On Saturday, December 21st, the Blackbelt Small Farmers Ruminate Improvement Association Conference honored James Childs, a renowned farmer from Boligee, Alabama, as the Outstanding Male Farmer in the Blackbelt. At 84 years young, Mr. Childs boasts an impressive 70-year farming career.
Born and raised in a farming family in Sumter County, Alabama, Mr. Childs relocated to Greene County at 31. For him, farming is not just a profession, but a way of life and a means of survival.
Reflecting on the industry’s evolution, Mr. Childs noted, “Farming has changed significantly since I started.” Despite these changes, he remains dedicated to traditional practices, earning recognition as one of Alabama’s finest farmers. Many admirers, including myself, affectionately regard him as the “Greatest Of All Time” (GOAT) in farming.
Mr. Childs’ farm is a family endeavor, with his son James Jr. and grandson Keith actively contributing. James Jr. balances his full-time job with farm work, demonstrating the family’s unwavering commitment.
What sets Mr. Childs apart is his willingness to share expertise and give back to the community. In September, he hosted a community workshop on farming and gardening, teaching participants to grow their own food and establish community gardens. The event featured a complimentary lunch, showcasing Mr. Childs’ generosity.
More recently, Mr. Childs opened his farm to a group from Texas who had heard about his remarkable story and wanted to meet him. For Thanksgiving, he welcomed these visitors and also invited the local community to join in the celebration. During the gathering, he took the opportunity to recognize and honor some of the senior citizens from Mt. Hebron and Boligee, demonstrating his appreciation for his community’s elders.
Police Officer Tyler Johnson named ‘Officer of the Year” . L to R. are Councilwoman Tracey Hunter, Police Chief Tommy Johnson, Councilwoman Valerie Watkins, Officer Tyler Johnson, Mayor Latasha Johnson, Councilwoman Suzette Powell, and Councilman Jonathan Woodruff.
By John Zippert, Co-Publisher
In response to financial and budgetary pressures, the Eutaw City Council met on December 10, Dec. 17 and in a working session on December 12, to deal with several issues related to the projected deficit in the current Fiscal Year (2024-25) finances. Mayor Latasha Johnson and the Eutaw City Council differ on the best approaches to the financial problems.
Councilmembers led by Jonathan Woodruff and Tracey Hunter feel the city must curb expenses, layoff workers and sell properties that are not financially sustainable, to avoid deficits. The Mayor argues that she has faith the city will grow and provide new revenues to sustain the workforce, make necessary improvements and hold on to properties like the R. H. Young Community Center. Mayor Johnson also argues that the mayor oversees “day-to-day operations”, which includes hiring and firing of employees to accomplish the on-going tasks of city administration.
The Council voted unanimously at its December 17 meeting to declare the Robert H. Young Community Center as surplus property, so it can be sold. The City of Eutaw purchased the school from the Greene County Board of Education for $200,000 in the prior city administration of Raymond Steele. The Council’s intention was to develop the former Carver School as a community center, with spaces rented to community organizations and small businesses. While the school, especially the gymnasium has been used for meetings and funerals, the facility has not generated enough income to pay utility, maintenance and repair costs.
The Mayor stated the city needs a community center and the Greene County Commission may be interested in buying the facility or working together with the city in its development as a community center for all county residents. Councilman Woodruff says, “There is a lack of trust between the city and county because the county did not honor its commitment to put up $70,000 for the matching funds for the Street Scape Project to remodel the sidewalks around the old Courthouse Square in downtown Eutaw.”
Woodruff continued, “We are willing to sell the property to the County at its current appraised value, but I do not think we can work together with them since we have financial problems and no funds for a community center.” Many community residents feel the best way to proceed would be a joint effort of the city and the county seeking public and private grant funds to develop a comprehensive community center out of the old Carver school.
The City of Eutaw was able to borrow funds from Merchants and Farmers Bank to cover the shortfalls in matching funds for the Street Scape and West End Avenue repaving projects. The City committed funds from its State of Alabama 4-cent and 7-cent roadway repair funds to repay the loan.
