Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Southern Appalachia

 

Jesus, Jesus, rest your head.
You have got a manger bed.
All the evil folk on earth,
Sleep in feathers at their birth.

 

(But) Jesus, Jesus, rest your head.
You have got a manger bed.
Have you heard about our Jesus?
Have you heard about his fate?
How his mother came to the stable,
On that Christmas Eve so late?
Winds were blowing.
Cows were lowing.
Stars were glowing, glowing, glowing.
Jesus, Jesus, rest your head.
You have got a manger bed.
—Kentucky folk carol; collected by John Jacob Niles: 1912-1913 and 1932-1934
http://www.appalachianhistory.net/

Republican Party Racism in Alabama - House Speaker Mike Hubbard denounced U.S. Voting Rights Act

Republican Party racism in Alabama - House Speaker Mike Hubbard denounced U.S. Voting Rights Act.

ACLU and NAACP requested UN Observers to monitor U.S. Election polls due to Republican Party racial discrimination.

"Alabama Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard is, in protest of the monitors’ presence preparing legislation to have all poll watchers in Alabama hold U.S. citizenship. “It’s bad enough that Alabama remains trapped under the provisions of the Voting Rights Act,” Hubbard said “So we certainly don’t need anyone from the United Nations coming into our state and meddling in our elections, as well.” http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/10/23/1063651/conservatives-panic-election-monitors/?mobile=nc

Unfortunately with people such as Mike Hubbard and the other racists in the Republican Party we do need poll watchers.

Federal Law forced Alabama to end racist practices in State Government and its laws. Unfortunately racist action words remain in Alabama's Constitution. We have ignorant political representatives such as Hubbard who denounce Equal Opportunity Laws.

Other Republican racists link removal of racist words and past law in Alabama's Constitution with removal of other rights of the people, such as public education rights placed on the line in the recent Alabama Amendment 4. Republican State Senator Arthur Orr is responsible for that racist attempt at removing the public education rights of children. http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20121028/NEWS02/310280012/Amendment-4-Alabama-voters-get-final-say-segregation-wording-constitution The actions of racists in Alabama point toward the formation of fascist policy making within the Alabama Republican Party. The right wing Alabama Republican extremists have demonstrated their penchant for racism and fascism.

We also have local politicians who have removed citizens right to vote for their county commission. Rights to vote removed under the excuse of costs. All the while elected officials in Jackson County Alabama vote themselves large pay increases.

A local act was submitted by the local legislative delegation, Republican majority, per request of the out going commission, questionable Democrats, and approved by a minority number of total voters casting ballots. 7,136 did not vote on this local Constitutional Amendment. 8,889 voted to remove voting rights compared with 4,996 voted to preserve their right to vote on county commissioners when they can not serve their term of office. The law allows the governor to appoint a county commissioner for whatever reason the elected official cannot serve their term in office. Previous law allowed voters to choose by vote empty county commissioner positions over one year in length; under a year remaining in office the Governor would appoint.

This act was passed out of ignorance and hatred by Republicans for former Senator Lowell Barron, the state senator who was responsible for the old law which established the citizens right to choose by vote an empty county commissioner's position.

STAND UP FOR ALABAMA say Alabama Republicans today, parroting the racist mantra of George Wallace. Unfortunately yesterday and today the phrase does not mean stand for equal opportunity for the people of Alabama. A letter from Governor Wallace's  daughter: http://blog.locustfork.net/2012/11/alabama-republicans-adopt-famous-racist-slogan-of-george-wallace/

Map lays out racist election tweets, most originated from southeast

Mississippi and Alabama point of origin for highest ratio of bigoted hate speech on Twitter following election. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/map-pinpoints-election-online-hate-tweets-article-1.1199402#ixzz2BwieHNwP

Map of the Location Quotients for Post Election Racist Tweets

Click here to access an interactive version of the map at GeoCommons

Native American Heritage Month

Mississippian era Native American River Village by Rucker-courtesy of the National Park Service. http://www.nps.gov/seac/outline/05-mississippian/index.htm

The month of November is Native American Heritage Month. The Library of Congress web information about the history of this event: "What started at the turn of the century as an effort to gain a day of recognition for the significant contributions the first Americans made to the establishment and growth of the U.S., has resulted in a whole month being designated for that purpose."

"One of the very proponents of an American Indian Day was Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian, who was the director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, N.Y. He persuaded the Boy Scouts of America to set aside a day for the "First Americans" and for three years they adopted such a day. In 1915, the annual Congress of the American Indian Association meeting in Lawrence, Kans., formally approved a plan concerning American Indian Day. It directed its president, Rev. Sherman Coolidge, an Arapahoe, to call upon the country to observe such a day. Coolidge issued a proclamation on Sept. 28, 1915, which declared the second Saturday of each May as an American Indian Day and contained the first formal appeal for recognition of Indians as citizens."

