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Today, the House is scheduled to vote on sending nearly $8 billion in aid in response to Hurricane Harvey. The measure is widely supported, with a few Freedom Caucus exceptions, and is expected to pass. Meanwhile, Hurricane Irma, one of the most powerful Atlantic storms ever recorded, is expected to strike Puerto Rico and other islands today and could reach Florida by the weekend. The House is also expected to pass today the first major legislation to speed the rollout of self-driving cars. Later this morning, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) are heading to the WH to meet with Trump to talk about Congress’ aggressive agenda, including the challenging path forward on DACA. Speaking of, the outrage and backlash over Trump’s DACA decision stretched the coasts and crossed both political divides and borders. We examine some of the backlash below. It’s a rainy morning in the nation’s capital. Here’s what we’ve got today:
- Barack Obama speaks out on DACA.
- Michelle Obama heading to Salt Lake City.
- Queens Bey and Oprah join Harvey relief concert.
- Congressional Black Caucus meets tomorrow to talk budget.
- DREAMer sues the admin.
- Mexican government ready to help DREAMers, if needed.
- Bold PAC fundraises on “Medicare for All” though not all PAC members onboard.
- David Clarke finds his DC gig.
- Omarosa laughs off rumors that WH CoS John Kelly wants her out.
- HuffPost has a new DC bureau chief.
- NYT adds to the congressional reporting roster.
- Congressman Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) says GOP "fringe" group uses immigrants as scapegoats.
- USHCC CEO Javier Palomárez resigns from Trump’s diversity council -- finally.
- Trial for Senator Robert Menéndez (D-NJ) begins today.
- Former Congresswoman Corrine Brown hosts a praise with purpose.
- It's raining purple in Minneapolis as thousands want to topple Columbus and erect Prince.
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi are holding a 10A joint presser on DACA and Dreamers.
- Latino journos needed for NAHJ survey. Get more info below!
- Steve Harvey now regrets his infamous meeting with Trump. Get the story below in Blogs.
- If you're in DC, join The Beat DC team tonight at 5P Dirty Habit for a Hurricane Harvey relief happy hour. First 10 people to arrive will get a cocktail on us!
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Define American's José Antonio Vargas last week with ACLU's Lorella Praelli. | |  |
CA congressional candidate Sam Jammal with State Senator Kevin De León. | |
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Obama Speaks on DACA
“To target these young people is wrong – because they have done nothing wrong. It is self-defeating – because they want to start new businesses, staff our labs, serve in our military, and otherwise contribute to the country we love. And it is cruel.” Those are just a few of the words former President Barack Obama shared in response to his successor's decision to end DACA. “The action taken today isn’t required legally. It’s a political decision, and a moral question. Whatever concerns or complaints Americans may have about immigration in general, we shouldn’t threaten the future of this group of young people who are here through no fault of their own, who pose no threat, who are not taking away anything from the rest of us.” Click here to read the full statement.
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CBC Meets to Discuss Budget
On Thursday, Congressmen Bobby Scott (D-VA) and Danny Davis (D-IL), co-chairs of the CBC Task Force on Budget, Appropriations, and Taxation, will host a roundtable on the CBC budget. During the roundtable, members of Congress and policy experts will discuss how the CBC budget invests in programs and policies that help communities of color. Other participants will include NAACP’s Carol Kaplan, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities’ Sharon Parrott, Global Policy Solutions and rumored Maryland gubernatorial candidate Maya Rockeymoore, Center for American Progress’ Melissa Boteach, Economic Policy Institute's Janelle Jones, and Demos’ Algernon Austin.
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Bold PAC Fundraising on Single Payer But Not All CHC Members Have Endorsed
Bold PAC, is using a “Medicare for all” push with at least eight fundraising emails in the past few months that suggest contributing to the PAC will help advance single-payer legislation. The strategy is paying off. The Beat DC previously reported that the PAC already raised nearly $3.9 million and in the first quarter of 2017, it brought in over $2 million, breaking its previous fundraising record for a three-month period. However, HuffPost reports that just half of the full voting members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have publicly endorsed single-payer healthcare. Of the 28 CHC members with full voting rights in the House, 15 are among the 117 co-sponsors of single-payer legislation introduced by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI). The 13 CHC members in the House who have not signed onto the bill include Bold PAC Chair Congressman Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), DCCC Chair Congressman Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and possible TX gubernatorial candidate Congressman Joaquín Castro (D-TX). Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Bob Menéndez (D-NJ) have not revealed whether they plan to support Senator Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) single-payer legislation or otherwise indicated it is a policy they support. More here.