The Mayor presented a revised fiscal year 2024-25 fiscal budget, where she moved expenses around from some funding to repair the old E-911 building and a fund to purchase or repair police vehicles to be able to retain all current staff. The Council voted not to accept the Mayor’s budget revisions and approved the original budget which requires layoff or not replacing vacancies in the street, water, sewer and administrative departments.
The Mayor voted against this resolution and said the budget was a plan that could be revised based on needs. She asserted that she oversaw day-to-day operations and as long as her spending was within the budget requirements, she could keep staff needed to operate the city. Councilmembers Woodruff and Hunter said they would continue to monitor and evaluate the budget, expenses and the staffing of city departments. This remains as an area of disagreement between the mayor and the council.
The Mayor said that the city attorney was working on negotiating an agreement with Alabama Fiber Network to sell them a 50 by 50-foot space to place their “middle mile broadband equipment” to facilitate expansion of fiber Internet access in the city and county. The legal paperwork for this sale will be provided by the attorney, for approval by the council, at a future meeting.
A payment of budgeted support funding to E-911 was tabled until after the city receives its allocation of property taxes in January. E-911 provides dispatch services for city agencies like the police and ambulance services.
In other business, the Eutaw City Council:
• Approved travel for Police Chief Tommy Johnson to attend the AACOP Winter Conference in Montgomery on February 9-13, 2025. • Approved $150 membership dues for City Attorney, Zane Willingham, for the Alabama Association of Municipal Attorneys.
• Tabled repairs to a manhole behind Ms. Suzzette Quinnie’s property until the ownership of the sewer line can be documented between the City and the Greene County Housing Authority.
• Heard a presentation from Lamar Martin, of the Secure Wellness Group on a Self-Insured Medical Reimbursement Plan for city employees. The Council voted to provide information for a payroll census, without personal information, so he could develop a plan for the City of Eutaw and present it at a future meeting.
Mayor Johnson indicated that City Hall would be closed on December 24 and 25, 2024, December 31, 2024 at 12:00 Noon and January 1, 2025, for the holidays.
The job was considered impossible: Clear 17 million pieces of backlogged mail. In a war zone.
Maj. Charity Adams knew it was a mission that could not fail, not just for the sake of morale of World War II troops, but also for the reputation of Black people in the eyes of the country’s top military brass. The real-life efforts of the 855 women of the Women Army Corps’ 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion are captured in Tyler Perry’s latest film, “Six Triple Eight,” streaming now on Netflix. To Kerry Washington, who portrays Adams, the battalion’s ability to resolve an ongoing problem in the face of discrimination while also being underestimated by others around them felt like both a herculean task and an all-too-familiar scenario.
“When these women were asked to solve this problem, it was a problem that lots of people had tried to fix, and nobody could,” Washington said in an interview with NBC News. “They came in and, as Black women do, they figured out how to fix a situation that seemed impossible to fix, and by doing so, they returned hope and purpose and belonging and love to the soldiers to help end the war.”
Mary McLeod Bethune, head of the National Council of Negro Women and a member of what was known as President Franklin Roosevelt’s “Negro Cabinet,” whom Oprah Winfrey plays in the film, advocated for Black women to serve in the war. But while Black women were admitted to the military, they were segregated from white women and given very little to do. Because top military brass deemed Black people generally inferior, many doubted a successful outcome to clearing endless piles of mail.
“Back then, mail was how you stayed connected to the people you love,” Washington said. “There was no WhatsApp, no texting, no emailing, no FaceTiming. Rarely could you get to a landline phone. People didn’t have cellphones, so mail was it,” she said. “So when soldiers weren’t getting mail, they no longer had hope. They had lost their sense of purpose.”