"The year before this proclamation was issued, Red Fox James, a Blackfoot Indian, rode horseback from state to state seeking approval for a day to honor Indians. On December 14, 1915, he presented the endorsements of 24 state governments at the White House. There is no record, however, of such a national day being proclaimed."

"The first American Indian Day in a state was declared on the second Saturday in May 1916 by the governor of New York. Several states celebrate the fourth Friday in September. In Illinois, for example, legislators enacted such a day in 1919. Presently, several states have designated Columbus Day as Native American Day, but it continues to be a day we observe without any recognition as a national legal holiday."

"In 1990 President George H. W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 "National American Indian Heritage Month." Similar proclamations, under variants on the name (including "Native American Heritage Month" and "National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month") have been issued each year since 1994."
http://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/

Honoring and Citizenship: Early Advocates - with time line http://www.bia.gov/DocumentLibrary/HeritageMonth/index.htm

Our Alabama Native American History, Moundville



University of Alabama Video


More about Alabama Archaeology: http://www.alabamaarchaeology.org/pubs/SB49-4-2007.PDF

In October of this year American Indian Movement activist Russell Means passed away after a long fight with cancer. The LRI offers this tribute to Wanbli Ohitika, Brave Eagle .

Wiki's bio of Wanbli Ohitika, Brave Eagle: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Means

GOP Political Tactics Attempt to Disenfranchise Minority Voters

(Vote Thieves - courtesy of The Black Commentator: http://www.blackcommentator.com/119/119_cover_vote_thieves.html )

GOP claims of massive voter fraud concerning the Democrats unfounded: http://www.brennancenter.org/content/resource/policy_brief_on_the_truth_about_voter_fraud/

The Republican Party has waged a campaign of deceit and racist tactics nationwide. Now their tactics include criminal activity.

There are various news stories around the nation about the Republican Party's concern over voter fraud. A closer look reveals it is the Republican Party who is stealing the vote and committing the most un-American of activities: voter disenfranchisement, misrepresentation and voter fraud, as depicted in the reports below.

GOP operatives claim to be public officials: http://www.politicususa.com/pretty-mormon-girl-evidence-gop-voter-fraud-colorado-springs.html

Interfering with voter rights: http://www.opednews.com/articles/Why-we-fight-to-prevent-st-by-Harvey-Wasserman-121101-259.html

GOP cuts ties with firm after spending millions for their corrupted, shady services. http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-republicans-voter-fraud-florida-20120927,0,5472858.story

GOP voter fraud spreading nationwide: http://elections.americablog.com/2012/09/gop-voter-fraud-scandal-in-florida-spreads-statewide-possibly-nationwide.html

Republican Party operatives arrested - voter registrations found in dumpster: http://elections.americablog.com/2012/10/gop-contractor-arrested-for-vote-fraud-in-pa.html

Widespread election fraud by GOP - electronic voting machine tampering: http://www.addictinginfo.org/2012/10/27/gop-rigging-elections-for-romney/

Ohio voting machines have untested patch installed one week before the election. http://nomorestolenelections.org/news/free-press-ohios-voting-machines-have-experimental-patch-installed-week-election

Hispanic American Heritage Month

"Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America.
The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988, on the approval of Public Law 100-402."

"The day of September 15 is significant because it is the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. In addition, Mexico and Chile celebrate their independence days on September 16 and September18, respectively. Also, Columbus Day or Día de la Raza, which is October 12, falls within this 30 day period."
http://hispanicheritagemonth.gov/about/

The Attacks Against Women Continue

WOMEN'S RIGHTS UNDER ATTACK
How can a criminal assert rights to that which was a result of a criminal act? That is like saying a thief has the rights to the items he stole. This is a horror story today, a day which is Womens  Equality Day. This is a story of the misapplication of law in a society which actively discriminates against women and the Republican Party wages a "WAR ON WOMEN." http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/22/opinion/prewitt-rapist-visitation-rights/index.html

THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST WOMEN NewYork Times Report

• ABORTION On Thursday, a House subcommittee denied the District of Columbia’s Democratic delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, a chance to testify at a hearing called to promote a proposed federal ban on nearly all abortions in the District 20 weeks after fertilization. The bill flouts the Roe v. Wade standard of fetal viability.  

• ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE Governor Brewer also recently signed a bill eliminating public funding for Planned Parenthood. Arizona law already barred spending public money on abortions, which are in any case a small part of the services that Planned Parenthood provides. The new bill denies the organization public money for nonabortion services, like cancer screening and family planning, often the only services of that kind available to poor women.  

