NEWSONE NOW: FEDERAL JUDGE RULES TEXAS VOTER I.D. LAW INTENTIONALLY DISCRIMINATORY; AND HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE HOPE GLOBAL FORUM IN ATLANTA FEATURING AMBASSADOR ANDREW YOUNG AND JOHN ROGERS, JR. OF ARIEL INVESTMENTS

NEWSONE NOW:  FEDERAL JUDGE RULES TEXAS VOTER I.D. LAW INTENTIONALLY DISCRIMINATORY; AND HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE HOPE GLOBAL FORUM IN ATLANTA FEATURING AMBASSADOR ANDREW YOUNG AND JOHN ROGERS, JR. OF ARIEL INVESTMENTS

WASHINGTON, D.C. — APRIL 11, 2017 — This morning on NewsOne Now, host and managing editor Roland Martin spoke with Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, about a federal judge’s ruling that the controversial Texas voter I.D. law is an intentional discrimination against minority voters. Civil rights advocates have been fighting against the law since its 2011 passing, and in February the Department of Justice requested that a federal court dismiss their claim that the law was created to discriminate against minority voters. 

“Yesterday’s ruling is a vindication of the position that we’ve long been taking, which is that this law is infected with discriminatory purpose at every stage, and should be fully rendered null and void. At every turn we’re seeing evidence this Justice Department and Attorney General Sessions in particular stands fully opposed to civil rights,” said Clarke.

“This is not a matter of politics. This is about locking African Americans and Latinos out of the process, and there were more than 600,000 people in Texas who were registered voters who were disenfranchised when this law was put on the books. Whether we’re talking about photo I.D. laws, purging of the voter rolls, moving polling sites to locations deemed hostile by the minority community - sadly, there are so many that we’re seeing in 2017 across our country. “

Clip: Federal Court Rules Texas Voter ID Law Was Passed With

The 'Intent To Discriminate'

https://youtu.be/TfWA1Xl3aVk

(courtesy credit: TV One/NewsOne Now)

On Monday, Martin, who is currently in Atlanta at the Hope Global Forum Annual Meeting, moderated a conversation between John Rogers Jr., founder and chairman of Ariel Investments and Ambassador Andrew Young about creating visibility for minority communities. 

“We have to have strong political leadership, but we also have to have a strong black media that can get out and tell our stories and tell the world how we’re not getting the opportunities that we really deserve,” said Rogers. “It’s up to us to make a difference. Whether we’re in the corporation or at a university or in the boardroom, we’ve got to live the values of fighting for us everyday and making sure we’re included in everything that those institutions are all about.”

Young added, “You have to have a different vision, you have to have a different morality. If you see things like everybody else and want to be like everybody else, that’s not progress. Once you go and see where the money is and once you go and see where the future is, you can’t be just like everybody else. You’ve got to come back and fight and fuss.”

Clip: How Can African Americans And Others Become Visible To Those

Who Are Ignoring Our Communities?

https://youtu.be/Fieecl9rXqA

(courtesy credit: TV One/NewsOne Now) 

Beginning on Monday, April 17, NewsOne Now will re-broadcast the previous day’s episode at 6 a.m. ET each weekday morning, giving viewers two chances to watch each broadcast. For more information about NewsOne Now and Roland S. Martin, visit www.tvone.tv , and check out TV One’s YouTube Channel. Viewers can also join the conversation by connecting via social media on Twitter, Instagram  and Facebook (@tvonetv) using #NewsOneNow and engage with Martin daily via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Periscope (@rolandsmartin). Viewers are now able to listen to NewsOne Now by live streaming on www.newsone.com.

ABOUT NEWSONE NOW:

Emanating from the heart of Washington D.C. in a state-of-the-art studio that offers a stunning view of the Capitol building, NewsOne Now airs Monday through Friday on TV One from 7-8 a.m. ET.  NewsOne Now is hosted by Roland S. Martin, the 2013 National Association of Black Journalists’ Journalist of the Year and former host of TV One’s long-running, award-winning weekly news program, Washington Watch with Roland Martin.  Each morning, Martin – who also serves as the program’s managing editor – sifts through the headlines of the day to spotlight matters that greatly impact the African American community. In addition to television, NewsOne Now reaches audiences 24/7 with exclusive program content and extended editorial on NewsOne.com and the NewsOne mobile app.  NewsOne Now is an evolution of Interactive One’s award-winning digital brand NewsOne.com that launched in 2008 and reaches millions of African Americans each month. Susan Henry is executive producer of NewsOne Now. D’Angela Proctor is TV One’s head of original programming and production.

ABOUT TV ONE:

Launched in January 2004, TV One serves more than 60 million households, offering a broad range of real-life and entertainment-focused original programming, classic series, movies and music designed to entertain and inform a diverse audience of adult black viewers. The network represents the best in black culture and entertainment with fan favorite shows Unsung, Rickey Smiley For Real, Fatal Attraction, Hollywood Divas and The NAACP Image Awards.  In addition, TV One is the cable home of blockbuster drama Empire, and NewsOne Now, the only live daily news program dedicated to black viewers. In December 2008, the company launched TV One High Def, which now serves 14 million households. TV One is solely owned by Radio One [NASDAQ: ROIA and ROIAK, www.radio-one.com], the largest African-American owned multi-media company primarily targeting Black and urban audiences.