The Greene County Democrat

Category: World News

  • Newswire: Descendants of 1811 revolt heroes acquire Woodland Plantation in Louisiana to preserve Black history

    The Banner sisters

    By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    Jo Banner and Joy Banner, founders of The Descendants Project, have taken a significant step towards preserving the historical legacy of Black Americans by acquiring the Woodland Plantation in LaPlace, Louisiana. According to The Grio, their unwavering commitment stems from a deep-rooted understanding of the plantation’s pivotal role in history and a determination to authenticate its story.

    Raised on the West Bank of the Mississippi River, Jo Banner and her sister Joy Banner were steeped in the tales of their grandmother, who recounted the harrowing events of the 1811 revolt by enslaved people. The uprising, often overshadowed in historical narratives, saw the brave resistance of individuals like Charles Deslondes and approximately 25 others who sought freedom amidst the brutal oppression of slavery. 

    The Banners’ acquisition of the plantation marks a significant moment in the ongoing struggle to preserve Black history. After years of discussions with the previous owner, Timothy Sheehan, about safeguarding this heritage, the sisters finalized the purchase in January for $750,000. With the transaction completed, they now hold stewardship over a property that witnessed one of America’s largest uprisings of enslaved people.

    Their nonprofit organization, The Descendants Project, focuses on preserving and protecting the Black descendant community in Louisiana’s River Parishes. The Woodland Plantation, nestled in St. John the Baptist Parish, holds immense historical significance, encompassing 4,000 square feet of space on four acres of land.

    According to Sharlene Sinegal-DeCuir, an associate professor of history at Xavier University, the Banners’ initiative is profoundly impactful. It provides an opportunity for descendants of the enslaved to reclaim their narrative, offering a counterbalance to historical accounts that often marginalize their contributions.

    In addition to preserving the plantation’s history, the Banners said they intend to use the space as a hub for community engagement. By offering genealogy resources and facilitating discussions on environmental justice, they aim to create a welcoming environment where Black voices are heard and honored.

    The fight against environmental degradation in the region, epitomized by Greenfield Louisiana LLC’s proposed construction of a grain elevator export plant, underscores the ongoing struggle for justice. For Jo Banner, the significance of their ownership extends beyond mere property rights. It represents a reclaiming of space and identity, ensuring that future generations connect meaningfully with their heritage. As they embark on this journey, the Banners said they are determined to ensure that the Woodland Plantation remains a beacon of hope and empowerment for all who visit.

    “Knowing that home’s history and everything that happened, that our names are going to be put in the paperwork of this home, that you’re going to see it going all the way from the 1700s and white ownership and all of a sudden that they got more melanin on that title history, we’re already seeing how impactful that is for us to be in this space just as Black women,” Jo Banner told The Grio. “We’re going to provide access to the history in a way that Black people can feel welcome in the space.”
     

  • Newswire : Schumer calls for new elections in Israel, criticizing Netanyahu’s leadership

    Demonstrators call for Ceasefire in Gaza

    NNPA Newswire

    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the U.S., has delivered a scathing critique of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for new elections in Israel amidst ongoing conflict with Hamas.

    Speaking from the Senate floor, Schumer emphasized that Netanyahu’s leadership no longer serves Israel’s best interests. “The Netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of Israel after Oct. 7,” Schumer proclaimed in a scathing takedown of Israel’s leader.

    Schumer’s declaration marks a significant departure from traditional U.S. support for Israel’s government and highlights a pivotal moment in American Israeli relations.

    As the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in U.S. history, Schumer’s call for Netanyahu’s ouster carries substantial weight, signaling a notable shift in the Democratic Party’s stance toward Israeli politics.

    “The world has changed — radically — since then, and the Israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past,” Schumer declared as he noted the urgency for change in Israel’s leadership.

    Accusing Netanyahu of prioritizing his political survival over Israel’s best interests, Schumer condemned the Prime Minister’s alignment with “far-right extremists” within his government, warning that such alliances risk isolating Israel on the global stage.

    “Israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah,” Schumer demanded, stressing the need for Israel to recalibrate its approach to the conflict with Hamas and prioritize the protection of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

    Highlighting the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Schumer voiced support for a temporary cease-fire, echoing President Joe Biden’s efforts to alleviate suffering in the region. However, he cautioned against a permanent cease-fire, citing concerns that it could encourage Hamas to launch further attacks on Israeli civilians.
    “There can never be a two-state solution if Hamas has any significant power,” Schumer emphasized while reiterating the importance of safeguarding Israel’s security.

