Meet our new Executive Director the Pennsylvania Legislative Black ...

Gavel
The Newsletter of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus
THE
Volume 7
No. 2
PLBC
State Representative Ronald G. Waters, Chairman SUMMER 2010
Dear Friends,
Welcome to the summer 2010 edition of The Gavel. We are delighted
to once again provide you with an update on the latest legislative
initiatives and projects our members are undertaking to serve you better.
I am proud to announce that the Pennsylvania Legislative Black
Caucus recently awarded a total of $22,500 in scholarships to nine
Pennsylvania students. In addition, we honored three community
leaders who exemplify the characteristics of our caucus founders. For
more information about our recipients and photos from the event, please
see page 2.
In this issue, you will find an update on job creation in Pennsylvania,
our report card for the Department of Corrections, and our involvement
in First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign to address the
childhood obesity epidemic.
If you would like to leave a comment or have a question, please visit
our website at www.pahouse.com/PLBC.
Thank you for allowing us to serve you.
Kindest Regards,
Ronald G. Waters, Chairman
Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus
State Representative, 191st Legislative District
Meet our new
Executive Director
PLBC Executive
Director David A.
Love, formerly with
the Pennsylvania
Institutional Law Project,
was most recently the
Pennsylvania Voter
Protection Advocate
for Advancement
Project. David also
served as a law clerk for two African-
American federal judges. He received a
B.A. degree in East Asian Studies from
Harvard College, a J.D. from the University of
Pennsylvania Law School, and a certificate
in International Human Rights Law from the
University of Oxford. David joined the PLBC
because of his interest in policy and politics,
and his desire to find solutions that improve
the lives of communities of color.
The Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus Foundation
The Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus Foundation
(PLBCF) is a non-profit organization founded exclusively
for charitable, scientific and educational purposes, to serve
underprivileged communities across Pennsylvania.
As we go into the next year, the PLBCF will lead the way
in supporting the minority community by working closely
with the members of the PLBC, PLBC staff and community
stakeholders to educate the public on policy matters that
affect them directly.
Serving as chairman is Corey Coleman, manager of
Legislative and Public Affairs for Keystone Mercy; and
serving as vice chairman is Stanley Straughter, chairman
of the Philadelphia Mayor’s Commission on African and
Caribbean Immigrants’ Affairs. Additional board of directors
include Rep. Ronald Waters; Sen. LeAnna Washington; Rep.
Thaddeus Kirkland; Reizdan Moore, Esq., Parliamentarian
for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives; Akeela
Roland, Research Analyst for the PLBC; Nancy Chavez,
Director of Pennsylvania Weed and Seed; and Sean McCray,
Chief Counsel for Sen. Washington.
It is a top priority in the coming months to ensure that the
PLBCF is visible and widely known throughout the state as
an organization that is committed to advancing the policies of
the PLBC. In that spirit, we will continue to host substantive
policy seminars, forums, media events, and other activities
throughout the year. For updates and more information about
the PLBCF and its new website address, please visit www.
pahouse.com/PLBC.

2 The Gavel SUMMER 2010 Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus
PLBC 2010 Scholarship and Awards Weekend
On May 1, the Pennsylvania Legislative Black
Caucus held its 2010 Scholarship and Awards
Banquet and awarded $22,500 in scholarships to
nine deserving students from across Pennsylvania,
and paid tribute to three community leaders who
embody the pioneering spirit of the founders of
the PLBC. It was a tremendous success by all
accounts! The weekend-long program began with
a fellowship reception at Dave and Busters for the
scholarship recipients, their families, and members
of the PLBC. The next day there was a career
workshop and breakfast with professionals in law,
education and health. It was culminated with a jazz
reception and banquet featuring actress and singer
Sheryl Lee Ralph as the keynote speaker.
The 2010 scholarship recipients included:
Shernai Banks of Norristown, Asia Carlton of
Chester, Jessica Grier of Philadelphia, Christine
Le of Lancaster, Beth Marie Lugo of Lancaster,
Nia Nicholson of Norristown, Brittany Paris of
Philadelphia, Stephanie Tran of Philadelphia, and
Cynthia Thomas of Lancaster.
In addition to the scholarships presented, we
wanted to recognize community leaders who have
exemplified the principles of our caucus’ founders.
