The Greene County Democrat

Category: Newswire

  • Newswire : A Question of Lynching in Mississippi

    Trey Reed

    By April Ryan, NNPA White House Correspondent

     

    The autopsy for Trey Reed is underway. The 21-year-old student at Delta State University was found dead hanging from a tree on the campus. There are questions about whether it was foul play or suicide.
    The state’s report will be completed in 24 hours. However, Civil Rights Attorney Ben Crump confirms the parents of Reed will perform an independent autopsy in Mississippi after the current procedure is complete. It has yet to be determined if the family will use someone from Mississippi or outside of the state to perform the independent postmortem examination.
    Delta State’s initial contact with the family about Reed’s death was that he was found dead in his dorm room. Reed’s grandfather contradicts the information, saying the family found the truth from social media that he was dead, hanging from a tree. Crump is on the ground in Mississippi, working in collaboration with civil rights groups, including the Equal Justice Initiative, NAACP, and Southern Poverty Law Center, “trying to get to the truth,” as he confirms, “the rumors are rampant.”
    Compounding the issue, another man, 36-year-old Corey Zukatis, was found hanging from a tree in a wooded area in Vicksburg, Mississippi, near a casino. The family of Zukatis confirms he was homeless at the time of his hanging death. Both cases are under investigation.
    Democratic Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, is calling for a full federal investigation following the hanging deaths of two black men in Mississippi, long considered the most racist state in the nation. Brian Fair, Interim President and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), is also calling for a thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to the deaths, saying, “the tremendous outcry from the local community over concerns surrounding the loss of these two should not go unaddressed.”
    Fair also says the optics “of these two deaths immediately evokes the collective consciousness of those who are deeply aware of Mississippi’s troubled past. These events remind us how inequity continues to endanger lives.” According to the Equal Justice Initiative, Lynching in America documents more than 4400 racial terror lynchings in the United States during the period between Reconstruction and World War II.
    Also, according to their website, EJI researchers documented 4075 racial terror lynchings of African Americans in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia between 1877 and 1950.

    On March 29, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act into law. The federal law says any act where someone conspires to commit a hate crime that results in death, serious bodily injury, or significant harm can be prosecuted as a federal crime. The law carries up to 30 years in prison plus fines.
    The question now is, will this Trump administration recognize and/or utilize this law if there is a lynching conviction in these cases?

  • Newswire: Democrats dig in: Healthcare at the center of looming Shutdown fight

    Hypertension In Older Age. Young Female Medical Worker Measuring Arterial Blood Pressure Of Senior Black Man Using Cuff, Patient Having Problems With Tension, Sitting At Table. Health Care Concept

    By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

     

    The air in Washington has grown thick with a familiar tension, the kind that precedes the shuttering of government offices and the silencing of paychecks for thousands of workers. Yet at the heart of this looming shutdown lies something far greater than partisan brinkmanship: a ferocious fight for the soul of America’s healthcare.
    Democrats have planted themselves firmly in the path of what they call a reckless assault on Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. They are not speaking in the language of compromise this time. They are speaking in the cadence of survival—for the poor, the sick, the disabled, and the working families who stand to see their coverage ripped away.
    Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer warned of what was at stake. “Senators will have to choose: to stand with Donald Trump and keep the same lousy status quo and cause the Trump healthcare shutdown, or stand with the American people, protect their healthcare, and keep the government functioning,” he said. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries framed the fight with defiance. “We don’t work for Donald Trump, we don’t work for JD Vance, we don’t work for Elon Musk, we work for the American people. And that is why we are a hard no on the partisan Republican spending bill because it continues to gut the healthcare of everyday Americans,” he stated.
    In their joint letter to President Trump, Schumer and Jeffries accused him of deliberately courting a shutdown to “gut the healthcare of the American people.” They wrote, “We do not understand why you prefer to shut down the government rather than protect the healthcare and quality of life of the American people,” they stated.  Journalist Karen Tumulty analyzed the Democrats’ approach, noting that the minority party, though constrained in power, is wielding rare leverage in this moment.
    They have tied their stand to demands that strike at the heart of Trump’s agenda: restoring Medicaid funds slashed earlier this year, extending Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to expire, and halting the administration’s freeze on appropriated dollars. Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland cut to the essence of Democratic resistance. “I’m not going to write a blank check for a lawless president. That is my starting point here,” he said.
    The stakes, Democrats argue, are not abstract. They warn that millions could see premiums soar, hospitals and clinics could close, and the poorest communities—urban and rural alike—could be left without care. In Delaware, Sen. Chris Coons described how both the most urban and most rural hospitals in his state depend heavily on Medicaid. “Part of our challenge is lots of people haven’t felt that yet, but they will next month,” he said.
    The president has brushed aside these warnings, saying there may be “a closed country for a period of time,” even as he pledged to shield the military and Social Security checks, he stated. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker made clear where he stands. “I’m on Team Fight. You don’t think Republicans would use every ounce of leverage they would have in this circumstance?” he said. For Democrats, the fight is not just about numbers on a spreadsheet, but about what kind of nation America chooses to be. They are wagering that voters, when confronted with rising costs and shuttered care, will see the struggle not as political theater but as a line drawn in defense of their health and their dignity.

