Greene County Democrat

Author: greenecodemocratcom

  • Newswire : Claudette Colvin, who refused to move before the nation was ready, dies at 86

    Claudette Colvin

    By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    History often remembers movements by their most recognizable moments. It less often remembers the teenagers who moved first.
    Claudette Colvin, whose refusal to surrender her seat on a segregated Montgomery bus came months before the moment that would enter textbooks, died Tuesday at 86. Her death was confirmed by the Claudette Colvin Legacy Foundation, which said she died of natural causes in Texas.
    On March 2, 1955, Colvin was 15 years old and riding home from school when the bus driver ordered Black passengers to give up their seats to white riders. Three students stood. Colvin did not. Police arrested her, charged her under segregation laws, and placed her on probation. She later said she was thinking about the Constitution and the rights she believed belonged to her.
    Colvin’s arrest came at a time when Montgomery’s Black community was already pressing against the daily restraints of Jim Crow. Her stand did not ignite a boycott that day, but it did register. It landed in conversations, church meetings, and legal strategy sessions that would soon follow.
    “This nation lost a civil rights giant today,” Tafeni English-Relf, Alabama state director of the Southern Poverty Law Center, said. “Claudette Colvin’s courage lit the fire for a movement that would free all Alabamians and Americans from the woes of southern segregation.”
    Unlike others whose names became shorthand for the era, Colvin paid a quieter price. She was young and outspoken and was later judged by standards that did not apply to older leaders. She was never elevated as the public face of the movement. Her life unfolded mostly outside the spotlight she helped create.
    Yet Colvin’s role proved decisive.
    She became one of four plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle, the federal lawsuit that reached the Supreme Court and ended bus segregation in Montgomery and across Alabama. The case dismantled the legal framework that made her arrest possible.
    “At age 15, Ms. Colvin was arrested on March 2, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, for violating bus segregation ordinances, nine months before Rosa Parks,” Phillip Ensler wrote. “In 2021, it was the privilege of a lifetime to serve on the legal team that helped Ms. Colvin clear her record from the conviction.”
    “As we worked on the court motion, I had the honor of spending time with Ms. Colvin to hear her story and get to know her,” Ensler wrote.
    “Today we lost an unsung yet significant hero of the civil rights movement,” Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock said. “Her courage paved the way for Rosa Parks’ decision and the launching of a movement that would end segregation.”
    “History did not always give Claudette Colvin the credit she deserved, but her impact is undeniable,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said.
    “Her life reminds us that progress is shaped not only by moments, but by sustained courage and truth,” Bernice King said.

     

  • Newswire : The exit signs are flashing at the place that wrote the authoritarian playbook

