The Greene County Democrat

Category: Newswire

  • Newswire: Outgoing Mississippi Governor says state faces ‘1,000 years of darkness’ if Black Man (Mike Espy) is elected U. S. Senator

    Mike Espy and former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant

    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
    @StacyBrownMedia


    Fifty-two years after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and 55 years after Jim Crow, Mississippi is burning again.
    Phil Bryant, the now-former governor of Mississippi – a state that was one of the flashpoints of the civil rights movement, and a haven for the Ku Klux Klan – has sparked understandable outrage after tweeting a racist claim that if the Magnolia State elects its first Black senator, there would be 1,000 years of darkness.
    “I intend to work for @cindyhydesmith as if the fate of America depended on her single election,” Gov. Phil Bryant tweeted on January 2. “If Mike Espy and the liberal Democrats gain the Senate, we will take that first step into a thousand years of darkness.”
    Bryant, a Republican, left office on January 14 after serving two terms.
    Espy lost to Hyde-Smith in Mississippi’s special U.S. Senate runoff election in 2018. After announcing that he was running again this year, Espy said he could win by building a diverse coalition of voters.
    With a victory, Espy would become Mississippi’s first Black senator in more than 139 years.
    “We’re going after everybody — white, black, Democrat, persuadable Republican, persuadable moderates and those in the middle,” Espy told the AP in November 2019.
    “But I know where they are now. I’m not flying blind.” During his first campaign against Hyde-Smith, a video surfaced showing her praising a supporter by saying she’d attend a “public hanging” if he invited her.
    Bryant rekindled those sentiments with his tweet, setting social media ablaze with anger.
    Many pointed out the state’s history of racism and recent and ongoing problems at Parchman Prison, a former plantation that housed hundreds of slaves and whose population includes more than 60 percent Blacks; the state’s debtor’s prison that punishes mostly African Americans; and a recent state Supreme Court decision to affirm a 12-year prison sentence for a Black man who turned over a cell phone to a corrections officer.
    “Darkness follows Mississippi Gov Phil Bryant around,” feminist Paula Cain wrote on Twitter. “Every time that old white man opens his racist, uneducated mouth — darkness flows out.
    Alvon Phillips, a medical technician, said the comments are in line with what the state represents. “Anyone can clearly see how racist and prejudiced this Mississippi governor is and what race of people he truly represents; the only race whose interest he cares to advance,” Phillips stated. “Now, you can understand why Mississippi is last in everything. Last in education, wages, and development.”
    Journalist Joe Jurado analyzed Bryant’s comments in a January 9 article for The Root.
    “Mississippi has a very long and very violent history of racism: 600 black people were lynched between 1877 to 1950, the most of any state,” Jurado recalled.
    “Up until 2017, the state still had predominately segregated schools. This makes it all the more surprising than the governor believes Mike Espy being elected to the Senate would open the doors of Guf and bring about the fourth impact,” Jurado stated. “We’re talking about the same man who, after Hyde-Smith came under fire for her lynching comments, went on a podium and compared Black women getting abortions to genocide. Hyperbolic racism just seems to be this dude’s go-to.”
    In a June 1964 profile, The New York Times called Mississippi “the most segregated state, and noted that, “Through most of the state’s history, the White supremacists have been able to control government at the local and state levels.”
    A 2019 lawsuit filed by three Black residents challenged Mississippi’s requirement that candidates running for statewide office must win both a majority of the popular vote and at least 62 of 122 state House of Representatives districts. The law, which was put into place in 1890 when White politicians openly sought to suppress the Black vote, states that no candidate fulfills both requirements, the House then decides a statewide election, and representatives aren’t required to vote along with their districts. “This racist electoral scheme achieved, and continues to achieve, the framers’ goals by tying the statewide election process to the power structure of the House,” the plaintiffs stated in the lawsuit.
    “So long as white Mississippians controlled the House, they would also control the elections of statewide officials.”
    In an op-ed about Mississippi for The Atlantic late last year, Jesmyn Ward, an author who teaches creative writing at Tulane University, said racism makes itself known very vocal and confrontational ways.
    “But perhaps the most tragic manifestation of racist sentiment in Mississippi is silent. Built into the very bones of this place. My state starves its people and, in doing so, actively resists Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy,” Ward stated.
    “Our Republican lawmakers have made an effort to undercut programs that serve the poor, maybe because so many people of color in Mississippi live in poverty and depend on social programs for help.”