    Political watchers noted that Schumer’s bold stance underscores the complex dynamics at play in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and marks a pivotal moment in U.S. foreign policy as American lawmakers grapple with how best to support Israel while advocating for the rights of Palestinians.

  • Newswire : U.S. citizens flee Haiti amidst escalating chaos: global concerns mount

     Protestors burn tires in street to barricade areas in Haiti


    By Stacy M. Brown
NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent


    Amidst escalating turmoil in Haiti, a recent exodus of U.S. citizens fleeing the violence underscores broader concerns about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the Caribbean nation. As conflict rages on in regions like the Middle East and Eastern Europe, voices like Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., President of the National Newspaper Publishers Association, emphasize the need for global attention to the suffering of people worldwide, including those in Haiti.

    “A lot of people are concerned about the suffering that’s going on in the Middle East, and they should be concerned,” noted Dr. Chavis Jr. in his State of the Black Press Address at the National Press Club. “But I’m also concerned. I don’t hear a word about the suffering in Africa, where millions of people are being killed in the Congo. I don’t hear a word about… what’s going on in Haiti.”

    Against this backdrop, a charter flight carrying more than 30 U.S. citizens seeking refuge from the spiraling gang violence in Haiti touched down in Miami on March 17, according to U.S. State Department officials. The evacuation came amid escalating chaos in Haiti, where gang attacks, looting of aid supplies, and widespread violence reportedly have pushed the nation to the brink of famine.

    The situation in Haiti has been deteriorating for over a year, with the recent chaos culminating in a pivotal moment on Monday night. Haiti’s embattled Prime Minister, Ariel Henry, agreed to step down once a transitional government is established through negotiations involving regional powers and stakeholders, including the United States.

    However, concerns persist over the legitimacy and effectiveness of such interventions, as many argue that Haitians themselves must drive actual solutions. A Haitian-led interim government with oversight committees tasked with restoring order, battling corruption, and facilitating fair elections is what the proposed “Montana Accord,” which has the support of various Haitian stakeholders, seeks to establish.

    Meanwhile, armed groups, including paramilitary factions and former police officers, have seized control of large swathes of the capital, Port-au-Prince, perpetuating a cycle of violence and instability. The United Nations estimates that at least 80% of the capital is now under the control of these armed groups, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis and displacing thousands of residents.

    As Haiti grapples with the convergence of manufactured and natural disasters, including the lingering effects of the 2010 earthquake, hurricanes, and floods, the plight of its people demands urgent attention and concerted action from the international community.

    “It’s the Haitian people who know what they’re going through. It’s the Haitian people who are going to take destiny into their own hands,” Jimmy Chérizier — also known as “Barbecue,” and the ranking gang leader in Haiti told the Associated Press. “Haitian people will choose who will govern them.”  

     

  • Celebrating Our Own, Dr. Dionne Edison, Author and Craftsperson

    Dr. Dionne Edison is an educator, author, crafter and artist. These activities are opportunities to learn by doing, telling stories through crafting/art and facilitating financial stability.

    As an author, she has published two books. The MARCH OF THE C.O.W.S: Creatures of Wonderful Simplicity, is a whimsical book featuring cows. The pictures are scenes she photographed around Greene County, Alabama. THIS IS MY FATHERS’ WORD is a compilation of Rev. Milton Hurst’s sermon notes. She collaborated with daughter, Asenath Edison, to publish SUCCESS BEYOND ACADEMICS: How to Set Expectations for Life. Initially for high school students, this book is ideal for guidance in developing other transitioning plans in life.

    She has also contributed to three anthologies. Pam Ryans was the lead on the collaborative effort for PEN IT! vol. 1, and PEN IT! vol. 2: The People’s Accounts, Emotions, and Thoughts of 2020 by Pam Ryan. They dealt with observations of life and COVID-19. Voices of Valor by Dr. Mary Gaskins gives voice to stories of African Americans that would otherwise be lost in time.

