As of April 5, 2023 at 10:00 AM
(According to Alabama Political Reporter)
Alabama had 1,652,469 confirmed cases of coronavirus,
(2,020) more than last report, with 21,131 deaths (4) more
than last report.
Greene County had 2,331 confirmed cases, 5 more cases than last report, with 54 deaths
Sumter Co. had 3,193 cases with 55 deaths
Hale Co. had 5,757 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.
Mrs. Phillis Branch Blecher is first Black woman to serve as CEO of the Greene County IDA.
Dr. Marcia Pugh is first Black woman to serve as CEO and Administrator of Greene County Health Systems.
Mrs. Loretta W. Wilson is first African American Woman to receive Community STARS Award.
Mrs. Phillis Branch Belcher, a native of Forkland, Greene County Alabama, currently serves as Executive Director of the Greene County Industrial Development Authority (IDA) since April 1992. In this capacity, she has achieved accomplishments for the Greene County Industrial Development Authority in partnership with numerous organizations nationally and internationally, including acquired federal, state, regional and local funding for improvements to the Crossroads of America Port and Park. She continues to work with local leadership for industrial and economic advancement for the citizens of Greene County, AL. She also served as a Marketing Instructor at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa for one year. She is a 1974 Graduate of Paramount High School and received her Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Montevallo, Montevallo, AL in 1977, earning a double major in Management and Marketing with a minor in Philosophy. In 1989, she earned a Master of Business Administration, Marketing from Adelphi University, Garden City, NY. Prior to returning to Greene County with the IDA, Mrs. Belcher held the position of Senior Account Executive with XEROX Business Services, Syosset, New York from 1985 to 1992. From 1978 to 1984, she worked with CMP Publications, Inc. of Manhasset, New York in Accounting, Information Technology, Sales, Marketing, Management. Her professional committee and commission experiences include the following: Alabama Tourism Advisory Board, Montgomery, AL; Economic Development Association of Alabama, Montgomery, AL; Impact Alabama, Auburn, AL; Leadership Alabama, Montgomery, AL; Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Council, Columbus, MS. Her voluntary contributions and community service include the following: Co-Founder Greene County Rotary Club; Co-Founder of Greene County Math and Science Camp Created t-shirt design; Founder of Leadership Greene County; Gear Up Alabama-Greene County; National Night Out City of Eutaw; Greene County Board of Education. Mrs. Belcher is a Charter Member of the Greene County Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority; The Links, Incorporated where she served as President of the Tuscaloosa Chapter; Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated. She is married to Charles Belcher; they have two children. She is a member of Bailey Tabernacle CME Church in Tuscaloosa.
Dr. Marcia Pugh (DNP, MSN, MBA, HCM, RN) is the Chief Executive Officer and Administrator of the Greene County Health System which includes the Hospital, Nursing Home, the Physicians Clinic which is a rural health clinic and other specialty services. She is the first Black woman to hold that comprehensive role. Dr. Pugh has worked over 50 years in the healthcare field and held many positions during her career in health systems in Anniston, Tuskegee, Birmingham and Demopolis, AL and Baltimore, Maryland. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Tuskegee University. She received her Master’s Degrees in Nursing and Business from the University of Phoenix where she did specialty courses in Health Care Management. She holds a Doctorate in Nursing Practice from The University of Alabama where she was inducted in Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing. She has also taken Health Care Management courses from Capella University and UCLA (the University of California in Los Angeles). Being the first female CEO is not the only first for Dr. Pugh. During her 25 years at Whitfield Regional Hospital (previously Bryan W. Whitfield Memorial Hospital) she initiated the Grants, Research and Outreach of West AL (GROWestAL) grants division. This division operated for eleven years (until her move to Greene County) and was instrumental in bringing in over ten million dollars in grant funding to the organization and surrounding communities. Dr. Pugh has two children. Her daughter, Dr. Nakieta Lankster, is a Clinical Psychologist and has her own practice. Her son, Barrown Douglas Lankster, who served a tour of duty in the Air Force, has given her the joy of a granddaughter who keeps her very busy.
