HARRISBURG, June 14 -- State Rep. Donna Bullock, D-Phila., chair of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, joined other House members for a Juneteenth celebration in the East Capitol Rotunda. "Juneteenth is a commemoration of the end of slavery and Black freedom, but that freedom hasn't been a straight line from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement to today,” Bullock said. “The struggle has been belabored and continues today. So, while we celebrate Black excellence, let us also recommit ourselves to do better as a nation and fight for a stronger democracy that ensures the promise of equity and freedom for all." Members from the Pennsylvania General Assembly joined with guests who performed spoken word poetry and African dance highlighting Black cultural achievements. Members who spoke at the celebration agreed that while Juneteenth was the start of independence for Black people in America, there is still much work to be done to truly achieve not only equality – but equity. Although Juneteenth has been celebrated unofficially since its inception, it is a newly added federal holiday that recognizes the day that Texas, the last state to have enslaved people, announced that all enslaved peoples were now free on June 19, 1865. Gov. Wolf also officially recognized Juneteenth as a holiday in 2019. Photos: Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus | Photo Gallery (pahouse.com) Read more
HARRISBURG, March 14 – State Rep. Jordan Harris, D-Phila., chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, today announced the creation of a new Subcommittee on Criminal Justice Reform. The subcommittee will be co-chaired by Rep. Joanna McClinton, D-Phila./Delaware, and Sen. Sharif Street, D-Phila., both attorneys. Rep. Jason Dawkins, D-Phila., and Sen. Anthony Williams, D-Phila./Delaware, will also serve as members of the subcommittee. Harris said, “Criminal justice reform has become one of the leading issues in Pennsylvania and across our nation. I’m excited that our caucus will be spearheading this initiative and pushing for much needed reforms in the state legislature. While we have made some movement on providing second chances to returning citizens, there are countless other avenues that must be explored if we are to fully restructure our criminal justice system.” The subcommittee will push an aggressive legislative agenda and will also be vital in the creation of a criminal justice advisory group made up of formerly incarcerated people and expert legal practitioners. The advisory committee will be co-chaired by Keir Bradford-Grey, chief defender of the Defender Association of Philadelphia, and Bill DeWeese, former state representative and the 135th speaker of the House. Among his many legal and legislative accomplishments, Street has supported numerous bills that would reform Pennsylvania’s criminal justice system. One bill Read more
Pa. Legislative Black Caucus Chairman Rep. Jordan Harris has been working on legislation to give non-violent offenders who have served their time a second chance at life by giving them a "Clean Slate," improving their prospects for employment and return to society. Read more
The 2018 PLBC Scholarship Application is now live! Make sure to apply by April 30th to be able to win a $1,000 scholarship. Details here: http://www.pahouse.com/PLBC/Scholarships Read more
PHILADELPHIA, March 2 – Leaders of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus thanked Gov. Tom Wolf for calling gun violence a crisis during his visit to Philadelphia today. State Rep. Jordan Harris, D-Phila., chairman of the PLBC, hosted Wolf as the governor and PLBC members visited a memorial to local victims of gun violence. The governor and legislators then held a public roundtable with members of the local community who have been affected by gun violence as well as other local leaders, including Philadelphia Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey. Harris said: "Illegal gun violence in Pennsylvania is a public health crisis and it's important that we call it that. We must be concerned about the neighborhood shootings that take lives one or two at a time as well as the tragic mass shootings that tend to dominate the headlines. Every victim matters. "So we appreciate Governor Wolf coming to Philadelphia and calling illegal gun violence what it is – a public health crisis. We look forward to working with the administration to identify resources to help stem the tide of gun violence in our communities." Wolf said: "We do need to make sure we are approaching this as the health crisis that this is. We need to make sure that we do everything we can to change the mindset of a nation, a whole nation, that is taking an entirely too casual approach to gun violence." State Rep. Donna Bullock, D-Phila., vice chair of the PLBC, said: Read more
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 27 – State Rep. Jordan Harris and state Sen. Sharif Street, both D-Phila., met with the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association’s executive director Monday to discuss changing the PIAA’s rules requiring a signed waiver for student-athletes who wear religious head garb. The meeting was a result of 16-year-old Nasihah Thompson-King being excluded from participating in a basketball game because she refused to remove her hijab. Harris, chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, said while the meeting was productive, it is up to the PIAA’s board to do the right thing and make the rule change. Harris said, “Our meeting with Dr. Robert A. Lombardi, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, seemed productive. We urged the PIAA to remove the rule requiring a signed waiver for student-athletes to wear religious head garb. Dr. Lombardi agreed to bring our request to the PIAA board during their March meeting. We look forward to their decision to scrap the rule or we will be forced to look into further actions that will require them to comply with state and federal civil rights laws.” Street said, “After meeting with the PIAA, we stressed the importance of religious headgear being included as acceptable equipment, not listed as an exception, or requiring any documentation to be shown. We are encouraged that the rules committee of the PIAA will soon advance these Read more
During the second week of House Appropriations Committee budget hearings, Pa. state Rep. Donna Bullock discussed the impact of climate change on poor & minority communities and the opportunities that solar energy offers to Pennsylvania. Read more