    By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    The Heritage Foundation is beginning to come apart in public, and what is unraveling is not simply a think tank but a long-maintained illusion. More than 60 senior staff members, fellows, and trustees have now resigned from the institution that spent decades presenting itself as the sober custodian of conservative thought.
    Board members tied to major donors have stepped down. Veteran policy writers have walked away. What remains is an organization forced, perhaps for the first time, to reckon with the distance between how it spoke about America and what it planned to do to it.
    Philosophers have long maintained that power, when it believes itself righteous, often mistakes silence for consent. The Heritage Foundation thrived on that mistake. For years it wrote in careful abstractions, never naming the people its policies would dispossess, never acknowledging the communities that would be bruised by its ideas.
    Project 2025 changed that. Nearly 900 pages long, the document spoke plainly. It described how to bend the federal government toward a single will. It explained how to weaken civil rights enforcement, how to hollow out agencies, how to turn immigration into mass detention, and how to place ideology above law. It did not whisper. It declared.
    Donald Trump told the country he had nothing to do with it. He said he did not know the authors. He dismissed the warnings as political theater. Those words collapsed the moment he returned to the White House and appointed Russell Vought, one of Project 2025’s principal architects, to run the Office of Management and Budget. The blueprint Trump denied became the machinery through which his presidency now moves.
    “A lot of the policies from Day 1 to the last day and in between that the administration has adopted are right out of Project 2025,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said, as his office and others prepared lawsuits not in reaction, but in expectation.
    What followed has been neither theoretical nor restrained. In Minneapolis, a federal agent shot and killed a man during an operation, igniting protests in a city that already carries the memory of unchecked force. Immigration hardened into something colder still when the administration suspended visa processing for applicants from 75 countries, closing pathways without warning and without apology. Across the nation, demonstrations rose as Americans confronted a government that now acts as though consent is an obstacle rather than a foundation.
    Project 2025 anticipated this atmosphere. Its immigration chapter calls for ending asylum at the border, canceling legal status for millions, compelling local police to serve federal deportation goals, and expanding detention camps through executive authority alone. It treats people as numbers to be managed and rights as technicalities to be brushed aside.
    For Black America, this moment is not unfamiliar. Civil rights organizations have warned that Project 2025 threatens voting access, education protections, housing enforcement, and reproductive autonomy. The document rarely names Black communities directly, yet it targets the very systems that protect Black citizenship and political power. The danger lies not in what it says aloud, but in what it dismantles quietly.
    Abroad, the same logic has spilled beyond U.S. borders. On January 3, American forces struck Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, transporting them to New York to face federal charges. Governments across Europe and Latin America condemned the action as a breach of international law. The United States escalated further by seizing Venezuelan oil tankers, tightening control over the country’s resources and deepening regional instability.
    In the Arctic, Trump renewed his demand for U.S. control of Greenland, declaring anything less unacceptable. Denmark deployed troops. Protests filled streets in Greenland and Copenhagen. A Greenlandic official broke down on live television after a White House meeting failed to soften Washington’s posture. At Davos, Trump’s confrontations with European leaders turned diplomacy into spectacle and strained alliances that had taken generations to build.
    This is not chaos without authorship. Analysts tracking implementation estimate that roughly half of Project 2025 has already been executed through executive orders, agency restructuring, and enforcement changes. This was not improvisation. It was preparation made visible.
    Now the institution that helped write the script is fracturing. Donors have pulled back. Trustees have resigned. Senior figures have said privately that Heritage no longer distinguishes between conservative governance and extremism. The organization insists the departures are part of a realignment, yet those who left describe something else entirely. They describe an unwillingness to confront hatred. They describe a tolerance for rhetoric that stains everything it touches. They describe an institution that chose influence over responsibility.
    “When an institution hesitates to confront harmful ideas and allows lapses in judgment to stand, it forfeits the moral authority on which its influence depends,” former trustee Abby Spencer Moffat said.

  • Newswire : Kenneth Traywick speaks out after 35-day hunger strike at Bullock prison

    The prison reform advocate called his 35-day strike a “failure” after ADOC met none of his demands before medical issues forced him to stop.

    By Alx Jobin, Alabama Political Reporters

    From November 20 to December 25, 2025, Kenneth Shaun Traywick did not eat.
    Traywick is a prison reform advocate also known as Swift Justice, and his 35-day hunger strike came in response to an incident at Bullock Correctional Facility in which ADOC correctional officer Darius A. Glover pepper-sprayed Traywick from behind. According to Traywick, the assault came as retaliation for Traywick’s own advocacy on behalf of other inmates who were also being assaulted by Bullock staff.
    His hunger strike now over, Traywick spoke with APR from inside Bullock to share his experience and how he plans to continue fighting for reform.
    “Physically… I’m still having issues with my stomach, but that’s to be expected,” Traywick said of how he has been feeling following the strike. “Mentally, emotionally… I’m pretty stressed out that I didn’t accomplish anything outside of getting a little bit of media attention. As far as accomplishing what I wanted to accomplish, to me it’s a failure.”
    While on strike, Traywick made several demands of ADOC, including transfer out of Bullock; the end of “retaliatory and excessive force practices;” the ability to send and receive written mail; a meeting with ADOC Commissioner John Hamm and an investigation “into CERT Officers Glover and Bowen as well as any other officer accused of excessive force or retaliatory discipline/citation write ups.”
    According to Traywick, ADOC met none of those demands before medical complications with his kidneys forced him to end the strike.
    “One of the issues I’m having now is how easily ADOC ignored my strike and the fact that I was willing to go to the extreme just to be heard,” Traywick told APR. “They’re sending me a message and that, to me, is emotionally draining after so many years of us peacefully protesting in nonviolent ways and trying to reclaim our humanity so-to-speak instead of acting like animals, which is what we used to have to do to get the public to hear us.