  • Newswire: New hurdle for Nigerians seeking U. S. visas to settle here

    Feb. 3, 2020 (GIN) – She’s your pediatrician. He’s your surgeon. She’s a civil engineer. He has a doctorate. She’s an Emmy Award winner. He was a Chicago Bear.
    They’re Nigerian-Americans who have set down roots in Dallas, Chicago, Baltimore, Atlanta, Phoenix and Houston – the latter of which has the largest Nigerian population outside Brazil and Africa. They’re the largest group among African immigrants in the U.S. – about 327,000. They’re a tiny portion of the U.S. population, but they rank as the most successful ethnic group in the U.S.
    Yet, on the eve of Black History month, the President callously expanded a travel ban that effectively bars Nigerians from obtaining visas to immigrate here permanently. The new restrictions will not apply to tourist, business, or other nonimmigrant travel. But for the large Nigerian diaspora in the US, the policy will be devastating to a community with deep family and cultural ties to their home country.
    Nigerians expressed disbelief and anger after the Trump administration announced the policy, which takes effect Feb. 21. The decision affects Nigeria Eritrea, Sudan, and Tanzania as well as Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar. Additionally, immigrants from Sudan and Tanzania will be excluded from the diversity visa lottery, which grants green cards to as many as 50,000 people every year.

    Many Nigerians wondered why they specifically were targeted, when many other countries might pose similar security threats. Amaha Kassa, head of African Communities Together, which advocates for African immigrants and their families, told reporters that at the group’s latest meeting in New York City, dozens of Nigerians were asking one question: “Why single us out?”
    Immigrant advocates say it’s based on discriminatory motivations.
    For Okorafor Chimedu, a 29-year-old teacher in Warri, Nigeria, with a university degree and relatives already in the United States, his chances now to join them appear slim.
    “I hope the two nations will rectify their differences soon so that the ban can be lifted,” he said to a reporter. “We need each other to progress in this world. No man is an island of his own.”
    Omar Jadwat of the ACLU’s Immigrant Rights Project suggested the ban was imposed because the excluded countries don’t share enough information so that (we) can vet their citizens when they arrive.
    The so-called “Muslim ban,” already affects citizens from Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Venezuela and North Korea.
    Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, sharply disputed the U.S. move.
    “In our view, (the ban) was not well thought out but based largely on negative narratives spread by naysayers. I know we are working very well with our neighbors, the EU and the U.S. to ensure that terrorism is addressed.”
    “Our advice to the U.S. is that it should have a rethink on the issue because any travel ban is bound to affect investment and growth in the country and those who will be affected are the most vulnerable people in Nigeria.”
    In a separate development, China has halted the issuance of visas to Nigerians citing their effort to control the spread of the coronavirus in the Asian country.