    Arts and craft skills serve as therapy, opportunities for self-expression and financial resources. She is passionate about crochet, drawing and painting. These activities provide visual perspectives when words fail. She enjoys working with youth using arts and crafts to develop transferable skills in science, technology, engineering, math, marketing, business, and self-care. Dr. Edison says, Share your story. Each one, reach one, touch one, teach one. Everyone has a story to tell. Take time to share and listen. The message may not be for you but for someone you meet.”

  • County Commission requests State Attorney General’s opinion on Coroner’s salary and expense adjustments

    The Greene County Commission met in regular session, Monday, March11 with all commissioners present. The body approved the previous minutes, agenda, financial report and payment of claims as presented by CSFO Mac Underwood in the work session held Wednesday, March 6, 2024.
    The first item of new business, approved by the commission, (with an abstention by Commissioner Tennyson Smith) was a resolution requesting the State Attorney General’s opinion regarding the Coroner’s (Ronald Kent Smith) salary and expenses allowance as indicated in a Local Legislative Act approved and signed by Governor Kay Ivey in March 2020. This Act authorizes the Greene County Commission to provide for the compensation and expense allowance of the coroner including expenses for the operation of the office of coroner and to repeal Section 45-32-60.01 of the Code of Alabama 1975.
    The Act passed in 2020 states: “The Greene County Commission may provide the Coroner of Greene County with additional expense allowance and compensation or salary. The county commission may provide for any expense allowance granted to the Coroner by this Act or otherwise to convert to salary effective beginning the next term of office of the coroner.”
    Greene County Coroner, Ronald K. Smith, began a new term of office in 2022. Mr. Smith indicated his salary and expenses allowance should have been adjusted at that time. He said he has approached the commission numerous times regarding an adjustment in pay,
    In other business the commission acted on the following:
    * Approved ABC License for Greene County Entertainment, with four commissioners voting for and Commission Chairperson Corey Cockrell voting against.
    * Approved Drug and Alcohol Abuse Policy.
    Approved travel for Board of Registrars and Assistant Engineer
    The financial report for February 2024 was as follows: Accounts Payable -$725,439.09; Payroll Transfer – $289,883.73; Fiduciary – $721,162.61; Total $1,736,485.43. Electronic Claims paid January, 2024 totaled $52,678.19. Unrestricted Funds in Citizen Trust Bank totaled $3,474,352.09. Restricted Funds in Citizen Trust Bank Totaled $4,760,130.74. Unrestricted Funds in Merchants & Farmers Bank totaled $2,900,862.04. Restricted Funds in Merchants & Farmers Bank totaled $1,467,507.61. Total investments reported as $894,295.60.

  • Newswire :Haiti is on Fire : Montana Accord Movement to the rescue

    News Analysis by Dr. Ron Daniels


    

(TriceEdneyWire.com) – Haiti, our first Black Republic, is a virtual failed state where vicious gangs tied to the parasitical elite, and gangs with their own wannabe leaders or criminal kingpins control most of the Capital of Port Au Prince and much of the country. Ariel Henry, an unelected, illegitimate, and inept “Prime Minister” has a tenuous hold over what passes for a “government.” 
  
The well-armed rampaging gangs are terrorizing the country, utilizing kidnapping for ransom, extortion, trafficking in drugs and assaulting and raping women unchecked. They are attacking police stations and killing members of the National Police, attacking prisons, and releasing prisoners and attacking and killing each other over turf. They are also in deadly competition with each other to take over the government or at least emerge as the dominant force that will be the de facto government. 
  
Haiti is on fire and as the people suffer and demand the resignation of an illegitimate Prime Minister, what is the posture of the U.S. government and the Core Group of nations and multilateral bodies? Unfortunately, tragically the U.S. is propping up a recalcitrant, illegitimate, shaky Henry regime despite massive opposition from the people. Rather than insisting that Henry relinquish the reins of power, the U.S. and its allies are negotiating with him and preparing to finance a Kenyan-led military force to “restore order.”  The U.S. and its allies are arrogantly and blatantly ignoring rather than respecting and supporting the wishes of the Haitian people. We’ve seen this movie before. Unfortunately, even heads of state in the Caribbean, who should be good-faith facilitators, have recently acquiesced to negotiating with Henry rather than demanding his immediate departure from office. 
  