    “They’re sitting there saying they’re not going to pay me any attention or address the issue—or even just listen to the issue… they just ignored it, so, they’re basically telling us they don’t care about us acting like human beings,” he continued.
    Traywick also told APR that ADOC had not discussed the possibility of transferring him from Bullock to a different correctional facility per his demands. However, he said that he is fine staying in Bullock for now, as it could give him another opportunity to shed light on malpractice and mistreatment within the facility.
    “If I can’t have all of my demands met, then I don’t want not one of them met,” Traywick said. “Matter of fact, the longer I stay here, the more likely [Glover] is to mess up again and do something again, so I’d much rather just stay here… even since I’ve been out, he’s been aggressive and been taunting me… eventually I expect him to wind up blowing and playing into my hand.”
    According to Traywick, the only communication he had with ADOC officials during the course of his hunger strike was with a warden who would simply ask Traywick if he was ready to end his strike.
    “The warden would only come around and ask me, ‘when are you coming off the strike?’” Traywick said. “He wouldn’t even engage in why I was on strike.”
    Traywick said that ADOC did allow him to file an official grievance related to the assault by Officer Glover, but that grievance was dismissed with ADOC declaring that the officer’s actions were justified. However, Traywick noted that he was able to have disciplinary infractions related to the incident dropped from his record.
    Even though he expressed disappointment at the lack of tangible results from his hunger strike, Traywick told APR that he will continue to advocate for reforms in any way he can—including by drafting legislative proposals.

    “One of the things I want to do is continue to show the public and our lawmakers the issues inside ADOC,” Traywick said. “One of the things me and my team are doing right now is drafting a piece of legislation and that’s something we’d like to see get [bipartisan sponsorship] dealing with the oversight of ADOC.”
    Traywick and his nonprofit organization, Unheard Voices of the Concrete Jungle, UVOTCJ, shared with APR a draft of the legislative proposal he and other inmates are currently working on and hoping to find sponsorship for.
    The proposal, which has been titled the “Alabama Correctional Transparency, Accountability, and Risk-Reduction Act,” looks to establish an Independent Oversight Authority, IOA, that would operate outside of ADOC. The IOA would be led by a director selected through a “merit-based process administered by the Alabama Personnel Board” and confirmed by the Alabama Joint Prison Oversight Committee.
    Under the proposal, no more than one-third of IOA staff would be allowed to be former ADOC employees or contractors, and any such individuals would need to be separated from ADOC for at least two years before joining the IOA. The body would be tasked with reviewing use of force incidents within ADOC; analyzing systemic trends related to use of force, training, staffing and facility conditions; and issuing reports on their findings, both to the public and to the Joint Prison Oversight Committee.
    Additionally, the proposal outlines standards for preserving evidence related to reported incidents of misconduct or harm within ADOC, and includes provisions for the implementation of body-worn cameras, BWCs, in ADOC facilities.
    “My goal isn’t to take away any of the authority of ADOC, but at the same time we’re going to have to have independent oversight,” Traywick explained, arguing that the current lack of independent prison oversight in Alabama allows ADOC officials to skirt accountability and squash calls for reform.
    “The only thing that anybody can go by is what ADOC says… and there is no independent oversight in this,” Traywick continued. “We actually need [independent oversight], not only to expose any kind of corruption, but to look after the taxpayer and the public. The simple fact is we’re spending millions, hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements every year in lawsuits, and that’s not even counting the hundreds of millions of dollars we’re paying these lawyers to represent the ADOC. So, we’ve got a huge cost that’s being impacted on the taxpayers just to fuel the corruption that’s going on on the inside.

    “I want, not only our legislators, but I want the public to know this: these pieces of legislation are coming from guys on the inside, and who better else is there to know the situation or the problems than the ones that are closely, directly involved in the problem?” Traywick said.