  • Newswire : African Union joins Group of 20

    By Blackmansstreet Today

     

    African Union joined the Group of 20, also known as the G20, which could have major implications for Africa’s role in global geopolitics.

    As the continent faces various challenges, ranging from climate change to political instability and economic inequality, experts disagree on how big an impact G20 membership will have as the AU joins 20 of the world’s largest economies.

    Seven African countries have experienced military-led coups since 2020, most recently Gabon and Niger, raising questions about political stability, the lack of which makes it harder to address pressing issues like terrorism and food shortages in many countries.

    Permanent G20 membership signals the rise of a continent whose young population of 1.3 billion is set to double by 2050 and make up a quarter of the planet’s people.

     

  • Newswire : Warning: HBCUs under credible threats

    Clark Atlanta University

    By April Ryan, NNPA Corespondent

     


    Multiple Historically Black Colleges and Universities are on lockdown and or canceling classes due to what are called “credible threats.”
    Spelman, Clark Atlanta, Southern University A and M College, Bethune Cookman, Alabama State, Virginia State, and Hampton University are taking precautionary actions amid threats. Clarke University in Atlanta currently has a “shelter in place” order.  These threats came a day after the deadly shooting of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
    Reverand William Barber of Repairer of the Breach, in a written statement, says, “We are facing a dangerous moment in our nation—violence should not be justified when we disagree with someone’s politics, nor should it be justified to use lethal force and military power to repress vulnerable communities.” Regarding the threat against the HBCU campuses, the schools listed in this article decided to lock down and cancel classes after receiving threats.
    North Carolina Congresswoman Alma Adams, Founder and Co-Chair of the Bipartisan, Bicameral HBCU Caucus, expressed, “I am distressed to learn that colleges and universities across the country are being forced into lockdown due to credible threats of violence against their campuses. I am actively monitoring these situations and am praying for the safety of everyone.”
    Reverend Al Sharpton of the National Action Network says his organization is also monitoring the recent threats against these HBCUs, emphasizing, “We have seen too much violence on our campuses, whether it was the brazen murder of Charlie Kirk yesterday or the threats against these HBCUs today.”  The civil rights leader stressed, “Colleges and Universities should be a place of free expression and debate in a way that’s respectful, engaging, and productive.” He emphasized that “what we have seen in the last two days is anything but that.”

    In 2022, the FBI offered HBCU’s security training after a series of large-scale bomb threats against HBCUs during Black History Month that year.

