by Hazel Trice Edney,
NNPA editor-in-chief
BALTIMORE (NNPA)
Already mapping a strategy to
maximize Black voter participation
and issues in the general
election Nov. 4, former Black
Press executive Benjamin Todd
Jealous has been named the new
national president of the
NAACP.
“My primary goals are to
make sure that the Black surge
that we saw in the primary is
repeated in the general election.
To make sure that we have both
an agenda for the transitioning
government that will be happening
in January as well as for
this next century,” said Jealous
in an NNPA interview just
moments after the official
announcement of his appointment
to lead the 99-year-old
civil rights organization, the
nation’s oldest. “We have one
heck of a batting average and
we need to maintain it,” he said
of the record voter turnouts during
the primary. “It’s to make
sure that we are as strong of a
player in this century as well as
the next. So, a lot of this is
about raising money. It’s about
the use of technology. It’s about
rebuilding the staff.”
Jealous, who will start the
job Sept. 1, has an extensive
resume entrenched in civil
rights. He is a former managing
editor of Mississippi’s historic
Jackson Advocate. In 2000, he
became executive director of
the National Newspaper
Publishers Association, the
Black Press of America. He left
NNPA after three years to
become director of Amnesty
International’s U. S. Human
Rights Program. He comes to
the NAACP from the San
Francisco-based Rosenberg
Foundation, where he has
served as president since 2005.
A positive aura encircled the
horde of beaming civil rights
leaders as Jealous stood outside
of the organization’s Baltimore
headquarters alongside board
chairman Julian Bond and other
supporters from the 64-member
board that voted to hire him.
However, no one denied the
reality of the daunting challenge
ahead given the major problems
that have plagued the organization
in recent years.
Former Verizon executive
Bruce Gordon, resigned abruptly
in February last year after a 19-
month presidency with the organization.
He cited irreconcilable
differences with the 64-member
board.
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The life of Mrs. John Etta
Featherstone Hayes was celebrated
on Saturday, May 17,
2008 at the First Community
Church. Her pastor, Elder Glenn
Clay was the officiate.
Many from far and near
joined Nashvillians to say goodbye
to ‘a quiet storm.’ Mrs.
Hayes was a beautiful lady with
a quiet, warm demeanor. Her
voice was strong but controlled.
It seemed slightly louder than a
whisper.
The memories of her were
many. One by one, the past
unfolded. Voices from her past
shared words of comfort.
Tributes came in from Civil
Rights icons like the Rev. C.T.
Vivian, former pastor of First
Community Church; the Rev.
Dr. James Lawson, who is
department chairman of
Vanderbilt University School of
Divinity; and one of her earlier
cohorts in the struggle, NAACP
past local president the Rev. Dr.
Charles Kimbro. Then there was
the Rev. Edwin Sanders,
pastor of the Metropolitan
Interdenominational Church;
Councilwoman Edith Taylor
Langster, 21st Council District;
the Rev. Augustus Robinson,
Mount Moriah MBC,
Charleston, S.C.; the Rev.
Deborah P. Carter, pastor,
Graham AME Church (who also
sang a solo), Charleston, S.C.;
and Evangelist Brenda Bleach,
Goose Creek, S.C.
The strength of her faith was
shown through the participation
of her church family and friends:
Brother James Meddling, trustee
board, First Community Church;
Sister Denese Doval, president,
the Pearl Daily Missionary
Society; Sister Dorothy Johnson,
president, the stewardess board
of First Community Church; and
the Rev.Carolyn Leslie, the former
interim pastor of First
Community Church.
The First Community
Church Choir, along with
soloists Sister Clara Copeland
and Brother James Nixon, presented
music.
Her life began on April 7,
1915 in Decherd, Tennessee as
the youngest child of Henry
Featherstone and Maude Lear
Sutherland. Her parents and her
10 siblings preceded her in
death.
She left Tennessee to begin a
new life in Boise, Idaho with her
grandmother. While there, she
experienced her first encounter
with integration. She was the
only Black student in the schools
she entered. With determination
and the encouragement of her
grandmother and her teachers,
she excelled in her studies and
graduated from high school with
honors. This young girl who was
the great granddaughter of
slaves had by fate experienced a
diverse culture that would
change her outlook on life and
propel her into the purpose God
had ordained for her life.