We felt it fitting to carry on the legacy of the Irvis
Dinner by incorporating the significance of the
distinction by awarding those who have shown
tenacity, dedication, leadership and a strong work
ethic throughout their careers.
Awardees included: Robert L. Archie Jr.,
chairman of the Philadelphia School Reform
Commission, recipient of the K. Leroy Irvis Award;
Lynette M. Brown-Sow, chairwoman of the Hardy
Williams Education Fund, recipient of the Hardy
Williams Award; Dr. Edward W. Robinson Jr.,
president of the Pan-African Federal Organization,
recipient of the David P. Richardson Jr. Award;
and Kenny Gamble, president of Philadelphia
International Records and chairman of Universal
Companies, recipient of the Corporate Award.
The collective efforts of these individuals have
contributed significantly to the progression of our
community-at-large, paving the way for generations
of leaders to come. It is critical that we continue
to uplift our leaders and our youth as they strive
toward their educational and career endeavors
in the future. For more information and photos
from this event, please visit our website at www.
pahouse.com/plbc.
Sen. Williams, Lynette Brown-
Sow, and Chairman Waters.
Sen. Vincent Hughes
and Sheryl Lee Ralph.
Scholarship recipients with Keynote Speaker Sheryl Lee Ralph.
Scholarship recipients with PLBC members.
PLBC Scholarship and Awards Banquet.
Chairman Ronald G. Waters, Rep. Tony Payton,
and PLBC Director David Love photographed with
scholarship recipients and workshop presenters.

3 The Gavel SUMMER 2010
PA backs Haiti
PAbacks
HAITI
The Pennsylvania Legislative
Black Caucus, the governor’s
office and House Leadership
announced a bipartisan drive to assist in the efforts to
provide relief to Haiti earthquake victims at a Capitol news
conference on January 27th. Joining the PLBC at the news
conference were the Philadelphia Haitian Coalition and
Young Haitian Professionals.
Since the news of the earthquake was first reported,
PLBC members collectively worked to organize a drive to
gather medical supplies, personal hygiene items, school
supplies and other needed goods to help those affected.
In a reference to the earthquake, PLBC chairman Rep.
Ronald Waters said, “This natural disaster has had a
catastrophic effect on the people of Haiti. However, the
efforts of emergency responders, relief workers, volunteers,
the military, and government are testimony to the innate
goodness of Americans and people worldwide.”
The items were collected at drop off points throughout the
Capitol Complex and also at the district offices of state Rep.
Kevin Murphy, state Rep. Kenyatta Johnson, and state Rep.
Vanessa Brown.
PLBC members applaud Kagan
swearing in as Supreme Court
justice
Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus members said
they believe Elena Kagan’s confirmation and swearing-in
as a Supreme Court justice marks a landmark victory for
women.
Kagan is the fourth woman in history to serve and is now
the 112th U.S. Supreme Court justice, despite not having
served as a judge during her career. The U.S. Constitution
does not impose any kind of prior work experience on
potential justices.
“The swearing-in of Elena Kagan means that we’re
starting to level the playing field for women on the Supreme
Court,” said PLBC member Sen. Shirley M. Kitchen, who is
the second African-American woman to be elected to the
Pennsylvania Senate.
PLBC chairman Rep. Ronald Waters said he
congratulates President Obama on the fact that the
United States will now have three women, Justices Sonia
Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan serving
on the Supreme Court at the same time.
“I believe these three women will bring a sense of a
mother’s wit and will see some of these cases from a
different perspective. This will help to improve the way our
justice system works,” Waters said.
Kitchen said Kagan’s confirmation is not only a victory for
women but also for our justice system.
(continued on page 6)
Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus
PLBC Black History Month
Celebration
The Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus celebrated
Black History Month on February 9 with its annual Black
History celebration in the Capitol Rotunda.
This year’s program paid tribute to African-American
pioneers in Pennsylvania’s history who all won historic
elections in 2009. Honorees included Harrisburg’s first
African-American mayor, Linda Thompson, York’s first-
African-American mayor, Kim Bracey, and Pennsylvania’s
first African-American district attorney, Seth Williams.
Entertainment for the event was provided by the Haitian
quartet, “Messengers of Hope,” who performed authentic
Haitian gospel songs and also featured singers Daniel
Moses and Yonda Spradley.