• EQUAL PAY Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, the epicenter of all kinds of punitive and regressive legislation, signed the repeal of a 2009 law that allowed women and others to bring lawsuits in state courts against pay discrimination, instead of requiring them to be heard as slower and more costly federal cases. It also stiffened penalties for employers found guilty of discrimination.   

• DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Last month, the Senate approved a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, designed to protect victims of domestic and sexual abuse and bring their abusers to justice. The disappointing House bill omits new protections for gay, Indian, student and immigrant abuse victims that are contained in the bipartisan Senate bill. It also rolls back protections for immigrant women whose status is dependent on a spouse, making it more likely that they will stay with their abusers, at real personal risk, and ends existing protections for undocumented immigrants who report abuse and cooperate with law enforcement to pursue the abuser. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/20/opinion/sunday/the-attack-on-women-is-real.html

Republican politicians attempt to intrude into womens lives. 

• "Republican politicians seem to want to redefine rape and classify it into categories, which are simply not going to sound very well to rape victims and most women in the U.S."  http://www.opednews.com/articles/1/War-on-women-and-the-self-by-Gregory-Patin-120822-771.html
•   Rep. Todd Akin's ignorance is hardly unique: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/26/4757972/leonard-pitts-jr-akins-ignorance.html 
• Reproductive Health Laws Prove GOP 'War on Women' Is No Fiction: http://www.usnews.com/debate-club/is-there-a-republican-war-on-women/reproductive-health-laws-prove-gop-war-on-women-is-no-fiction

Scottsboro Boys Back in the News- From the Birmingham News, "Pardons sought for the remaining defendants in Scottsboro Boys case"

Original Photo Entitled "Enjoying Their Freedom," July 26, 1937: Samuel B. Leibowitz and the 4 Scottsboro Case defendants wave farewell as they leave for New York after viewing a movie in Cincinnatti, Ohio. The four which were freed: Eugene Williams, Roy Wright, Willie Roberson and Olen Montgomery. ( photograph owned by G.L Morgan)

Scottsboro Boys Museum is housed in the oldest standing African American Church in Jackson County Alabama, Joyce Chapel. (photo by G. Morgan)

Early Community Resistance

Arson threats were received via Advance Internet web forums, quote: "we will burn the museum once you get it built, (December 2009)" was the threat. Police reports were filed, the local District Attorney's Office was contacted, no formal investigation was initiated. The Chamber of Commerce Tourism Director, who supported the museum project, was harassed for his support.

Scottsboro Boys Museum Founders

Ms. Sheila Washington, Director and Board of Director member (photo by G. Morgan)

Rev. Gary Speers, former Board of Director-resigned (photo by G. Morgan)

Mr. Cliff Parrish, former Board of Director- resigned (photo by G. Morgan)

Ms. Kim Speers, former Board of Director-resigned (photo by G. Morgan)

Mr. Charles Elliot, Board of Director member (photo by G. Morgan)

Ms. Louise Tolliver, Board of Director member, one of the original founders, standing next to State Representative John Robinson.(photo by G. Morgan)

 

The Clarion article by Danielle Wallingsford: http://www.theclarion.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4853:exoneration-movement-for-scottsboro-boys-underway&catid=42:clarion-rotation-stories&Itemid=142

"The Jackson County Legislative Delegation has gotten on board with the pardon efforts as well. Representative John Robinson said, “It’s been a long time coming, it’s been a stigma on Scottsboro. There has been a lot of injustice and it’s time to get it over with. This is the last good thing we can do for those nine men who were sent to prison and sentenced to death.” In February, Representative Robinson will introduce a bill to the House for the pardon of the Scottsboro Boys, and Senator McGill will present it to the Senate. “The governor supports it and as far as I know it’s going to be a partisan effort,” Robinson said."

 

No ladies and gentleman, a "pardon" is not the last thing we can do. Education is a never ending effort. It is the facts of the case which must be constantly revealed and taught in our schools and our community.

 

A pardon is to forgive, exactly who is being pardoned, whites burdened with a racist past? It is certainly not the Scottsboro Defendants which deserve a pardon, they were innocent. How are you going to pardon innocent folks?

 

To whatever extent politicians and glory seekers try, they can never reverse the past. The purpose of history is to study and learn from it so we will not repeat the mistakes of those who have came before us. Not utilize the suffering of those who were victimized by racism to create publicity.

 

How much money will be spent in a state strapped for cash by glory seekers attempting to erase historical guilt and possibly violate a separation of judicial and legislative powers?

 

Excerpts from The Birmingham News

http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/08/pardons_sought_for_the_remaini.html#incart_river_default

"Sheila Washington, founder of the Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center, this week asked Gov. Robert Bentley to clear the names of eight of the nine defendants wrongly convicted of raping two white women in 1931. "They were done wrong, and justice should be corrected," Washington said."