Mrs. Loretta W. Wilson is the first African American recipient of the Community STARS Award presented by the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) at the annual celebration of National Rural Health Day, November 17, 2022 in Montgomery, AL. The annual celebration honors those who serve the vital health needs of nearly 61 million rural Americans. This award is presented to individuals and organizations making a positive impact in rural communities. Only one recipient is selected per state. Loretta Webb Wilson is regarded as a passionate community leader and convener. Working to bridge health disparities and improve outcomes in the state’s poorest communities in Alabama’s Black Belt, she formed a team in collaboration with multiple organizations, agencies, and institutions, bringing COVID-19 education, testing and vaccinations to places where it mattered most. The results of her efforts are found in CDC data. For example, eight of Alabama’s top 10 most vaccinated counties are in the Black Belt. Mrs. Wilson currently serves as the CEO of Hill Hospital in Sumter County. She has 31 years of experience working in rural hospitals and clinics where she has gained understanding of state and national healthcare policies and their impact on the health of rural residents. Additionally, she is the founder and Director of Rural Alabama Prevention Center, a non-profit organization, where she seeks funding to address social determinants of health issues afflicting West Central Alabama. Through her non-profit organization, she manages numerous grant programs and knows the importance of these programs are to addressing health services and new initiatives that would otherwise not be available. She currently serves on the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS) where she provides feedback relative to the challenges rural healthcare providers face in providing quality health care. Loretta Webb Wilson is a 1985 graduate of Eutaw (Greene County) High School, holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Stillman College in Business Administration; a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and Healthcare Management from the University of Phoenix; and a Health Care Executive Program Certification from the University of California, Las Angeles (UCLA) Anderson School of Management. She is a member of the Greene County Alumna Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, and was featured in the Demopolis Times Pink Magazine 2011 Issue as one of the “Most Influential Women” in the community. Mrs. Wilson is a member of New Generation Church, where she severs as Church Administrator, member of the Women’s and Inspiration Choirs, and Praise Team. She lives in the Dollarhide community with her husband Floyd and two children Zaddrick and Lauren.
Grand Jury of Greene County returns 21 true bills, including 20 felonies, one misdemeanor
The Grand Jury of Greene County, Alabama went into session on March 27, 2023 and ended the session on March 28, 2023. According to the Jury Foreperson, Kywon Benison, the Jurors were instructed by the Court regarding their duties and responsibilities. According to the report issued, the Grand Jury considered various criminal charges against various defendants and return herewith 21true bills, some of which were multiple count indictments, resulting in 20 felonies and 1 misdemeanor. There were 27 cases continue, all being drug cases continued because there were no Certificates of Analysis from the Department of Forensic Sciences. There was 1 no bill returned and1 no action because it was previously indicted. Pursuant to Alabama Code14-6-42, the Greene County Sheriff’s office has provided the Grand Jury with documentation verifying that a Prisoner Feeding Fund has been set up and is being maintained for the purpose of feeding the prisoners in the custody of the Greene County Sheriff Department. Indictments returned include the following: –LaJeffery Allentiz Carpenter was indicted on 3 Counts of Use of Official Position or Office for Personal Gain. Carpenter, a public official, District 2 Councilman of the City of Eutaw, Alabama, did intentionally use or cause to be use his official position or office to obtain personal gain for himself, to wit and several iPhone 12 belonging to the City of the Eutaw, and such use and gain were not otherwise specifically authorized by law, in violation of Section 36-25-5 (a) Code of Alabama, against the peace and dignity of the state of Alabama. -Kyle Wesley Turner was indicted for Burglary Third degree, Criminal Mischief I and Criminal Mischief III. -Gregory Birl was indicted for Felony DUI and Speeding. -Byron Lamar Ellis was indicted for Murder. -Derrick Dewayne Allen was indicted for theft of Property I. -Quaviz Dejuan Robinson was indicted for Theft of Property I. -Kenyon Deon Cheatem, Jr. was indicted on Assault II. -Andrew Bell was indicted on Burglary III and Theft of Property III.
L to R : Corey Martin, Miriam Leftwich, Hodges Smith, Dr.Carol P. Zippert and Carrie Logan, Director of the Chamber. Smith, Martin and Zippert were honored as citizens of the year. Leftwich and Ralph Liverman (not shown) were honored for volunteer of the year.
