Democratic National Convention
makes historic decisions
by Jennifer Gerald
All eyes and ears were on
Denver, Colorado from Monday
to Thursday, during the
Democratic National
Convention, held at Denver’s
Pepsi Center. For the first time
in the history of the United
States of America, an African
American has been nominated
to lead a major political party --
possibly becoming President of
the United States of America.
The process has been one of
interest to Democrats as well as
Republicans across the country.
Sen. Barack Obama was
nominated by acclamation by
his rival for the nomination Sen.
Hillary Clinton on Wednesday
night. About half way through
the roll call of voting states,
Clinton made the proposal that
the voting cease and the convention
nominate Obama by
unanimous acclamation.
Previous to Obama’s nomination,
various Democratic
Party dignitaries were highlighted
throughout the week.
On Monday night President
John F. Kennedy’s daughter,
Caroline Kennedy, reminded
the audience of her family history,
regarding Sen. Barack
Obama in the same vein. She
said, like her father, Obama has
the traits of justice, fairness,
service, and sacrifice. She then
introduced her Uncle Edward
‘Ted’ Kennedy, saying that Sen.
Kennedy had made life better
for so many. “He has been a
powerful force around the
world for peace,” she said.
Sen. Kennedy, still recuperating
from brain surgery, came
to the podium with much
excitement. He reminded people
that he has grown up in a
family that “wanted to make a
difference in other people’s
lives.” He spoke with much fervor
about the need for health
care in this country.
“Health care is a right, not a
privilege,” he said.
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by Hazel Trice Edney,
NNPA editor-in-chief
WASHINGTON, D.C. (NNPA)
– America has come a step closer
to the fulfillment of Dr.
King’s dream in Denver this
week with the official coronation
and acceptance speech of U.
S. Sen. Barack Obama as the
Democratic nominee for president,
civil rights insiders say.
“Barack Obama's address to
the nation is unparalleled in its
significance. Coming nearly 50
years after the dramatic impact
that both president John
Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. made when they broke
new ground for all Americans,
he is able to use the benefits he
received from both trailblazers
and offer America a plan to
restore our global role as a country
of conscience and persuade a
new generation of Americans
about the importance of public
service,” said Harvard law
school professor Charles
Ogletree, also executive director
of Harvard’s Charles Hamilton
Houston Institute for Race and
Justice.
Obama’s speech, which was
set for Invesco Field at the
Democratic National
Convention on Thursday night,
is widely viewed as a prophetic
moment. It is exactly 45 years to
the date that Dr. King gave the
historic ‘I Have a Dream’
speech on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28,
1963.
With the nomination of Sen.
Obama, who would become the
nation’s first Black president,
the ‘status quo’ in racial
progress has proven to have
shifted somewhat--especially
given Obama’s Democratic
Primary win in vastly White
states, such as two percent Black
Iowa.
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by Sandra Brown
The African American
Cultural Alliance (AACA)
moves beyond the local. In early
August, a small delegation of the
Alliance, including Leo
“Kwame” Lillard, it’s chief
executive officer, made a trip to
St. Ann’s Bay, Jamaica, West
Indies. The group visited the
Windsor Girls Home and the St.
Ann’s Bay Library.
The Windsor Girls Home is
an orphanage for girls ages 12-
18. The director of the Home is
Ms. Carmen Mullings.
According to Ms. Mullings, “the
girls at the home are victims of
abuse neglect, and abandonment
by their families.”
Presently, there are 56 girls who
live in Winsor.
When the representatives of
AACA arrived in Jamaica, the
young ladies at Winsor Girls
Home got a helping hand from
Meharry Medical College, Mt.
Sinai Missionary Baptist
Church, St. Anselm's Episcopal
Church, Robert McLeod
(Jamaican born-American citizen),
Dr. Julius Garvey (son of
Marcus Garvey), and the African
American Cultural Alliance.
Each of the organizations sent
special gifts. Meharry Medical
College and St. Anselm's
Episcopal Church donated medical
and hygiene supplies; Mt.