    Traywick is currently serving a 25-year sentence after being convicted on charges of first-degree robbery and first-degree sodomy in 2009. He has maintained his innocence since his conviction, leading him to become an outspoken advocate for prison reform in Alabama—including by writing several opinion pieces published by APR. The Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles denied Traywick’s latest parole application in June of 2024, with his next parole hearing set for 2029.

  • Newswire : State of the Dream 2026 finds Black America facing a recession across jobs, housing, and technology

    By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    Black unemployment surged to 7.5 percent by December 2025, a level that would signal a recession if it were reflected across the national workforce. But the latest “State of the Dream 2026” report makes clear the damage extends far beyond jobs. From broadband access and housing to artificial intelligence and federal workforce policy, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies finds that 2025 marked a sharp economic breakdown for Black America driven by policy reversals and the removal of long-standing safeguards.

    Released this week, “State of the Dream 2026: From Regression to Signs of a Black Recession” draws on research from the Joint Center and partners including United for a Fair Economy, the Center for Economic Policy Research, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, and the Onyx Impact Group. The report situates rising unemployment within a wider retreat from equity-focused policy across nearly every sector shaping economic opportunity.

    Employment remains the most visible signal. Black unemployment rose from 6.2 percent in January 2025 to 7.5 percent by December. Black youth experienced severe instability, with unemployment spiking from 18.6 percent in September to 29.8 percent in November before falling back to 18.3 percent in December. The report finds that if Black workers had maintained their 2024 prime-age employment rate, roughly 260,000 more Black adults would have been working in 2025, including about 200,000 prime-age Black women.
    The collapse of federal employment accelerated the trend. Roughly 271,000 federal jobs were eliminated in less than a year, hitting Black workers particularly hard because they have historically been overrepresented in government roles offering stable wages, benefits, and protections. Before the cuts, Black Americans made up nearly 19 percent of the federal workforce, compared with about 13 percent of the overall labor force.
    “Federal employment has historically functioned as an important sector for Black workers,” the report notes, warning that buyouts, hiring freezes, and the dismantling of diversity-focused recruitment pipelines removed one of the most reliable pathways to middle-income stability.
    Tax policy deepened the strain. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 made permanent tax cuts for high-income households and corporations while reducing investment in poverty-alleviating programs. Business preferences such as Section 199A, bonus depreciation, and estate tax benefits overwhelmingly favored wealthy households, while refundable credits that matter most to Black workers were left unchanged.
    Black-owned businesses faced a parallel contraction. Executive orders issued early in 2025 redirected federal support away from disadvantaged firms, lowered small, disadvantaged business contracting goals, and moved to dismantle the Minority Business Development Agency. The Joint Center estimates these actions threaten $10 billion to $15 billion annually in lost federal support for Black-owned firms. At the same time, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institution Fund, a key source of capital for minority businesses, was defunded.
    Beyond jobs and business, the report documents setbacks in broadband policy that risk widening the digital divide. The cancellation of the Digital Equity Act, the removal of mobile hotspots and school bus Wi-Fi from E-Rate eligibility, and weaker broadband pricing transparency requirements undercut efforts to expand internet access and adoption in Black households.
    The information environment also shifted. While federal social media policy remained largely unchanged, platforms themselves pulled back on fact-checking and content moderation. The report notes that these platform-driven decisions reshaped the online information ecosystem, raising concerns about misinformation and its impact on communities that already face barriers to accurate and timely information.
    Artificial intelligence policy marked another turning point. A new executive order titled “Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence” moved federal policy away from precautionary regulation toward a deregulatory, innovation-first approach. The report warns that unchecked AI deployment risks embedding bias into hiring, lending, housing, and public services without accountability.
    Workforce policy changes further reinforced inequality. While apprenticeship programs expanded, initiatives designed to advance African American workforce participation stalled or were cut, setting the stage for reinforcing racial disparities rather than closing them.
    Housing remains one of the most entrenched fault lines. U.S. Census Bureau data show Black homeownership at 45 percent compared with 74 percent for white households, a nearly 30-point gap that has persisted for generations.
    “At a moment when hard-won rights and safeguards are being eroded, rigorous analysis is essential to building a fair economy,” Joint Center President Dedrick Asante-Muhammad said in the report.