March 30, 2023. At Thursday night’s banquet, the Eutaw Area Chamber of Commerce honored citizens and volunteers of the year. Vaughn Poe, Greene County resident and Director of the Alabama Real Estate Commission in Montgomery was keynote speaker.
Apr. 1, 2023 (GIN) – The Wangari Maathai Foundation observed the late Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai’s birthday on April 1 with a call to invest in the planet.
“Wangari literally invested her life from a young age in this planet,” foundation CEO Njeri Kabeberi said. “As we celebrate the day God gave her to the world, and in the run-up to the International Mother Earth Day (April 22), let us begin to contemplate what each of us shall invest in the planet.”
Dr Wangari Muta Maathai founded the Green Belt Movement in 1977 to plant trees across Kenya, alleviate poverty and end conflict. She mobilized Kenyans, particularly women, to plant more than 30 million trees in 30 years and inspired the United Nations to launch a campaign that has led to the planting of 11 billion trees worldwide.
More than 900,000 Kenyan women benefited from her tree-planting campaign by selling seedlings for reforestation.
She was, notably, a woman of many firsts. Wangari was the first woman from Central and East Africa to earn a doctorate, obtaining her PhD from the University of Nairobi in 1971, and the first Black and African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize ‘for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace’ in 2004.
After graduating, Maathai became involved in a number of humanitarian organizations, including the Kenyan Red Cross, the Environmental Liaison Centre and the National Council of Women of Kenya.
Maathai’s work led her to observe a correlation between poverty and environmental degradation, based on experiences of food security and water scarcity in rural Kenya. Environmental issues in Kenya today include deforestation, soil erosion, desertification, water shortage and degraded water quality, flooding, poaching, and domestic and industrial pollution.
Prof. Maathai was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the Congo Basin Forest Ecosystem, the world’s “second lung” after the Amazon Rainforest. Her four books (The Green Belt Movement, Unbowed, The Challenge for Africa, and Replenishing the Earth) and the documentary Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai expanded on and deepened the key concepts behind the Green Belt Movement’s work and approach.
The work of Professor Maathai and the Green Belt Movement continues to stand as a testament to the power of grassroots organizing, proof that one person’s simple idea—that a community should come together to plant trees, can make a difference.
Her legacy truly lives on through the Movement which to date remains in the frontline of advocating for environmental conservation in Kenya and making great progress on reclaiming and restoring forest land.
The Green Belt Movement has inspired similar movements in many other African countries and continues to help combat rural hunger, desertification and water crises in over 30 countries.
Yet her story and her accomplishments remain virtually untold throughout the global North, despite her activism creating significant change and a lasting impact on women’s lives and the environment today.
Maathai died in 2011 at the age of 71.
The Foundation will launch its second strategic plan this month on International Mother Earth Day with the theme ‘Invest in our planet’.
Another quarter of Black women ages 25 to 34 surveyed said they were sent home from work because of their hair.
By Claretta Bellamy, NBC News
A majority of Black women say they feel they have to change their hair just to be taken seriously for job opportunities and in professional settings, according to a survey commissioned by LinkedIn and Dove. Approximately 1,000 Black women ages 25 to 64, both part-time and full-time employees, took part in the CROWN Research Study. Some 66% of them said they had changed their hair for a job interview to lessen the chances of being passed over due to hair discrimination. Twenty-five percent of Black women said they believed they were denied a job interview because of their hair. When looking at the data, said Andrew McCaskill, a senior director of global communications and career expert for LinkedIn, workplaces need “to work better” for women in general, but especially Black women. This is particularly pertinent now that more Black women are opting to wear their natural hair instead of straightening their hair with chemical relaxers, which reportedly can increase the risk of developing uterine cancer. Once they have landed their jobs, Black women with textured hair are twice as likely to experience microaggressions in the workplace compared to Black women with straight hair. And 25% of Black women ages 25 to 34 surveyed said they were sent home from work because of their hair. Black women and young Black