The Greene County Democrat

Category: Celebrity

  • Mayor Raymond Steele and new Eutaw City Council inaugurated

    On Monday, November 7, 2016, Mayor Raymond Steele and the new Eutaw City Council were inaugurated in a ceremony on the Thomas Gilmore Courthouse Square.
    Steele was sworn in by Greene County Probate Judge Judy Spree. Council members – Latasha Johnson (District 1), LaJeffrey Carpenter (District 2), Joe L. Powell (District 3), Shelia H. Smith (District 4) and Bennie L. Abrams III (District 5) were sworn in by District Judge Lillie Osborne.
    In his remarks, Mayor Steele said, “I want the very best for Eutaw. Thank you for your confidence. I am eager to go to work. The City of Eutaw is at a turning point and we need to grow to support our budget and services. I feel that the newly elected City Council will work together
    “We need to develop Exit 40 on Interstate 59 and 20, where 20,000 to 40,000 cars pass each day. We need a truckstop, fast food restaurants and a hotel to accommodate people passing through the area. This will help increase our tax base to expand our city budget.
    “We also need to help develop and create 300 to 400 good paying jobs in the city and surrounding Greene County.We need to expand our park on one hundred acres on the Lock 7 Road with ball fields, tennis courts and other amenities.”
    Steele thanked his supporters and many officials for their help and support. He indicated that he needed the support of many politicians from U. S. Senator Richard Shelby to the local legislators and county commissioners, to accomplish his goals and program.
    A number of local officials, including State Representative Ralph Howard, Dr. James Carter, Superintendent of Greene County Schools, Mattie Atkins, Circuit Clerk, Joe Nathan Benison, Sheriff and Rev. Joe Webb, community leader attended the inauguration ceremony and gave greetings.
    Joyce E. Brooks, a business consultant and former Alabama Power Company engineer and community relations officer, presented the new Mayor in an inspirational and uplifting speech.

    Eutaw City Council holds organizational meeting

    On Monday evening, the new Mayor and City Council met to hold their organizational meeting at the Eutaw City Hall. The Council agreed to meet on the second and fourth Tuesdays at 6:00 PM and follow Roberts Rules of Order in governing the procedures and process for meetings and official business.
    Mayor Raymond Steele was designated as Utility Superintendent, which is traditional for the Mayor of Eutaw. The City agreed to maintain the same bank depositories and designated the Mayor, City Clerk and another person as signatories.
    The City Council could not agree on selecting a Mayor Pro Tem, who serves in the absence of the Mayor. Councilman Joe L. Powell nominated LaJeffrey Carpenter, which Carpenter seconded, but other Council members did not vote in favor of the motion.
    Councilwoman Latasha Johnson asked if the Mayor Pro Tem had to be selected for a full four year term or whether the position could be rotated among the Council members. This question was not immediately answered and the decision on selecting a Mayor Pro Temp was postponed until a future meeting.
    Attorney Nick Underwood, former County Commissioner, was selected as City Judge. Grace B. Sanford, the current City Judge, was selected as City Clerk. Bennie Abrams III was selected to continue as Fire Chief and Derrick Coleman was designated to remain as Chief of Police. Ken Aycock, current City Attorney was also asked to continue in his current position.
    The City Council selected Standing Committees: Finance Committee – Joe L. Powell, Chair, Bennie Abrams and LaJeffrey Carpenter; Utilities Committee – LaJeffrey Carpenter, Chair, Bennie Abrams and Joe L. Powell; Parks, Recreation and Cemetery – Latasha Johnson, Chair, Shelia H. Smith and LaJeffrey Carpenter; Police, Fire and Safety – Bennie Abrams, Chair, LaJeffrey Carpenter and Shelia H. Smith; Sanitation and Streets – Shelia H. Smith, Chair, Joe L. Powell and Latasha Johnson.
    Mayor Raymond Steele rehired the three police officers dismissed last month by former Mayor Hattie Edwards, at the recommendation of Police Chief Derrick Coleman.