HARRISBURG, Feb. 21 – State Rep. Jordan Harris, D-Phila., chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, said that he and other caucus members were deeply troubled by 16-year-old Nasihah Thompson-King and other student athletes being excluded from participating in sports activities simply because of their religion. Members are calling on the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association to abandon the waiver requirement because it unjustly profiles students based on their religion. Harris said, “Requiring students to sign off on a waiver to prove their religion is unacceptable and completely unnecessary. We are calling on the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association to abolish this discriminatory rule. We must ensure that Pennsylvania students never have to endure the humiliation and mistreatment that Nasihah Thompson-King faced because she chose to wear her hijab.” The PLBC vice chairwoman, Rep. Donna Bullock, D-Phila., said student athletes should not be forced to choose between their religion and participating in sports. Bullock said, “The PIAA waiver put in place singles out young people for no other reason than their religious beliefs. Women of color have far too many obstacles to overcome as it is. Nasihah’s head garb in no way impedes upon her ability to play basketball or any other sport. It’s time for the PIAA to correct this wrong and update their policies regarding the place of religion in sports Read more
With the 2018-19 state budget hearings underway, Pa. state Rep. Donna Bullock breaks down day one and why these next three weeks are so important for communities across Pennsylvania. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Jordan Harris reacts to Gov. Tom Wolf's budget address by applauding his efforts to invest in education and workforce development. Harris also says gun violence is a serious issue across the state, particularly in Philadelphia, and is happy to work with the Governor to find a solution. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Johanna McClinton reacts to Gov. Tom Wolf's budget address by applauding his efforts to invest in education and job development. McClinton also says gun violence is a serious issue across the state, particularly in Philadelphia, and is happy to work with the Governor to find a solution. Read more
In an effort to create more job opportunities, Pa. state Rep. Jason Dawkins is echoing Gov. Tom Wolf’s push to expand training. Dawkins explains how these programs can help those both entering or trying to return to the workforce. Read more
In response to Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget proposal, Pa. state Rep. Donna Bullock supports investing in education and workforce development for a stronger Pennsylvania. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Chris Rabb supports Gov. Wolf's commitment in his budget proposal to investments in education and human services, as well as his attention to not only the opioid crisis but also the public health crisis of gun violence across the Commonwealth. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Stephen Kinsey supports Gov. Wolf's budget proposal and its investments in education and human services. However, Kinsey is very interested in hearing more about the governor's commitment to addressing the public health crisis of gun violence across the Commonwealth. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Morgan Cephas supports Gov. Wolf's proposal of investments in education and workforce development and his initiatives to grow Pennsylvania's economy. Cephas is also anxious to hear more about the governor's ideas to address gun violence across the Commonwealth, which has become a public health crisis. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Donna Bullock honors the late Hon. Frank Oliver, who recently passed away at the age of 95. Oliver served the 195th Legislative District in Philadelphia from 1973-2010, retiring as the longest serving member of the Pa. General Assembly. Oliver was a founding member of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Jason Dawkins breaks down a recent ruling by the state Supreme Court that threw out Pennsylvania’s congressional maps, and he explains why voters should care about this decision. Read more
Chairman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus state Rep. Jordan Harris spoke about the release of a report recommending the investment of $1 billion to ensure "Pennsylvania's Promise" of affordable college tuition for qualifying students. Read more
In her ongoing efforts to protect young women in Pennsylvania, state Rep. Donna Bullock joined her Democratic and Republican colleagues to push legislation that would make female genital mutilation a crime in the state and raise awareness in the Commonwealth about this torturous act. Read more
HARRISBURG, Jan. 18 – State Reps. Stephen Kinsey and Donna Bullock, both D-Phila., have introduced a bill ( H.B. 2009 ) that would require bullying education to be taught in Pennsylvania schools across all grade levels. This bill would implement uniform bullying prevention policies to address the issue at its root cause through education and intervention programs. “Following my October news conference to bring attention to the alarming incidence of bullying, I’m calling on Pennsylvania’s executive and legislative leaders to take action,” Kinsey said. “Bullying is a public health pandemic, and we must provide the resources necessary to get it under control. Our children are being hurt and dying because of perceived differences.” Both Kinsey and Bullock cite the recent surge in suicides among young people as the primary motivation for introducing the bill. Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death among Pennsylvanians between the ages of five and 24, with 222 people within that age group taking their lives in 2015 according to a state Department of Health report . Bullock, vice chairwoman of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, said, “While there are policies in place that seek to prevent bullying from occurring, there are no clear policies to change the culture that consumes our children. This is especially true when it comes to cyber bullying. Having these policies posted throughout our schools is not Read more
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