Immediately following the program, a soul food
luncheon was held for all attendees.
Front to back, left to
right: Mayor Linda
Thompson, Rep.
Rosita Youngblood,
Mayor Kim Bracey,
Rep. Ronald Waters,
Rep. Babette Josephs,
Rep. Vanessa Lowery
Brown, Rep. Thaddeus
Kirkland, and Rep. Tony
Payton.
Daniel Moses
Messengers of Hope

4 The Gavel SUMMER 2010 Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus
Pennsylvania’s Fresh Food
Financing Initiative
First Lady Michelle Obama, accompanied by Secretary
of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Secretary of The Treasury
Timothy Geithner, toured The Fresh Grocer at Progress
Plaza in Philadelphia. Opened in December 2009, this is
the first supermarket to locate in the neighborhood in more
than a decade, with financing that included funds from the
Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative, New Markets
Tax Credits and the 2009 Recovery Act.
This Pennsylvania initiative was created through a
public/private partnership to provide the financing needed
to bring supermarkets to underserved neighborhoods.
It is the model for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative,
an essential component of the First Lady’s “Let’s Move!”
campaign to address the childhood obesity epidemic.
“Let’s move to ensure that all families have access to
healthy, affordable food in their communities,” First Lady
Michelle Obama said in her speech at Philadelphia’s Fairhill
Elementary School. “If anyone thinks it can’t be done, I
urge them to come to Philadelphia and see what can be
done.”
The Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative,
championed by state Rep. Dwight Evans, was seeded
with state funds and is widely recognized for its innovative
design and purpose. It has served as a model for similar
efforts developing in other states, including New York, New
Jersey, Illinois, Louisiana and Colorado.
“The reason we have communities where there is
little access to fresh food is because business owners
closed grocery stores or didn’t want to invest in the first
place,” Evans said. “But across Pennsylvania, we’ve met
wonderful grocers who understand that their businesses
are vibrant neighborhood anchors. The Fresh Food
Financing Initiative provides expertise and funding, but it’s
the business owners with vision and a willingness to invest
in their communities whom I applaud. They’ve made the PA
program a success and a model for the whole nation.”
First Lady Michelle Obama, Mayor Michael Nutter, and Rep.
Dwight Evans
Parker Invites Young
Women to Enter $3,000
Essay Contest
State Rep. Cherelle L. Parker
made a strong effort to encourage
college-bound female high school
juniors and seniors to enter the
National Foundation for Women
Legislators and National Rifle
Association’s 13th annual Bill of
Rights Essay Contest.
This year’s contest is titled “Freedom and Civic
Virtues.” Seven winners will receive a $3,000 college
scholarship and all-expenses-paid trip to NFWL’s
Annual Conference Nov. 18-22 at The Ritz-Carlton
Grande Lakes in Orlando, Fla. They will network
with, be mentored by and speak to hundreds of
women lawmakers from across the United States.
“This is an excellent opportunity for local members
of the class of 2010 and 2011,” said NFWL member
Parker. “This contest will help seven young women
enhance their understanding of the role of women
in politics through a hands-on learning experience.
It provides an excellent opportunity to develop
leadership skills while assisting with college tuition
expenses.
“The Millennial Generation is the future of
American politics. By understanding and explaining
the importance of American virtues and rights,
young women can make a lasting impact on the
future of American policies. This essay contest is
an opportunity for young women to win a college
scholarship while making their voices heard on the
true intentions of the Bill of Rights.”
Entries had to be postmarked by July 30, after
which an NFWL selection committee will judge
each essay and determine the seven winners. The
judges primarily will weigh the factors of storytelling,
understanding of the Bill of Rights and original
insight.
The National Foundation for Women Legislators
enables women lawmakers to be more effective
leaders. NFWL provides women members of
Congress, state legislators, county commissioners
and city council members with strategic resources,
including debates and briefings on the issues,
leadership skill development and opportunities for
networking.
Look for the fall issue of The Gavel for an update
on this year’s winners!

5 The Gavel SUMMER 2010
Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus
Jobs: Putting Pennsylvanians to Work
State Sens.
Vincent Hughes
and Christine
Tartaglione recently
introduced a
package of bills
that would establish
and provide funding
for job creation
programs. These
programs would create more than 40,000 temporary jobs
statewide within the next two years.
