Congressional District 11

Jay-Z to 'Spread Love' to Clarke

Posted by David Montalvo

From Brooklyn corners, burnin branches of sticky

Spread love, Biggie, Brooklyn, hippie

I pity, the fool with jewels like Mr. T

With long history in my borough, they borrow

With no intentions of returnin, tomorrow

Brooklyn, we go hard! We go hard!

In his latest album, international rap artist Jay-Z brought his old stomping ground on the world stage in his track “Brooklyn Go Hard.” But it’s the superstar’s U.S. tour that may impact Brooklyn in more ways than just adding the name to potentially millions of playlists – the tour may impact local politics.

Rep. Yvette Clark, Democrat of New York’s Congressional District 11 in Brooklyn, will get an early campaign boost – at least financially – next month at a fundraiser event tied with Jay-Z and his BP3 Concert in Washington, D.C.

Sure, Beyonce’s husband might be feeling love for Brooklyn (just see how closely he still identifies to the borough – lyrically), or maybe it’s love for the work the democratic congresswoman has done there. But there’s also a little politics going on worth noting. The concert, managed by Live Nation, a global live entertainment company whose roster includes Madonna and Kylie Minogue, is lobbying Congress on H.R. 848, a performance rights act, which Ms. Clarke has co-sponsored.

Several others of Ms. Clarke’s New York City congressional colleagues also co-sponsored the bill – among them Joseph Crowley, Carolyn Maloney, Jarrold Nadler and Anthony Weiner – though they are not getting the same treatment by Jay-Z (perhaps other Live Nation artists will fundraise for them).

But there are other representatives benefiting from Jay-Z’s March concert in Washington. Joining Ms. Clarke that evening are election campaigns for Sanford Bishop of Georgia, Andre Carson of Indiana. At this time, neither of them have co-sponsored the bill above.

A contact for Ms. Clarke reelection campaign could not be reached before this posting went live.

Tickets for the Jay-Z-Clarke concert will cost a pretty penny in this sluggish economy: $1500 for one ticket or, for an additional thousand dollars, the ticket buyer can get a second one – and won’t have to go alone.

H.E.L.P.-ing Haiti

Posted by David Montalvo

Her mother was the first Jamaican elected to New York City Council and her congressional district produced a couple of firsts for presidential bids.

From the gate, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke had big shoes to fill.

Rep. Yvette Clarke (D), New York District 11
Rep. Yvette Clarke (D), New York District 11

On paper, her second-term as representative of Congressional District 11 in Brooklyn earned her an A-grade by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s annual report card on voting records on civil rights bills; the American Civil Liberties Union are highly favorable of her; and several other groups and agencies with some sort of grading system agree she’s liberal and progressive.

And most recently, Ms. Clarke introduced a bill Friday that was timely both in terms of policy and, most interestingly, politics.

Ms. Clarke, who is of Caribbean decent and represents the district with the highest concentration of Haitians in New York City, has become a huge advocate for Haiti since its devastating earthquake in January. She introduced Friday the Haitian Emergency Life Protection Act of 2010 Bill (H.E.L.P. Act), while working alongside Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) to introduce a similar version in the Senate. The bill is designed to expand and expedite visa applications.

“It is my hope that this bill will provide an expedited pathway to family reunification, bringing peace of mind to Haitian families within our district. I am in the process of urging members of Congress to join me in this great opportunity to help Haiti and its people,” said Ms. Clarke in a statement.

One of at least four advocacy groups supporting the bill is the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, an agency of the American Jewish community.

Separately, less than a week before introducing this bill, the Jewish Daily Forward reported that local Jewish leaders had met with Ms. Clarke, lobbying her to retract her support for a congressional initiative that would force Israel to ease pressure on Palestinians in Gaza.

“I am grateful to my colleagues in the House for supporting the legislation as well as the advocacy groups that have announced their support,” added Ms. Clarke.