  • DeAngelo Hall Qualifies for Sheriff of Greene County

    DeAngelo Hall has officially qualified to run for Sheriff of Greene County.

    “The journey continues,” Hall said. “I ask the citizens of Greene County to keep me in their prayers as we move forward with a safe, respectful, and clean campaign.”

    Hall also reflected on the personal significance of the moment, noting that he wished his grandmother, Velma Robinson, were present to witness the occasion. “I can still hear her saying, ‘Praise the Lord,’” he said.

    Hall currently serves as Constable and remains committed to public service, accountability, and community safety.

    — DeAngelo Hall

    Constable, Greene County

    Candidate for Sheriff

     

  • Eutaw City Council approves Human Trafficking Prevention Month Proclamation

    Two representatives of the Tuscaloosa Area Human Trafficking Taskforce, Johnathan Lovejoy and Carey Branscome stand behind Mayor Corey Cockrell, as he signs proclamation

    The Eutaw City Council met on January 13, 2026, for its regular meeting. Mayor Corey Cockrell and all Council members were present.
    The Council approved a proclamation naming January as Human Trafficking Prevention Month and designating the City of Eutaw as a Trafficking Free Zone. Mayor Cockrell signed the proclamation during the meeting after the Council approved it. Human trafficking is a grave problem of exploitation of women and children for sexual purposes. Many of the victims are immigrants, homeless people or persons from other countries.
    Shuryon Macon, a municipal bond specialist with the firm of Knight & Day Group of Houston, Texas addressed the City Council. He said he was available to help finance large projects to generate jobs and services for the people of the city and other communities. He said he had met with the mayor and was interested in helping to finance projects . In response to a question from Councilwoman Valerie Watkins, he said his fees were paid out of the bond proceeds and would not be an upfront obligation of the city.
    The City Council also heard from Anita Lewis, Executive Director of the Greene County Housing Authority (GCHA) and Marilyn Armstead, grant writer for the Housing Authority on the need for funding to improve the sewage and water system serving Branch Heights and King Village, sub-divisions under the control of the GCHA . These water and sewer systems are tied into the City of Eutaw systems. Other Council members supported that sewage back-ups and water problems were occurring all over the city. Mayor Cockrell said the city was looking for grant funds from ADECA and other sources to deal with the city’s infrastructure problems – streets, water, sewer, park improvements and other needs.
    In other actions, the Eutaw City Council approved travel for Mayor Cockrell and Joe Powell to attend a water infrastructure training in Demopolis on February 18, 2026; approved the K-9 contract for purchase of a police K-9 dog; and approved payment of bills.
    In his Mayor’s report, Cockrell highlighted that he was holding community meetings in each council district to listen to residents and project some of the services and activities are planned. He also passed out a list of monthly special events, he was planning for 2027. He also indicated that a water department clerk had been employed and would start work soon. Cockrell also stated he was working with the County Commission to find solutions to the problems of the Greene County EMS ambulance services.

     

  • Greene County Commission holds meetings to consider repairs to the jail, ambulance service and golf course