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DNC Chair Tom Pérez speaking with DREAMers and DACA supporters on Tuesday. | |  | Rev. Al Sharpton on Tuesday speaking at Essence Magazine talking Essence Music Festival in South Africa later this month, where he is one of the keynote speakers. | |
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New Surgeon General Sworn In
Remember when we told you last month that Trump’s pick for Surgeon General was confirmed by the Senate? Well, yesterday VP Mike Pence swore in Jerome Adams, who was previously appointed by Pence in 2014 to serve as Indiana’s health commissioner. At the ceremony Tuesday afternoon, Adams said his motto as Surgeon General will be to create better health through better partnerships in an effort to address wide-ranging health issues, such as the opioid epidemic, mental health, and childhood obesity. More here.
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Clarke Joins Pro-Trump PAC
Former Milwaukee County (WI) Sheriff David Clarke has joined a super political action committee that backs Donald Trump. The 61-year-old will serve as Spokesman and Senior Advisor for America First Action. “I will help make sure we elect the candidates who will do what they promise in support of President Trump’s agenda,” Clarke said in a statement from his office. “Just as important, I will see to it that the will of the American people is not derailed by the left or the self-serving Washington establishment,” he added. More here.
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Omarosa Laughs Off Kelly Rumors
TMZ caught Omarosa at Reagan National in DC on Tuesday and asked if it is true that Chief of Staff Gen. John Kelly wants her out? The reality TV star laughed it off, saying the reports sound awfully similar to stuff she heard when Reince Priebus was running the show. She added that she has 14 years of face time with Trump in the bank and thinks that'll carry her over for a good long while. One must admit, these two appear to share the same values and are a match made in heaven.The question, however, remains -- what has she influenced thus far? What does she plan to attempt to influence? The Beat DC is going to need some receipts, please. More here.
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| | Regional Director of State Affairs
(DC or NYC)
Everytown for Gun Safety seeks a Regional Director of State Affairs to lead the development and execution of complex, targeted legislative strategy in a designated U.S. region. You will work in collaboration with state legislators, advocacy organizations, lobbyists, and other influencers to seize opportunities to pass and protect life-saving gun violence prevention laws at the state level.
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Michelle Obama Heading to Salt Lake City
Former First Lady Michelle Obama is heading to Salt Lake City later this month to speak at a conference hosted by Pluralsight -- a privately held online education company that offers a variety of video training courses for software developers, IT administrators, and creative professionals through its website. Pluralsight CEO Aaron Skonnard revealed the news in a blog posting, calling Obama "a role model, champion and inspiration for women, families and young people across America and around the world." Obama will participate in a moderated conversation on the final day of the gathering, which runs September 19th-21st, at the Grand America Hotel. Tickets for Obama's keynote appearance are $199, with all-conference passes going for $499 for Utah residents, $899 for out-of-staters. More about the event here.
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Obama’s Paternal Ancestral Village Struggles Post-White House
Citizens of Kogelo, Kenya are among many suffering from former President Barack Obama’s White House exit. Kogelo is Obama’s paternal ancestral village, which became a popular tourist spot after the first Black president assumed the Oval Office. Now, 44’s exit also dried up tourism and financing for the community that is now wringing its hands over the future. USA Today reports that elders recently gathered at the local chief's camp to discuss how to handle the rapid drop-off in Obama-spurred visitors, donations and other benefits brought to the place where his father was born. “We didn’t imagine life will be this bad without Obama,” said Willys Otieno, a village elder. “The white people have left the village with their money. There are no more tourists coming here, and we (still) have to pay bills for everything.” Students have dropped out of local private schools because they’ve lost scholarships funded by the Mama Sarah Obama Foundation, the Barack H. Obama Foundation and the Barack Obama Secondary School and Primary School. A few donor-funded health clinics in the region have shut down because of a lack of funding. Obama did not directly fund the charities. But his family here used his name and high office to raise money and assist the poor in this village of 3,000 residents, 250 miles northwest of the capital, Nairobi. More here.