Haiti is on fire. That’s the bad news.  But the good news is that there is a remarkable, broad-based civil society movement involving hundreds of organizations and leaders from across the political spectrum who have boldly and courageously come forward to devise a plan, process and strategy to put out the fire, to extinguish the raging conflagration; firefighting freedom fighters committed to advancing a “Haitian Solution” to rescue the first Black Republic from what one leader has termed the “criminal enterprise” which is spreading death and destruction across the land. This powerful, people-based effort is called the Montana Accord Movement (MAM). These courageous leaders are determined to raise Haiti from the ashes to create a sustainable, people-based democracy. 
  
The challenge is, our challenge as allies and friends of the First Black Republic is to persuade, demand, compel the U.S. government, the Core Group and our sisters and brothers from CARICOM to insist that Henry relinquish power immediately. Equally important, the U.S. and all external international players should immediately acknowledge and support the Montana Accord Movement plan, process and strategy as the way forward toward sustainable democracy and development in Haiti. To achieve this righteous outcome, we the people must rise-up to support the Montana Accord Movement to save Haiti. Let’s do it. #SaveHaiti, SupportMAM  

Review the Montana Accord Plan Here — URL: https://akomontana.ht/en/agreeement/



    Dr. Ron Daniels is President of the Institute of the Black World 21st Century, Founder of the Haiti Support Project and Distinguished Lecturer Emeritus, York College City University of New York. 

  • Newswire : NAACP urges Black student-athletes to reconsider Florida Colleges amid DEI funding controversy

    GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – APRIL 13: Kahleil Jackson #22 scores a touchdown against Miguel Mitchell #10 during the 2nd quarter of the Florida Gators spring football game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on April 13, 2023 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

    Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and a photo of Black football players

    By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

    NAACP president and CEO Derrick Johnson has called on Black student-athletes to reconsider their decisions to attend public colleges and universities in Florida. The call comes in response to a new state policy preventing institutions from utilizing government funds for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.

    In a letter sent to current and prospective student-athletes of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) on Monday, NBC News reported that Johnson urged them to “choose wisely” amidst the ongoing debate surrounding DEI funding in Florida. He emphasized the crucial role of diversity, equity, and inclusion in ensuring equitable and effective educational outcomes, noting that Black athletes’ value to large universities is unmatched.

    The controversy stems from a bill signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis last year, restricting public colleges and universities from using state and federal funds for DEI programs. “If these institutions are unable to completely invest in those athletes, it’s time they take their talents elsewhere,” Johnson declared, according to NBC News.

    The University of Florida’s recent decision to eliminate all DEI positions, complying with the state rule, drew condemnation from NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith, an alum of the school. Smith emphasized the need for minority athletes to be aware and vocal about such decisions.

    The trend against DEI programs has heightened, with Republican politicians in more than 30 states introducing bills to restrict or regulate such efforts. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, for instance, signed a law last year ordering the closure of DEI offices at state-funded colleges and universities.

    The NAACP’s call comes on the heels of a similar message from Birmingham, Alabama, Mayor Randall Woodfin, who asserted that if his state passed a bill blocking funding for DEI in public colleges, he would encourage student-athletes to explore programs in other states.

    Florida’s significance in Division I athletics and its central role in college sports business are one issue the NAACP zeroed in on. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the University of Florida’s sports teams generated over $177 million in revenue from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022.

    “If any institution is to reap the benefits of Black talent, it is only right that they completely invest in Black futures,” Johnson argued.
     