  • Newswire: Aircraft Carrier named after Doris Dorie Miller

    By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor

    Doris Dorie Miller


    The U.S. Navy is set to name a new aircraft carrier after World War II hero Doris Miller. Miller was a Mess Attendant 2nd Class from Waco, Texas. The aircraft carrier naming would be the first to be named after an African American.
    In June of 2016, the USNS John Lewis (T-AO-205), a U.S. Navy replenishment oiler was named after civil rights legend and Congressman John Lewis. But the USNS John Lewis is not a warship.
    On January 19, the Navy announced that CVN-81 would be named after Miller. The CVN-81 is a Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier scheduled to be built in 2023 and launched in 2028.
    Miller fought during the attack on Pearl Harbor after the Japanese surprise attack on the islands on December 7, 1941. Miller was the first African American to receive the Navy Cross for valor, the third highest honor in the Navy. Miller shot an anti-aircraft gun during the attack on Pearl Harbor though he had no training on the gun. He also took care of wounded members of the ship he was on, the U.S.S. West Virginia.
    The U.S.S. West Virginia He served breakfast that morning and was collecting laundry when his ship was hit by the first of seven torpedoes plus two bombs.
    “The sacrifice and patriotism of heroes like Doris Miller inspired me to pursue public service,” said Rep. Bernice Johnson (D-TX). “Though he is deserving of even higher official recognition, including the Medal of Honor, the announcement of the naming of this vessel on Martin Luther King Day could not be more fitting,” she added.
    Until Franklin Roosevelt’s administration, African Americans could not serve in the military at all but attendant, steward and cook positions were open to Blacks. Miller enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1939 at 19.
    Two years after Pearl Harbor, Miller was killed in action when his ship Liscome Bay was attacked by a Japanese submarine during the Battle of Makin. Miller was presumed dead and was declared “missing in action” on December 7, 1943, two years after his heroic actions at Pearl Harbor.
    Miller’s heroic actions were publicized numerous times in the black press and he became an icon of African Americans

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    Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist for NNPA and the host of the podcast BURKEFILE. She is also a political strategist as Principal of Win Digital Media LLC. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBur

  • Newswire: Senator Doug Jones denounces Trump Administration move to raid South Alabama funding to build border wall

    $261 Million for South Alabama ship-building project diverted for wall construction

    Sen. Doug Jones


    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Doug Jones (D-Ala.) today received notification from the Senate Armed Services Committee that $261 million in funding directed to South Alabama ship-builders would soon be re-routed to support construction of the southern border wall. The funding was previously approved by Congress for the procurement of one Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) ship, which was to be built in Mobile, Alabama.
    This funding is a part of a reported $3.83 billion re-programming of appropriated funds away from equipment for our warfighters, like ships, vehicles and aircraft.
    Senator Jones released the following statement on today’s news:
    “I am very concerned about the impact a decision like this could have on communities like Mobile, whose ship-building workforce is second to none. I understand and agree we need to protect our borders, but I can’t understand for the life of me why folks in Mobile would be paying for this wall.
    “The EPF is responsible for hundreds of good-paying jobs in South Alabama, but I am even more concerned about the impact this decision has on our men and women in uniform and our national security. This decision puts Alabama jobs on the line and it is going to make us less safe by denying our troops the resources they need to stay safe and fulfill their mission.

  • Newswire : Trump Administration cuts Food Stamps for at least 700,000 Americans

    By Lauren Victoria Burke, NNPA Newswire Contributor

    Food Stamp sign in store window


    The Trump Administration has finalized implementation of new work requirement rules that would cut food stamp benefits for 700,000 Americans. The average food stamp payout is $36 per month. Though the Trump Administration estimates that under 700,000 people will be impacted by their policy changes, the Urban Institute estimates that the new Trump Administration rule changes will cause 3.7 million poor people to lose food stamps.
    Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and Brandon Lipps, the deputy undersecretary for the USDA’s Food Nutrition and Consumer Services, spoke with reporters for under 20 minutes regarding the changes. The rule changes will take effect on April 1, 2020.
    The work requirement rule change will cause hundreds of thousands of people to lose access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP.
    There are over 40 million people in the U.S. living in poverty — 1 of every 7 Americans and 12 percent of the total population. In the U.S., 27 percent of African Americans live in poverty and 46 percent of African American children (under age 6) live in poverty, compared to 14.5 percent of white children.
    “We’re taking action to reform our SNAP program in order to restore the dignity of work to a sizable segment of our population and be respectful of the taxpayers who fund the program. Americans are generous people who believe it is their responsibility to help their fellow citizens when they encounter a difficult stretch. That’s the commitment behind SNAP, but, like other welfare programs, it was never intended to be a way of life,” Secretary Perdue told reporters.
    “Trump has called people liars and maniacs, caged children, and cut food stamps, and tried to take away health insurance and let people die. But Republicans are outraged that a law professor used his son’s name in an analogy?,” wrote Rev. Dr. William Barber referring to an exchange at a Dec. 4th impeachment hearing and food stamp cuts. Barber has been focused on a new age “poor people’s campaign” mirrored on the efforts of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1960s.
    “This is cruel and disgraceful. Donald Trump will happily give millions of dollars in tax breaks to his billionaire buddies—but he’s making it harder for struggling families to be able to eat. I’ll reverse this shameful policy,” wrote 2020 presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
    The rule change would limit states and force them to restrict food stamp use to areas that have a 6 percent unemployment rate or higher. The national unemployment rate in October was 3.6 percent.
    Income inequality and cuts to poverty programs are likely to be an issue in the 2020 campaign.