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Our Revolution's Nina Turner with Akron (OH) Councilwoman Tara Mosley-Samples at a progressive issues event on Saturday at Ohio State University. | |  |
Minnesota State Representative Ilhan Omar with her family celebrating Eid Mubarak. | |
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Obama Alumna Will Lead Antitrust Division at International Law Firm
Edith Ramirez, the chairwoman of the Federal Trade Commission during President Barack Obama's tenure, is headed to Hogan Lovells, a top international law firm, to specialize in an increasingly visible area of policy: antitrust and competition law. “Issues that relate to the role of competition when it comes to economic growth, issues of income inequality, those are important conversations to be having and it's a good thing that the public's attention has been turning to the role of competition policy,” Ramirez said in an interview with WaPo. Prior to joining the FTC, the Southern California native was a litigation partner in the Los Angeles office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP. Before that, Ramirez she was an Associate at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP in Los Angeles. She clerked for the Hon. Alfred T. Goodwin in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Ramirez graduated from Harvard Law School cum laude, where she served as an Editor of the Harvard Law Review, and holds an A.B. in History magna cum laude from Harvard College. More about her transition here.
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USHCC Head Palomárez Resigns From Presidential Diversity Group
U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Javier Palomárez is resigning from Donald Trump's diversity coalition over the administration's decision to end DACA. Palomárez had stayed on the presidential coalition even while others resigned en masse from other presidential commissions, saying he wanted to focus on the work that needed to be done, but ending DACA was too much to bear and "a huge disappointment." In an op-ed for the NYT he writes, “Many actions taken by this White House have profoundly rattled my confidence in its commitment to inclusivity and its respect for diversity. But today’s decision was worst of all. An American president who does not believe there’s a place for young people whose passion and values exemplify the best of our tradition is simply not a president that I can continue to support.” He says after being asked to join the President’s Diversity Council that the group never actually met -- “a stark sign of the president’s lack of interest in our work,” he writes. “No amount of sound advice is enough to keep Mr. Trump’s reckless and divisive impulses in check.” Read the full piece here.
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DACA supporters on Tuesday afternoon outside Trump Tower in New York City. | |  |
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) visiting with DREAMers on Monday in Seattle. | |
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Mexico Speaks Out
The Mexican Foreign Ministry spoke out against the decision to end DACA saying, "Our country cannot ignore the fact that there are thousands of young people born in Mexico who may be affected by the decision announced today." The Ministry also said that “Mexico will receive with open arms the young Dreamers who return to Mexico.” It said the Mexican government has taken steps, including creating scholarships, to help DREAMers transition to life in Mexico if they are deported. Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto had earlier expressed support for the young immigrants, saying in a national address on Saturday, "To all of you, young dreamers, our great recognition, admiration and solidarity without reservations." More here.
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DREAMer Sues Trump Admin Over Decision to Rescind DACA Program
Hours after AG Jeff Sessions announced the administration's intention to end DACA, 26-year-old Batalla Vidal, a Mexican immigrant and DACA recipient, in conjunction with the nonprofit group Make the Road New York, went to federal court Tuesday to challenge the Trump administration's termination of the Obama-era program.The case was originally filed in 2016 challenging a court decision that blocked the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program and the expansion of DACA from going into effect. On Tuesday, the lawsuit was amended to challenge the White House's decision to end DACA. It was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. More here.
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|  | Serafin Gómez, WH Producer for FOX, Trey Yingst, WH Correspondent for One America News Network, and BuzzFeed's Adrian Carrasquillo at a pool party last month. | |  |
CNN commentator Marc Lamont Hill on Tuesday taking his daughter Anya to her school as she enters the eighth grade. | |
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Corrine Brown Hosts Praise with Purpose to Pay for Legal Fees
Former Congresswoman Corrine Brown hosted a benefit concert Sunday night to help pay off her legal fees. She had postponed the concert last month, believing inclement weather would cause problems and saying she “needed more time.” Tickets ranged from $25 to $40 for her “Praise with a Purpose” concert featuring Shirley Caesar at Abyssinia Baptist Church. First Coast News reports that hundreds answered the invitation, packing the parking lot and church. “The people who are coming here are coming because they trust me, they are praying for me,” Brown said. “I’m glad they know it and I need help when you are going up against the criminal justice system it is very expensive.” Through the Corrine Brown Legal Trust, she’s trying to raise $1 million. More here.