    The Greene County Commission has met three times this month, a work session on January 7, a regular meeting on January 12 and a follow-up meeting on January 16 to deal with critical items tabled in the prior meeting. All members of the Commission were present for the three meetings.
    The Commission received a request from Sheriff Benison for repairs to the jail. At the January 16th meeting, the Commission approved spending an estimated $40,000 for repairs from left over COVID funds that are still on hand.
    The Commission considered the status of the Greene County ambulance services at each of the three meetings. The Commission advanced $87,000 to the ambulance service to pay bills, including payrolls, at a special meeting in December 2025. The Commission advanced these funds with the understanding that some portion of the funds would be returned based on contributions from municipalities, agencies and businesses service by the ambulance service
    The Commission also pressed the EMS Board to reorganize and have full representation from all supportive municipalities and agencies interested. The Commission also is examining the finances of the EMS to see what long term support is needed to supplement the fees received from Medicaid, Medicare, insurance companies and users of the service. A meeting of the Greene County EMS Board is scheduled for Wednesday, January 21, 2026 , at 5:00 PM in the William M. Branch Courthouse to make further decisions on the future of this vita service.
    After the discussion, a representative of Jamie Gray, State EMS Director, read a letter indicating that the state had selected ASAP Emergency Medical Service to “provide temporary operational oversight of EMS services in Greene County… This arrangement will remain in effect until such time that Greene County can submit formal confirmation and provide a guarantee to the State Office of EMS that continued oversight and operation of EMS can occur without interruption.” Commission Chair Garria Spencer said that the Commission will be working with the County EMS Board to provide these assurances to the state as it works to reorganize the Board and staff of the EMS.
    The Commission approved an agreement that the Department of Parks and Recreation do an assessment over the next six months of upgrading, beautifying and adding to the nine-hole public golf course owned by the County. The study will allow for a plan to improve the golf course area, over time and provide additional park and creational opportunities for residents of Greene County.
    In other business, the Greene County Commission approved:
    • A resolution for installation of doors and hardware, at a cost of $19,000 to the Eutaw Activity Center annex, utilized by the Greene Co. Children’s Policy Council.
    • Several requests from the Greene County Highway Department, including submission of the 2025 County Rebuild Alabama Annual Report; fund annual membership in the ACCA for $1,400; and support training for the staff at a Conference in Huntsville, AL on February 4-5, 2026.
    • Approved appointment of Tamieka King as District 2 representative to the Green Thumb Improvement District Board.
    The Commission also received a December financial report from CFO Altheria Wilder. The report showed that the Greene County Commission had a total of $ 9,330, 992 in bank of which $ 2,591, 261 are unrestricted and $6,739,731 were restricted for specific program purposes. The report indicated that the Commission had paid $2,011,740 in claims and bills, including payroll, for December2025. An additional $82,794 was paid in electronic claims mostly for payroll taxes and retirement fees.

  • Celebrating Dr. King by calling Greene County’s Community to ‘Serve with Love’

    By Maya Quinn, Reporter

    Greene County’s Historic community and neighbors gathered on a chilly morning at the Activity Center in Eutaw for a breakfast prepared by local volunteers. The comforting, southern spread preceded a celebration at William M. Branch Courthouse to honor the love and life of Dr. King this past Monday.

    The event was not only a celebration but also a reminder that Dr. King was a servant at the heart of his actions. The impact of his efforts persists today because of his sacrifices for the community, his help to others, and his leadership with love.

    At breakfast, Eutaw’s mayor, Corey Cockrell, humbly addressed the crowd with reverence for those seated with him. Former Union Mayor Lodyleetta J. Wabbington was also present to give her own greetings at the courthouse. Wabbington gave remarks calling Dr. King “our drum major for justice,” describing him as a man of nonviolence, great integrity, and justice. She also gave a brief biography of Dr. King’s origins and academic history, highlighting his bachelor’s degree from Morehouse and his doctorate from Boston University.

    The celebrations had greetings delivered by a variety of individuals, including African Americans who contributed to Eutaw’s grassroots movements and previous governmental leaders. One such man was William Branch Jr., son of the courthouse’s namesake. He retold an impactful story of his father helping a white man who came to their doorstep in search of water. William Branch gave the man water and food, despite his unfriendly tone. He believed his father had a spirit that operated in love and grace.

    Community Chairman Garria Spencer then began his remarks by recounting the purpose of this historic community. Every hand involved with the construction of the buildings was an African American man or woman. The strategic placement of the buildings helped increase African American voting participation. Spencer fought to have the building named after Branch because of his kindness and love shown to those around him, much like Dr. King.

    Latasha Johnson, the second African American female mayor and former mayor of Eutaw, also spoke on love in leadership. “Love is an action word,” she stated as she recalled the leadership of Dr. King, “We have got to come together in love.”