  • All 14 Amendments approved statewide Hillary Clinton sweeps Greene County 4,006 to Trump’s 838

    Hillary Clinton polled 4,006 votes to 838 for Trump in a heavy turnout in Greene County, although Donald Trump won the electoral vote nationwide, in yesterday’s November 8 General Election.
    Clinton received 82.2% of the vote in Greene County, which included 3,543 straight Democratic votes, to 17.2% for Trump; Gary Johnson received 13, Jill Stein 5 and there were 11 write-ins for President of the United States.
    In the race for U. S. Senate in Greene County, Democrat Ron Crumpton received 3,829 (80.6%) to 918 (19.3%) for incumbent Republican Richard Shelby of Tuscaloosa. Shelby was re-elected statewide in Alabama by a large margin.
    Congresswoman Terri Sewell was running unopposed for re-election. She won easily with 4,200 votes (99%) in Greene County.
    In local races, Carol P. Zippert was running unopposed for District 1 on the Greene County School Board. She received 811 votes with 9 write-ins against her. Kashaya Cockrell was elected to District 2 on the Greene County School Board with 661 votes and 116 write-ins against her. These are the unofficial returns. When all the votes are tabulated and counted on November 15, the specific names of the write-ins will be available.
    Greene County supported 10 of the 14 statewide amendments voted on yesterday. Greene County voters approved all of the amendment but 7,8,9 and 10. Statewide all amendments were approved, 12 by strong majorities and Amendment 9 for Pickens County and Amendment 12 for Baldwin County were approved by 51% of the statewide vote, based on unofficial returns.
    Statewide voters approved adding members to diversify Auburn’s Board of Trustees (Amendment 1), support the budget of Alabama State Parks (Amendment 2), make procedural changes in the Alabama Constitution to give more power to County Commissions (Amendments 3, 4, and 5), place “Right-to-Work” provisions in the Constitution (Amendment 8), insure the legality of local legislation passed over the past thirty years (Amendment 14) and a variety of Amendments that applied to specific counties and localities in the state.

  • World Confab on rising temps begins calls for focus on Africa

     

    flood-in-kenya

    Floods in Kenya

    Nov. 7, 2016 (GIN) – Marrakesh, home to mosques, palaces and gardens, will be going green for COP 22, the international follow-up to last year’s historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

    World leaders will be gathering there for the next 11 days to advance the landmark agreement, where an unprecedented number of countries agreed to limit the increase in average global temperature to less than 2 degrees Celsius.

    But it remains to be seen if the world will successfully limit warming to prevent the point of no return.

    As the host country for the COP22 talks, Morocco is determined to make this meeting the “African COP”.

    Morocco – where 40% of the population still works the land – already feels the impacts of climate change on its agricultural production. Last year, Morocco went without rain for more than two months. Overall it received 42.7% less rain during its main planting season than in an average year.

    Mohammed Ibrahimi, a farmer with one hectare of apple trees in Boumia, recalled that last December there were temperatures of 77 degrees. “Normally it is 33.8 or 35.6 at that time of year,” he says. As a result, he harvested just 20 tons “when I’d expected 40 tons.”

    The impact of climate change is being felt around the world but the irony is that while Africa is the least polluter it suffers one of the worst impacts.

    Seven of the 10 countries most at risk from climate change are in Africa (Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Nigeria, Chad, Ethiopia, Central African Republic and Eritrea).

    “COP21 was a failure because the things mentioned were things they could do, and not what they should or must do,” remarked Nnimmo Bassey,

    Meanwhile, some 245 participants, from 37 different countries (among which 23 African countries) joined “African and international Conference” on the “Issues and challenges of COP22” – in Casablanca, Morocco, Sept. 23 to 24. The final document read:

    “Record-breaking temperatures month after month, a succession of cyclones, hurricanes, floods, forest fires and debilitating droughts remind us that climate change is a reality which already affects hundreds of millions of us.

    “Africa, host of the COP22, suffers most directly and dramatically the consequences of runaway climate change: resource and environmental degradation, food insecurity, water stresses, increasing poverty, health risks, and massive population displacement. Africans are not responsible for climate change, so our commitment is in the name of justice: of climate, but also of social justice.” w/pix of floods in Kenya

     

     

  • Grand Opening of Chuckwagon

    Chuck Wagon.jpgOn Thursday, October 27, 2016, the Eutaw Area Chamber of Commerce sponsored the official grand opening and ribbon cutting at the Chuckwagon Restaurant on Prairie Avenue on the Courthouse Square in downtown Eutaw.
    Robin Elliot owner of the the restaurant said that she has been in the food business for 30 years. For the last eight years, until moving to their current location, she operated a food truck in Eutaw.
    “We have a lunch special everyday featuring homecooking of meats and vegetables. We also have burgers, salmon burgers and other short order items on our menu,” said Elliot.
    “We do catering and I have a lean choice healthy food menu which I also prepare here at the restaurant. I like people to enjoy their food and my goal is to make sure they are full,” said Elliot, with a smile.