Sinai M.B. Church donated personal
supplies and financial
help; AACA donated school
supplies, and Robert McLeod;
and Dr. Julius Garvey donated
financial help.
Lillard delivered the items to
Windsor Girls Home on August
9, 2008. There were personal
hygiene items, school supplies,
and more. Kwame said it was
great to see the young people
receive items that are essential
to help them feel good about
yourself as well as help them
prepare for their school work.
“And, of course the financial
help was necessary for overweight
baggage taxes,
travel/transportation and the
purchase of additional items for
donation.”
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African Americans win 11 Gold, 10 Silver,
by Sandra Brown 9 Bronze Olympic medals for U.S.A.
African American athletes
figured prominently in the 110
Olympic medals earned at the
Beijing Olympics by the United
States of America. Indvidual,
duo and team sports all were
conquered by the U.S. Black athletes,
and their contribution to
the U.S. Olympic effort was
immense. All told, the U.S.
claimed 36 Gold, 38 Silver, and
36 Bronze medal events.
Americans took Gold in the
major team sports of men’s and
women’s basketball, volleyball,
and women’s soccer, along with
other individual and team
events. African Americans won
Gold medals in soccer, swimming,
tennis, the decathlon, and
track and field, as well as basketball.
Silver medals were won in
fencing, softball, womens volleyball,
and track and field.
Bronze medals were won in
track and field, the heptathlon,
boxing, baseball, and wrestling.
The final medal count for
African Americans in the 2008
Beijing Olympics: 11 Gold, 10
Silver, and 9 Bronze medals
among those won by the U.S.
Cullen Jones won a Gold
medal in swimming as a member
of the U.S. mens team in the
4x100 meter freestyle relay.
Serena Williams and Venus
Williams claimed Gold in
women’s doubles tennis. Dawn
Harper claimed the Gold in the
100 meter hurdles. Brian Clay
took the Gold in the decathlon.
Angelo Taylor claimed the Gold
in the men’s 400 meter hurdles,
and teammates Kerron Clements
(Silver) and Bershawn Jackson
(Bronze) joined him on the
stand, sweeping the event's
medals for the U.S. of A.
LaShawn Merritt won the Gold
in the mens 400 meters, while
U.S. teammate David Neville
claimed the Bronze in the event.
Merritt, Neville, and Taylor
also claimed Gold in the mens
4x400 meter relay together.
Mary Wineberg, Monique
Henderson, Alyson Felix, and
Sanya Richards combined for
the Gold in the women’s 4x400
meter relay.
Silver medalists Keeth Smart
and Errin Smart both won in
fencing, as the siblings excelled
in a sport not usually associated
with African Americans. Keeth
took the medal with the men’s
team sabre and his sister Errin
took the medal in women’s team
foil. Sheena Tosta claimed Silver
in the women’s 400 meter hurdles.
Allyson Felix and Shawn
Crawford won Silver in their
respective 200 meter races.
David Payne took Silver and
teammate David Oliver took
Bronze in the men’s 110 meter
hurdles event.
Sanya Richards took the
Bronze in women’s 400 meter
hurdles. Walter Dix won Bronze
in the men’s 100 meter. Hyleas
Fountain took the Bronze in the
heptathlon. Randi Miller scored
the Bronze in the 55-63 kg
wrestling freestyle category. And
Deontay Wilder punched his
way to Bronze in heavyweight
boxing, 81-91 kg.
In team sports with African
American women, Shannon
Boxx and Angela Hucles won
Gold with the U.S. women’s soccer
team. The U.S. women’s
teams took SIlver in softball and
volleyball, and the U.S. women
took gold in both basketball and
volleyball. Each team had several
African American players.
The U.S. baseball team took the
Bronze.
by Jennifer Gerald
by Hazel Trice Edney,
by Sandra Brown
African American athletes
figured prominently in the 110
Olympic medals earned at the
Beijing Olympics by the United
States of America. Indvidual,
duo and team sports all were
conquered by the U.S. Black athletes,
and their contribution to
the U.S. Olympic effort was
immense. All told, the U.S.
claimed 36 Gold, 38 Silver, and
36 Bronze medal events.