The unit’s work had been forgotten by most — even Perry, the director, did not know about the 6888th’s work until producer Nicole Avant contacted him about taking it on. During a Q&A last month after a screening of the film on his home turf, Atlanta, Perry told the crowd, filled with members of the National Association of Black Military Women, how meeting Lena Derriecott Bell King, then 99, a member of the 6888th, showed him that he could apply her life experiences to help tell the remarkable story. Perry was also fortunate to screen an early version of the film for King before she died on Jan.18, nine days shy of her 101st birthday.
To play 17-year-old Lena Derriecott, Perry tapped Ebony Obsidian, who stars in his long-running series “Sistas” on BET. The role came as a surprise to Obsidian. When he asked her to read the script, she did not realize it was a true story or that he wanted her in his film. “I hadn’t even thought about me playing Lena when I read the script,” she said with
“Meeting with Lena was the biggest gift,” Obsidian added. “She obviously was 100 years old when I met her, but at 17, I feel like there are certain elements about her that had to be the same, that had to just be noble.”
Washington did not get to meet the real Adams, who died in 2002 at age 83, but she still felt guided by her. “She passed, but she wrote a really beautiful memoir called ‘One Woman’s Army’ that I read a couple times,” Washington said. “I devoured it, and I used to have portions of the memoir hanging up in my dressing room. I surrounded myself with pictures of her and watched archival footage and interviewed people who knew her and worked with her and listened to old interviews. I just really tried to submerge myself in as much of her soul and essence as I could.”
Washington said finding the commander’s actual trunk from World War II, containing her clothes and handwritten notes, outside her dressing room after having rehearsed one of Adams’ monologues with Perry felt like an approval.
But how Washington speaks in the film has generated the most interest, including from her own kids, who asked, “Whose voice is that?” after she played them the trailer. To achieve that distinctive voice, which sounds like a sharp Southern twang punctuated by precise Midwestern enunciation, perhaps reflecting Adams’ South Carolina upbringing and schooling at Wilberforce University in Ohio, Washington worked hard with both an accent coach and her acting coach.
“They didn’t have amplification back then. It wasn’t like she was standing there with a karaoke machine,” she said. “So if I had the kind of responsibility and command and calling that she had, where would that live in my body? How would that impact my posture? How would it impact my voice? How would it impact my resonance and my need to be heard by these women so that they felt seen and heard by me? Those are some of the questions that I asked to help me figure out where that vocal performance came from.”
Washington and Obsidian said they are grateful to be at the center of a film celebrating Black women’s strength, excellence and sisterhood, which Obsidian said also shows that “you can overcome anything you need to overcome with the right support and the right people by your side.”
Washington said: “It’s really exciting to be part of, in some ways, corrective history. We are telling a story that has been pushed into the margins about some true heroes, not just American heroes, but heroes of democracy all over the world.”
HBCUs have long been pillars of educational excellence and economic engines, driving prosperity in their communities and across the nation. Despite these contributions, chronic underfunding threatens their ability to sustain this impact. Transforming Futures: The Economic Engines of HBCUs, underscores the urgent need for equitable and sustainable funding to ensure HBCUs can continue their vital role in promoting social mobility and economic growth and calls on the public to advocate for these essential institutions.
“As UNCF observes its 80th anniversary, one of the highlights of our yearlong celebration is the release of the sequel to our groundbreaking 2017 report. This report reaffirms what we have always known about the resilience of HBCUs: despite a deadly pandemic, social unrest caused by the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and the economic uncertainties of the past seven years, HBCUs continue to do more with less—not only in preparing the next generation of leaders but also in contributing to our nation’s economic impact,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO, UNCF.
“At this critical moment, with a crucial election on the horizon, we all must immediately actualize our commitment to these cornerstone institutions.”