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Legislation seeks to remove Mandela from terrorist list
by Lafayette A. Barnes
Special from the Washington
Informer
(NNPA) -- The members and
representatives of the African
National Congress (ANC),
including Nelson Mandela were
placed on the U.S. Terrorist
Watch List during the 1970s
when American foreign policy
was dominated by the
Republican Party and closely
aligned with the apartheid
regime for strategic reasons.
This was an era in which the
ANC was actively engaged in a
liberation struggle to free
oppressed South Africans from
the racist system of apartheid.
Consequently, the apartheid
government declared the ANC a
terrorist organization and persuaded
many of its political
allies, including the United
States, to do the same.
Unfortunately, nearly 40 years
later the United States government
has failed to take Mandela
and the African National
Congress, which is now the ruling
political party of the
Republic of South Africa, off the
U.S. Terrorist Watch List.
The list is used to deny entry
of designated terrorists and such
organizations into the United
States. In some cases, it may
require U.S. financial institutions
to retain control over funds
of such groups and report their
assets to the Office of Foreign
Control of the U.S. Department
of Treasury.
The American Civil Liberties
Union estimates that nearly a
million names are on the U.S.
Terrorist Watch List. Those listed
are considered to be a threat
to the security of United States
citizens as well as its foreign and
national interests. However, the
integrity of the list is called into
question when Mandela, who
was the first Black president of
the Republic of South Africa and
a Nobel Peace Prize winner, is
on it.
In 2007, Barbara Masekela,
the former South African
Ambassador to the United States
from 2003 to 2006, was denied
entry into the U.S. to visit her
sick cousin because she is a
member of the ANC. ANC
members must apply and receive
a waiver from U.S. State
Department officials to enter
into the United States. Masekela
was unable to obtain her visa to
see her relative who later died in
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Girl Scouts of Middle
Tennessee development director
Theresa Carl accepts a
donation of $10,000 from
John Stein, president, Bank
of America, Tennessee, along
with Bank of America associates
and Girl Scout leaders.
The contribution was part of
a community gift-giving tour
with the bank's Nashville
leadership team where,
through the Bank of America
Charitable Foundation,
$160,000 was granted to organizations
supporting education
and after school programs.
(l to r): Lisa Kurtgis,
Bank of America; Darin
Anderson, Bank of America;
Theresa Carl Girl Scouts
development director; John
Stein, Bank of America;
Rickey Anderton, Bank of
America; Girl Scout leader
Brittney Williams; William
Braddy, Bank of America;
Girl Scout leader Quiana
Lewis; Trudy Mishev, Bank
of America and Girl Scout
leader Jamilah Riddick.
Two weeks and 100 delegates to go
Obama says, “Leave my wife alone.”
by Robert H. Elliott
With only two more weeks of
the Democratic primary season
to go, the contest between Sen.
Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barrack
Obama continues on as an allout
slugfest. The May 20 primaries
saw Clinton beat Obama
by a better than two to one margin
in the swing state of
Kentucky. With 100% of the
vote in, she won the contest by a
65% to 30% margin. In the last
10 Presidential elections
(1968–2004) Kentucky has
always voted for the winner. In
those 10 elections, Kentucky has
voted Republican seven times
and Democratic three times.
In the later west coast contest
in Oregon, Obama beat Clinton
by eight points – 54% to 46%
(with 90% of the mail-in voted
tallied). This gave Sen. Obama
the majority of primary elected
delegates but still did not lock up
the nomination for him. In the
past 10 Presidential elections
(1968–2004), Oregon has voted
for the winning candidate seven
of 10 times. It has voted five
times for the Republican candidate
(1968–1984) and five times
for the Democratic candidate
(1988–2004).
The question is why is this
primary race still going on? The
answer is Michigan and Florida!
(CNN, MSNBC and Fox News).
Neither state will have a ‘doover’
primary election because
the National Democratic Party
would not assist in paying for
them. In Florida, the Republican
controlled legislature and governor
would not spend a dime to
hold another election for the
Democrats’ benefit. Both of
these states will be seated at the
Democratic convention. They
are too important for the
Democratic victory hopes in
November to alienate the 2.3
million voters who cast votes in
their primaries (New York
Times).
There will be a credentials
fight at the Democratic convention
in Denver over the seating
of Michigan and Florida delegates.
If those elections are
counted in any fashion, Clinton
will have many more popular
votes and elected delegate votes
than Obama. That is why the
Democratic primary is not ending.