professionals have shared conversations about their own hair journey through Dove’s #BlackHairIsProfessional campaign which, McCaskill said, provides a safe space to do so. In one LinkedIn post, a Black woman shared a screenshot of a message she received online criticizing her natural hair — saying she needs to “tone it down and make it flat” while also labeling the woman’s hair as “scary.” The woman shared her own selfie wearing her natural hair and said instead, she decided to “TURN IT UP & PUFF IT OUT!” Experiencing hair discrimination at an early point in a Black professional’s career can cause an automatic “disconnect of belonging” and a loss of confidence in their skills, McCaskill said. One example he cited is a young Black worker not getting the anticipated reaction for their work because the manager “is focused on something like their hair,” he said. “What we know is that, as you get more mature in your career, you’re typically also more confident in your skills that you have and what you bring to the table,” McCaskill said. “For younger folks, these types of aggressions and microaggressions can cause real angst for them in terms of even to the point of doubting their skills and saying, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’” Efforts to advance legislation have been implemented on a state and national level. The House passed the Crown Act last March to ban hair-related discrimination. California was also the first state to ban hair discrimination in 2019, with a list of other states following suit, including Massachusetts, which passed its anti-hair discrimination law last July. Companies can foster belonging among Black employees by “giving people space for their authenticity at work and being intentional about it,” McCaskill said. And most importantly, they need to “believe Black women when they have the bravery and courage to say that they are experiencing microaggressions and or hair discrimination at work.” LinkedIn, McCaskill said, provides diversity, equity and inclusion courses on topics such as uncovering unconscious bias in recruiting and interviewing. But he also said Black professionals should protect their own identity and expression. “If your authentic self and your authentic hair are not welcome in that space, that’s probably not a space where you will be able to thrive anyway, he said.”
DoD Secretary Lloyd Austin and Alabama Senator Tommy Tubberville
By: Josh Moon, Alabama Political Reporter
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a rare offensive, spent some time during Tuesday’s Senate Armed Services hearing to publicly call out Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s blockade of senior military promotions, saying the delays are hurting military readiness and will leave the military poorly positioned should it enter into a global conflict.
“There are a number of things happening globally that indicate that we could be in a contest on any one given day,” Austin said during the hearing. “Not approving the recommendations for promotions actually creates a ripple effect through the force that makes us far less ready than we need to be. The effects are cumulative and it will affect families. It will affect kids going to schools because they won’t be able to change their duty station. It’s a powerful effect and will have an impact on our readiness.”
Tuberville has blocked at least 160 promotions over the military’s policy that allows troops to be reimbursed for travel and granted leave to receive reproductive health care, including abortions. Tuberville argued that the new policy allows for taxpayer money to be spent on abortions.
“I want to be clear on this: My hold has nothing to do with the Supreme Court’s decision to the access of abortion,” Tuberville said. “This is about not forcing the taxpayers of this country to fund abortions.”
But the policy specifically doesn’t pay for abortions, only travel expenses for troops stationed in areas, such as Alabama, where all abortion services are illegal, to travel to neighboring states to receive legally provided care.
Austin said the policy is “on solid legal ground,” and said it provides some 80,000 female troops with access to care that they should have the option to receive but sometimes don’t because of where they are stationed, which is out of their control.
Regardless, Tuberville’s blockade of the promotions – a position that other Republicans on the Armed Services Committee have not joined – comes at the worst possible time. Hundreds of top-level military leaders have retired or are planning to retire in the coming few months. The Pentagon said more than 650 general and flag officers will require Senate confirmation soon, including at least 80 three- or four-star generals or admirals.
Armed Services chair Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island) cautioned that, “If we cannot resolve the situation, we will be, in many respects, leaderless at a time of great conflict.”