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Curbelo Blames ‘Fringe Group’ for Scapegoating Immigrants
Congressman Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) said some members of his party are part of "fringe" group that use immigrants as scapegoats for economic struggles. Curbelo appeared on MSNBC on Tuesday shortly after Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach said DACA recipients should "go back to their home country and get in line" before coming back to the U.S. “It’s regrettable that some fringe elements in our politics have a sick obsession with scapegoating immigrants, for blaming them for all our economic struggles in this country,” Curbelo said, adding if that group wants a “culprit” for “stagnant economic growth,” Kobach and others should look at the country’s tax code and education system. Curbelo also criticized Kobach for blaming immigrants for the economic struggles of young Americans. More here.
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LULAC's Brent Wilkes last week enjoying some fishing in upstate New York. | |  |
Congressman Ami Bera (D-CA) on Sunday speaking at the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce. | |
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HuffPost Names New DC Bureau Chief
HuffPost has named Amanda Terkel their new DC Bureau Chief. She was previously the online publication’s Senior Political Reporter and Politics Managing Editor. Prior to that, the magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa Colgate University graduate served as Deputy Research Director at the Center for American Progress and the Managing Editor of ThinkProgress.org. When Editor-In-Chief Lydia Polgreen assumed the helm earlier this year she made some changes, including laying off six people in the DC bureau this summer. Terkel says politics was her first love. A high school trip to DC sparked her desire to keep up with current events and politics. Last summer she covered both political conventions, and the Western NY native’s writings have been published by the NYT, Politico, Salon, The Daily Beast, the Columbia Journalism Review, the Guardian, The American Prospect, and In These Times. More about Amanda here.
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NYT Adds Alcindor to Congressional Team
The NYT announced that National Reporter Yamiche Alcindor will be joining their congressional team. Since joining The Times in 2015, she's traveled extensively to cover the presidential campaigns of Donald J. Trump and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), even breaking several stories on the campaign trail. She has also written about the legacy of President Barack Obama, outreach to voters of color, and the anxiety of working class Americans as well as how police killings affect communities and children. After graduating from Georgetown University she earned her master's degree in broadcast news and documentary filmmaking from New York University. She joins NYT’s congressional team after doing a brief stint covering HUD. Alcindor will be the sole person of color on the three-person team. There are still no people of color covering the Trump administration for The Times. More about Yamiche here.
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Two Queens, One Show
It’s just too good. Oprah and Beyoncé have signed on to participate in a live CBS telethon benefiting the victims of Hurricane Harvey. The one-hour special, "Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Harvey Relief," airs next Tuesday, September 12th, at 8P. Oprah's BFF and CBS This Morning anchor Gayle King made the on-air announcement Tuesday morning. Proceeds from the program will go to several vetted charities, including the United Way of Greater Houston and The Mayor's Fund for Hurricane Harvey Relief. Will the twins make an appearance? Will Jay take the stage? Will Blue show off her freestyle in a toddler cypher? Too many questions! But most importantly, there’s a huge recovery ahead for Houston. Salute to the magic of these two women for helping to headline the relief effort spearheaded by Houston rapper UGK's Bun-B. More here from Blavity.
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HACR's Cid Wilson with ABC's Robin Roberts on Saturday at the U.S. Open in NYC. | |  |
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner with Houston Rockets player James Harden last week touring the city and meeting with citizens. | |
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Latino Journos Needed for Survey
Latino journalists are invited to participate in an extensive national study, “Evaluating Job Satisfaction of Latino Journalists in Multimedia Newsrooms,” that will examine the satisfaction level, workplace conditions, and opportunities for career advancement of Latino/a journalists working in online, mainstream/legacy, and Latino-oriented news outlets. Participation in the collaborative research project between the Department of Communication at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) is voluntary, anonymous, and confidential. Click here for more information.
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Indian Country Today Media Network Ceases Operations
On Monday, Indian Country Today Media Network, the publisher of Indian Country magazine and IndianCountryMediaNetwork.com, announced that they were taking a hiatus -- effective immediately -- to consider alternative business models. During the hiatus, new posts, magazines, and books will not appear on the site and email newsletters will not be sent. In a letter to readers of Indian Country Today, its publisher Ray Halbritter wrote that “ICTMN has faced the same challenges that other media outlets have faced. It is no secret that with the rise of the Internet, traditional publishing outlets have faced unprecedented adversity ... As ICTMN now halts its operations to explore alternative business models or partnerships, we know for certain that all of our past work has created an enduring legacy. The organization has served as a model of empowerment journalism, showing that unique and distinct communities of color require equally unique and distinct media coverage.” Amen to that. Read their full announcement here.