"Her quest has won support from professors, lawyers and legislators. Her letter to Bentley, dated Aug. 15, is co-signed by more than a dozen people, most of them affiliated with universities."

Pardon and Parole Board response: ""We don't grant pardons posthumously," said Greg Griffin, the agency's top lawyer. "We don't have the authority to do it." "

"Washington turned her efforts to Bentley, asking for a pardon even though she believes the term doesn't go far enough. "When you're pardoned, that means you did something wrong," she said. "I prefer the word exonerate." " http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2012/08/pardons_sought_for_the_remaini.html#incart_river_default

PARDON - POLITICS OR PUBLICITY GRAB??
How will the Republicans and Democrats react to this political request?

Relatives of the Scottsboro Defendants could ask Governor Bentley for a Pardon, there is a precedent, although the specifics of this law may not pertain: http://nuweb9.neu.edu/civilrights/pardons-in-the-united-states/ and http://law.justia.com/codes/alabama/2009/Title15/Chapter22/15-22-91.html

Here is a link concerning Pardons in Alabama: http://www.pardon411.com/wiki/Alabama_Pardon_Information

The case which most Americans refer to as the Scottsboro Boys case was a travesty of justice. It was also a demonstration that good people do exist and are willing to stand up for what is right. "The Scottsboro Boys Case" is a legal and historical lesson which some have yet to learn.

UPDATE: August 17 & August 21, 2012- Scottsboro, Al. It appears there is a coalition to pass through the Alabama Legislature a Special Act involving a "Pardon" for "The Scottsboro Boys." Reports indicate this move is supported by many politicians. But is this justice, or a feel good measure to say, "see we are good and righted a wrong." That is an indication of irresponsible government. What is criminal justice without punishment for those who commit the crime?

The crime in this case is not on the part of the Scottsboro Defendants but on the part of racists who caused great suffering on the part of the Scottsboro Defendants and their families. The crime of False Imprisonment and a Violation of Constitutional Rights as a result of personal and institutional racism.

Republican Political support: This so called "Pardon" also gives Republicans in Alabama a chance to say, "see we are not a bunch of racists, we just bash the black President at every opportunity by a pack of lies. We'll make it all better now with this faux attempt at justice," extreme sarcasm intended.


Justice and correction: When or if the Legislature passes this feel good law, the remaining survivors of the Scottsboro Boys should be adequately compensated for wrongful imprisonment and a violation of the defendants Constitutional Rights. $1 million dollars for each year served in prison, by each of the defendants. Paid to and between the surviving next of kin. In the case of no next of kin, the funds should be paid into the Alabama indigent legal defense fund.

According to the Innocence Project, there are 27 states that provide compensation for wrongful imprisonments, Alabama is not one of the states. The State Legislature as an honor to the Scottsboro Defendants should pass a Wrongfully Convicted Compensation Act. http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/Compensating_The_Wrongly_Convicted.php

Who should pay the punitive and corrective damages, Jackson County 50% and the State of Alabama 50%? If the defendant died in prison or as a result of the false imprisonment, the additional punitive award of $10 million dollars should be paid per death. That would be a case of responsible justice, not some feel good measure of "bleeding heart liberal white folks," publicity grabbers and politicians seeking glory. The estimated total punitive or compensatory damages which should be paid to the survivors or the indigent justice fund would be between $70 and $80 million dollars plus interest on the monetary award for each surviving relative.

My Letter to the Daily Sentinel concerning the "faux pardon." http://thedailysentinel.com/opinion/letters_to_editor/article_cd5a372e-ed29-11e1-ac96-001a4bcf887a.html

Womens Equality Day, August 26, 2012

Women’s Equality Day commemorates the day when women in America were given full voting rights
under the U.S. Constitution by the passage of the 19th Amendment.
http://www.deomi.org/downloadableFiles/Womens_Equality_Day_2012_Smith.pdf

Women's Suffrage A "rock & roll "video telling a story about Womens suffrage. Set to "Bad Romance" by Lady GaGa.



August 26th is the anniversary of national woman suffrage. Across the seventy-two years between the first major women’s rights conference at Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848, and the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, thousands of people participated in marches through cities like New York and Washington DC, wrote editorials and pamphlets, gave speeches all over the nation, lobbied political organizations, and held demonstrations with the goal of achieving voting rights for women. Women also picketed the White House with questions like, “Mr. President, what are you going to do about woman’s suffrage?” “Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?” This was the first time in history that a group of people picketed the White House.

The woman suffrage amendment was introduced for the first time to the United States Congress on January 10, 1878. It was re-submitted numerous times until finally in June 1919 the amendment received approval from both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Over the following year the suffragists spent their time lobbying states in order to have the amendment ratified by the required two-thirds of the states. On August 24th, Tennessee, the final state needed for ratification, narrowly signed the approval by one vote. The vote belonged to Harry Burn, who heeded the words of his mother when she urged him to vote yes on suffrage. The U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby signed the amendment into law on August 26, 1920.