Austin also spoke privately with Tuberville recently in hopes of moving him away from the blockade. Tuberville does not appear ready to budge.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, during a speech on the Senate floor Tuesday, criticized Tuberville and said his block of military promotions over a political issue risks politicizing a process that has until now remained above the political fray. “If every single one of us objected to the promotion of military personnel whenever we feel passionately or strongly about an issue, our military would simply grind to a halt,” Schumer said. “This level of obstruction—of routine military promotions—is a reckless departure from Senate norm; none of us want to live in a world where military appointments get routinely politicized and that’s just what the Senator from Alabama is doing.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
Former President Donald Trump is now criminal defendant Donald Trump. For at least several moments on Tuesday, April 4, Trump was placed under arrest. His Miranda rights read, and fingerprints taken, but authorities spared him a mugshot and customary perp walk. Still, as he headed to the 15th floor courtroom at 100 Centre Street downtown, Trump joined the nearly 8,000 other non-violent felony defendants who have been arraigned in Manhattan so far in 2023. Shortly before 2 p.m. EST, Trump became the first former U.S. President arrested and criminally charged. This after becoming the first to have been impeached twice. “Can’t believe this is happening,” Trump posted as he headed into a courtroom where he found, perhaps for the first time in his adult life, that he wasn’t in control of the proceedings in front of him. It’s an ironic, if not predictable, fall for a man who campaigned in 2016 by mercilessly leading chants of “Lock her up,” against Democrat Hillary Clinton. And as unprecedented and surreal was the arrest, the charges leveled against the bombastic MAGA leader reveal what prosecutors claim is a man who operated as if he were above the law for a long time – including when he ruled the Oval Office. Indeed, the freshly unsealed indictment brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg included 34 criminal charges – all felonies related to falsifying business records, including several relating to allegedly making hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Judge Juan Merchan, a former prosecutor with 16 years on the bench, unsealed Indictment No. 71543-23, after Trump’s team reviewed them. Bragg alleged that Trump falsified business records to hide other crimes, including illegally pumping up his presidential campaign with ill-gotten cash. Specifically, the indictment alleges that Trump conspired with others to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election, a contest in which Trump defeated Clinton. Prosecutors alleged that Trump took part in an unlawful “catch and kill” scheme that included an illegal $130,000 payment he ordered to suppress information that would hurt his presidential campaign. Trump allegedly violated state and local election laws, making the charges a felony. The charges potentially carry a four-year prison sentence, which could mean that Trump, the current GOP 2024 presidential frontrunner, has entered a race that could end with him either in the White House or in prison. Despite an apparent somber mood displayed by Trump which signaled just how weighty the proceedings were, his campaign released a fundraising email seeking contributions of at least $47 for a T-shirt that contained a fake mugshot of the ex-president emblazoned with the words “Not Guilty.” Reportedly, Trump has raised more than $10 million in campaign contributions since word of an indictment spread. With security a big issue in the ex-president’s arraignment, prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington continue to investigate Trump, which could also lead to criminal charges, were provided the ability of witnessing how New York handles a case involving a divisive former commander in chief in a safe and drama-free way could be a critical test case. The potential cases against Trump in Atlanta and Washington relate to the former president’s interference in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia and the January 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill that left several people dead. Many top Republicans, including some of Trump’s potential rivals in next year’s GOP presidential primary, have criticized the case against him. President Joe Biden, who has yet to announce that he’s seeking reelection next year, and other leading Democrats have primarily had little to say about it. Trump is scheduled to return to Manhattan for a second court date in December. Prosecutors insist their case against Trump has nothing to do with politics. “Manhattan is home to the country’s most significant business market,” Bragg stated. “We cannot allow New York businesses to manipulate their records to cover up criminal conduct. As this office has done time and time again, we today uphold our solemn responsibility to ensure that everyone stands equal before the law.”