  • Newswire : At African Union Summit, Ramaphosa announces end of colonialism

    Incoming AU Pres. C. Ramaphosa (l) and Pres. A. Ahmed of Ethopia

    Feb. 10, 2020 (GIN) – A stirring call to action was delivered this week in the august hall of the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, spoken by the incoming AU president Cyril Ramaphosa to distinguished members of the continental body representing over 40 countries.
    In his presentation at the AU’s 33rd summit, the South African President wove history with commentary into a tapestry of hope for a continent, which has had its share of strife and downfalls.
    “Your Excellencies,” he began, “we are mindful of our weighty mission, but also of the weight of history here in Ethiopia, a place with such deep and profound connections to Africa’s ancient past.
    “Up in the highlands of the north of Ethiopia in the 1st century, our ancestors tamed the harsh terrain and established agriculture, herded livestock, minted their own coinage, created their own alphabetical script, built towering monuments that stand even to this day, and forged expansive trade routes across the region.
    “Over the passage of and in the context of the time, our forebears understood that true progress and development could be advanced through trade and working together.”
    From history to the present: “The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) that we adopted last year will enable us to work together through intra-Africa trade, as it will reignite industrialization and pave the way for Africa’s integration into the global economy as a player of considerable scale.
    “It is the realization of the dream of our forebears, to see the rich resources of Africa being marshalled for the collective benefit of Africans.
    As Africans living in this new era, we shoulder the greatest of responsibilities, to ensure that Africa’s wealth does not become her poverty; that her blessing does not become her curse; and that our endowment does not become our downfall.”
    “Our collective work to ensure political and economic unity, good governance and peace should be strengthened by supporting integration, industrialization, economic development, trade and investment.
    “We must all ensure that the AfCFTA does not become a conduit for products with minimal African value addition to enter and penetrate our local markets under the guise of continental integration. There must be a reasonable standard set for what constitutes a product that is Proudly Made in Africa.”
    He challenged summit members to propose “real actions” to end conflicts, to find African solutions for African problems and deal with acts of terrorism raging in many countries and regions such as the Sahel, the Horn of Africa and now spreading to other parts of Southern Africa as well.
    “The era of colonialism and imperialism under which Africa is a pit stop in the global assembly line has passed,” he declared as he took over from Egypt’s Abdel Fatah El-Sisi for the one-year tenure on Sunday afternoon.
    “In the words of the great son of the African soil, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o: “Today is tomorrow’s treasury. Tomorrow is the harvest of what we plant today.”