Fifty years later on August 26th, 1970, Betty Friedan and the National Organization of Women (NOW) organized a nationwide Women’s Strike for Equality. Women across the political spectrum joined together to demand equal opportunities in employment, education, and twenty-four hour child-care centers. This was the largest protest for gender equality in U.S. history. There were demonstrations and rallies in more than ninety major cities and small towns across the country and over 100,000 women participated, including 50,000 who marched down Fifth Avenue in New York City.

Several other acts occurred on that day to help the cause and prompt more press coverage on the women’s movement. For example, women in New York City took over the Statue of Liberty. In preparation, several women climbed up to measure the wind velocity. Later they returned to the Statue with two forty-foot banners to hang from the crown. One read: “March on August 26 for Equality.” The other: “Women of the World Unite.” An organized group stopped the ticker tape at the American Stock Exchange, and they held signs with slogans like, “We won’t bear any more bull.” Another action taken during the day was a lawsuit filed against the New York City Board of Education to gain equality for women in educational administration. The case lasted about ten years and finally resulted in a larger increase in female principals.

While the strike did not halt the activities of the nation, it drew national attention to the women’s rights movement. For example, The New York Times published their first major article on the feminist movement by covering the events of the day. It even included a map of the route the marchers took through New York City.

The following year in 1971, Representative Bella Abzug (D-NY) introduced a bill designating August 26th of each year as Women’s Equality Day and the bill passed. Part of the bill reads that Women’s Equality Day is a symbol of women’s continued fight for equal rights and that the United States commends and supports them. It decreed that the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation annually in commemoration of woman suffrage and the 1970 Strike for Equality. Women today continue to draw on the history of these brave and determined women.
Find Equality Day resources on the National Women’s History Project’s Web site

Military veteran fired-Issues: Discrimination, nursing in uniform, attack on women and poor military leadership.

Photo - Brynja Sigurdardottir Facebook page, from "strollerderby" http://blogs.babble.com/strollerderby/2012/05/31/photo-of-military-moms-breastfeeding-causes-controversy-although-im-not-sure-why/

A recent photo has resulted in the photographers employer firing the photographer. The photography depicts nursing military mothers, in uniform, providing food for their child. More on the story: http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/woman-behind-controversial-military-breastfeeding-photo-fired-her-164900839.html

A related story concerning the nursing mothers photographed. Nursing mothers reprimanded, military officials claim photographs and related press releases concerning the issue is political campaigning in uniform which is illegal: "Terran Echegoyen-McCabe, a member of the Air National Guard, was photographed in uniform nursing her 10-month-old twin daughters. Sitting next to her, also nursing, is Christina Luna. Both Luna and Echegoyen-McCabe live and work at the Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane." Link to the story: http://www.csmonitor.com/The-Culture/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0601/Breastfeeding-moms-in-military-uniforms-reprimanded-video

ABC NEWS VIDEO about issue.

National Equality Observance Themes, Courtesy of Department of Defense Equal Opportunity Institute-DEOMI

Americans represent many cultures and backgrounds, celebrate our diversity.

National Observance Themes	Date	Source/Theme
Martin Luther King’s Birthday	16 January 2012	National and Department of Defense USD (P&R) Theme  Source: The King Center  Remember! Celebrate! Act!  A Day On, Not A Day Off!! (This theme does not change.)
African American/Black History Month	1-29 February 2012	National and Department of Defense USD (P&R) Theme  Source: Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)  Black Women in American Culture and History
Women’s History Month	1-31 March 2012	National and Department of Defense USD (P&R) Theme  Source: Women’s History Project  Women’s Education – Women’s Empowerment
Holocaust Remembrance Day  Days of Remembrance	19 April 2012  15-22 April 2012	National and Department of Defense USD (P&R) Theme  Source: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum  Choosing to Act: Stories of Rescue
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month	1-31 May 2012	National and Department of Defense USD (P&R) Theme  Source: Federal Asian Pacific American Council  Striving for Excellence in Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion
Women’s Equality Day	26 August 2012	National and Department of Defense USD (P&R) Theme  Source: Women’s History Project  Celebrating Women's Right to Vote (This theme does not change.)
Hispanic Heritage Month	15 September-  15 October 2012	National and Department of Defense USD (P&R) Theme  Source: National Council of Hispanic Employment Program Managers  Diversity United, Building America’s Future Today
National Disability Employment Awareness Month	1-31 October 2012	National and Department of Defense USD (P&R) Theme  Source: Department of Labor  A Strong Workforce is an Inclusive Workforce: What Can YOU Do?
National American Indian Heritage Month	1-30 November 2012	Department of Defense USD (P&R) Theme  Source: Society of American Indian Government Employees (SAIGE)  Serving Our People, Serving Our Nations: Native Visions for Future Generations

