M. Alexis Scott
M. Alexis Scott is publisher of the Atlanta Daily World, a newspaper founded by her grandfather in 1928. She has responsibility for the overall editorial content and general management of the paper, which targets the African American community in metro Atlanta. In 1932, the Atlanta Daily World, founded by W.A. Scott, II, became the nation’s first black-owned daily newspaper in the 20th century. The paper publishes once a week now, can be accessed daily over the Internet at www.atlantadailyworld.com. The newspaper became a part of the Real Times Media family in March 2012, joining five other historic African American newspapers including the Chicago Defender, the Michigan Chronicle, The Michigan FrontPage, the New Pittsburgh Courier, and the Tri-State Defender in Memphis, Tenn. Ms.
Scott joined the Atlanta Daily World in 1997, following a 22-year career with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Cox Enterprises, Inc., where she worked her way up from reporter to vice president/community affairs at the Journal-Constitution and then director of diversity at Cox. In addition to her duties as publisher of the newspaper, Ms. Scott is a regularly featured commentator on “The Georgia Gang,” a week-in-review program on politics broadcast on FOX 5 in Atlanta. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Life Financial Group Ms. Scott is active in nonprofit organizations. She is a member of the boards of the High Museum of Art, the Historic South View Cemetery Preservation Foundation; the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau and the board of the Atlanta Workforce Development Agency. She is also a member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta. She serves on the Global Advisory Board of the Center for Civil & Human Rights and the President’s Council of the Atlanta History Center.
Ms. Scott has received many awards and honors, including the inaugural Keystone Leadership Award from Build, Grow and Enjoy Radio in 2012; being inducted along with the rest of The Scott Family into the inaugural class of the Hall of Fame of the Atlanta Press Club in 2011; the 2011 Trailblazer Award from the Atlanta Hawks; 2010 Journalist of the Year Award from the Atlanta Regional Rainbow/PUSH Coalition; the 2010 Generational Torch Award from the Georgia Black Chamber of Commerce; 2009 Community Leader Award from the Alliance for Christian Media and the 2009 Pioneer Award from the Black Women Film Preservation Project. She was inducted into the 2007 Business Hall of Fame of the Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University. She also received a 2007 Trailblazer Award In Honor of Coretta Scott King from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
A native of Atlanta, Ms. Scott is a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School, and attended Barnard College in New York City and Spelman College in Atlanta. She also attended the Columbia University School of Journalism as a summer participant in the 1974 Michelle Clark Fellowship Program. She is a 1992 graduate of the Regional Leadership Institute and a 1991 graduate of Leadership Atlanta. She has an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from Argosy University. She has two sons. She and her family are members of First Congregational Church, U.C.C., where Ms Scott served as presiding officer from 1982-1992, was a member of the Sunday School staff for nearly 30 years and serves on the Board of Missions.
My Part of the World: Barack Obama Makes History, Again
In a campaign that was brilliant and nearly flawless, Barack Obama succeeded against daunting odds to win more than 300 electoral votes, way past the necessary 270 mark, to be the first African American in history to win two terms as president of the United States.
Whenever anyone asked me if I thought Obama would win, I always said yes. But to see it really happen was breathtaking. It was a very close popular vote but the Obama ground machine was focused on what it needed to do to reach the goal of 270 electoral votes. Congressman John Lewis said it best: "My congratulations to President Barack Obama and his campaign," he said. "Their skill and expertise have led them to make history once again."
The laser focus of the Obama campaign apparatus was augmented by the excessive overreaches of his opponent, Mitt Romney, and Republican Party operatives and supporters.
Efforts by more than 30 Republican-controlled states to implement stringent voter ID laws to suppress voter turnout among likely Democratic voters backfired. And further efforts to suppress the vote with shorter early voting periods also backfired. This GOP alienation of African-American and Hispanic voters cost them a victory in a nation that is becoming "browner" with every election cycle.
Romney's ridiculous "self –deportation" suggestion for the estimated 10 million undocumented workers was countered by Obama's brilliant and compassionate executive order to allow children of undocumented workers an opportunity to come out of the shadows.
In addition to the voter suppression efforts, more than 20 GOP-controlled states, including Georgia, continued the assault on women's reproductive rights. These attacks on birth control and limiting parameters for abortions also backfired. Women, especially younger, single women, overwhelmingly voted for Obama in response.
The GOP ran what felt many times like a campaign for rich white men only. That will not and did not carry the day in 2012. America is well on the road to being a nation that is majority people of color. And the impact of money and power to advantage the special interests of a few will no longer automatically rule.
Again, Rep. Lewis said it best. "By re-electing President Barack Obama, the American people made a major down payment toward the building of a truly diverse, multi-racial democracy."
And while most of Romney's support came from mostly white, older voters, it was also heartening to see that Obama still retained 40 percent of the white vote, down only slightly from the 43 percent he received in 2008.
Yes, it was clear from this historic election, or re-election, that race, gender, age, class and region are still fault lines that our nation must continue to address. But his re-election is not a dream. Barack Obama is still president of the United States of America, and I and my mother lived to see it. Hallelujah!