  • Newswire : Trump Administration finalizes plans to allow mining, drilling at two Utah National Monuments

    By Brady McCombs, Associated Press

    Bear’s Ears National Monument

    The U.S. government implemented final management plans Thursday for two national monuments in Utah that President Donald Trump downsized. The plans ensure lands previously off-limits to energy development will be open to mining and drilling despite pending lawsuits by conservation, tribal and paleontology groups challenging the constitutionality of the president’s action.
    The lands have generated little interest from energy companies in the two years since Trump cut the size of Bears Ears National Monument by 85% and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by nearly half, said Casey Hammond, acting Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management with the U. S. Department of the Interior.
    Hammond said in a conference call the department had a duty to work on the management plans after Trump signed his proclamations in December 2017, despite the pending lawsuits that seek to return the monuments to their original sizes.
    “If we stopped and waited for every piece of litigation to be resolved we would never be able to do much of anything around here,” Hammond said.
    Market dynamics have limited interest in a large coal reserve found in the now unprotected lands cut from Grand Staircase and uranium on lands cut from Bears Ears.
    But an economic analysis by the U.S. government estimates coal production could lead to $208 million in annual revenues and $16.6 million in royalties on lands cut from Grand Staircase. Oil and gas wells in that area could produce $4.1 million in annual revenues, the analysis says.
    If interest comes as energy market forces shift, Hammond said the lands cut remain under federal control and governed by “time-tested laws” and subject to environmental regulations. He rebuffed the oft-repeated claim from conservation groups that there would be a “free-for-all” for mineral development.
    “Any suggestion that these lands and resources will be adversely impacted by the mere act of being excluded from the monuments is simply not true,” Hammond said.
    Trump cut the size monuments following review of 27 national monuments by then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. He recommended shrinking two other monuments as well, but Trump has yet to take action.
    Trump said he scaled back the size of the monuments to reverse misuse of the Antiquities Act by previous Democratic presidents that he said led to oversized monuments that hinder energy development, grazing and other uses. The move earned cheers from Republican leaders in Utah including former U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch.
    Conservation groups have called Trump’s decision the largest elimination of protected land in American history. They criticized the Trump administration on Thursday for spending time on management plans they believe will become moot when the court sides with their assertion that Trump misused the Antiquities Act to reverse decisions by previous presidents.
    President Bill Clinton created the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in 1996 on lands home to cliffs, canyons, waterfalls and arches in southern Utah. President Barack Obama created Bears Ears National Monument in 2016 on a scenic swath of southern Utah with red rock plateaus, cliffs and canyons on land considered sacred to tribes.
    “It’s the height of arrogance for Trump to rush through final decisions on what’s left of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase Escalante while we’re fighting his illegal evisceration of these national monuments in court,” said Randi Spivak, public lands director at the Center for Biological Diversity in a statement. “Trump is eroding vital protections for these spectacular landscapes. We won’t rest until all of these public lands are safeguarded for future generations.”

  • Newswire : . Southern Poverty Law Center names Margaret Huang, new president and CEO

    Margaret Huang

    by BlackmansStreet.Today

    The Southern Poverty Law Center and Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund has named Margaret Huang, president and CEO of the Montgomery, Alabama-based organization, replacing interim president Karen Baynes-Dunning who took over after Richard Cohen and Morris Dees both resigned in rapid succession under a cloud.
    Huang is currently the executive director of Amnesty International USA. She will assume her new position at the Southern Poverty Law Center April 20.
    “I am thrilled to be joining the Southern Poverty Law Center at this moment and with this incredible staff and board as they rethink how to tackle their work fighting for justice against hate,” Huang said. “Change in the South is coming, and SPLC is eager to work collaboratively with other social justice advocates to ensure that the change improves the lives of all communities.”
    Bryan Fair, SPLC Board Chairperson, announced Huang’s appointment in an email to the organization’s 350 employees in offices in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana and the District of Columbia.
    SPLC worked with Koya Leadership Partners to develop the candidate profile that led to hiring of Huang, a Tennessee native.
    Under Huang’s leadership of Amnesty International USA, the organization has grown both in membership and financial stability. Her direction has seen campaigns to protect the rights of refugees and migrants at the US border, gun violence victims, survivors of torture and police brutality, among many others, said Janet Lord, chairman of Amnesty International USA.
    Huang has devoted her 25-year-career to championing rights for others, working for justice, fighting for human dignity and advocating against discrimination and oppression in the U.S. and around the world, SPLC said in news release.
    The Southern Poverty Law Center was founded in 1971 by Morris Dees and Joe Levin, a Montgomery, Alabama lawyer. Civil rights leader Julian Bond was SPLC’s first president.
    In the decades since its founding, the SPLC shut down some of the nation’s most violent white supremacist groups by winning crushing, multimillion-dollar jury verdicts on behalf of their victims. It dismantled vestiges of Jim Crow, reformed juvenile justice practices, shattered barriers to equality for women, children, the LGBT community and the disabled, protected low-wage immigrant workers from exploitation, and more, according to its website.