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

April is sexual assault awareness month, Presidential Proclamation: NATIONAL SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS AND PREVENTION MONTH, 2012 - BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICAA PROCLAMATION - "Though we have come far in the fight to reduce sexual violence, the prevalence of sexual assault remains an affront to our national conscience that we cannot ignore.  This month, we stand with survivors of sexual assault, join together to break the silence, and recommit to ending this devastating crime." Read more at www.WhiteHouse.gov/1is2many  and   National Sexual violence Research Center

Dr. Martin Luther King Assassinated 44 Years Ago Today

"Freedom Democracy and opportunity for all" - "Dr. King championed a movement that draws fully from the deep well of America's potential for freedom, opportunity, and justice. His vision of America is captured in his message of hope and possibility for a future anchored in dignity, sensitivity, and mutual respect; a message that challenges each of us to recognize that America's true strength lies in its diversity of talents. The vision of a memorial in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. is one that captures the essence of his message, a message in which he so eloquently affirms the commanding tenants of the American Dream — Freedom, Democracy and Opportunity for All; a noble quest that gained him the Nobel Peace Prize and one that continues to influence people and societies throughout the world. Upon reflection, we are reminded that Dr. King's lifelong dedication to the idea of achieving human dignity through global relationships of well being has served to instill a broader and deeper sense of duty within each of us— a duty to be both responsible citizens and conscientious stewards of freedom and democracy." The Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial 

Jackson County Election - Vote Tabulation Problems?

Election Results link from the Daily Sentinel:  http://thedailysentinel.com/news/article_c1348302-6d7f-11e1-b546-001871e3ce6c.html

Problems were encountered with the Unity electronic display. Seems there was an official that was not aware of how to work the equipment. Persons who regularly operated the equipment could not do so as they were running for office, a lack of training was evident. Another disturbing question - some persons appeared to have inside information concerning the voting boxes in outlying areas (Stevenson & Bridgeport) before they were posted, which raised questions of why and how did that come about?

Voting Results - reported to be absentee tabulations. Some members of the press seem to be given access to this data while others were not. There was considerable confusion.

 Problems with the equipment.

By 9PM it began to come together.

Dennis Miller wins the Democrat primary.

Ken Ferrill wins the Jackson County Circuit Court race. Now he can deal with the County Commission attempting to move the court records without his permission. Daily Sentinel article

http://thedailysentinel.com/news/article_dbb0a210-6ac3-11e1-abe2-0019bb2963f4.html

Jackson County Voters League Endorsements for County Elections - Democrat Party

Jackson County Voters League Endorsements for County Elections - Democrat Party

Vote on March 13, 2012

 Sadie Bias

 Jonathan Colvin County Commission District 1

Felix Jackson, County Commission District 2

 Dennis Miller, County Commission District 3

 Ken Harding, County Schools Superintendent

 Donna Haislip, Probate Judge

Women's History Month - March 2012

2012 National Women’s History Month Theme: Womens Education-Women's Empowerment

Department of Defense Theme Poster for Womens History Month (Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute -DEOMI)

March is Women's History Month. In Jackson County we have realized many firsts relating to women's history. The first female Circuit Court Judge in Jackson County, Judge Jennifer Holt. Judge Holt took office on October the 1st, 1996. Judge Holt is also the first female to open a law practice in Jackson County Alabama - 1984. Our first female Jackson County Commission Chairperson, Ms. Sadie Bias http://www.jacksoncountyal.com/commission.html and the first female Scottsboro High School Principle, Ms. Cathy Hughes http://shs.scottsboroschools.net/?PageName='PrincipalsCorner' If anyone is aware of more firsts for women in Jackson County please list them in the comment section of this blog.

"Women’s History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1981 when Congress passed Pub. L. 97-28 which authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982 as “Women’s History Week." Throughout the next five years, Congress continued to pass joint resolutions designating a week in March as "Women’s History Week." In 1987 after being petitioned by the National Women’s History Project, Congress passed Pub. L. 100-9 which designated the month of March 1987 as “Women’s History Month." Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month. Since 1995, Presidents Clinton, Bush and Obama have issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.” " http://womenshistorymonth.gov/index.html

From the Law Library of Congress' guide to the legislative history of Women's History Month.