Key findings in the 2024 HBCU Economic Impact Report include: HBCUs generate $16.5 billion in direct economic impact nationally. If they were a company, the nation’s HBCUs would place in the top 50 of the nation’s Fortune500 companies in job creation. Collectively, 136,048 jobs exist because of HBCUs. On average, for each job created on campus, 1.5 off-campus jobs exist because of spending related to the institution. HBCUs are far more accessible to students and more successful at moving students from the bottom 40% of a country’s income distribution to the top 60%, signaling social mobility. The 51,269 HBCU graduates in the class of 2021 can expect work-life earnings of $146 billion, 57% ($53 billion) more than the $93 billion they could expect without their degrees or certificates.
The 2024 HBCU Economic Impact Report is a continuation of the landmark 2017 study,’ HBCUs Make America Strong: The Positive Economic Impact of Historically Black Colleges and Universities’, which showed that HBCUs’ economic benefits extend beyond the students they educate. In addition to the comprehensive report, a website has been launched where users can explore state-specific data and insights for individual HCBUs. This resource allows users to explore the localized impact, emphasizing the critical role HBCUs play in communities across the nation. “Transforming Futures: The Economic Engines of HBCUs represents the latest chapter in a longitudinal research initiative by UNCF’s Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute. By leveraging robust methodology and extensive data, we highlight how HBCUs continue to be critical drivers of economic growth and social mobility,” said Dr. Nadrea R. Njoku, assistant vice president, of Frederick D. Patterson Research Institute, UNCF.
“This report not only underscores the substantial economic benefits generated by HBCUs but also contextualizes the broader challenges they have faced over the past three years, including the far-reaching impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the threats of violence that have been levied against many of these institutions.”
“Now more than ever, we must recognize the indispensable role HBCUs play in shaping not just the future of their students but the future of our nation. This report is not just a call to awareness but a call to action,” said Lodriguez Murray, senior vice president, of public policy and government affairs, at UNCF. “As we move forward, it is imperative that we leverage this data to galvanize our communities and demand the necessary support from our policymakers by voting for HBCUs. We urge every supporter to make their voices heard, to advocate for the equitable funding our HBCUs deserve, and to ensure that these institutions can continue to thrive and contribute to America’s future.”
To view the brief and full report for Transforming Futures: The Economic Engines of HBCUs, visit: UNCF.org/HBCUImpactReport. For more information on how to actualize a commitment and be a voice for HBCUs, visit: UNCF.org/EquityPledge.
One of the nation’s most prominent ministers and social justice activists has announced a federal lawsuit against a national movie theater chain following last year’s accusations of disability discrimination stemming from a viral incident while attempting to view a film in North Carolina.
The Rev. William Barber II on Thursday unveiled the lawsuit against AMC Theatres, a company that is no stranger to discrimination claims. Barber was joined by civil rights attorney Harry Daniels during a press conference in Raleigh, North Carolina.
“This isn’t about me,” Barber said Thursday in a statement sent to NewsOne. “This is about corporations like AMC who think they can treat people any way they want and get away with it. It’s about every man, woman and child who faces pain and physical obstacles every single day and the CEOs who couldn’t care less.”
Barber added: “One voice alone may just be shouting to the wind. But we’re not alone and, together, we can tear down the walls of Jericho.”
Daniels said AMC acted illegally in its actions against Barber. “AMC Theaters didn’t treat Bishop Barber like a man in pain or even like an honest American. They treated him like a criminal and used local law enforcement like paid thugs even though they were the ones breaking the law,” Daniels said. “We’re not here for coffee and conversation. We want action, not empty apologies.”
What happened ?
Barber, who is also the co-chair of the Poor Peoples Campaign and the founding director and a professor at Yale University’s Center for Public Theology and Public Policy, has maintained that he was told to leave an AMC Theatre location in North Carolina on Dec. 19, 2023, after it refused to allow him to use a special chair he brought in the theater’s section for patrons with wheelchairs. The special seat is one he uses to accommodate an arthritic condition that prevents him from using seats typically found in movie theaters.
Barber was in the theater viewing The Color Purple along with his elderly mother. After the confrontation, AMC ended up calling the cops on Barber, who requires two canes to walk. He was accused of being argumentative.