There is no winner yet, and
there may not be a winner called
until the convention. The
remaining 200 super delegates
are the key. If they all vote
before the convention, the margin
would have to be such that
the inclusion of Michigan and
Florida delegates could not overcome
the magic number. That
means the victor will have to
have a solid, no mind-changing
and fixed 2026 delegates
throughout the convention
process.
Mrs. Michelle Obama came
to Tennessee the week of May
12 to attend a private fundraiser
for the Obama campaign. While
in Tennessee, the state
Republican Party produced an
internet piece in which her infamous
remark “That for the first
time in my adult life, I am really
proud of my country” was
looped over and over with the
faces of Tennesseans telling why
they have always been proud of
their country. The piece, on the
party web site, was viewed over
400,000 times and again thrust
the Tennessee Republican Party
into the national spotlight.
Sen. Obama took umbrage to
the piece and replied that it was
“low class.” In a television interview
on May 19 he stated: “The
GOP can say whatever they want
about me, my track record,” but
they should be careful “because
it is unacceptable to start attacking
my wife and family.” GOP
Party insiders stated that since
Michelle Obama is campaigning
and making speeches for her
husband, she is open to the same
type of criticism that has
ensnared Sen. Clinton’s husband.
In a hopeful gesture to Sen.
John McCain, Gov. Mike
Huckabee has indicated that he
would like to be his running
mate on the November
Republican ticket. Huckabee finished
third in the number of delegate
votes behind Gov. Mitt
Romney during the Republican
primary contests. Romney has
stated that he is not interested in
being the Republican Vice-
Presidential nominee. McCain
had no comment on Huckabee’s
statement.
Nashville International
Airport (BNA) is informing
drivers that northbound
Donelson Pike, between
Murfreesboro Road and the
airport exit, will be reduced to
one lane from June 9 through
July 16.
The Donelson Pike lane
closure is necessary to perform
work on the retaining
walls located beneath
Taxiways Juliet and Lima
(adjacent to the tunnels).
Construction workers and
equipment will mobilize to the
project site on May 27 to initiate
preparatory work.
Alternate route:
To avoid the construction
area, take Murfreesboro Road
West to Briley Parkway from
which drivers can access
Interstate 40.
BNA encourages drivers to
allow extra time when traveling
through these areas and to
use caution when driving
through the construction
zones.
By Robert H. Elliott
Many people are waiting for
the mail to bring them their
rebate/stimulus check. Your social
security number last two digits
decide when your check will be
mailed. The schedule printed
below is the approximate date that
checks should arrive at the
address the IRS has for you. If
you have direct deposit listed on
your 2007 tax return you should
have already received your
rebate/stimulus check. You had to
file a 2007 tax return in order to
get a rebate/stimulus check.
The mailing schedule is:
00-09 May 16
10-18 May 23
19-25 May 30
26-38 June 6
39-51 June 13
52-63 June 20
64-75 June 27
76-87 July 4
88-99 July 11
The IRS will not call you for
any information – they already
have it! President Bush will not
call you for any information – he
doesn’t know you and doesn’t
want it. If someone calls asking
you for information so they can
make sure that your check comes
to you or that if your check is late
how they can find it and get it to
you – HANG UP! IT IS ASCAM!
Of course if you owe the
U.S. government any money
(back taxes, overdue Federal
school loans and overdue SBA
loans) your stimulus check may
be used to off-set the amount you
owe.
If you have not received a
check and you think it is overdue
call your local IRS office for
information.
by Hazel Trice Edney,
NNPA editor-in-chief
BALTIMORE (NNPA)
The life of Mrs. John Etta
Featherstone Hayes was celebrated
on Saturday, May 17,
2008 at the First Community
Church. Her pastor, Elder Glenn
Clay was the officiate.
Girl Scouts of Middle
Tennessee development director
Theresa Carl accepts a
donation of $10,000 from
John Stein, president, Bank
of America, Tennessee, along
with Bank of America associates
and Girl Scout leaders.
The contribution was part of
a community gift-giving tour
with the bank's Nashville
leadership team where,
through the Bank of America
Charitable Foundation,
$160,000 was granted to organizations
supporting education
and after school programs.
(l to r): Lisa Kurtgis,
Bank of America; Darin
Anderson, Bank of America;
Theresa Carl Girl Scouts
development director; John
Stein, Bank of America;
Rickey Anderton, Bank of
America; Girl Scout leader
Brittney Williams; William
Braddy, Bank of America;
Girl Scout leader Quiana
Lewis; Trudy Mishev, Bank
of America and Girl Scout
leader Jamilah Riddick.