  • Newswire : Columnist Karen Attiah fired at The Washington Post 

    Karen Attiah

    By Lauren Burke, NNPA Congressional Correspondent

     

    Washington Post opinion editor Karen Attiah posted on her Substack, The Golden Hour, that she was fired last week by The Washington Post. According to Attiah, she was the last full-time Black opinion columnist at The Post, where she was employed for 11 years
    Other Black Washington Post staffers in senior positions who have recently departed, via the recent buyout round, include Monica Norton and Krissah Thompson. “Once many Black reporters, editors, and columnists at the upper ranks of Washington Post, but now: Courtland Milloy, Krissah Thompson, Eugene Robinson, Joe Davidson, Vanessa Williams, Ovetta Wiggins, Darryl Fears, Monica Norton, Perry Bacon, Jonathan Capehart, gone ~ soon Colby King,” wrote Vincent Morris on July 23 on social media. Morris is a former spokesperson for Sen. Bernie Sanders, who was also a media columnist.
    Though the Black population in Washington, DC, has decreased from 70 percent in 1980 to 40 percent in 2020, the District of Columbia has a substantial Black population at 40 percent as of 2020. The news regarding Attiah emerged on the morning of Sept. 15 after Attiah wrote a lengthy description of her side of the events.
    They included the disclosure that she was fired because of a social media post related to controversial conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot to death on Sept. 10 in Orem, Utah, during an appearance at Utah Valley University. “I was the last remaining Black full-time opinion columnist at the Post, in one of the nation’s most diverse regions,” Attiah wrote. “Washington D.C. no longer has a paper that reflects the people it serves. What happened to me is part of a broader purge of Black voices from academia, business, government, and media — a historical pattern as dangerous as it is shameful — and tragic,” she added.
    Since the start of President Trump’s second term in January, there has been a forced exodus of Black federal officials and a push by Trump’s Administration to end any police related to “diversity” or “inclusion.” Prominent Black officials have been pushed out, including the Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, who was fired in May, and General Charles Q. Brown Jr., who was removed in February. Republicans have also moved to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) — moving to less regulation. The departure of Attiah for The Post is yet another sign that a rightward shift is underway in legacy media.
    “The Washington Post Guild condemns the unjust firing of columnist Karen Attiah. The Washington Post wrongly fired Opinions columnist Karen Attiah over her social media posts. The Post not only flagrantly disregarded standard disciplinary processes, it also undermined its own mandate to be a champion of free speech. The right to speak freely is the ultimate personal liberty and the foundation of Karen’s 11-year career at The Post,” wrote The Washington Post Guild on social media.
    The Washington Post is owned by Jeff Bezos, the billionaire owner of Amazon, the retail on-line marketing giant. Bezos and other billionaires appeared on the platform at President Donald Trump’s second inauguration and their influence has expanded as their politics turned rightward.

  • Newswire : Remembering the Four Little Girls

    Four Spirits Sculpture in Kelly Ingram Park in Birmingham, across the street from 16th. Baptist Church, the two boys killed on the same day, were added later.

    By April Ryan, NNPA White House Correspondent

     

    It is 62 years later after the death of the four little girls in the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, just weeks after the August 28, 1963, March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
    Democratic, Alabama Congresswoman Terri Sewell said this anniversary reminds us to reflect on issues our forefathers fought for during the most powerful movement in this nation: civil rights, voting rights, and civil liberties. Twelve years ago, the four little girls received the Congressional Gold Medal posthumously: Addie Mae Collins, Dennis McNair, Cynthia Wesley, and Carol Robertson.

    Shavon Arline-Bradley of the National Council of Negro Women says we are commemorating one of the most gruesome acts of violence in our country’s history, where 4 Black Girls from Birmingham, AL lost their lives at the hands of White Supremacists.” Dr. Amos Brown, pastor of the Third Baptist Church of San Francisco, says of the heinous, deadly bombing that there was “no respect for our humanity,” feeling the crime emphasizes “they don’t see us as being human.”

    Bradley also articulated,” Their sacrifice sparked the nation to come to grips with the harsh realities of what it meant to be Black in America.” The children were in church during the Sunday School hour when, “These innocent young girls sought to learn more about their faith and how to love thy neighbor as themselves,” when the deadly explosion occurred, adds Arline Bradley.