Video footage from the incident was shared on social media and showed Barber talking to, not arguing with, the responding police officers.
“They called an officer of the law, the AMC theater in Greenville, North Carolina,” Barber says while looking into the camera. “They would not make amends to simply do the right thing. But we’ll deal with it.”
Barber repeats that he’s “not resisting” as police tell him to exit the theater and threatened trespassing charges.
Although no charges were ever actually brought, Barber said he “felt like I wasn’t being heard. It felt as though they weren’t even trying to consider making accommodations for my disability.”
Barber cited the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 as giving him the provisional Barber said he was told that because he didn’t have a wheelchair he couldn’t use his special seat.
“Everything I know about ADA law says you’re supposed to make adjustments,” Barber said before adding later: “This is just about how we treat, how we say to disabled folk, ‘There’s no room at the inn’ if you don’t come a certain way.’”
AMC Theatres later apologized to Barber, CNN reported. “AMC’s Chairman and CEO Adam Aron has already telephoned him, and plans to meet with him in person in Greenville, NC, next week to discuss both this situation and the good works Bishop Barber is engaged in throughout the years,”
AMC Theatres said in a statement. “We are also reviewing our policies with our theater teams to help ensure that situations like this do not occur again.”
School Board receives report on State Report Card results for 2023
At the School Board’s regular session, held Monday, December 16, 2024, Superintendent Dr. Corey Jones presented the Greene County Schools 2023 State Report Card results, which indicated overall growth across the system. The District advanced from 68 to 72 to an overall C score. Eutaw Primary advanced in academic growth from 77 to 81, an overall B score; Robert Brown Middle advanced from 50 to 64 , a D score; Greene County High academic growth dropped from 66 to 65, a D score. Jones stated that the particulars of the report card results indicated that all schools made significant increases in proficiency. “ We still have very much to improve,” he said. Dr. Jones noted that all grades at RBMS are assessment grades, utilizing the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program; At GCHS the11th grade is the assessment grade, utilizing the ACT testing. In his report, Superintendent Jones gave positive news for each school citing scholar recognition, teacher/administrator achievements and school events schedule. The Greene County Board of Education approved a listing of mentors with a stipend schedule for the school year 2024-2025. Stipends for the following to serve as mentors will be $600 per semester, according to the Alabama Teacher Mentor Program (ATMP) guidelines: Montoya Binion – Eutaw Primary School; Vanessa Bryant – Robert Brown Middle School; Annie Howard – Robert Brown Middle School; Nashondra Ruffin-Brown – Robert Brown Middle School; Rodney Wesley – Greene County High School. According to the ATMP guidelines, the Alabama Legislature provides the line-item funding for the ATMP annually. The ATMP provides LEAs with the structure to implement high-quality support to all new teachers in all schools, focusing on improving teacher effectiveness and reducing the rate of attrition and teacher turnover. The ATMP provides training and technical assistance to LEAs upon request. Also, the ATMP disseminates surveys to mentors and mentees to gather perception data used to determine program effectiveness. The Alabama State Teacher Mentor Program (ATMP) is in the Office of Teaching and Leading Division of the Alabama State Department of Education. During the 2023-2024 school year, the ATMP partnered with Cognia, a non-profit, to make programmatic improvements to the ongoing work of the ATMP. The program updates go into full implementation at the beginning of the 2024-2025 academic year. The board also approved the following personnel items: Samon Sanders, Mental Health Coordinator to serve as Mental Health Coordinator and Truancy Officer to be paid as a first-year teacher. Adjustments to Additional Services Salary Schedule, effective the beginning of each contract. The administrative items recommended by Superintendent Jones and approved by the board are as follows: MOA between the Greene County Board of Education and The University of Alabama at Birmingham for Robert Brown Middle and Greene County High School to participate in the Alabama Rural Learning Accelerator Program. Contract between Greene County Board and Chante Myles-Rice