Trump ramps up attack on Manhattan DA with violent imagery and call for ‘Death’ and ‘Destruction’
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
Former President Donald Trump has ramped up the rhetoric and the threats as potential criminal charges loom in New York, Georgia, and Washington. Trump took to his Truth Social platform and posted a photo of him swinging a bat to the head of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. He also threatened that his anticipated arrest would lead to “death and destruction.” “What kind of person can charge another person, in this case a former President of the United States, who got more votes than any sitting President in history, and leading candidate (by far!) for the Republican Party nomination, with a Crime, when it is known by all that NO Crime has been committed, & also known that potential death & destruction in such a false charge could be catastrophic for our Country? Why & who would do such a thing? Only a degenerate psychopath that truly hates the USA!” Trump wrote. Then in all capital letters, Trump continued his tirade: “EVERYBODY KNOWS I’M 100% INNOCENT, INCLUDING BRAGG, BUT HE DOESN’T CARE. HE IS JUST CARRYING OUT THE PLANS OF THE RADICAL LEFT LUNATICS. OUR COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED, AS THEY TELL US TO BE PEACEFUL!” A week before, Trump predicted that authorities from New York would arrest him, however, that has not happened yet. Bragg’s office said Trump simply misled the public about an imminent arrest. “We will not be intimidated by attempts to undermine the justice process, nor will we let baseless accusations deter us from fairly applying the law,” Bragg said through a spokesperson. Bragg, 49, maintained that no one is above the law, and everyone receives equal treatment. “In every prosecution, we follow the law without fear or favor to uncover the truth,” his statement continued. Our skilled, honest, and dedicated lawyers remain hard at work.” Trump’s social media attack on Bragg could reveal the frustrations and even the concern he might possess over all of the legal problems he currently faces. Bragg’s case, in which the former President allegedly paid hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels and committed campaign finance crimes, is just the tip of the iceberg for the bombastic Trump. Most legal experts believe Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis might have a more serious case. A special grand jury disbanded in January after reportedly recommending charges that include obstruction, bribery, and interfering with a presidential election. Additionally, a Special Counsel’s investigation into Trump allegedly mishandling classified documents at his Florida home has amped up with a federal judge ordering the former President’s lawyer to testify. Finally, the Congressional committee that investigated the January 6 insurrection has recommended serious charges against Trump to the U.S. Department of Justice. Those charges could include treason. “It would be a travesty of justice,” Mississippi Democratic Congressman Bennie Thompson said if Trump isn’t prosecuted by federal authorities for his role in the insurrection. “Nobody is above the law, not even the President of the United States,” said Thompson, who chaired the commission. “What we saw after interviewing more than 1,000 people – the majority of who identify with the Republican Party – we are convinced that whatever happened, happened because of one person. So, we are clear in our recommendation.”
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and other emergency management officials speak with a survivor of the devastating tornadoes that impacted Rolling Fork, Mississippi. (PHOTO:FEMA)
TriceEdneyWire.com) – A couple of mornings of national news focus on the tornado that killed at least 26 people in 80 percent Black Rolling Fork, Mississippi and many news agencies have now turned to another mass shooting in Nashville. Competing news interests have faded from the people of Rolling Fork, but they are receiving help from politicians, private and public disaster assistance agencies, churches and kind-hearted volunteers.
“Friend – a series of violent tornadoes have devastated Mississippi and neighboring areas: destroying homes, damaging businesses, and tragically taking at least 26 lives,” the NAACP wrote in a mass email appealing for help from its members. “The NAACP is urgently responding to Mississippi’s state of emergency. We’re coordinating relief efforts with the Red Cross, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson, and local branch leaders so that every Mississippian gets the support they need ASAP. Your donation, no matter how large or small, will help our teams on the ground provide shelter, food, water, and other essentials to NAACP members and others who are suffering.
According to Abre’ Conner, NAACP director of Environmental and Climate Justice, author of the email, “In some areas, the destruction evokes horrifying memories of record-breaking storms like 2005’s Hurricane Katrina and 2011’s Tuscaloosa–Birmingham tornado.”
He concludes, “A rapid and robust response is essential. With hundreds of Americans displaced and untold damage done, we’re calling on our nationwide NAACP community to come together and support the families and individuals suffering from this disaster.”
Emergency responders are on the scene, but the rare tornado which was on the ground for more than an hour, destroyed homes, businesses and cars beyond imagination. According to initial reports, Diesel trucks were flipped over and cars were picked up and dropped on top of buildings and debris piled as high as 20 feet tall. Rolling Fork, Silver City, Black Hawk and Winona were hit hardest by the EF-4 tornado that tour through the area late Friday night, March 24.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves issued a state of emergency for all the counties affected by the severe weather, describing the state as “devastated.” President Biden has approved escalated response to that declaration. Rolling Fork Mayor, who led the governor on a tour of the destruction, expressed appreciation for those who are sending help and expressed hope amidst the tragedy.
“On behalf of this entire community, first we want to say thank you. We want to thank you for all you’re doing for the families of this community and making sure the city of Rolling Fork will come back bigger and better than ever before,” Walker told the media. “Now, I’m having to meet my families, those who have lost loved ones, and help them make it through this traumatic time,” Walker said. “But you know what? I’m a firm believer that when you do right, right will follow you. And I think that I’ve been prepared to take on this task and I am going to do it in the name of the mayor of Rolling Fork and the man that I am and the man that God has made me to be.”