    She also said, “Today, as we celebrate their contribution to the freedoms we enjoy today, let us be reminded that we shall overcome and victory belongs to those of us that fight for liberty and justice for all.” Meanwhile, there is a fifth survivor, Sara Collins Rudolph,  Addie Mae’s sister, who lost her eyes and carries scars from the bombing.

    Two young boys Virgil Ware and Johnny Robinson were also killed the same day in other parts of Birmingham and history has chosen to recognize them as part of the ‘hidden history’ of civil rights in the city.

     

  • Newswire : Federal cuts strip $350 Million from HBCUs and Minority-Serving Institutions

    Tuskegee University campus

    By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

     

    The U.S. Department of Education has announced the cancellation of $350 million in federal grants that had been designated for historically Black colleges and universities and other minority-serving institutions.
    Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated that the department will “no longer award Minority-Serving Institution grants that discriminate by restricting eligibility to institutions that meet government-mandated racial quotas.” She added that the administration intends to redirect the money toward programs “that advance Administration priorities.” The funding has supported initiatives including laboratory equipment purchases, classroom improvements, student tutoring services, and endowment growth. The cuts immediately drew criticism from leaders of colleges and universities who said the loss would harm students and damage institutions that depend on the resources.
    “Without this funding, students will lose the critical support they need to succeed in the classroom, complete their degrees on time, and achieve social mobility for themselves and their families,” said Mildred García, chancellor of the California State University system. “These funds strengthen entire campuses, creating opportunities and resources that benefit all students, especially those pursuing STEM fields, as well as enhancing the communities where these colleges and universities are located,” said David Mendez, interim CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.
    University of Hawaiʻi president Wendy Hensel added that the cuts will affect “all of our students, the programs that support them, and the dedicated staff who carry out this work.” The department’s announcement follows a lawsuit filed in June by the state of Tennessee and Students for Fair Admissions, which argued the programs were discriminatory because of enrollment eligibility requirements. In July, the Department of Justice said it would not defend the grants, with Solicitor General D. John Sauer writing that they violated the constitutional right to equal protection.
    According to HBCU Buzz, the decision has sent shockwaves across campuses, with advocates warning that programs supporting mentorship, STEM pipelines, and scholarships are at risk. Lawmakers, including Senator Patty Murray, have said the Education Department acted unilaterally without consulting Congress.

    The debate over funding arrives as HBCUs continue to face historic underfunding. CNN fact-checkers reported that while the Biden-Harris administration had directed $16 billion to HBCUs from 2021 to 2024, Trump previously proposed more than $100 million in cuts to HBCU programs during his first term, despite later claiming he had been uniquely responsible for funding the schools. The Education Department confirmed that roughly $132 million in mandatory congressional allocations for fiscal 2025 will still be distributed, though officials said they are continuing to review the legal questions surrounding those funds.

  • Congresswoman Terri Sewell holds Rural Roundtable at Federation’s Training Center in Epes

    Terri Sewell holds Rural Roundtable at Federation’s RTRC in Epes.