    Special guest and lifelong activist Attorney John Due, age 91, recounted the struggles that he and his late wife, Patricia Stephens Due, endured for their nonviolent, direct actions. Patricia pioneered many nonviolent tactics that Dr. King later piloted, such as sit-ins and the Tallahassee bus boycotts. She was well known for her involvement in the Florida bus boycotts and for leading students in nonviolent protests. He ended his speech with a call to action for young people to carry on the struggle for freedom in America.

    Reverend Dr. Kevin Cockrell attended as the keynote speaker of the event. Much like Dr. King, he is well educated and serves his community. “We’ve been waiting too long…” he stated during his sermon, “Small communities such as ours are struggling to keep an adequate health facility’s doors open.” He warns that the current generation may be sleeping through a revolution, comparing the lack of action to Rip Van Winkle’s sleep. Cockrell concluded his sermon with another warning, this time against division in the heart that spreads into the community.

    After the closing remarks, Spiver also offered the microphone to anyone in attendance. John Zippert, owner of The Democrat, recited some of Dr. King’s sermon “The Drum Major’s Instinct” regarding a posture of service.

    “You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1968

    Spiver concluded his remarks by stating, “Everyone can help other people… That’s what we’re celebrating here today.”

    An almost endless stream of warm recognitions for the city’s “Godly Men” and “Godly Women” were presented by event coordinator and local activist, Spiver Gordon. The list of men and women ranged from church members to city officials. Spiver acknowledged their sacrifices to serve in any capacity they were able. Eutaw’s community keeps reminding us that the best way to honor Dr. King is to lead with love and have kindness for others in our hearts.

    Citizens and neighbors of Greene County are putting aside biases not only to honor the legacy of Dr. King, but also to strive for unity in their own community. While the furnace of justice within these men and women still burns, they are ready to pass on the fight for justice to the youth of today.
    There was also a program on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at the New Peace Baptist Church. Elder Spiver Gordon, brought nearly 100 Greene County High School students to an educational seminar on Black history and the importance of standing up for justice and equality. The newly selected Superintendent for Greene County, Dr. Timothy Thurmond, spoke to the students before the seminar discussion began. Student participation with the speakers, Elder Gordon and the Interim Superintendent, Darryl Aikerson, made for an enjoyable event where everyone learned about the importance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy.

     

  • Newswire : 10 Meaningful ways to observe Martin Luther King Day Of Service and make an impact

    Source: Universal History Archive / Getty

    As the holiday quickly approaches, tap in to some ways that you can make a difference, whether big or small, to honor a legend’s dream.