Tartaglione’ s bill, S.B. 1234, would focus on creating
temporary community service jobs. Each job would last for
a nine-month time period and it would pay $10 per hour
for up to 30 hours per week.
Senate Bill 1235, introduced by Hughes, focuses on a
youth employment component. It would create six-week
summer positions at $9 per hour for 25 hours per week.
Hughes also introduced S.B. 1236, a proposal that
would institute a tax on the wholesale price of smokeless
tobacco products. The money from the taxes would be
used to help fund the job creation programs.
Hughes said in addition to using the money from the
tobacco sales tax, the job creation programs would also
be funded by federal dollars, which were allocated to
Pennsylvania as part of a $5 billion emergency fund.
This fund was created by the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act.
Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Fiscal Report Card
In these tough economic times, Pennsylvanians have to make hard choices. In Harrisburg, many programs funded
by the state budget faced deep cuts, including valuable social programs and services that benefit the people of our
Commonwealth. Despite this reality, we spent about $1.8 billion on our prison system this year, and prison expenditures
continue to increase. This cannot continue. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections fiscal report card is below.
The Cost of Incarceration:
1971 Today
Number of Prisoners 5,284 51,391
PA DOC Budget $33 million $1.87 billion
In order to decrease these costs, we are
working to reduce recidivism, explore alternatives
to incarceration for low-level offenders and, most
importantly, prevent crime.
As a House Judiciary Committee member, Rep.
Waters is working to implement:
DOC Budget Request for 2010-11
Personnel $1,161,915
Operating $579,665
Fixed Assets $6,528
Other $1,060
General Fund $1,749,168
+ federal funds $180,712
other funds $79,307
TOTAL $2,009,187
State Universities, 2010-11 (000’s) $1,191,732
‘
Projected Prison Spending (000’s)
2011-12 2012-13
GENERAL FUND $1,952,356 $2,024,745
FEDERAL FUNDS $7,431 $6,781
OTHER FUNDS $82,418 $85,653
TOTAL $2,042,205 $2,117,179
Drug rehabilitation and drug court as
alternatives to incarceration.
Counseling programs for drug abusers.
Day Reporting Centers to provide
comprehensive one-stop services to lowlevel
offenders as an alternative to prison.
The centers cost only $23.44 to $44.10 per
inmate, per day compared to $87 a day in
prison.
Improved police-community relations.
Community-based prevention programs
that stress education over incarceration.
Earned time and early release for good
behavior.
Combining the DOC and Probation and
Parole to cut costs.
LPO • JC • 0810

6 The Gavel SUMMER 2010
Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus
Elena Kagan (continued from page 3)
“It’s a good day for women, inclusion and equality, and I’m
proud that President Obama has brought diversity to the court
by selecting two women to fill the Supreme Court in his first
term in office,” Kitchen said.
PLBC member Rep. Louise Bishop said “Kagan was able
to withstand the harsh criticisms by the news media and
many other elected officials during her confirmation hearings.
This shows she has what it takes to succeed in her position
and will be an asset to the Supreme Court.”
2010 PLBC Officers/Members and Staff
State Representative
Ron Waters
Chairman
State Representative
Jake Wheatley, Jr.
Vice Chairman
State Representative
Kenyatta Johnson
Secretary
State Representative
Vanessa Lowery Brown
Treasurer
State Representative
Louise Williams Bishop
State Representative
Angel Cruz
State Representative
Dwight Evans
State Senator
Vincent Hughes
State Representative
Thaddeus Kirkland
State Senator
Shirley Kitchen
State Representative
John Myers
State Representative
Frank Oliver
State Representative
Cherelle Parker
State Representative
Tony Payton, Jr.
State Representative
Joseph Preston
State Representative
James Roebuck
David Love, Executive Director
Akeela Roland, Research Analyst
Danielle Bowers, Legislative Assistant
State Representative
W. Curtis Thomas
State Senator
LeAnna Washington
State Senator
Anthony H. Williams
State Representative
Jewell Williams
State Representative
Rosita C. Youngblood
328 Irvis Office Building • P.O. Box 202191
Harrisburg, PA 17120-2191
(717) 772-6955 • Fax: (717) 783-1516
PLBC information
For more information, you can visit our website at www.pahouse.com/plbc.
Remember, the work we do is with you in mind, so your feedback is valuable.
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