Womens History Month Slide Show: http://www.historypin.com/collections/slideshow/id/8691041/

"The equal opportunity to learn, taken for granted by most young women today, owes much to Title IX of the Education Codes of the Higher Education Act Amendments. This legislation, passed in 1972 and enacted in 1977, prohibited gender discrimination by federally funded institutions. It has become the primary tool for women's fuller participation in all aspects of education from scholarships, to facilities, to classes formerly closed to women. Indeed, it transformed the educational landscape of the United States within the span of a generation." http://www.nwhp.org/whm/index.php

There is another bit of local history involving a local lady which I would like to tell you about. A lady and adventurer who died doing what she loved - FLYING. Although I never had the privilege of meeting Ms. Sharon Johnston, I feel like I know her through the spirit of her brothers and sister. "Sharon Johnston Park is a 250 acre park located in New Market, Al, in the northeast corner of Madison County. The Madison County Commission along with the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources entered into an agreement to dedicate Sharon Johnston Memorial Park on June 4, 1979. Sharon Johnston's family gave the park to the community in her name after her death, because it was a place she loved dearly, where her father had built a lake, worked to conserve wildlife, and had taught his children about the wonders of nature. Sharon was an aerobatics pilot, and died in a crash at the age of 31 while performing before 250,000 people at the South Weymouth (MA) Naval Air Station in 1974." I post the video below in memory of "Shannon" for Gretel.



I leave you with this notation from  Emma Willard, in her 1819 Plan for Improving Female Education, noted with derision the focus of women's "education" on fostering the display of youth and beauty, and asserted that women are "the companions, not the satellites of men"--"primary existences" whose education must prepare them to be full partners in life's journey.

Alabama Civil Rights Trail

Montgomery Protests-Martin Luther King in Montgomery (Educational usage-photo Life Magazine) 

"In Alabama, museums, bridges, churches and other sites chronicle key episodes of America's civil rights movement. Walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma during the annual Bridge Crossing, commemorating the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March. Tour the National Voting Rights Museum and visit Brown Chapel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. launched the Voting Rights Movement. Then follow the Selma-to-Montgomery National Historic Trail to Lowndes County, where antebellum history and sweeping plantation homes are juxtaposed against the backdrop of the civil rights struggle." http://www.alabama.travel/road-trips-and-trails/alabama-civil-rights-museum-trail/

Click here to download a full-color brochure of the Alabama Civil Rights Museum Trail

National Museum of African American History

- President Obama Ground Breaking at the Museum - 

The Smithsonian Institution: "Legislation was signed in 2003 establishing the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). The Museum’s building is scheduled to open on the National Mall in 2015. NMAAHC is dedicated to the collection, preservation, research, and exhibition of African American historical and cultural material reflecting the breadth and depth of the experiences of individuals of African descent living in the United States. Currently, in its pre-building phase, the museum is presenting exhibitions, producing publications, hosting public programs, and building its collections. Its growing collections include material culture, documents, and art from era of slavery, the period of Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, the civil rights movement, and more recent developments in history and culture from 1968 to the present. This is a unique opportunity for students to work with a museum-in-the-making, and to contribute to the research for its exhibitions and programs."

"The collections, exhibitions, research, publications, and educational programs serve the Museum’s basic mission: to inspire a broader understanding of African American history and culture in a national and international context. In addition to exhibitions, the Museum interprets history and culture through performances and hands on activities, as well as music from America’s past."

"The Museum's programmatic objectives are flexible enough to encourage the creation of projects tailored to students' interests and needs. The student will have opportunities to develop and engage in a variety of projects that may include oral history projects, regional history, as well as art and cultural history. Under the supervision of museum staff, there is also the opportunity to engage in curriculum development and program evaluation projects. The Museum's growing permanent collection of artifacts, archives, photographic holdings, and art offers scholars interested in African American material culture excellent opportunities for research." Smithsonian Institution, P. O. Box 37012, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

Lonnie G. Bunch, Director

Slide show from the New York Times:   A Design for the National Museum of African American History and Culture 

"Its seven levels over more than 323,000 square feet are planned to provide a sweeping history that confronts racial oppression and highlights the achievements of the famous and the everyday life of ordinary people. Its bronze and glass facade, known as the Corona, represents traditional African architecture." http://www.floridatoday.com/usatoday/article/53199204?odyssey=mod%7cnewswell%7ctext%7cnews0302%7cs

Atlanta Journal Constitution, "New black history museum rising on National Mall" http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/new-black-history-museum-1358185.html

Department of Energy Discriminates Against Georgia Minority and Poor Communities

.

During Black History month 2012 it seems a bit disingenuous that our federal government still discriminates against minority and poor people.

We have came many miles in the march toward racial and social class equality involving the laws of our nation. Unfortunately, when a comparatively small amount of money is involved with the nuclear industry involving site monitoring to protect citizens, injustice in the form of discrimination moves forward in government.

This is a reminder that racism and class discrimination are often based on financial reasons.

"ATLANTA-The Department of Energy (DOE) announced Tuesday that it does not plan to restore environmental monitoring to Georgia communities surrounding the Savannah River Site (SRS), a US nuclear weapons complex notorious for its Cold War legacy radioactive waste."

