New Jersey
In South Carolina, Vice President Harris tells voters to continue MLK’s fight at the ballot box – New Jersey Monitor
Vice President Kamala Harris told a crowd gathered outside the Statehouse in Columbia, South Carolina, that the freedoms Martin Luther King Jr. advocated for six decades ago are under attack, and voters must fight back at the ballot box.
King “dedicated his life, and in the end gave his life, to advance one of our nation’s highest ideals – the ideal of freedom,” Harris said in her roughly 15-minute speech at the NAACP’s annual King Day at the Dome event.
The NAACP named the theme “Ballots for Freedom, Ballots for Justice, Ballots for Change!”
Harris said the freedoms at risk this election year include LGBTQ rights and abortion access. South Carolina is among states across the South that have enacted strict restrictions or near-total bans on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a half century of precedent and returned the legality of abortions to state legislators last summer.
“Freedom is fundamental to the promise of America,” Harris said. Under assault, she continued, is “freedom from fear, violence and harm, freedom to vote, to live, to learn, to control one’s own body, and the freedom to simply be.”
Harris was the featured speaker less than three weeks before South Carolina Democrats go to the polls for the first presidential primary recognized by the national party. Early voting for the contest starts in just one week.
President Joe Biden is expected to win handily over two little-known challengers.
But state and national Democrats want a strong showing in South Carolina, where Black voters make up a large part of the party’s base, to galvanize support amid polls that show a drop in enthusiasm for Biden among Black voters nationally.
In her speech, Harris cited part of King’s famous 1963 “I Have a Dream” address in Washington, in which he called the words of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence a promissory note that all Americans would be guaranteed the rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.
Harris quoted King, saying, “We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. … So, we have come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and security of justice.”
She told the people who marched Monday from Zion Baptist Church in downtown Columbia to the Statehouse they are an extension of King’s fight to make the promise a reality.
“Though we have come far, in this moment it is up to us to continue that fight, to cash that promissory note,” she said.
In conclusion, she said, “Freedom is never truly won. You earn it, and win it, in every generation.”
Harris’ attendance brought extra layers of security for the event hosted annually by the NAACP since 2000. Initially organized as a protest of the Confederate flag that, at the time, still flew from the Statehouse dome, King Day at the Dome has become a must-attend event for Democratic presidential campaigns.
In 2020, Biden was among presidential contenders walking arm in arm down Main Street to speak at the Statehouse. Harris had dropped out of the race a month earlier. The event then went virtual for two years amid the pandemic before resuming in person.
This year, people who walked the half-mile from the church, the event’s traditional start, had to go through metal detectors at a security checkpoint before being allowed on the Statehouse’s front lawn. It was also the first time that tall security glass separated the speakers from the audience.
Other high-profile Democrats in Columbia for the event included U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who gave the main speech at the church to start the day. Like King, he said, sometimes people must step forward without knowing the destination.
He quoted a Bible passage from Luke, when Jesus and his disciples are in a boat, and Jesus calms the sea.
King stepped forward into the storm, guided by faith, Jeffries said.
“When he would go into a town like Birmingham, or St. Augustine, or Selma, Alabama, he wasn’t greeted with wine and roses,” he said. “He was greeted with billy clubs and fire hoses.”
He called for the audience to carry on the fight for justice.
“You can’t get from your departure to your point of destination without encountering at some point along the way some turbulence,” Jeffries said.
The event attracted separate groups of protesters this year.
Some people held signs calling for reparations for Black Americans.
Others protested the Israel-Hamas war. Some of them were removed from Statehouse grounds by security. It’s unclear how many.
Monday’s speech was Harris’ second in South Carolina this month.
In Myrtle Beach on Jan. 6, she told a crowd mostly of Black women it was time to “roll up their sleeves” and organize for a second Biden term. That speech was given to the 7th Episcopal District African Methodist Episcopal Church Women’s Missionary Society retreat.