to provide ACT Prep tutoring Services in Math for 10th graders (Funding Source: CCR Grant.) Quote from Allianz Solutions to provide English Only ACT Prep for 11th graders Jan – March 2025 (Funding Source: CCR Grant). Quote from Singleton & Associates to provide Strategic Planning Sessions Consulting Services in the amount of $1,500 (Funding Source: CCR Grant). Travel for Board member Robert Davis to travel to 2025 COSSBA National Conference in Atlanta, GA on March 20 – 23, 2024. Payment of all bills, claims, and payroll. Bank reconciliations as submitted by Mrs. Marquita Lennon, CSFO. Sale of metal pieces from the damaged canopy at RBMS that occurred November 14, 2024. Travel for Greene County High School Varsity Boys team and coaches to attend Biloxi High School 8th Annual Lady Indians Holiday Classic in Biloxi, MS on December 27-28, 2024. The CSFO, Marquita Lennon presented the following Financial Snapshot as of November 30, 2024. Operating Reserves included the following: 6.11 months combined general fund reserve; 5.58 months cash reserve; all bank accounts have been reconciled. General Fund bank balance totaled $6,125,411.96 – (reconciles to the summary cash report); Accounts Payable Check Register totaled $290,243.71; Payroll Register totaled $940.084.26; Combined Ending Fund Balance totaled $6,707.617.30. Local Revenue Sources: Property Taxes – $256,339.87; Sales Taxes- $120.619.78; Other Taxes – $22,287.39. Total Local Revenue – $399,247.04. CSFO Lennon noted that the monthly stipend from Amendment 743 had not been received.
The Alabama Department of Resources reports over 15,000 cases of fraud with EBT cards, between October 1 and December 20, 2024, held by SNAP (Food Stamp) recipients across the state. Hackers are using cloning, skimming and phishing to illegally get the card numbers and pins of low-income recipients.
More than 25 cases of this fraud have been reported to Greene County law enforcement officials. One SNAP recipient told the Democrat that she had $300 placed on her card by DHR, earlier this month, but when she went to the grocery store, scammers had taken all but $3 of her needed food stamp benefits.
In its official statement, Alabama DHR says the fraud “is non-client fraud, unless the client is sharing their card or pin number with anyone. We continue to accept and process households’ replacement requests through each county office and can reimburse funds stolen through December 20, 2024.” DHR does not give any timeframe that the funds will be reimbursed, which leaves many families without resources for food at this holiday time.
DHR also recommends that recipients who feel their EBT card has been compromised or notice unexplained use of benefits, should immediately:
Change your EBT card PIN number immediately to prevent further theft.
Call or visit your local county DHR office to report your benefits stolen.
Complete and submit a Reimbursement Request Affidavit and supporting documentation.
Among the documents required is a police report where the card holder reports the theft to local law enforcement. The recipient must also supply their card and pin number, as well as a form of identification like a driver’s license.
The Democrat will continue to follow this story in future newspapers. We welcome statements from recipients involved in this situation.
Editor’s Note: At press time, the Democrat received this statement from Greene County School Superintendent, Dr. Corey Jones, regarding yesterday’s school bus and vehicle incident that injured a student and parent.
The Greene County School system acknowledges the unfortunate accident involving one of our scholars and her parent at the bus stop on Tuesday, December 17, 2024. During this difficult time, we ask the community to come together in offering prayers and support for the family. It is vital that we show compassion as we hope for a speedy recovery for both our scholar and her father.
As we navigate this situation, let us remember the strength of our community and the importance of empathy. Together, we can provide comfort and encouragement during this difficult period.
The school bus involved followed the system’s procedures for caution and safety and we work diligently to make our transportation safe for our children. The school system and law enforcement are continuing the investigation regarding this incident
The question of whether we should have a Black Santa is a powerful one, as it touches on issues of representation, cultural identity, and historical context. In recent years, there has been a significant push by Black parents and communities to introduce and normalize the idea of a Black Santa, especially for children.
