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January 28, 2012

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January 28, 2012

Kaylin NeCole Pearson

Topic »: Living Tributes — Leave a comment

PAMPA — Kaylin NeCole Pearson, 19, of Pampa died Sunday, January 22, 2012.

Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, January 28, 2012 in Macedonia Baptist Church with the Rev. Wesly Smith officiating. Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery. Arrangements are by Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors of Pampa.

Miss Pearson was born July 8, 1992, in Pampa. She was a member of Macedonia Baptist Church.

Survivors include her mother, Kennye Pearson of Pampa; her fiance, Abraham Dolleh of Amarillo; a sister, Crystal Williams of Amarillo; and a grandmother, Cleo Spencer of Pampa.

The family suggests memorials be to Macedonia Baptist Church, 411 Elm Ave., Pampa, TX 79065.

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January 27, 2012

Our Recent History: Dr. Mae Jemison

Topic »: Black History — Tags: , — Leave a comment

Chemical engineer, scientist, physician, teacher and astronaut, Dr. Mae Jemison has a wide range of experience in technology, engineering, and medical research. In addition to her extensive background in science, she is well-versed in African and African-American Studies, speaks fluent Russian, Japanese, and Swahili, as well as English and is trained in dance and choreography.

On October 17, 1956, the city of Decatur, AL saw the birth of a remarkable woman, Mae Jemison. The youngest of three children born to Charlie Jemison, a maintenance worker and his wife, Dorothy, a teacher, Mae moved with her family to Chicago at the age of three.

Mae Jemison’s Education:

After graduating from Morgan Park High School in 1973 at the age of 16, Dr. Mae Jemison earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University, while also fulfilling the requirements for a BA in African-American Studies. After earning these degrees in 1977, she attended Cornell University and received a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1981. During medical school she traveled to Cuba, Kenya and Thailand, providing primary medical care to people living there.

Demonstrating her compassion, Dr. Mae Jemison served in the Peace Corps, from January 1983 to June 1985. She shared her abilities in Sierra Leone and Liberia, West Africa as the area Peace Corps medical officer. Among her duties, she supervised the pharmacy, laboratory, medical staff as well as provided medical care, wrote self-care manuals, developed and implemented guidelines for health and safety issues. Also working in conjunction with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) she helped with research for various vaccines.

Applying to NASA’s Astronaut Program:

Upon completion of her Peace Corps duties, Dr. Mae Jemison returned to the US, accepting a position with the CIGNA Health Plans of California as a general practitioner in Los Angeles, California. Having a desire to do more with her life, she enrolled in graduate classes in engineering and applied to NASA for admission to the astronaut program. She was turned down on her first application, but persevered and in 1987 was accepted on her second application. She became one of the fifteen candidates accepted from over 2,000 applicants.

When Dr. Mae Jemison successfully completed her astronaut training program in August 1988, she became the fifth black astronaut and the first black female astronaut in NASA history. Her technical assignments included: launch support activities at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida; verification of Shuttle computer software in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL), Science Support Group activities.

Dr. Mae Jemison was the science mission specialist on STS-47 Spacelab-J (September 12-20, 1992). STS-47 was a cooperative mission between the United States and Japan. The eight-day mission was accomplished in 127 orbits of the Earth, and included 44 Japanese and U.S. life science and materials processing experiments. Dr. Mae Jemison was a co-investigator on the bone cell research experiment flown on the mission. The Endeavour and her crew launched from and returned to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In completing her first space flight, Dr. Mae Jemison logged 190 hours, 30 minutes, 23 seconds in space, making her the first African-American woman in space.

She says, “I had to learn very early not to limit myself due to others’ limited imaginations. I have learned these days never to limit anyone else due to my limited imagination.” Dr. Mae C Jemison Website

In 1993, Dr. Mae Jemison resigned from NASA and founded the Jemison Group, Inc. to research, develop and implement advanced technologies suited to the social, political, cultural and economic context of the individual, especially for the developing world. Current projects include: Alpha, (TM) a satellite based telecommunication system to improve health care in West Africa; and The Earth We Share, (TM) an international science camp for students ages 12 to 16, that utilizes an experiential curriculum. Among her current projects are several that focus on improving healthcare in Africa. she is also a professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth College.

Dr. Mae Jemison is the host and a technical consultant to “World of Wonders” series produced by GRB Entertainment and seen weekly on the Discovery Channel. She feels very honored by the establishment (1992) of the MAE C. JEMISON ACADEMY, an alternative public school in Detroit.

STS-47 Mission Specialist Mae Jemison appears to be clicking her heels in zero gravity in the center aisle of the Spacelab Japan (SLJ) science module aboard the Earth-orbiting Endeavour, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 105. Making her only flight in space, Jemison was joined by five other NASA astronauts and a Japanese payload specialist for eight days of research in support of the SLJ mission, a joint effort between Japan and United States.