  • Newswire : Britt backlash stokes GOP fears about losing women voters

    Alabama Senator Katie Britt

    By: Julia Manchester, The Hill

    Sen. Katie Britt’s (R-Ala.) State of the Union response is shining a light on the GOP’s struggle to appeal to women voters ahead of November’s elections.
    The rebuttal was met with an avalanche of backlash for being out of touch, with many critics calling the choice to have Britt sitting at a kitchen table for the address sexist.
    Political strategists and observers say Britt’s performance is largely emblematic of her party’s problem in appealing to women voters, particularly in the suburbs, who have recently turned their back on the party.
    “Republicans have now two years in a row have picked a young woman — last year Sarah Huckabee Sanders, this year Katie Britt — to try to shift the image of the Republican Party away from older white men, which is really quite the reality of the party,” said Debbie Walsh, the executive director of the Center for American Women in Politics (CAWP) at Rutgers University.
    And there is no question that Britt is in the minority within her party in the Capitol. She is one of nine Republican women serving in the U.S. Senate. “It is the image they are trying to strike in an attempt to reach women voters in some way,” Walsh said.
    Republicans praised the choice of Britt to deliver the rebuttal, citing the contrast in age between her and President Biden, as well as her own record in the Senate. Last month, Britt played a leading role in helping Republicans navigate a ruling by her state’s Supreme Court that frozen embryos were considered children. She worked to gather support for in vitro fertilization (IVF) as Democrats were using the issue to attack the GOP.
    The GOP has struggled to reach women in recent years, particularly those in the suburbs, since former President Trump took office in 2016. In the 2022 midterms, they helped deliver significant victories to Democrats in key swing states including Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia. According to the Pew Research Center, Biden won 54 percent of suburban voters in general. And back in 2018, 53 percent of suburban women voters said they voted for Democrats, up from 47 percent in 2014 and 51 percent in 2016, according to CBS News exit polling.
    “Not only do they have a problem appealing to women, but it’s just to suburban voters at large,” said Gunner Ramer, political director the Republican Accountability Project, an anti-Trump right-leaning group.
    Britt’s rebuttal featured her at her kitchen table, a location she and her family discuss issues impacting them, she said. Critics on the left and some on the right criticized the senator for using her kitchen backdrop, arguing that it fed into the outdated stereotypes about gender roles in the home. Britt defended the venue choice on “Fox News Sunday,” saying, “Republicans care about kitchen table issues.”
    “We care about faith, family; we care about freedom. We are the ones talking about the economy and the real effects of that,” Britt said.
    Meanwhile, Britt’s performance was excoriated during both a “Saturday Night Live” opening and comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s opening monologue at Sunday’s Academy Awards.
    On top of all that, Britt has faced backlash over a story she told during the rebuttal of a woman facing sexual violence from two decades ago in Mexico. The senator defended the anecdote in the same “Fox News Sunday” interview, saying it was representative of Biden’s border policy, even if it significantly predated his administration.
    However, the venue choice, coupled with what many have described as an awkward delivery from Britt, resulted in critics pouncing.
    Ramer highlighted a focus group that the Republican Accountability Project conducted with voters from swing states the day after the State of the Union. They overwhelmingly said that “weird” was the word that summed up their reaction to the address.
    “It misreads the voters they need to win back, because appealing to the traditional woman voter sort of thing — a lot of those voters are already going to support Trump,” Ramer said. “What they needed to do was go after the suburban vote, and Katie Britt’s response didn’t do that, and I think we saw that reflected in the focus group we did.”
    And while Britt’s rebuttal may be in the headlines now, the speech itself likely won’t play a long-term role in the GOP’s appeal to women and suburban voters unless Britt is a leading contender to be Trump’s running mate.

  • Vice President Kamala Harris speaks in Selma on59th anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’ calling for ceasefire in Gaza and renewal of voting rights struggle in America

    -21st Century Leader Justin Morton speaks at Martin & Coretta King Unity BreakfastVice -President Kamala Harris addressing crowd of thousands at Bridge in Selma

    -L to R: John Zippert, Coumba Toure Ba, Maria Diarra Keita, Carol Zippert

    -US Representative James Clyburn with other congressional colleagues at Unity Breakfast

    -Maria Diarra Keita and Faya Rose Toure at Unity Breakfast

    -During their medal ceremony in the Olympic Stadium in Mexico City on October 16, 1968, two African-American athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, each raised a black-gloved fist during the playing of the US national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”. Shown above Tommie Smith seated and Hank Sanders at Unity Breakfast.

    Speaking at the foot of the bridge in Selma, on the 59th anniversary of ‘Bloody Sunday’ in 1965, Vice President Kamala Harris called for an immediate ceasefire in the Israeli-Hamas War in Gaza and for a renewal of the voting rights struggle in America.

    Harris said that she had to begin her speech with the “humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Children are dying. Too many innocent people have been killed. People are starving, conditions are inhumane.” She said, “While Israeli security is our goal, we must call for an immediate ceasefire, to allow for assistance to flow to the people of Gaza, who have been suffering in a war between a terrorist organization, Hamas, and the Israeli government.”

    Harris urged both sides in the war to come to the table and accept an immediate ceasefire, which would allow humanitarian aid to flow into the beleaguered people of Gaza and result in a return of the hostages taken by Hamas at the beginning of the war on October 7, 2023.