The idea is not just about providing an alternative version of the holiday figure but also about ensuring that children from all backgrounds can see themselves reflected in the stories, myths, and celebrations that shape their world.
The Historical Context
Santa Claus, as we know him today, is rooted in a long history that includes elements from various cultures, including the Dutch tradition of Sinterklaas and the popularized imagery created by artists like Thomas Nast in the 19th century. Nast’s depictions in Harper’s Weekly, starting in 1863, helped cement the modern image of Santa: a chubby, jolly man with a white beard who delivers gifts to children around the world. The image became closely associated with the holiday, continuing to be iconic even after Christmas was declared a federal holiday in 1870.
However, this image of Santa Claus as a bearded white man became ingrained in mainstream culture, and for generations, children from communities of color were largely left out of that representation. Santa Claus became another symbol of the broader issue of racial representation in American culture. For many children, seeing Santa as only white reinforced the idea that their culture, identity, and presence were secondary or invisible in the grand narratives that define American life.
For Black parents, the push for a Black Santa is an effort to counteract that invisibility. Representation is important for self-esteem, especially for children. Studies have shown that when children of color see people who look like them in positive, empowering roles—whether in books, movies, or even holiday traditions—it can enhance their sense of self-worth and their belief in what is possible for them.
In a December 2023 article for The EveryMom, author and journalist Daizha Rioland reflected on the power of Black Santa. She shared how seeing a Black Santa figurine in her grandmother’s living room—something she described as “rare” during her own childhood—filled her with joy. Inspired by that experience, Rioland expressed her desire to ensure her children could share in that same sense of joy and representation.
“Seeing a Black Santa was rare during my childhood, but I could always count on that one decor item to remind me that Santa didn’t have to be pale as snow, with blue eyes and rosy cheeks,” she penned. “ In fact, it was one of the few decor items that made me feel like Santa Claus might actually see me, know me, and stop by my house on Christmas Eve. ” Rioland added, ‘When I became a mom three years ago, I knew that even though diversity, representation, and inclusion were on the rise, I had a mission—no, a duty—to show my daughters that Black Santa Claus is the real deal and he’s everywhere in our household. From the mugs to the plates to the pillows we buy for Christmas, there will only be pictures of Black Santas in all their shades and ranges to show my daughters that their skin is beautiful here and in the North Pole.”
Erin Carpenter, founder of Nude Barre, told NBC News in 2023 that she feels fortunate her daughter attends the Harlem School of the Arts in New York City, where holiday programming highlights Black Santas, giving her the ability to see herself in the famous holiday character.
“We’ve been fortunate to have pretty easy access,” she said. “I’m hoping that I can curate more experiences for my children that don’t feel so labored,” the entrepreneur added. “Look, we’ve come a long way in the world, but there’s still a lot more work to do.”
In the looming shadow of a second Trump administration, the battle over vaccines and public health policy is being revived with unsettling vigor. Public health leaders, particularly those in African American communities who recall the long, painful history of medical neglect and systemic racism, are alarmed by the campaign to revoke approval of life-saving vaccines, including the polio vaccine.
This modern war on vaccines is led by figures like Aaron Siri, a lawyer closely associated with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial choice for health secretary. It threatens to unravel decades of hard-fought progress that began when Black Americans demanded equitable treatment in the fight against polio.
The disease’s history remains linked to race and segregation, as the healthcare system once viewed polio as a “white problem.” Healthcare facilities, segregated and led by racist medical standards, advanced the misinformation that African Americans were immune to polio.Because of that, polio cases in Black Americans were not properly diagnosed.
The Myth of Polio as a “White Disease”
In the early 20th century, polio was perceived as a disease that primarily affected white children, transcending class lines. According to research by the National Library of Medicine, medical experts of the era, such as George Draper, propagated theories of racial susceptibility, claiming that “primitive” Black bodies were impervious to polio while “delicate” White bodies were vulnerable. The lack of data perpetuated those myths, and Black communities were deprived of doctors who could appropriately diagnose polio’s early symptoms.