  • Newswire : Ethics charges against Judge Marvin Wiggins dismissed

    On Feb. 3, the Alabama Court of the Judiciary issued an order of dismissal regarding ethics charges against Judge Marvin Wiggins. Wiggins, who has served for 20 years in Hale County as a Circuit Judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit, was charged with improperly communicating with the parties in a case before him outside of a court setting. Wiggins had spent nine months off the bench while the charges made their way through the system. In a statement released Monday, Wiggins said he was honored to return to the bench. “I have no ill feeling toward anyone,” he said. “I informed everyone I had not intentionally violated the Alabama Canons of Judicial Ethics and I am thankful the truth has been validated.” Wiggins noted the diversity of the circuit he serves. “This is the largest geographical Circuit in the State...we have some of the greatest, wealthiest and most powerful people and some of the meek and poorest people in the State. As a result, I strive to apply equal justice to everyone regardless of their economic status or political influence. In some instances, I have gone out of my way to be creative and provide alternatives within the law to provide peaceful resolutions. This approach has not always been acceptable with everyone and has, on occasions, resulted in public criticism.” Wiggins also thanked his supporters: “There have been so many people who have supported me morally and spiritually. I will always be grateful for the prayers, calls and support. More importantly, I am honored to return to the bench and continue dispensing justice with fairness and compassion. “ I am very appreciative for those who managed the dockets, maintained the integrity of our system, patiently waited on the resolution of their cases and those who have stood at the gate monitoring and defending the rights of the people. I am Blessed to be represented by one of the best legal teams in the country and a team of attorneys who are very skilled.” Wiggins also thanked his supporters: “There have been so many people who have supported me morally and spiritually. I will always be grateful for the prayers, calls and support. More importantly, I am honored to return to the bench and continue dispensing justice with fairness and compassion. I am very appreciative for those who managed the dockets, maintained the integrity of our system, patiently waited on the resolution of their cases and those who have stood at the gate monitoring and defending the rights of the people. I am Blessed to to be represented by one of the best legal Teams in the country and a Team of attorneys who is very skilled.”

  • Newswire: Sanders edges Buttigieg and Klobuchar in New Hampshire Primary

    Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttageig and Amy Klobuchar

    New Hampshire voters delivered a narrow but clear victory to Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, as he edged out former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg for first place by less than 5,000 votes. But the surprise of the nation’s first 2020 primary was a close third place finish by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), counted out by many observers only a week ago, who now becomes a serious contender in the party’s more moderate wing. Sanders and Buttigieg each earned nine of the state’s 24 convention delegates, while Klobuchar took the remaining six. Trailing badly behind the front runners were Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in fourth place and former Vice President Joe Biden in fifth. Biden left New Hampshire on Tuesday to fly to South Carolina, which will hold its primary on February 29. With more than nine out of ten precincts counted, the Washington Post reported that Sanders had won with nearly 26 percent. Buttigieg had over 24 percent, Klobucher had almost 20 percent, Warren had just over nine percent and Biden had just over eight percent. Not appearing on the New Hampshire ballot was former New York City mayor Mike Bloomberg. But the billionaire received enough write-in votes to win the hamlet of Dixville Notch, which traditionally reports its results shortly after midnight. Finishing last among the Democratic contenders, tech entrepreneur Andrew Yang announced late Tuesday that he will end his quixotic bid for the party’s nomination, which drew a small but loyal following. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) also said he would end his longshot bid.