    The Vice President then shifted her attention to the on-going voting rights struggle in America. She said she had returned to the bridge in Selma, with other members of the Biden Administration cabinet and administration, to celebrate the victory for voting rights, equality and overcoming fear and violence, that the original marchers 59 years ago had endured.

    She noted the retreat on voting rights and sections 4,5, and 2 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act since the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby vs. Holder and subsequent decisions. She lamented the hundreds of state legislative voter suppression laws that have occurred since that time.

    Harris endorsed efforts to pass in Congress the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act, which would restore and strengthen the voting rights protections of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
    “We must continue our struggle for the sacred right to vote in the face of our opponents who want to destroy the basis of our democracy and democratic institutions,” said Harris.

    The Vice President was accompanied to Selma by Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of HUD Marcia Fudge, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, Tanya J. Bradsher – Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs,
    Xochiti Torres Small – Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, Kristen Clarke – Deputy Secretary of the Department of Justice, and others. Several of these officials gave greetings and made remarks before the Vice President spoke.

    Local Dallas County officials and civil rights leaders including former State Senator Hank Sanders and Charles Steele addressed the crowd as well. After her speech, Vice President Harris joined others in leading the reenactment of the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.

    The bridge reenactment was one of more than forty events held in Selma during the weeklong “Bridge Crossing Jubilee” that drew thousands to the largest commemoration of voting rights, civil rights, and social justice in America. Persons who wish to support the ongoing work of the Bridge Crossing Jubilee in Selma, leading up to next year’s 60th anniversary, should Text 53555 Selma60, to contribute and get on the invitation list.

  • Super Tuesday election results Griggers wins 17th Judicial Circuit race Biden, Trump, and Sewell lead in Greene County, win statewide

    In the Tuesday, March 5th Primary election, 2,047 people voted in Greene County, with 1,829 (90%) voting Democratic and 215 (10%) voting Republican. This was a relatively low turnout election for Greene County.

    In the most contested local race, District Attorney Gregg Griggers won the Democratic nomination for the 17th Judicial Circuit position, currently held by Judge Eddie Hardaway, who was age limited from running and required to retire.

    In Greene County, Griggers received 1,061 (61%) votes to 682 (39%) for Attorney Rob Lee. In the three-county district (Greene, Sumter, and Marengo) Griggers polled 4,940 (64%) to 2,799 (36%) for Rob Lee. In Sumter County, Lee won by a margin of 976 (51%) to 945 (49%) for Griggers. In Marengo County, Griggers received 2,934 (72%) to 1,141 (28%) for Lee.

    In the Greene County Democratic Primary for President, Joe Biden led with 1,458 (87%) to 78 votes for Dean Phillips and 140 votes for Uncommitted. Joe Biden also won the state’s Democratic delegates.

    In the Republican Presidential Primary, in Greene County, Donald Trump led with 191 (91%) to 17 for Nikki Haley and 3 for Uncommitted.
    Trump won the state of Alabama by more than 80% of the votes.

    In Greene County, incumbent U. S. Representative Terri Sewell won the Democratic nomination by 1,623 (94%) of the votes to 105 for challenger Chris Davis. Sewell was also nominated district wide for her Congressional position. She will be running against Christian Horn who won the Republican nomination against Robin Litaker.

    For Statewide Amendment No. 1, allowing the Alabama Legislature to vote on local bills before the budget is completed, won by 1,056 (61%) to 690 (39%) in Greene County but lost narrowly statewide (50.8% to 49.2%) in unofficial returns available this morning.

    In the new 2nd District Congressional race, there will be a run-off on April 16, 2024, in both the Democratic and Republican parties. In the Democratic Primary, Shomari Figures leads with 24,825 (44%) votes to 12,774 (22%) for Anthony Daniels, out of a total of 57,129 votes cast. Figures and Daniels will be in the Democratic runoff.

    In the Republican Primary, out of 56,968 votes cast, Dick Brewbaker led with 22,556 (40%) votes to 15,075 (27%) for Caroleen Dobson. They will meet in the Republican runoff.

    It is interesting to note that Democrats received only 161 more total votes in this race than the Republican field. Despite the victory in re-districting this Alabama 2nd Congressional District, to allow for a Black Democrat to win, the district will be highly contested through the November General Election and whoever wins the primaries will need to keep campaigning to win in November.