    By Davonta Herring, NewsOne

    Martin Luther King Day—more specifically, Martin Luther King Day of Service—is right around the corner. Every year, the holiday gives us a moment to pause, reflect, and tap back into the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders this country has ever known. Dr. King wasn’t just about powerful speeches and historic marches; he was about action, community, and showing up for one another in real, tangible ways.
    Dr. King’s birthday became a federal holiday in 1983, with the first official observance taking place in 1986. Years later, Congress designated it as a “Day of Service,” shifting the focus from a day off to a day on. The idea is simple but powerful: instead of just honoring Dr. King with words, we honor him through service. By giving back, helping others, and strengthening our communities, we live out the values he fought for.
    On MLK Day of Service, communities across the country come together to volunteer, organize, donate, and uplift. From food drives and marches to teach-ins and mentorship programs, the day is all about collective impact. It’s one of the few holidays rooted in the idea that change doesn’t just come from the top – it comes from everyday people doing what they can, where they are. 
    What makes this day especially meaningful is that anyone can participate. You don’t need a big platform, a lot of money, or a large group to make a difference. Whether you’re moving solo, with friends, or as part of an organization, there are countless ways to show up and serve with purpose. Even small actions can ripple outward and create real change. 
    If you’re looking for ways to get involved this year, here are 10 meaningful ways to observe MLK Day of Service and make an impact – all rooted in community, intention, and love for the people
    1. Volunteer At Local Shelters & Food Banks
    Spend the day serving meals, organizing donations, or helping families in need. It’s one of the most direct ways to support your community and meet people where they are. 
    2. Organize A Community Clean-Up
    Grab some gloves, trash bags, and a few friends to clean up a park, a block, or a neighborhood. A cleaner environment shows care, pride, and respect for where we live.
    3. Mentor A Youth Or Student
    Offer guidance, encouragement, or academic support to a young person. Your lived experience and advice could be exactly what they need to stay motivated and focused. 
    4. Donate To Civil Rights Or Social Justice Organizations
    Even with limited time, giving financially is still impactful. Supporting organizations that fight for equity helps sustain long-term change beyond one day.
    5. Host Educational Events Or Discussions
    Create space for conversation around Dr. King’s legacy, civil rights history, or current social issues. Knowledge-sharing keeps the movement alive and evolving. 
    6. Support Black-Owned Businesses
    Put your dollars where your values are. Shopping Black helps circulate money within the community and supports entrepreneurs building generational wealth. 
    7. Create Care Packages For Essential Workers
    Assemble bags with snacks, hygiene items, or thank you notes for healthcare workers, teachers, or first responders. A small gesture can go a long way.
    8. Advocate For Policy Change Or Attend Rallies
    Use your voice by calling representatives, signing petitions, or attending peaceful demonstrations. Civic engagement is a key way to honor Dr. King’s work.
    9. Use Social Media To Spread Awareness & Inspire Action 
    Share resources, volunteer opportunities, or educational content. Your post might motivate someone else to get involved or think differently. 
    10. Commit To A Year-Round Service Plan
    Martin Luther King Day is a starting point, not the finish line. Choose one cause you care about and find ways to serve consistently throughout the year.
    MLK Day of Service reminds us that change isn’t seasonal – it’s a lifestyle. However you choose to participate, the goal is to move with intention, compassion, and community at the center. That’s how we truly honor the dream!

  • Newswire : Newly released photos show Rosa Parks at the Selma-to-Montgomery March in 1965

     

     Parks speaks in front of the Alabama State Capitol on March 25, 1965.
    Matt Herron / Jeannine Herron and Stanford University Libraries via AP file

    By The Associated Press

    MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Seven decades after Rosa Parks was thrust indelibly into American history for refusing to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama, new photos of the Civil Rights Movement icon have been made public for the first time, and they illustrate aspects of her legacy that are often overlooked.
    The photos were taken by the late Civil Rights photographer Matt Herron, and they depict Parks at the march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 — a five-day-long, 54-mile (87-kilometer) trek that is often credited with galvanizing political momentum for the U.S. Voting Rights Act of 1965.
    History lessons tend to define Parks by her act of civil disobedience a decade earlier, on Dec. 1, 1955, which launched the Montgomery Bus Boycott. On Friday, some boycott participants and many of the boycott organizers’ descendants gathered to mark 70 years since the 381-day struggle in Alabama’s capital caught national attention, overthrowing racial segregation on public transportation.
    The never-before-seen photos released to the Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery in December 2025, taken a decade after the boycott, are a reminder that her activism began before and extended well beyond her most well-known act of defiance, said Donna Beisel, the museum’s director
    “This is showing who Ms. Parks was, both as a person and as an activist,” Beisel said.
    There are plenty of other photos placing Parks among the other Civil Rights icons who attended the march, including some that were taken by Herron. But others were never printed or put on display in any of the photographer’s numerous exhibits and books throughout his lifetime.
    Herron moved to Jackson, Mississippi, with his wife and two young kids in 1963 after Civil Rights activist Medgar Evers was assassinated. For the next two years, his photos captured some of the most notable people and events of that time. But in most of his photos, Herron’s lens was trained on masses of everyday people who empowered Civil Rights leaders to make change.
    Herron’s wife, Jeannine Herron, 88, said that the photos going public this week were discovered from a contact sheet housed in a library at Stanford University.
    The photos weren’t selected for print at the time because they were blurry or included people whose names weren’t as well known in Parks’ case, the new photos show her sitting among the crowd, looking away from the camera.
    Now, Jeannine Herron is joining forces with historians and surviving Civil Rights activists in Alabama to reunite the work with the communities that they depict.
    “It’s so important to get that information from history into local people’s understanding of what their families did,” Jeannine Herron said.