"This monitoring, which was cut in Georgia 2003, tests drinking water, rain, crops, fish, air and more near SRS in order to protect residents in poor and rural areas, including Georgia’s Burke and Screven Counties, where many people rely on water from private wells, home-grown crops and fish from the Savannah River."

"“The DOE’s obstruction to environmental monitoring in Georgia is a gross example of environmental injustice,” Bobbie Paul, Georgia WAND Executive Director said. “Radiation does not acknowledge state boundaries. The people living downwind and downstream of SRS deserve to know what’s in the water, air and food that they consume.”"
For more information on this story: http://gawand.org/2012/02/01/department-of-energy-refuses-to-restore-environmental-monitoring-to-georgia-communities-near-nuclear-site/


As one concerned citizen has stated: "Can't have any proof that the actions of [corporations] enabled by our government are killing folks, now can we?"

It seems a complaint is in order with Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. Human life and health must take precedence over department budgets.

Black History Month 2012

BLACK WOMEN IN CULTURE AND HISTORY IS THIS YEARS THEME. ( Click here to download a pdf of the summary for this year's theme. ) This year's theme honors African American women and the myriad of roles they played in the shaping of our nation. The theme, chosen by the Association for the Study of African American Life and History urges all Americans to study and reflect on the value of their contribution to the nation.  http://www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/index.html 

Who founded Black History Month? The answer:  http://www.asalh.org/aboutasalhmain.html

UPDATE: Scottsboro Boys Museum and Cultural Center Black History Month Celebration.  From The Daily Sentinel, Feb 1, 2012 -  "The guest speaker for the event was Joanne Bland, the co-founder and former director of the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute in Selma. Bland was a witness and participant in the Bloody Sunday march in 1965 and the first leg of the March from Selma to Montgomery. Along the way she witnessed brutal beatings and the shootings of fellow marchers by police. "'Bloody Sunday' was by far the worst," said Bland. "I've never forgotten that day."" Daily Sentinel Link: http://thedailysentinel.com/news/article_123e0352-4d2a-11e1-9ef3-0019bb2963f4.html
(See bottom of this post for more on the "Scottsboro Boys Case.")

(Per news reports) Scottsboro Mayor Melton Potter attended as did the Chairperson of the Jackson County Commission - Ms. Sadie Bias. Scottsboro High School Choir and the Shiloh Primitive Baptist Church Choir presented the musical program for the event.

"SO MANY STARS"


"IT IS WELL"


More about the "Scottsboro Boys Case;" the case that changed American Jurisprudence. An accurate and extensive accounting of the Scottsboro Defendents case history may be found at this link: http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scottsboro/SB_acct.html

14th amendment Section 1 in Part, "...nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/amendmentxiv   At that link one may find the rest of the 14th Amendment.

The "Scottsboro Boys Case" was a travesty of justice which must not be forgotten and which an accurate accounting of the case must be told.

The story is also one of bravery at great risk. Demonstrating a belief that American Justice can work. Such are the stories of Judge James Horton and Samuel Liebowitz.

Another part of the case involves Jackson County Sheriff Matt Wann. It is a story of an unsolved murder. Sheriff Wann stood in the door of the jail the night of the defendants arrest with a shotgun and prevented an angry mob of Klan and hate filled citizens from what some described committing "a lynching on the square." Early the next morning the National Guard arrived to provide enhanced security. Information concerning the Matt Wann case may be found at : http://scottsborostories.blogspot.com/2010/10/sheriff-matt-wann-brave-man-and-untold.html

The Supreme Court of the United States reversed 2 decisions of the Alabama Courts related to the "Scottsboro Boys" case as described below.

On Nov 7, 1932 the U.S. Supreme Court in a 7 - 2 decision ruled that the right of the defendants under the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause to competent legal counsel had been denied by the State of Alabama, Powell vs Alabama. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scottsboro/SB_powus.html

On February 15, 1935, the United States Supreme Court heard arguments in the Patterson and Norris cases. Samuel Leibowitz argued that the convictions should be overturned because Alabama excluded blacks from its jury rolls in violation of the equal protection clause of the Constitution. (Equal Protection Clause, 14th Amendment: http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/Equal_protection

The second U.S. Supreme Court decision, April 1, 1935 - Norris vs Alabama, unanimously held that the Alabama system of jury selection was unconstitutional and reversed the convictions of Norris and Patterson. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/FTrials/scottsboro/SB_norus.html

More information about the case may be found at the University of Missouri at Kansas City web site where Professor Douglas O. Linder and students have compiled one of the most definitive and extensive data bases on the "Scottsboro Boys" Trials. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scottsboro/scottsb.htm