The consequences of this neglect proved dire. Black families faced a segregated healthcare system where few hospitals would admit Black polio patients and fewer still would employ Black doctors and nurses. The Tuskegee Institute’s polio center, founded in 1941 with funding from the March of Dimes, was one of the few facilities dedicated to treating Black polio victims. However, with only 36 beds, it was unable to adequately address the national crisis.
Roosevelt, Warm Springs, and Political Embarrassment
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a polio survivor, founded the Warm Springs Rehabilitation Center in Georgia in the 1920s. Despite Roosevelt’s progressive image, Warm Springs maintained a Whites-only policy. Black patients were denied admission, even as they contributed to fundraising efforts for the center through the annual Birthday Ball campaigns. Roosevelt’s “New Deal” had been exposed for its racial injustices.
Faced with mounting pressure from civil rights activists and the political embarrassment of segregation, the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (NFIP) announced a major grant to establish the Tuskegee Infantile Paralysis Center in 1941, which treated Black polio sufferers and trained African American doctors.
The Fight for Integration and Health Equity
In the 1940s and, later, the 1950s, a shift occurred with the civil rights movement. Black leaders like Dr. John Chenault and Charles Hudson Bynum, the NFIP’s director of interracial activities, fought to dismantle the myth of polio’s racial exclusivity. Bynum’s advocacy included Black children in the historic 1954 Salk vaccine trials. According to Scientific American, the HeLa cells—taken without consent from Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman—played a crucial role in developing the vaccine, cultivated in a makeshift lab at the Tuskegee Institute.
Still, segregation persisted. Black children who received the Salk vaccine in Montgomery, Alabama, had to wait on the lawns of white schools because they weren’t allowed to use the facilities inside. At Warm Springs, Black patients were only grudgingly admitted in the late 1940s, and even then, they faced segregated accommodations and second-class care . Vaccine Rollbacks: A Chilling Threat
Spearheaded by Kennedy, the anti-vaccine movement has returned and is threatening the fight for equal healthcare. Aaron Siri’s attempts to take back approval for the polio vaccine, which has saved millions of lives and kept millions from becoming paralyzed or dying, are a scary reminder of how easily progress can be lost. Kennedy’s appointment as health secretary and Siri’s influence point to a risky change in public health policy that could disproportionately hurt communities of color.
Experts in public health caution that weakening vaccines will allow avoidable outbreaks to occur. Lawrence Gostin, a public health law expert, described Siri’s legal strategies as a way to “hobble” agencies like the FDA, drowning them in litigation to prevent them from protecting public health. “This is a way to hobble a public health agency,” Gostin said in a published interview. “You can just drown them in paperwork so they can’t do their work.”
Lessons from Polio: Vigilance Against Medical Racism
The history of polio—from Warm Springs’ segregation to the overlooked contributions of Black scientists—offers a stark lesson in the dangers of medical racism and the need for constant vigilance. “Our racial disparities and health disparities were not invented in the past 10 years, and very often, they have been deliberately ignored,” historian Naomi Rogers, a tenured Associate Professor in the Program for the History of Science and Medicine at Yale University, offered in a Carleton College white paper.
Black communities today are suddenly faced with the same access, trust, and institutional neglect issues that hampered previous anti-polio efforts. Experts said the reversal of vaccines threatens to repeat historical injustices, endangering millions of lives and damaging decades of civil rights progress.
Those with political power are pushing the myth that vaccines are hazardous, recalling the pseudoscientific racism that claimed Black bodies were immune to polio. Civil rights leaders asserted that the stakes are significant, and history requires lawmakers to acknowledge the accomplishments of those who battled for equity and protect the public health victories they secured. “When the first doses of the Covid-19 vaccines were available, people of color had less access to information and routine clinical care, which resulted in a big gap in vaccinations administered to whites compared to African Americans,” researchers at Carleton College wrote.