    Special to the Democrat by John Zippert, Co-Publisher

    Congresswoman Terri Sewell held a Rural Roundtable, as part of her ‘Congress in your Community’ outreach program on Friday, September 5, 2025, at the Federation Rural Training Center in Epes, Alabama. Over 200 people attended from Sumter, Greene and other counties in her Alabama Seventh Congressional District.
    Her Rural Roundtable included other speakers including Darren Beachem, ASAC State Coordinator; Loretta Webb Wilson, Administrator of Hill Hospital in York, and representatives of the West Alabama Regional Commission Council on Aging and a Representative of Sumter County DHR to speak on changes in the SNAP (Food Stamps) benefits program.
    Congresswoman Sewell opened the program with comments on the conditions in Washington, D.C. following passage of the budget reconciliation bill, which President Trump calls his ‘Big Beautiful Bil’ and the Congresswoman called “the Big Ugly Bill.” Sewell said “if there is one word to describe conditions in our nation’s Capital, it would be chaotic! Trump changes his tariffs on a daily basis, he is firing people for no reason, he is cutting Federal programs and contracts and then reinstating them when courts order him to do so.”
    Sewell said, “I want him to succeed, he is the President, but his policies are erratic, and he has cut Federal programs for the most vulnerable people while giving tax breaks to the very richest in our country. The tax cuts for the wealthy in the Big Ugly Bill increase the national debt by $4 Trillion dollars. In the bill, the average family gets a $200 tax cut but in exchange he is taking away healthcare, which will cost the same family, $2,000 a year in increased insurance payments, if they can afford these premiums, or be left with no health insurance at all.”
    Loretta Webb Wilson spoke on the impacts of the healthcare cuts, which she says will hurt rural hospitals, like hers in York, and may force many to close or reduce already strained services. Sewell pointed out that the $50 billion fund for rural hospitals, is a five-year program with $10 billion a year, to make up for $200 billion in annual health care cuts, some which start soon, and others are to go into effect after the 2026 mid-term elections.
    Darren Beachum, Federation staff member and State Coordinator of the Alabama State Association of Cooperatives spoke about technical assistance and support for Black farmers and other family scale farmers from the Federation and ASAC. Farmers can still get assistance in dealing with USDA agencies for credit, conservation, marketing and cooperative development from the Federation’s staff. He pointed out that the Federation had lost support for “climate smart agriculture” initiatives and a marketing program to foodbanks, where local farmers had been contracted to provide fresh and nutritious vegetables for food banks, serving low-income families, who are suffering from hunger and food deficiencies.
    The speaker from the Tuscaloosa Office on Aging talked about information and resources for elders, available from her office. The speakers from the Sumter DHR Office spoke on coming changes in the SNAP (food stamp) program. Work requirements will be imposed on those from 18 to 64, in place of the current 55-year age limit. Work and alternative community service requirements of 20 hours per week, will be more strictly enforced and regularly reported, despite reductions in DHR staffing to handle the additional paperwork. The State of Alabama will have to pay more of the administrative costs for SNAP from its already strained budget.
    Congresswoman Sewell then took about a half an hour of questions from the audience about the presentations. In answer to a question from Sumter County Commissioner, Drucilla Jackson, District 1 about cutbacks in funding for storm shelters and expansion of broadband to rural communities, Sewell said some of the direction and resources for these programs was still undecided but there would be cuts. “There is no way to dress-up these cutbacks in funding in Trump’s budget bill. We are going to have to fight back and try to restore these funding cuts now or after the 2026 midterms.
    In answer to questions about Black farmers, she said she would refer them to the Federation for assistance. She pointed out that she had voted for the Discrimination Farmers Assistance Program (DFAP) in the Inflation Reduction Act, which provided a claims process for farmers to receive $2.2 Billion for past discrimination in farm loans by USDA. $384 million was distributed to over 10,000 BIPOC farmers in Alabama, many in her district.
    Farmers in the audience pointed out that the Federation helped them file the 40-page application for DFAP assistance. Another farmer pointed out that the DFAP assistance was taxable, as opposed to the Pigford funding which was not considered taxable income by IRS. Recently one farmer, the Federation helped to receive the maximum $500,000 payment, had to pay IRS $127,000 of his award for Federal income taxes.
    Sewell went on to warn that voting rights were under attack by Trump and his Republican supporters. She pushed for passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act that she is the major sponsor. She said there is a case from Louisiana to come before the U. S. Supreme Court this term, which could strike down “majority-minority Congressional districts” by invalidating Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, and move the voting rights progress in our nation back by decades. She urged that Alabama voters need to watch this case closely because it could end in redistricting our state and end any Congressional representation for Black people in the state.
    Sewell ended the Rural Roundtable by saying, “ Rural people are resilient and what goes around, comes around on Federal funding, so keep working, keep fighting and keep praying for better times.”

  • Newswire : Commission appoints 3 of 5 members of Greenethumb Improvement Board

    The Greene County Commission met for its regular second Monday of the month meeting. All members of the Commission were present. The meeting was opened by Garria Spencer, Chairperson, a prayer was given, the previous minutes and agenda were approved as submitted.
    The Commission voted to approve documents concerning the Purdue Pharmacy and Sacker Family Bankruptcy for a payment in litigation over opioid abuse by the company. The Commission voted to authorize the Chairperson to sign the documents.
    The Commission approved a recommendation from the County Engineer to zip up County Road 136, a short road south of Boligee, which is no longer in use. The paved road will be made into a gravel road to save on maintenance costs.
    The Commission agreed that its current lease agreement with Mr. Gomez of Iron Wolf Media LLC, for repairs and use of the former Greenetrack facility will stand as submitted to the company. The Commission owns the facility. They have held several meetings with Gomez, mostly in Executive Session, concerning amendments and changes to the 15-year lease, with 5-year renewals. Commission Chair Spencer said, ”We have negotiated a solid agreement with Iron Wolf. We and our attorney reached agreement with the company on certain changes, which they now want to revise again. Our position now is they accept the lease as negotiated or move on to another location.”
    The Commission appointed three of the five members of the “Greenethumb Farmers’ Initiative Improvement District Board, to help secure additional financing for a medical marijuana raising project, licensed to George Poindexter, a Black entrepreneur, who has begun operations in the northern part of the county. Sandra Walker was appointed for District 1, McDaniel Garner for District 4 and Kashaya Cockrell for District 5. The Commissioners for Districts 2 and 3 were not ready yet to make appointments. The new board will be installed and instructed by County Attorney, Mike Parnell, as to their duties and responsibilities in the near future.
    A financial report was submitted by Brenda Burke, which shows a total of $ 10,208,675 in funds in banks. In Citizens Trust Bank has $4,608,845 in restricted funds and $1,204,745 in unrestricted funds in the county’s General Fund. Merchants and Farmers Bank, has $2,726,113 in restricted funds and $1,768,971 in unrestricted funds, which are Bingo funds in a General Fund account. The County also has $1,901,066 in Certificates of Deposit in several banks as an investment reserve.
    During the month of August 2025, the County paid out $1,346,098 in claims plus $191,254 in electronic claims for a total of $1,537,352 for payroll, materials, ongoing road projects and a contract with Rebasco Decorators to repairs the flooring in the William M. Branch County Courthouse.

  • Newswire : Joseph McNeil, one of four college students who sparked sit-in protest movement, has died

     The participants after leaving the Woolworth’s by a side exit. (L-R): David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Ezell Blair Jr., and Joseph McNeil. (No photographers were allowed into the Woolworth’s during this first protest.) © Corbis

    Joseph McNeil, one of four college students who sparked sit-in protest movement, has died

    By Blackmansstreet Today

    Joseph McNeil, one of four North Carolina college students who sat in at the Whites-only Woolworth’s lunch counter 65 years ago, sparking a nonviolent civil rights movement across the South, died Thursday. He was 83.

    McNeil was just 17 years old at the time, but he participated in a simple act of defiance that helped ignite the sit-in movement across the country at Woolworth’s lunch counter back in 1960. 

    On the sit-in’s first day, the four young men stayed until the store closed. 
    The photo above captures them leaving the store.

    More protesters joined the next day and days following, leading to at least 1,000 by the fifth day. Within weeks, sit-ins were launched in more than 50 cities in nine states. The Woolworth’s counter in Greensboro — about 75 miles west of Raleigh — was desegregated within six months.

    McNeil was one of the final two living members of the A&T Four; Jibreel Khazan (formerly Ezell Blair Jr.) is now the only survivor. David Richmond passed away in 1990, and Franklin McCain died in 2014. 

    McNeil was born in Wilmington, N.C. In 1963, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering physics from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He served on active duty as a KC-135 navigator at Ellsworth AFB, S.D., until 1969. 

    He retired as a major general from the U.S. Air Force in 2000.