  • President Obama Talks about the Future of HBCUs, at North Carolina A&T

    By Freddie Allen (NNPA Newswire Managing Editor)

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    President Obama

      During a recent town hall discussion at North Carolina A & T University in Greensboro, President Barack Obama said that historically Black colleges that are producing engineers, doctors and dentists serve as the foundation stone for building Black middle class wealth and success, and are also important to the entire nation.

    President Obama answered audience questions about the future of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), his signature My Brother’s Keeper initiative and social activism at the event hosted by “The Undefeated,” an ESPN website dedicated to the exploration of sports, race and culture.

    As the nation grows more diverse and educational opportunities that were once off-limits to Blacks are now more available, some have questioned the relevancy of HBCUs.    In 2011, the Obama Administration received sharp criticism after changes in the Federal Direct PLUS loan program, disproportionately affected Black students attending HBCUs, forcing many to either delay their dreams of earning a college degree or abandon them altogether. Three years later, the Department of Education issued updated guidelines that were praised by higher education advocates and included less restrictive credit requirements for the loan program.

    Obama said that the challenge with the Parent PLUS program was that some of the loans offered were “particularly expensive” and left too many students deeply in debt without graduating. “The notion was to try to improve the way in which young people were financing their educations,” said Obama. “Part of the challenge here is to make sure, not just that [students] enroll in college, but that [they] graduate from college.”  Obama said that HBCUs receive $4 billion a year from the federal government and noted that Pell grant funding to HBCUs increased by 150 percent, while he’s been in office. The president also expressed concerns over state-level budget cuts to higher education that have had a significant impact on the financial stability of HBCUs.

    “Unless state legislatures pick up some of this slack, there’s only so much the federal government is going to be able to do to fill the void through loans, because ultimately loans mean debt and it adds up and people can get into trouble,” said Obama. “If you’re really concerned about more resources for HBCUs then you better vote. If you don’t vote, you won’t have any say in the decisions that are made in state capitals or in Congress about the support that you receive.”

    Obama also talked about the future of the My Brother’s Keeper initiative (MBK), a program that was launched to address the unique challenges facing young men and boys of color.

    Obama said that the central principle of (MBK) is to have some adult who is taking interest in the young men, “to have somebody that is showing them here’s an alternative here’s a pathway here’s an opportunity that you can seize and you are worth something and you are important and you are a leader.”   Obama added: “It doesn’t take a lot to transform the lives of young men.” MBK has partnered with organizations like the National Basketball Association and major corporations like Sprint have committed to make sure that one million young people have broadband Internet access to start closing that digital gap. Obama said that 250 communities and cities have launched local MBK programs.

    “Some cities are doing better than others, some corporate citizens are investing more than others and we want everybody to get involved,” said Obama.

    When asked about what it takes to manage the challenges of raising a family and a successful career, Obama admitted that balancing professional achievement and family is something that he and the First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama have had to wrestle with.

    Managing those responsibilities is particularly burdensome on the mom, said Obama.

    “There’s no doubt that Michelle carried a greater burden than I did, particularly, because the nature of my work required a lot of travel,” said Obama, adding that soon-to-be dads must understand the level of commitment required to balance work and family responsibilities successfully. He said that it was important to understand, that if you’re going to have a real partnership, you have to give and not just take and you have to be there and present at home.

    “On my deathbed I will not remember any bills I passed, I will not remember any speeches I gave, I will not remember getting the Nobel Prize,” said Obama. “What I will remember is holding hands with my daughters and taking them down to a park. That’s one thing I know, that on my deathbed, that is what I will remember and if you approach life with that attitude then you’re going to appropriately invest in what is most important.”

