By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media 

With the general elections just a few days away, Black organizations and leaders, including Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA-43), are sounding the alarm about Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s controversial “policy bible.”

The four-pillar initiative includes a detailed blueprint for the next conservative presidential administration – making way for a sweeping overhaul of the executive branch.

Waters has been outspoken in her opposition of the 900-page policy.

Recently, she shared “The People’s Guide to Project 2025” with the Inglewood Area Ministers Association, an organization of predominantly Black pastors, to inform them about the proposal’s impact, emphasizing that its influence would reach beyond the traditional spheres of presidential power. The 15-term politician from Los Angeles shared her sentiments with the House Financial Services Committee in July.

“Project 2025 promotes radical ideals to materially undermine the Federal Reserve, if not effectively abolish it,” Waters said.

Written by the Heritage Foundation, Project 2025 was developed with the input of a broad coalition of conservative organizations and is organized around four pillars: Policy, Personnel, Training, and the 180-Day Playbook. The proposals in the document aim to revamp every aspect of the U.S. government.

Waters is not the only person sounding the alarm about Project 2025’s agenda. Grassroot organizations in California and across the nation are preparing to combat the initiative despite who wins the election between Trump and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.

The National Assembly of American Slavery Descendants (NAASD), members of advocacy groups in California, and other Black political organizations across the nation are drawing up policy documents to counter the conservative Project 2025 initiative.

On Aug. 2, NAASD hosted a nationwide ZOOM conference call to discuss policies that concern Black communities.  Nocola Hemphill, the president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Black Women’s Chamber, and grassroots organizations on the call are promoting what they call, #Reparations2025.

“I just want us to think about bringing all policies (ideas) together when we think about Project 2025,” said Hemphill, who lives in South Carolina. “I am excited about the possibility of us forming our own version of Project 2025 and having it published by the November election.”

NAASD is a nonprofit association of community activists from across the country that formed around May 2019.

Los Angeles resident Khansa “Friday” Jones Muhammad is the president of NAASD.

“The National Assembly of American Slavery Descendants (NAASD) envisions a nation where African American descendants of US slavery can fully exercise their constitutional citizenship rights and have economic agency for generations,” Muhammad told California Black Media (CBM).

While forming an agenda for #Reparation2025, NAASD has created a survey to determine how systemic racism and discrimination in the United States have affected Black American lives and single out options to repair harms through public policy. Participants in the survey would help the organization shape a national blueprint.

“During this election cycle, it is imperative that national Black organizations come together for collective success,” Muhammad shared with CBM. “While the vote for President of the United States is important, we need to also focus on other active projects such as ‘Project 2025,’ Supreme Court rulings around race and more.”

Muhammad added, “NAASD’s Black experience survey allows for individuals, Black organizations, and their allies to forge a pathway to reparations by utilizing community-building and policy.”

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By Antonio‌ ‌Ray‌ ‌Harvey‌, ‌California‌ ‌Black‌ ‌Media

Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson), a member of the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) and chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Ports and Goods Movement, said the state must provide seaports permanent funding for them to run optimally and remain competitive.

“We have yet to see dedicated, ongoing, consistent money allocated to our ports from our state budget,” said Gipson during a news conference held at the State Capitol.

In August, Gipson released an interim report that features California ports’ crucial role in the state and national economy.

The 52-page  “Chair’s Interim Report” includes an observation of the most critical issues facing the goods movement sector and lays out a blueprint to keep the state’s 11 ports competitive in a complicated and constantly shifting environment.

Gipson stressed that foremost among priorities is the need for the state to continue investing in docking places for cargo ships.

“We are still happy to make sure these ports are not left behind and not neglected,” Gipson said at the news conference. “We still see today that our ports are fighting to have allocations from our federal partners and federal dollars. This report elevates that we need our fair share,” he added.

Over the past year, the Select Committee on Ports and Goods Movement toured the state’s 11 public ports and hosted numerous hearings on the state of the ports. Gipson was first appointed chair by former Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood). When Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) replaced Rendon as speaker, he asked Gipson to continue as Chair.

“The final tour stop for the Select Committee was the port of San Diego last spring. The tour highlighted the port’s efforts in green and sustainable operations,” Gipson told California Black Media (CBM). The tour gave select committee members a breakdown of all of the possibilities the port has to create for economic vitality and growth.

“It’s important that California policymakers support efficient, modern, and sustainable maritime operations while we reduce emissions to improve environmental and public health in our communities,” stated Frank Urtasun, chairman of the Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners.

In May, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) announced a $112 million federal investment in that the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach (San Pedro Ports) will receive more than $112 million through a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers program for critical construction upgrades, operations and maintenance activities.

“The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach move 40 percent of the nation’s container imports, transporting the goods that power our economy,” said Padilla.

The report outlines the importance of ports up and down the state, Gipson said. They all serve a function whether they are located on the coast or inland.

Gipson says he learned that the Port of Oakland uploads and discharges more than 99% of the containerized goods moving through Northern California. Oakland’s cargo capacity was the ninth busiest container port in the country based on the 2023 calendar year.

The inland ports cities of West Sacramento and Stockton have “unique” harbor facilities that relieve congestions and facilitate distribution to inland destinations in the Sacramento and Central Valley regions, Gipson told CBM at the State Capitol.

“Each and every port in California plays a vital role and contributes to our supply chain. Not one port in California is more important than the next,” Gipson said. “Each and every port is essential to moving forward and essential to making sure California is the 5th largest economy in the world.”

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By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

Two years after racist comments in a leaked recording of Los Angeles City Council members emerged, members of Los Angeles branches of the National Advancement Association of Color People (NAACP) on Oct. 7 gave councilmember Kevin de León’s a “failing” grade for his performance in office.

The announcement was made on the south lawn of the Los Angeles City Hall by leaders of the NAACP branches of Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, Watts, Beverly Hills-Hollywood, Santa Monica-Venice, and San Pedro-Wilmington.

De León was on a conference call with other council members who made racial comments about Indigenous people and one of their colleague’s son, who is Black.

The leaked audio led to Council President Nury Martinez’s resignation on Oct. 12, 2022, former Councilmember Gil Cedillo’s ouster, and Ron Herrera stepping away on Oct. 11, 2022, as president of a powerful Southern California labor organization.

The branches and CA/HI State Conference of the NAACP President Rick Callender first asked all persons involved to resign from their positions in October 2022. The civil rights leader expressed concern that that the disparaging remarks coming from top city officials could impact hiring and other decisions of the City Council.

“We will not sit idly by and allow our elected representatives to engage in these kinds of disgusting and racist behaviors,” stated Latricia Mitchell, President of the Los Angeles Branch of the NAACP.

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