M. Alexis Scott is publisher of the Atlanta Daily World.
My Part of the World: Re-Elect President Barack Obama
OK, if you haven't already voted, now is the time to focus and make sure you make it to the polls by Tuesday, Nov. 6.
There is a lot at stake. President Barack Obama is seeking a second term against challenger Massachusetts Governor and businessman Mitt Romney. It is a clear-choice election. As my mother said, "We just can't elect Mitt Romney president."
President Barack Obama made history four years ago with his election as the first Black president of the United States. As soon as he took office, he has been swimming upstream: against the greatest recession in modern times; against recalcitrant GOP opposition; against a 24/7 cable media animal that wanted to keep the contest going to keep their record high ratings and finally against the chattering classes that were waiting for him to be the president of Black people only.
I'm sure you've all seen the many lists of Obama's accomplishments, achieved in spite of his critics and committed opposition in the Congress. His biggest was health care reform, an effort that's been underway for 50 years by both Democrats and Republicans. For me, health care reform was also my biggest disappointment. I was hoping for a "Medicare for All" plan, a public health plan along the lines of public education. Still there are many good things in the current law as it is: children covered to age 26, coverage for pre-existing conditions and no lifetime limit on dollar amount of coverage.
And finally, we need to support the president's re-election because it's good for Atlanta. I had a chance to sit with Mayor Kasim Reed and some other journalists this week and he continued to champion the president's re-election bid and predicted his win.
"Atlanta will continue to have cooperation," Reed said, pointing out the benefits of his relationship with President Obama. He pointed to the federal dollars that have poured into the region during the last three years, including $47 million for the downtown street car project, money that made it possible to hire new police officers and funds for widening the Savannah Port which will mean more jobs for the state and metro region.
Despite the closeness of the race as shown in the polls, Reed said the odds are in Obama's favor. He likened the election to a prizefight.
"If the goal is 270 (electoral votes), Reed said Wednesday. "One sits at 246 and one is at 206. Who'd you like to be? I want to be the one at 246...In a 12-round competition, we're at seven rounds (already) won with five rounds to go," Reed said. "At the end of the fight, we win."
Reed left the briefing on his way to Jacksonville, FL to campaign some more. On election night, he said he'll start out in DC and end up in Chicago to celebrate.
So my peeps in Atlanta, based on the last three years, we have a lot to gain from re-electing President Obama. And on the other hand, we have much to lose if Romney is elected. If Romney wins the race, it will be a great blow to the millions of people who have donated and worked for Obama in contrast to the relatively few monied-interests who have supported the Romney's campaign.
It's time to make history again. If you haven't done so already, vote for President Obama again, and make him the first black president of the United States ever to be re-elected.
My Part of the World: Obama v. Romney Debate 3: What He said
That was about all Mitt Romney had in the Monday night foreign policy debate with President Barack Obama. "I agree with President Obama," Romney said more than a few times.
Romney's goal for the evening was to get through the debate on foreign policy without scaring women and looking like a bully who would drop a bomb on anybody that didn't agree with him.
He got through it, but that's about all. He was clearly outmatched by President Obama's clear, forceful response to the questions from CBS' Bob Schafer, who gave both of them all sorts of rope to hang themselves.
Early on Romney seemed caught in a loop of reciting talking points without being able to get out. It was quite unnerving. He appeared nervous and uncertain. Not a good look for a bully.
I agree with GA Democratic Party Chairman Mike Berlon's assessment: "Tonight's final Presidential debate clearly demonstrated the vast difference in foreign policy experience between President Obama and Governor Romney. Experience matters. The President won this round and showed that he has earned four more years in office.
"President Obama shared his vision for changes in the Middle East, unequivocally demonstrated his support for Israel, underscored his resolve to guarantee that Iran never develops a nuclear weapon, made clear how important the issue of foreign policy is to our national security and outlined a strategy for dealing with future challenges.
"By contrast, Governor Romney spent most of his time agreeing with the President's policies on sanctions with Iran, Syria, Afghanistan and Syria, suggested Russia was our biggest national security threat, demonstrated he failed to understand the strategic capabilities of our military by confusing quantity with quality, suggested that a possible trade war with China may be a good idea and tried to explain away his position that the car industry should have been forced into bankruptcy."
Very nice summary of the night, Chairman Berlon. The CBS poll gave Obama 53% to Romney's 23% for the clear win.
I liked Rev. Al Sharpton's prize-fight observation. He said all Romney did was "clinch and hold" just to get through the 90 minutes. Democratic operative Van Jones said that if the debate had lasted another 30 minutes, Romney would have announced his endorsement of President Obama.
And this was the president's best zinger: "I think Gov. Romney hasn't spent enough time looking at how our military works. You mentioned the Navy & how we don't have as many ships as we did in 1916....well Gov. we also have fewer horses & bayonettes...(pause) because the nature of our Military has changed."
I agree with what he said.