     

  • ANSA endorses Clinton-Kaine ticket and makes recommendations Alabama Constitutional Amendments

    At its Fall Convention on October 1st in Wetumpka, the Alabama New South Alliance (ANSA), the political sister organization to the Alabama New South Coalition (ANSC) endorsed Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine for President and Vice-President for the November 8, 2016 General Election.
    The ANSA also endorsed all other statewide and Congressional candidates running on the Democratic Party, including Ron Crumpton, who is running for U. S. Senate against Republican incumbent, Richard Shelby. Local ANSC/ANSA chapters will also be endorsing candidates at the local county level.
    At the Convention, ANSA delegates reviewed the fourteen (14) Constitutional Amendments that will be on the November 8th General election ballot. The ANSA made recommendations on these amendments as listed below. The Greene County Democrat is publishing the official text of the 14 amendments, in our Legal Notices section beginning on page 9 of this newspaper.
    Amendment No. 1 – Yes : this amendment adds two at-large members to the Auburn University Board of Trustees to enhance diversity; it also limits the terms of Auburn Trustees, where no more than three will expire in the same year.
    Amendment No. 2 – Yes : prohibits the use of any monies in the funds for State Parks from being used for other state purposes.
    Amendment No. 3 – Yes: this is a procedural amendment which would allow the State Legislature to determine if amendments need to be voted on statewide or locally.
    Amendment No. 4 – Yes: would allow County Commissions to adopt programs and policies relating to county personnel, litter-free roadways, public transportation, safety on public roads and emergency assistance without having to ask the permission from the Legislature.
    Amendment No. 5 – Yes: modernizes the language in the Alabama State Constitution pertaining to the separation of powers between branches of government.

    Amendment No. 6 – Yes: modifies the procedures for impeachment of the Governor and other statewide Constitutional officers, including the State Board of Education and the Alabama Supreme Court.
    Amendment No. 7 – No: an amendment pertaining to the employees of the Office of the Etowah County Sheriff.
    Amendment No. 8 – No: this amendment would enshrine in the Alabama Constitution the state’s current right-to-work law, which is anti-union and prohibits employers from placing any conditions on workers based on their membership or non-membership in a union or other labor organization.
    Amendment No. 9 – No: this amendment would allow a person not over the age of 75 years to be elected or appointed Probate Judge of Pickens County. Currently all judges in the state are limited to age 70 to run for judicial office.
    Amendment No. 10 – No: an amendment relating to Calhoun County relating with territory within police and planning jurisdictions.
    Amendment No. 11 – No Endorsement: an amendment permitting cities and counties to sell certain city-or-county property for less than fair market value if the properties are in specially designated manufacturing zones.
    Amendment No. 12 – No Endorsement: an amendment relating to Baldwin County concerning toll roads and bridge authorities.
    Amendment No. 13 – Yes: an amendment to eliminate any law that imposes a maximum age restriction on the election or appointment of any public official, with the exception of judicial officers; and to prohibit the Legislature from enacting future laws to impose a maximum age limit for these positions.
    Amendment No. 14 – Yes: a procedural amendment dealing with the Budget Isolation Resolution (BIR) and insuring local legislation, passed between 1984 -2016 is legal based on procedures in place at the time.
    Officers of ANSA urged members and others in the community to vote on all offices and amendments on the ballot in November

  • Michelle Obama trolls Trump by tapping her microphone during epic takedown

     

    Carla Herreria Senior Writer, HuffPost Hawaii

     

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    Michelle Obama campaigning for Hillary Clinton

     

    Michelle Obama may have only recently jumped on Hillary Clinton’s campaign trail, but she has already mastered the art of insulting The Orange One Who Must Not Be Named.

    During a rally for the Democratic presidential nominee in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Tuesday, the first lady executed yet another perfect takedown of Donald Trump― and, again, she didn’t even have to say his name.

    Obama mostly stayed on-script at the rally, calling for a “steady,” “measured” and “honest” leader while denouncing misogyny and “not paying taxes.”

    But she picked up the fire when she went all in on Trump, ragging on his late-night Twitter rant and his disrespect for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Then, with a tap of her microphone, she burned Trump over his uncanny ability to blame others for his missteps.

    “When [Clinton] gets knocked down, she doesn’t complain,” Obama said before tapping on her microphone. “She doesn’t cry foul. No, she gets right back up, comes back stronger for the people who needs her most.”

    The mic tap was an apparent nod to Trump’s suggestion that he was given a faulty microphone to sabotage his performance during the first presidential debate.

    “When making life-or-death, war-or-peace decisions, a president can’t just pop off or lash out irrationally,” Obama said to the crowd of about 1,400 people. “And I think we can all agree that someone who’s roaming around at 3 a.m. tweeting should not have their fingers on the nuclear codes.”

