act which amended the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  Like Ledbetter based on my belief that other Civil Rights Act of 1964 employment discrimination and retaliation victims will unjustly be denied a jury trial I am still fighting. As you stated in your remarks the day that you signed the Ledbetter Act Ledbetter didn’t give up fighting for a just cause. Just like Ledbetter I too could have given up and avoided the unimaginable pain and depression  that continues to occur in my life fourteen years after initially filing my Pro-Se lawsuit, ten years after the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit refused to reverse the unjust dismissal of my lawsuit, and nine years after the United States Supreme Court refused to review, remanded, and/or reverse the dismissal of my case.

During your remark on the Ledbetter bill you stated in part: ”It is fitting that with the very first bill I sign - the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act - we are upholding one of this nation's first principles: that we are all created equal and each deserve a chance to pursue our own version of happiness. Lilly Ledbetter didn't set out to be a trailblazer or a household name. She was just a good hard worker who did her job - and did it well - for nearly two decades before discovering that for years, she was paid less than her male colleagues for the very same work. Now, Lilly could have accepted her lot and moved on. She could have decided that it wasn't worth the hassle and harassment that would inevitably come with speaking up for what she deserved. But instead, she decided that there was a principle at stake, something worth fighting for. So she set out on a journey that would take more than ten years, take her all the way to the Supreme Court, and lead to this bill which will help others get the justice she was denied.”

For more than five years I have pleaded and begged CNN, Soledad Obrien, 60 Minutes, Dateline NBC, Oprah, Jessie Jackson, Congressman Shelia Jackson-Lee, Tavis Smiley, Clinton in her role as Senator of New York to review my factual allegations of employment discrimination and abuse of power by Eliot Spitzer (filing seven perjured summary judgment motion declarations) and his staff at the New York State Attorney General Office.

I believe that my racism experience detailed in my book sheds light on employment discrimination and retaliation. That light will reveal that salutary purpose of summary judgment (to avoid unnecessary trials) and the rights of all Americans to a jury trial can both be accomplished with a well written and defined amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Amending the Civil Rights Act again would prevent one judge from having the absolute power to grant summary judgment motions that dismiss discrimination and retaliation cases.

Vera Richardson

“Screwed by Former Governor and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer”

President Obama’s 2012 Re-Election is More Important than His 2008 Election

When Barack Obama ran for President in 2008, it was an historic election. The prospect of voting for America's first African-American president brought black folks to the polls who had never voted before. People voted early, stood in long lines, some were in wheelchairs or on walkers -- but the passion and enthusiasm were palpable in black communities across America.

The rights and opportunities that our ancestors marched for finally came to fruition on election night, November 4, 2008, when the votes were cast and the T.V. networks announced that Barack Obama had been elected the 44th President of the United States. Tears of joy were shed across America by young and old.

Some of us mistakenly thought that, with President Obama's election, we had finally arrived. We could take it easy and not have to press so hard for our rights to be affirmed.

We underestimated the backlash from the opposition. Those who did not vote for Obama and who thought a black man would never occupy the White House -- either through prejudice, ignorance or defiance of authority -- quickly rose up in anger and indignation. The Tea Party was formed and we've seen their influence on politics in general and the Republican Party, in particular.

In his September 24, 2011, speech to the Congressional Black Caucus, President Obama was speaking for me and to me when he said, “Throughout our history, change has often come slowly. Progress often takes time. I never promised easy. Easy has never been promised to us. But we’ve had faith. We have had faith. We’ve had that good kind of crazy that says you can’t stop matching.”

“Even when folks were hitting you over the head you can’t stop matching. Even when they’re turning the hoses on you, you can’t stop. Even when somebody fires you for speaking out, you can’t stop. Even when it looks like there’s no way, you find a way—you can’t stop. Through the mud and muck and the driving rain, we don’t stop. Because we know the rightness of our cause-widening the circle of opportunities, increasing each other’s prosperity. We know our cause is just. It’s a righteous cause.”

It will be difficult to duplicate the magic of the 2008 campaign, but we can't afford to sit down -- you have to put on your marching shoes once again and work to re-elect President Obama in 2012! You need to not only vote, but work in the trenches to put President Obama back in the White House for four more years.

Don't be fooled. With Republican legislatures around the country attempting to make voting more difficult in poor and minority communities, the election in 2012 matters more than ever!

Here's why President Obama's re-election is important:

1. He cares about ordinary people -- the poor, middle class and those hardest hit by the recession.

2. He can keep the right-wing forces from enacting discriminatory policies and enacting more voter suppression legistration accross America.

3. He can appoint more federal and Supreme Court justices who are sensitive to the needs of blacks and other minorities.

4. The presence of the Obama First Family in the White House is an important positive symbol for our young people and others around the world.

5. America needs President Obama's continued outstanding foreign policy experience during an unstable international environment.

President Obama has instituted "Operation Vote" to make it easier for African-American communities to organize for 2012. What are you willing to do?

Here are some things you can do to help with President Obama's re-election:

1. Make sure you have the proper documents to vote by securing a state-issued driver's license or photo I.D., if you don't already have one.

2. Sign up as a voting registrar and register people to vote in your neighborhood.

3. Host a fundraiser for President Obama in your home or through one of your community organizations; and/or send a personal contribution to his re-election campaign online.

4. Post information via social media like Facebook and Twitter encouraging your friends to vote for President Obama's re-election.

5. Encourage your church or pastor to host voter registration drives.

6. Stay informed about the presidential election campaign by watching news broadcasts each day.

7. Voice you support for President Obama’s agenda and vision for this country on popular blog sites, radio and television websites, youtube, and CNN.com I-Reports.

8. Write letters to the editor or commentaries in support of President Obama and submit them to your local daily newspaper.

It will take a concerted effort from all of us to get President Obama re-elected. Put on your marching shoes and let's get to work!

Vera Richardson
Author of Screwed by Former Governor and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer