Greene County Democrat

Category: Politics

  • Federation of Southern Cooperatives holds Co-op Symposium at Rural Training Center

    Terence Courtney, the Federation’s Director of Cooperative Development makes presentation at Co-op Symposium.

    The Federation of Southern Cooperatives held its annual Co-op Symposium at the Rural Training and Research Center (RTRC), near Epes, Alabama last week on April 21. 2023.

    The symposium was attended by fifty co-op members in person and another fifty virtually online. This allowed for more discussions, questions to be answered and greater understanding of cooperative concepts by those in attendance.

    The main topic of the symposium was a new Uniform Limited Cooperative Associations Act which has been proposed by the state uniform laws commission and adopted by ten states mostly in the mid-West. This law would provide more ease and uniformity for cooperative development of all kinds: agricultural, consumers, workers, housing and others, across the nation.

    Terence Courtney, the Federation’s Director of Cooperative Development and Special Projects pointed out that the uniform law allows for voting membership by both participants and investors. Courtney said the provisions, “could dilute and endanger the democratic nature and quality of cooperatives, embodied in the cooperative principle of one member-one vote.”

    Currently investors can participate in cooperative development by purchasing non-voting preferred stock with a set rate of return or other types of investment shares. These investors are not entitled to a vote in the affairs and decision making of the cooperative.

    There was a lively discussion at the symposium of the potential impacts of this uniform legislation on future cooperative development supported and assisted by the Federation.

    Several Federation state associations were represented at the meeting and gave reports on the status of cooperative development in their states and areas.

    Previously this month, the Mississippi Association of Cooperatives and the Alabama State Association of Cooperatives had a training at the RTRC for members of the board of directors on their roles and responsibilities in implementing cooperative development and progress. This training for directors was well received and beneficial to the Federation’s membership.

     

     

  • Newswire: Amnesty International warns of catastrophe as deadly weapons flood into Sudan

    Map of Sudan

    Apr. 21, 2023 (GIN) – Meddling by foreign powers is said to have kept an intractable fire burning for years between an Arab-led government in Khartoum and an independent Republic of Sudan in the South. 
     
    But it is inarguable that arms sales from western countries have kept Sudan flush with weapons for years.
     
    Now, in a new report, Amnesty International has revealed how a shell company in the heart of London’s West End enabled huge prospective arms deals to war-torn South Sudan and other countries, thanks to regulatory gaps which are making the UK a hotspot for companies involved in illicit arms transfers. 
     
    “South Sudan is awash with weapons that have been used to kill and maim thousands of civilians, causing Africa’s biggest refugee crisis,’’ said Amnesty International’s Head of Arms Control and Human Rights. “The UK government has been a vocal proponent of a UN arms embargo on South Sudan, yet is turning a blind eye to illegal deals taking place right under its nose.”
    “Right now the UK provides the perfect conditions to become a hotspot for the kind of irresponsible arms transfers that have devastated South Sudan.”
     
    “These arms deliveries must be halted if they have not already reached South Sudan. In the meantime we continue to call for a comprehensive UN arms embargo on South Sudan that includes any financial or logistical activities that would facilitate these kinds of arms transfers. Without an embargo, weapons will continue to flow into South Sudan, and the consequences for civilians will continue to be catastrophic.”
     
    “Ukraine and its state-owned arms exporter, Ukrinmash, must also cease supplying arms to South Sudan,” Amnesty Int’l warned, “and uphold the object and purpose of the Arms Trade Treaty which includes reducing human suffering and establishing the highest possible common international standards for regulating the international trade in conventional arms.”
     
    United Nations envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, said that gunmen have been targeting and destroying offices of U.N. aid agencies, including the World Food Program, Unicef, and the United Nations Development Program ––making it nearly impossible for agencies to carry out relief operations.
    “What happens in Sudan will not stay in Sudan, ”warned Alan Boswell of the International Crisis Group. “Chad and South Sudan look most immediately at risk of potential spillover. But the longer (the fighting) drags on the more likely it is we see major external intervention.”
     
    Days of fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the country’s paramilitary group, and the Sudanese Army, have left more than 5 million people in the northeast African country stranded at home without water or electricity, while hospitals struggle with mounting casualties.
     
    The European Union’s ambassador to Sudan this week was assaulted in his home in Khartoum, according to Joseph Borrell, the bloc’s top diplomat. He called the attack a “gross violation of the Vienna Convention”.
     
    “Security of diplomatic premises and staff is an obligation under international law,” he wrote.
     
    Finally, South Sudan’s immediate neighbors are also listed as the main conduits, and sometimes sponsors, of weapon supplies to all sides in the conflict.
     
    These cross-border supplies have in some cases included weapons, ammunition, and aircraft lawfully exported to South Sudan’s neighbors from China, the European Union, and the United States.
     

  • Newswire: Entertainment icon and Human Rights Activist Harry Belafonte dies at 96

     Harry Belafonte speaking with African refugees


    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    Renowned singer, actor, producer, and legendary civil rights trailblazer, Harry Belafonte has died at the age of 96.
    His publicist confirmed that the beloved icon died of congestive heart failure at his home in New York.
    In addition to his children Adrienne Belafonte Biesemeyer, Shari Belafonte, Gina Belafonte, David Belafonte and two stepchildren Sarah Frank and Lindsey Frank, Belafonte leaves behind eight grandchildren: Rachel Blue Biesemeyer, Brian Biesemeyer, Maria Belafonte McCray, Sarafina Belafonte, Amadeus Belafonte, Mateo Frank, Olive Scanga, and Zoe Frank.
    Known globally for both for his artistic ingenuity and humanitarian ideals, Belafonte became an early, vocal supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, a confidant of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and financial backer of countless historic political and social causes and events, including the anti-Apartheid Movement, equal rights for women, juvenile justice, climate change and the decolonization of Africa.
    He was one of the organizers of the 1963 March on Washington and led a delegation of Hollywood luminaries including his best friend Sidney Poitier, as well as Paul Newman, Sammy Davis, Jr, Marlon Brando, Rita Moreno, Tony Curtis, James Baldwin, Burt Lancaster, Joanne Woodward, Diahann Carrol, Bob Dylan, Mahalia Jackson, Peter, Paul and Mary and Joan Baez, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis and Tony Curtis.
    The following is from Belafonte’s bio on the HistoryMakers:
    Born to immigrant parents in Harlem on March 1, 1927, Harry Belafonte spent much of his youth in his mother’s home country of Jamaica.
    Though difficult, life in Jamaica was full of rich cultural experiences that influenced Belafonte’s art.
    At the beginning of World War II, Belafonte returned to Harlem with his mother and brother. He had trouble integrating into the new environment and later dropped out of high school to join the U.S. Navy.
    After Belafonte was honorably discharged, he went back to New York, where he worked odd jobs until two free tickets to the American Negro Theatre (A.N.T.) changed his life.
    Belafonte auditioned for the A.N.T. and earned his first leading role in Juno and the Paycock. In 1953, he made his film debut opposite Dorothy Dandridge in Bright Road. He won a Tony in 1954 for his performance in Almanac.
    At the same time, Belafonte developed his singing talents, having parlayed a series of nightclub performances into a record contract. His third album, Calypso, topped the charts for thirty-one consecutive weeks and was the first record to sell more than 1 million copies.
    Belafonte also secured a television outlet with his hour-long special, Tonight with Belafonte, which won him an Emmy. He became the first African American TV producer and his company, HarBel, went on to produce one Emmy nominee after another.
    In the early 1950s, Belafonte developed a strong relationship with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Belafonte worked tirelessly to mobilize artists in support of the civil rights movement.
    In 1985, he again rallied the global artistic community to raise awareness of the famines, wars and droughts plaguing many African nations.
    USA for Africa raised more than $60 million for this cause with “We Are the World” and Hands Across America.
    A longtime anti-apartheid activist, Belafonte hosted former South African President Nelson Mandela on his triumphant visit to the United States.
    Belafonte maintained his commitment to service as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador.
    “The lifelong commitment, courage, global leadership, and legacy of The Honorable Harry Belafonte will always be cherished and remembered by billions of people throughout the world,” said NNPA President and CEO, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr. “Belafonte was a gifted, talented and transformative freedom fighter for all of humanity. The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) salutes the memory of Harry Belafonte and recommits to the struggle for freedom, justice and equality that Belafonte so boldly epitomized and embodied.”

  • Newswire: Fort Lee, Virginia, named for a Confederate general, will be renamed to honor Black Army pioneers

    Army Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg and Army Lt. Col. Charity Adams

    By Emma Sánchez, NBC News

    Fort Lee in Virginia will be officially renamed Fort Gregg-Adams on Thursday after two Black officers who made significant contributions to the U.S. Army. 
    The post is one of nine Army bases that will be renamed as part of the process of  redesignating bases named after Confederate leaders, in this case Robert E. Lee, according to an Army statement.
    “We are deeply honored to have Lt. Gen. Arthur Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams as the new namesakes for our installation,” Maj. Gen. Mark Simerly, commander of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command and senior commander of Fort Lee, said in the statement.
    At 94, Gregg will be the only living person in modern Army history to have an installation named after him, according to the Army. Gregg’s military logistics career spanned nearly 36 years, and he experienced the challenges of desegregating the armed forces, which began shortly after he enlisted in 1946.  After completing officer candidate school in 1949, his first assignment was at Fort Lee in 1950, and when he retired in 1981, he was the highest ranking Black officer in the U.S. military.
    In 1942, Adams served in the newly created Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, where she was later selected to command the first and only unit of predominantly Black women to serve overseas during World War II. She led the 6888th ​​Central Postal Directory Battalion, which was crucial to disseminating 17 million pieces of mail and correspondence for soldiers across England and France during the height of the war. Adams was eventually promoted to lieutenant colonel, one of the highest ranks attainable for women during the war, according to the Army.
    Two other bases in Virginia — Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Pickett — were also scheduled to be renamed by the congressional Naming Commission. The commission was established in January 2021 to remove names, signs and other items associated with the Confederacy and Confederate soldiers who waged the Civil War, largely to protect and expand the slave trade.
    The Naming Commission sought new names that are historically relevant and inclusive, and chose Gregg and Adams for their inspiring leadership, Simerly said.
    “Their tremendous accomplishments — from World War II through the Cold War — speak to the important history of this installation and to the courage, dignity, and devotion to duty that we strive to instill in every Soldier training here at the home of the Army Sustainment,” Simerly said.
    The redesignation ceremony will be live-streamed on Facebook and from locations including the Army Women’s Museum, which is at Fort Lee.

  • Newswire: Biden’s re-election announcement to test resolve of Black voters

    Voter holding Black Voters Matter sign


     

    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    The news that President Joe Biden will seek re-election has many curious about how well he will perform among African American voters.
According to the results of a recent poll conducted by TheGrio and KFF, Black people had a positive opinion of both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
There remains some debate among Black Americans about whether or not they will support Biden for president in 2024.
According to the results of the poll of one thousand Black voters who were contacted between August 24, 2022, and September 5, 2022, 69% of respondents were pleased with Biden’s performance.
When asked whether the Democrats should select someone other than Biden in the next presidential election, 58% of Black voters answered that they would rather see another candidate run than Biden.
Additionally, the results of the survey suggested that an astounding seventy percent of Black voters would cast their ballots for Harris if she were to run for president, revealing the possibility that African Americans would offer more support to Harris than Biden.
Further, there remains a greater degree of disagreement among Black voters who identify as Democrats or who lean toward the party.
The poll reveals a consensus among respondents (49%) that the party ought to put forward Biden as its candidate for another term.
The remaining half of voters have indicated that they would want the Democrats to select a different candidate for president in 2024.
Even among Black voters, there’s a wide range of viewpoints about the question of whether Biden should be the nominee.
Those under the age of 50 and those who lean Democratic are more likely to seek a different candidate than those over the age of 50 who want Biden to run for a second term.
This is especially true of Black Democrats. Fifty-seven percent of Black Democrats and Democrats-at-heart aged 50 and over want Biden as the nominee, however only 42% of all Democrats and Democrats-at-heart want the party to choose someone else.
Meanwhile, the Republican Party has struggled to win Black voters, and the poll shows that this pattern hasn’t changed.
The anger and obstruction that Republicans have shown toward Barack Obama throughout the years, in addition to their resistance to a voting rights law in Congress, make gaining the Black vote an uphill battle for the GOP.
By identifying themselves with Christian nationalists and organizations with roots to white supremacy, some Republicans have made it impossible to gain the support of Black voters.
The track record that Biden has on racial issues has also been debated in the Black community.
His efforts to pass a comprehensive voting rights package and reduce gun violence have been unsuccessful, but he has honored campaign vows to select a Black woman as his vice president and appoint one to the Supreme Court.
Biden also must overcome the problems caused by some of his supporters privately and publicly bashing Harris, an issue that has alienated some Black voters.
Four years after announcing his campaign for the 2020 election that finally resulted in the defeat of the criminally indicted and twice-impeached Donald Trump, Biden again seeks to beat back a run by the MAGA leader.
Reportedly, Biden’s most prominent supporters have been invited to a financial summit in Washington, D.C, in the days running up to his planned announcement, which has kicked off a wild race to stock the president’s war chest.
The meeting, planned for Friday, is viewed as an important first step in a campaign that is going to try its best to fly under the radar for at least one year.
After that, Biden expects to start the process of hiring a team that will be able to function independently of the White House.
The team will include a campaign manager, communication assistants, state campaign directors, pollsters, finance managers, volunteers, and others.
According to reports, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, a top White House adviser and the granddaughter of the late American labor leader Cesar Chavez, is in the running to oversee the re-election campaign. Chavez counted as a prominent figure in the labor movement in the United States.

  • COVID-19

    As of April 18, 2023 at 10:00 AM
    (According to Alabama Political Reporter)

    Alabama had 1,655,661 confirmed cases of coronavirus,
    (1,560) more than last report, with 21,133 deaths, no more
    than last report.

    Greene County had 2,332 confirmed cases, 1 more cases than last report, with 54 deaths

    Sumter Co. had 3,202 cases with 55 deaths

    Hale Co. had 5,778 cases with 110 deaths

    Note: Greene County Physicians Clinic has testing and vaccination for COVID-19; including the new bivalent booster for Omicron variants.
    Call for appointments at 205/372-3388, Ext. 142;
    ages 5 and up.

  • Post Mistress Willie E. Davis honored for 38 years in US Postal Service – Ms. Bessie Smith selected as new Post Mistress in Eutaw

    Shown L to R: Ms. Bessie Smith, Mr. Arthur Bowens, Jr., Ms. Willie E. Davis

    Post Mistress Ms. Willie E. Davis was honored at a Retirement Reception on Sunday, April 16, 2023 at the Robert Young Community Center in Eutaw, AL.  Mrs. Bessie Smith, Eutaw postal employee who organized the special event, was Mistress of Ceremony. Ms. Willie E. Davis served 38 years in the United States Postal Service, beginning her career in Eutaw, in 1984, as a city carrier and completing it as Eutaw Post Mistress, March 31, 2023.  

        Ms. Davis was escorted at the event by her son Jerome Davis who presented a poem in tribute to his mother.  Mr. Lorenzo French gave a tribute representing Mayor Latasha Johnson and the City of Eutaw as will as representing the Tishabee Community where he, Ms. Davis and her family call home. Elder Spiver Gordon presented a special community service certificate to Ms. Davis, commending her for, not just her exemplary postal service work, but for her continuous community service, especially to the less fortunate. Dr. Carol P. Zippert extended special appreciation to Ms. Davis for her caring service to the community, her patience, understanding and helpfulness. 

        Mr. Arthur Bowens, Jr., MPOO Area T, (U.S. Postal Service Supervisor), lifted special tributes to Ms. Davis, not only for her dedicated service in the postal system, but for her service in providing on-the-job training, monitoring and supervision of other employees in the postal system.  Mr. Bowens also announced that Mrs. Bessie Smith has been selected as the new Post Mistress for the Eutaw Post Office and will be sworn in this month. Following other tributes to Ms. Davis, refreshments and fellowship were shared by all attendees.

     

  • COVID-19

    As of April 14, 2023 at 10:00 AM
    (According to Alabama Political Reporter)

    Alabama had 1,654,101 confirmed cases of coronavirus,
    (1,632) more than last report, with 21,133 deaths (2) more
    than last report.

    Greene County had 2,331 confirmed cases, 0 more cases than last report, with 54 deaths

    Sumter Co. had 3,200 cases with 55 deaths

    Hale Co. had 5,766 cases with 110 deaths

    Note: Greene County Physicians Clinic has testing and vaccination for COVID-19; including the new bivalent booster for Omicron variants.
    Call for appointments at 205/372-3388, Ext. 142;  ages 5 and up.

  • Newswire : Farmworker complaints lead activists to challenge‘fairtrade’ label on South African wine

    South African farmworker in grape orchard


    Apr. 17, 2023 (GIN) – The label says “Fairtrade” but the conditions at some of South Africa’s money-making vineyards are anything but…
     
    That’s what two academics from Rhodes University of South Africa concluded in a study of the country’s wine industry once characterized by the use of enslaved workers and the exploitation and paternalistic control of Black and coloured laborers by white farmers for over 300 years.
     
    Following the end of apartheid and the country’s reintegration into the international community, winegrowers were able to import modern technologies and access global export markets for the first time. As a result, South Africa is now the ninth-largest producer of wine in the world and generates more than US$550 million in export value annually.
     
    A number of wineries have formed to fulfill the standards of Fairtrade International such as workers’ rights and environmental protections. 
     
    The group certifies products and ingredients after reviewing company practices and is a symbol commonly associated today with chocolate, coffee, cotton and various other items.
     
    Fairtrade products are sold at a higher price because a percentage of the sale value is designated for day care centers, literacy programs and medical centers.
     
    But interviews with a number of farmworkers suggest that while the wine bottles might bear the Fairtrade label, the workers on these farms do not feel fairly treated.
     
    Of some 30 farmworkers interviewed, most were not even aware that the farm they worked on was Fairtrade certified. Several farmworkers reported poor and unsafe living and working conditions. One woman complained of the vineyard lacking toilets for women. “We have to relieve ourselves in the vineyards. The only toilets you see is when there is an audit.”
     
    “We were promised that these houses would be temporary,” said another. “It is cold and when it rains the rain comes in. … We have reported this, and nothing happens. I have to constantly move my bed when it rains because the water comes through. I have been here since 1979. They [farm management] have ignored me. They don’t care.”
     
    An investigative documentary (Cheap Wine, Bitter Aftertaste) that spotlights Germany, the second-largest importing country of South African wine after Great Britain, found problems. 
     
    Eighty percent of farm workers in the wine sector were seasonal, forcing them to turn to the state’s Unemployment Insurance Fund when the harvest season ends in March.
     
    The minimum wage is about one third below the living wage needed to support a household, as calculated by the NGO Pietermaritzburg Economic Justice & Dignity. 
     
    As to working conditions, the workers’ harshest criticism was over the use of pesticides, particularly the herbicide paraquat which is banned in many countries. “There is no simple answer to the problems faced by workers on wine farms in South Africa, wrote Gisela ten Kate from the Dutch activist group SOMO in an article titled: “Labor Conditions in South African wine industry remain appalling.” 
     
    “Dutch supermarkets need to take their role in the supply chain seriously, to pay fair prices so that farmers can pay a proper wage.
     
    Finally, the human rights defender Oxfam International wrote: “We found proof of labor rights violations and inhumane conditions.”
     
    Oxfam has been part of the global Fair Trade movement since its inception. Today, it still inspires many of volunteers to champion just and sustainable trade.
     
    “We believe the current trade system is far from just or sustainable. It was captured by imperialistic and colonialist forces in the past and remains, even today, under the control of the powerful and the rich to a large extent.
     
    “Trade justice,” affirmed Oxfam ,”offers an alternative approach. But As long as it excludes people and future generations from its welfare-creating properties, trade cannot be considered just or sustainable.”
     

  • Newswire : White man arrested in shooting of 16-year-oldwho rang wrong doorbell

     Ralph Yarl, 16 year-old shooting victim

    By: Stacy Brown, NNPA Newswire

    A White 85-year-old homeowner who allegedly shot and wounded Ralph Yarl, a Black teen, after the 16-year-old went to the wrong home to pick up his siblings will face two felony charges, Clay County attorney Zachary Thompson announced early Monday evening.
    Andrew Lester will face charges of assault in the first degree and armed criminal action. Authorities have issued a warrant for his arrest and he’s not currently in custody, Thompson said, according to CNN.
    “I can tell you there was a racial component to this case,” Thompson said at a news conference without elaborating.
    There is no indication that either Lester or Ralph spoke to one another before the Thursday evening shooting, he said. The prosecutor added there is no evidence that the teen entered the home and preliminary evidence shows Lester opened fire on the teen through a glass door with a .32 caliber revolver.
    Earlier, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorneys Ben Crump and Lee Merritt were retained by the Yarl’s family.
    According to the Kansas City Defender, the white man reportedly shot Yarl in the head through the glass door, then when Yarl was already bleeding out on the ground, shot him again.
“The family has described it as a hate crime, and community members are calling for justice for the young victim,” reported The Defender, a member of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA).
The NNPA is a trade of more than 230 African American-owned newspapers and media companies representing the Black Press of America.
“This was not an ‘error’; this was a hate crime. You don’t shoot a child in the head because he rang your doorbell. The fact that the police said it was an ‘error’ is why America is the way it is,” Dr. Faith Spoonmore, Yarl’s aunt, told The Defender.
Authorities reportedly escorted the suspect to police headquarters following the shooting, briefly interviewed him and released the man.
Yarl’s family said they are outraged that the perpetrator had not been held accountable. “This man intended to kill an innocent child simply because he rang the doorbell of the wrong house,” Dr. Spoonmore asserted.
“He looked him in the face and shot him… and the individual is free to go about his day as if he did a great deed. While my nephew Ralph Yarl is a great kid, an intelligent kid, a black boy is left with so many broken pieces.”
Crump and Merritt, nationally recognized civil rights lawyers who has represented Ahmaud Arbery and Cameron Lamb, announced they would represent Yarl’s family.
Shaun King, a well-known activist and journalist, announced that he’s also assisting with the case.
The Defender, which was the first outlet to report on the shooting, said the Yarl family has urged supporters to help spread awareness about the case and bring attention to the issue of racial violence in America.
“There is no excuse for the release of this armed and dangerous suspect after admitting to shooting an unarmed, non-threatening, and defenseless teenager that rang his doorbell,” Crump and Merritt said in a joint statement.
“We demand swift action from Clay County prosecutors and law enforcement to identify, arrest, and prosecute to the full extent of the law the man responsible for this horrendous and unjustifiable shooting.