    Obama continued her takedown of the GOP nominee by pointing out that Trump is the type of candidate who “implies that veterans who serve our country so bravely are somehow weak because they’re dealing with the wounds of war.”

  • Raymond Steele wins run-off for Mayor of Eutaw

    mayor-raymond-steeleRaymond Steele was elected Mayor of Eutaw in Tuesday’s run-off election by a vote of 718 (58.4%) to 511(41.6%) for Hattie Edwards the incumbent Mayor. Steele previously served three terms as Mayor of Eutaw from 2000 to 2012.
    Steele carried five of six voting boxes including decisive victories in Branch Heights and the Absentee Box (see chart of results on page 7 of this paper). The mayor’s race was the only one on the ballot while all City Council seats were determined in the August 23 primary election.
    There was little drop-off in the voting between the first election when 1,233 votes were cast and the run-off where 1,229 votes were cast, based on unofficial voter returns that will be confirmed on October 13, 2016.
    The new city officials will take office in November. Mayor Raymond Steele will be joined by City Council members: Latasha Johnson (District 1), LaJeffrey Carpenter (District 2), Shelia H. Smith (District 3), Joe Lee Powell (District 4) and Bennie Abrams (District 5).
    In an interview with the Democrat after his victory, Steele said:
    “I want to thank the citizens of Eutaw for their confidence in me. I look forward to working with the Eutaw City Council, other agencies and the citizens of the city to move Eutaw forward. I hope to continue with the proposed water improvement project. I want to encourage business and commercial development at the Interstate Exit 40 to bring jobs and raise our tax base.
    “I want to ask the City Council to unconditionally accept the roads and streets in Branch Heights, so that we can seek federal and state monies to fix these roads. I am open to hear the concerns of city residents and hope we can build a brighter future for our city.”
    Hattie Edwards said, “I thank my supporters for their support and believing in me.”
    The Democrat learned on Tuesday that incumbent Mayor Ollie Vester of Forkland postponed the municipal run-off election in that city despite instructions from the Alabama League of Municipalities to proceed with the election. Vester is disputing the results of the August 23 election and asked for a recount, however her request was filed beyond the deadline for such challenges.
    A special municipal election in Boligee is now scheduled for October 24.

  • National Museum Of African American History & Culture still needs support

    By:  Kenon White, NewsOne

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    The Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture officially opens on Sept. 24 with President Barack Obama and other dignitaries scheduled to be on hand to dedicate the museum at an outdoor ceremony at 9 a.m. (Alan Karchmer/NMAAHC)

    The much-anticipated opening of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. is just days away.

    President Barack Obama will be on hand for the September 24th dedication ceremony. In preparation for the grand opening and beyond, the museum is designating today, September 13th, Giving Day.

    Beverly Morgan-Welch, ‎Executive Director at the National Museum of African American History, joined Roland Martinon NewsOne Now to discuss the upcoming grand opening of the museum and what the public can do to help.

    Hyundai has partnered with the National Museum of African American History and is providing up to $500,000 in matching donations to help make Giving Day a success.

    Bank of America, Kaiser Permanente, Prudential Financial Inc., Target and Toyota have each provided $2 million in sponsorships to support the grand opening and inaugural events for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.

    Each company is a founding donor of the museum and their sponsorship not only includes support for the grand opening, but officials said it would also provide assistance for other needs that the museum may encounter.

    “These corporations have been longstanding, essential partners in the campaign to build this museum,” Lonnie G. Bunch III, the founding director of the museum, said in a statement.

     

     

    Morgan-Welch revealed the capital cost for the museum is approximately $500 million and they have raised $325 million of that estimated cost thus far.

    At the current moment, the museum has amassed 37,000 artifacts by way of donations. Morgan-Welch said the authentication and preservation process for these items is “absolutely astronomical.” Among the thousands of artifacts are an Edisto Island SC slave cabin, a plane flown by the Tuskegee Airmen, Chuck Berry’s red Cadillac, parts of a slave ship and many more exhibits.

    But Morgan-Welch said the museum is “alive” and not just a celebration of relics. She added part of the purpose is to tell people the history of Africans in the United States, “because it’s largely unknown.”

    “By having [an] object that you can see, what Harriet Tubman wore, where Nat Turner prayed, causes you to have and make your own experience,” she said.

    The public is invited to gather on the Washington Monument grounds across the street from the museum to witness the ceremony on Jumbotrons. They’ll also be able to take in a three-day festival.