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Private Service Announced for Jim Vance
A private memorial service has been announced for DC anchor and pioneer Jim Vance. The service celebrating his life will be on September 12th at the Washington National Cathedral. NBC4, the station where he worked for 48 years, is making arrangements to show the service live for those who want to pay their respects. Vance died on July 22nd. More here.
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Congressman Rubén Kihuen (D-NV) on Tuesday talking about DACA on MSNBC. | |  |
Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA) last week in his district expressing support for DACA and DREAMers. | |
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Bye Columbus and Hello Prince!
Anybody down to go to Minnesota to purify yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka? Because a field trip may be in order since more than 2,000 people signed a petition to replace the Christopher Columbus statue at the State Capitol building in St. Paul with a statue of the seven-time Grammy Award-winning singer Prince.The petition was initiated by community organizer Wintana Melekin. Titled “Replace Columbus Statue with a Prince Statue and One Chosen by the Native Community,” it is addressed to Governor Mark Dayton and the Minnesota state legislature. It reads in part, “Here in Minnesota, communities are reigniting the demand to bring down state’s monument to Christopher Columbus, a man who murdered, raped and enslaved Black and Native peoples in the Americas ... Rather than glorify a man who wanted to extinguish Black and Native peoples, we should honor members of our community whose leadership we find inspirational.” More here.
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| FOMO
Today, 5P: DC fundraiser to help those affected by Hurricane Harvey. Dirty Habit DC, 555 8th Street, N.W. Click here for more information. Today - September 7th: The Labor Council for Latin American Advancement's (LCLLA) National Latino Workers Conference and 45th Anniversary Event. Click here for more information.
Thursday, September 7th - 9th: The National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA), and the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) sponsor the Excellence in Journalism 2017 conference in Anaheim, CA. Click here for more details and to register. Sunday, September 10th: Former First Lady Michelle Obama speaks at the Beth El Synagogue in St. Louis Park. MN about her years in the White House. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets. Monday, September 11th, 6:30P: The National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts hosts its Noche de Gala. Honorees include actors Lina Esco and Benito Martínez. The Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Invite only.
Monday, September 11th - 13th: The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute annual Hispanic Heritage Month conference and awards gala. Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center,1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Click here for more information. Thursday, September 14th, 7:30P: The Hispanic Heritage Foundation hosts the 30th Hispanic Heritage Awards, Warner Theatre, 513 13th Street, N.W. Invite only.
Friday, September 15th, 9A: Dialogue on Diversity holds its 2017 Entrepreneurship and Information Technology Conference. AT&T Forum, 601 New Jersey Avenue, N.W. Click here for more information and to register. Wednesday, September 20th - 24th: The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference. Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place, N.W. Click here for more information.
Saturday, September 30th, 8P: Join Congresswoman Yvette Clarke (D-NY) for Bruno Mars' 24K Magic Tour. Capital One Arena, 601 F Street, N.W. For more information or to RSVP, contact Sierra Kelley-Chung or Randy Broz at: 202.403.0606 or email: Sierra@ABConsultingDC.com Thursday, October 5th, 6P: InnerCity Struggle honors Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) with the Esteban E. Torres Award at the 14th Annual Awards Dinner and Celebration. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets. Wednesday, October 10th, 6P: We Act for Environmental Justice's 2017 Awards & Gala honors changemakers New York City Councilmember Costa Constantinides, Native American activist Dallas Goodtooth, The Raben Group's Robert Raben, Hip Hop Caucus Senior Vice President Mustafa Santiago Ali, NYC Council legislative attorney Samara Swanston, and 1199 SEIU Executive Vice President Estela Vázquez. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
Wednesday, November 29th, 8P: Join Congressman André Carson (D-IN) for JAY-Z's 4:44 Tour. Capital One Arena, 601 F Street, N.W. For more information or to RSVP, contact Courtney Hodges or Randy Broz at: 202.403.0606 or email: Courtney@ABConsultingDC.com
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