Biden himself campaigned last week at Mother Emanuel in Charleston, where he thanked Black voters in South Carolina for putting him in the White House. He will return one week before the Feb. 3 Democratic primary for the party’s “First in the Nation Celebration” dinner.
SC Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. SC Daily Gazette maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Seanna Adcox for questions: [email protected]. Follow SC Daily Gazette on Facebook and Twitter.
2-minute read
Phil Murphy talks critical workers during 2024 State of the State
Governor Phil Murphy’ discusses New Jersey’s nurses and teachers at the 2024 State of the State Address.
New Jersey announced $17 million in student loan relief for group home aides and other health care workers, part of an effort to attract and retain staff in fields fraught with turnover and vacancies.
Up to $50,000 in student loan relief is available to health care and social service professionals who commit to one year of service at designated agencies, the state said. Gov. Phil Murphy said the program should improve services for New Jersey residents with medical, mental health, and disability needs.
“This student loan redemption program further bolsters our home and community-based services workforce, and it is key in supporting qualified service providers to bring their skills and expertise to communities across the state,” he said.
Story continues below photo gallery
“In addition to alleviating the financial burdens of this workforce, this program also builds the capacity to deliver care in the community for more New Jerseyans,” Murphy said.
The New Jersey departments of Human Services and Children and Families announced the relief, along with the state’s Higher Education Student Assistance Authority.
The program aims to assist a wide range of professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, nurses, and counselors, among others.
Funding comes from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and is part of a $100 million effort by the state to grow a workforce that has faced significant staffing shortages due to low pay and poor benefits.
In addition to the student loan redemption program, the Murphy administration said the money will help establish recruitment, training, and certification programs for direct care staff, as well as more community-based housing options for individuals with disabilities or behavioral health conditions.
“We continue to invest in innovative approaches to strengthen and prioritize independence and person-centered care that will help individuals live in their own homes and remain active in their communities,” Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman said in a statement.
“This new student loan redemption program will benefit caregivers who provide vital supports to people with disabilities and with behavioral health needs, as well as older adults living in the community,” she said.
How to apply for NJ loan forgiveness program
The application process for the loan forgiveness program opens on July 1. Selection of recipients will be on a first-come, first-serve basis, with decisions announced by Oct. 1. Applicants must meet such criteria as being employed full-time in a qualifying role, holding the necessary certifications, and not participating in similar loan forgiveness programs.
For more information on how to apply and detailed eligibility requirements, interested candidates can visit the New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority website starting July 1.
“We are proud to offer this new benefit to dedicated workers who support individuals with disabilities and older adults in the community,” said Kaylee McGuire, Deputy Commissioner for Aging and Disability Services. “Creative steps such as a loan redemption program will help attract and retain workers and build a stronger foundation for the future.”
The one-time student loan redemption program provides:
Visit here for applications.
Gene Myers covers disability and mental health for NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY Network. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: myers@northjersey.comTwitter: @myersgene
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Join host Brian Taff and the panel as they discuss the New Jersey political power broker George Norcross and others being indicted on racketeering charges involving the redevelopment of the Camden Waterfront.
They discuss the presidential race as former President Trump is set to rally in North Philadelphia, his appeal (or not) to Black voters, and what outcomes the panelists expect from the first televised presidential debate on June 27.
Then they talk about Mayor Cherelle Parker’s first budget being approved by City Council, and her ‘return to the office’ mandate.
Next, it was a rundown of the region’s Senate races.
Sen. Bob Casey’s GOP challenger Dave McCormick is scheduled to be at the Trump rally.
Will New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez (who is currently on trial) really run as an independent and thwart Rep. Andy Kim’s chances?
And they weigh in as Delaware’s U.S. Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester officially files for her Senate race.
The panel also discusses whether warning labels should appear on social media for kids.
Panel: Donna Gentile O’Donnell, Maureen Rush, Alison Young, Guy Ciarocchi
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