    Congressional legislation signed by President George W. Bush in 2003 established the NMAAHC, the 19th Smithsonian museum. Groundbreaking occurred in 2012 and the museum occupies a prime location in the nation’s capital on the National Mall at the corner of Constitution Avenue at 14th Street, a short distance from the Washington Monument.

    The nearly 400,000-square-foot museum will be the nation’s largest and most comprehensive cultural destination devoted exclusively to exploring, documenting and showcasing the African American experience.

    “African-American history did not stop with President Barack Obama’s election, and so we won’t stop either,” Bunch said in a televised interview this week. “There will be plenty for us to talk about in the future, and we’re looking forward to helping Americans understand the contributions of African-Americans to the rich tapestry of our culture.

    To support the National Museum of African American History, visit www.givenmaahc.org.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • President Obama defends Colin Kaepernick’s right not to stand for National Anthem at NFL games

    By: Roland Martin NewsOne

     

    colin-kaepernick-takes-a-knee
    SAN DIEGO, CA – SEPTEMBER 1: Eric Reid #35 and Colin Kaepernick #7 of the San Francisco 49ers kneel on the sideline during the anthem, as free agent Nate Boyer stands, prior to the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium on September 1, 2016 in San Diego, California. The 49ers defeated the Chargers 31-21. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)

    Colin Kaepernick joined by teammate Eric Reed take a knee during playing of National Anthem before NFL pre-season game

    President Barack Obama has weighed in on the Colin Kaepernick National Anthem protest controversy and backed the NFL quarterback’s right to protest as being covered under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

    San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, is vowing to sit during the national anthem in protest over police killings of African-Americans. Is he being anti-American by expressing his right to protest which is covered under the First Amendment of the Constitution?

    Despite the endorsement, Kaepernick’s detractors continue to harbor animosity against him.

    During Monday’s edition of NewsOne Now, Roland Martin and his panel of guests discussed the ongoing Kaepernick saga and the protest action that seems to be slowly picking up momentum amongst other pro-athletes after U.S. Women’s Soccer star Megan Rapinoe, who is a lesbian, also took a knee during the National Anthem before a recent soccer match.

    To add to the support, Kaepernick’s football jersey is the top-selling jersey on the NFL’s www.nflshop.com website.

    Martin said Kaepernick’s protest is resonating with many Americans because “he is making a point that is critically important and he’s not some guy who is clueless” on the issues of racism and police brutality.

    Michelle Bernard, President and CEO of the Bernard Center for Women, Politics & Public Policy, said she was disgusted by many of the comments posted on social media by those who do not agree with Kaepernick’s chosen method of protest.             She explained there is a contingent of Americans who have expressed outrage by saying, “How dare you? You make so much money in the NFL, this is not a problem, you shouldn’t be speaking out on this. Take your money, be happy, and this is so unpatriotic.”

    Bernard then refuted those claims: “We live in a country where you are able to speak your mind and if you’re White … not get shot because you’ve done it.”

    Ralph Chittams, Senior Vice Chairman of the Washington, D.C. Republican Party, said Kaepernick is “well within his Constitutional rights. “He has the right to stand, sit, kneel [or] not even come out of the locker room for the National Anthem,” Chittams said. “We’ve gotten to a point in this country where we don’t value dissenting opinions; we demand agreement and uniformity.”

    Bernard added: “The nation pretends that Black men don’t have minds of their own, that they can’t speak and that if you speak on an issue that is important to you, it means that you’re not patriotic and you don’t like the country.”

    Martin reminded viewers Kaepernick is “ticking folks off” because “America never wants to discuss the why of the protest; they only want to discuss the protest.”

    Before delving into the controversy surrounding the football star, Dr. Jason Johnson gave the NewsOne Now audience a little historical context about the Star-Spangled Banner that many may not know.

    In The Root, Dr. Johnson said: The Star-Spangled Banner, written by Francis Scott Key, because he was bitter about the fact that he had lost to a group of Black soldiers and then those same Black soldiers were coming in and trashing Baltimore on behalf of the British.”

    Johnson continued, “The British had offered runaway slaves — if you come and fight for us against the country that enslaved and oppressed you, we will give you your freedom.”

    The whole song, in essence, according to Johnson, “is basically a diss track about a bitter, rich, pro-slavery White man saying ‘I don’t like that Black people are coming for freedom.’”