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Documentary Shines Light on Black Soldiers in WWII
African-Americans soldiers in WWII have been "largely been edited out of history … and I was interested in discussing the plight of these soldiers,” documentary producer Gregory Cooke told an Oct. 29 newsmaker where clips of "Choc’late Soldiers from the USA" were shown. “When the story of a group of people is left out of American history, then we are all impoverished by its absence,” director Noel "Sonny" Izon said. “This story is about choices," Izon said. "They embraced the choice to serve their country at a time when they were subjected to mistreatment. They choose to return home to…
Type: News
Club Speaks Up for Illinois Journalists
The National Press Club strongly objects to the Cook County, Ill., prosecutor's use of subpoena power to obtain personal information, such as grades and evaluations, and investigative records, such as off-the-record interviews, from student journalists at Northwestern University. The journalists at Northwestern's Medill Innocence Project reported and researched the conviction of Anthony McKinney for the slaying of a security guard in 1978. Their reporting revealed new evidence that the student journalists say points to McKinney's innocence. "The Cook County prosecutor's efforts are…
Type: News
Pension Fund Head Advocates Stronger Regulation, Change in Corporate Governance
Joseph Dear, chief investment officer of the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), listed the three critical aspects of financial reform - s trengthening and reinvigorating existing regulations, closing gaps in regulation and improving corporate governance – at a Newsmaker Nov. 3. He particularly favored a bill coming before the House Financial Services Committee Nov. 4 that would provide shareholders access to proxy ballots for boards of directors. He called this measure the most important in the tool kit to improve corporate governance. The speaker began with a personal…
Type: News
Former Afghan Parliament Member Calls for US Troop Withdrawal
American troops in Afghanistan are war criminals and should leave the country, Malalai Joya, a member of the Afghan parliament, said at the Club Nov. 2. The event, sponsored by the International Correspondents Committee, introduced her political memoir, "A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan who Dared to Raise her Voice." Joya‘s fellow members of parliament voted to suspend her from serving her term following charges that she insulted them. She called American forces in Afghanistan “war criminals” and termed them an occupation force that killed innocent civilians. She…
Type: News
Illinois Governor Promotes Federal Military Relief Fund
Declaring that there is no more important cause for Americans than protecting democracy, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn spoke at a National Press Club Newsmaker Nov. 4 about the establishment of a relief fund for military families. A bill (H.R. 1175) introduced in Congress in April by Rep. Bill Foster, D-Ill., would create the National Military Family Relief Fund to be administered by the Defense Department and be available to the families of active-duty members of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. These families often experience a substantial salary cut during these deployments, Quinn said. This…
Type: News
Zimbabwe Population in Peril, Rights Advocates Say
Zimbabwe today has the stark echos of malnourished Ethiopian population during famine in that country, Magodonga Mahlangu, a leader of Women of Zimbabwe Arise and a co-recipient of the 2009 RFK Human Rights Award, said at a Newsmaker Nov. 9.The other award recipient, Jenni Williams lambasted the Zimbabwe regime for its failure to provide for its citizens. Williams recalled the dream of Zimbabwe as it got independence from Britain in 1980 and noted the degenerating situation as the country moves from “bread basket (of Africa) to basket case.” Briggs Bomba, director of campaigns at Africa…
Type: News
NPC Hires Susan Delbert as Executive Chef
Susan Delbert, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America with wide restaurant experience, has been appointed executive chef and will oversee the Club's two restaurants. Before coming to the Press Club, she served as a sous chef at the Old Ebbitt Grill, the nation’s sixth highest-grossing restaurant. Prior to her career in food service, Delbert was a tax attorney and a partner in a law firm. In addition, she served in Alaska as an assistant district attorney and an assistant state attorney general. Delbert describes her cooking style as incorporating the freshest local ingredients,…
Type: News
Amnesty Int'l Official Urges Action on Human Rights
Amnesty International's Asia expert challenged journalists to pose human rights questions to President Obama at his press conference with Chinese President Hu on Nov. 17 in Beijing. At a Newsmaker Nov. 12, T. Kumar warned Obama to be ready to face protests if he fails to address the issue of human rights publicly in China. Kumar threatened to hold protests in front of the White House, petition members of Congress and conduct demonstrations during future visits of Chinese officials, including Hu. Kumar asked: “Why Obama is reluctant to speak publicly?" “Human rights is not an American issue…
Type: News
Chick-fil-A Founder Tells Down-Home Success Story
The 88-year-old founder of Chick-fil-A told a Nov. 13 Club luncheon audience about his company’s tale of continued growth through recent hard times enabled by low-debt, customer service, family ownership and religious faith. Truett Cathy, who borrowed money in 1946 to start his first restaurant in suburban Atlanta, remains chairman of the privately held company that announced its 42nd straight year of record sales and an expected record of $3 billion in total revenue by year-end. “I had the privilege of growing up in poverty,” he said. “The blessing is you have to work for a living.”…
Type: News
Courage in Student Journalism Honorees Tour NPC
Club Vice President Alan Bjerga met over brunch Saturday at the Fourth Estate restaurant with the three winners of Courage in Student Journalism Awards, who were in Washington to receive their honors. Seth Zweifler, editor in chief of The Spoke at Conestoga High School in Berwyn, Pa., and Henry Rome, his predecessor who is now a first-year student at Princeton, were honored for their opposition to a school policy to review newspaper content in advance imposed after their student paper reported that a janitor in the local middle school maintained his position despite a bank robber arrest and…
Type: News