Awards and honors she has received include Essence Award (1988), Gamma Sigma Gamma Women of the Year (1989), Honorary Doctorate of Science, Lincoln College, PA (1991), Honorary Doctor of Letters, Winston-Salem, NC (1991), McCall’s 10 Outstanding Women for the 90′s (1991), Pumpkin Magazine’s (a Japanese Monthly) One of the Women for the Coming New Century (1991), Johnson Publications Black Achievement Trailblazers Award (1992), Mae C. Jemison Science and Space Museum, Wright Jr. College, Chicago, (dedicated 1992), Ebony’s 50 Most Influential women (1993), Turner Trumpet Award (1993), and Montgomery Fellow, Dartmouth (1993), Kilby Science Award (1993), Induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame (1993), People magazine’s 1993 “50 Most Beautiful People in the World”; CORE Outstanding Achievement Award; National Medical Association Hall of Fame.

Dr. Mae Jemison is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Science; Association of Space Explorers: Honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; board of Directors of Scholastic, Inc.; Board of Directors of Houston’s UNICEF; Board of Trustees Spelman College; Board of Directors Aspen Institute; board of Directors Keystone Center; and the National Research Council Space Station Review Committee. She has presented at the UN and internationally on the uses of space technology, was the subject of a PBS Documentary, THE NEW EXPLORERS; ENDEAVOUR by Kurtis Production and appeared in an episode of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION.

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January 27, 2012

Wanda Faye Flanagan

Topic »: Living Tributes — 1 Comment

Wanda Faye Flanagan, 55, of Amarillo died Saturday, January 21, 2012.

Services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, January 28, 2011 in St. John Baptist Church with the Rev. Vurn Martin, pastor of Greater Mount Olive Baptist Church, officiating. Burial will be in Llano Cemetery. Arrangements are by Warford-Walker Mortuary, 509 N. Hughes St.

Wanda was born May 21, 1956, in Post. She attended Hilltop Elementary, Horace Mann Junior High and Palo Duro High School. She was employed at Olsen Manor Nursing Home and was a member of Greater Mount Olive Baptist Church.

Survivors include her husband, Richard Flanagan; a son, Antonio Flanagan and wife Imelda of Amarillo; her parents, Doris Martin of Amarillo and Raymond McQueen of Oakland, Calif.; eight sisters, Brenda Jackson and husband James, Janice Hunnicutt and husband Keith, Tina Joyce and Darlene Martin, all of Amarillo, Bridget Young and husband Harry of Hollywood, Calif., Penny Don-Pedro of Portland, Ore., and Mildred Henderson of Terrell; three brothers, Glen Martin Lester of Amarillo, Marcuss Woodruff of Los Angeles and Gabriel MacDonald of Oakland; and three grandchildren, Kaled, Antonaisha and Antonious Diego, all of Amarillo.

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January 26, 2012

Kreniece R. “Shirley” Johns

Topic »: Living Tributes — 1 Comment

Kreniece R. “Shirley” Johns, 19, of Amarillo died Sunday, January 22, 2012.

Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday, January 27, 2012 in Greater Love Temple Church with the Rev. Jackie Riles, pastor, and the Rev. Thomas McClendon officiating. Burial will be in Llano Cemetery. Arrangements are by Golden Gate Mortuary, 1416 N. Hughes St.

Kreniece R. “Shirley” Johns was born August 8, 1992, in Amarillo. She attended Horace Mann Middle School and Palo Duro High School. She loved to fix hair and had a great love for her family. She was a member of Greater Love Temple Church.

She was preceded in death by a special friend, Kaylin Pearson of Pampa.

Survivors include her parents, John Johns and Latisha Henry and Marie Johnson, P.A., all of Amarillo; a special friend, Lamin Nimaga of Amarillo; her stepfather and stepmother, Mitcheal Sr. and Betty Johnson of Amarillo; her grandfather, Walter Willie T. Henderson of Houston; her grandmother, Frankie Perkins of Amarillo; two sisters, Cadesha and Dondrett, both of Amarillo; and five brothers, Claude, Daymon, Keyuanta, Shihan and Mitcheal Jr., all of Amarillo.

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January 26, 2012

Slavery by Another Name – 2012

Topic »: Wednesday Wisdom — Leave a comment

- L. Arthalia Cravin

A couple of weeks ago I posted a column entitled, “Slavery By Another Name,” also the name of the 2008 book written by Douglas Blackmon. Blackmon’s book chronicled how, long after slavery “officially” ended, that “neo-or new slavery” continued for thousands of black men in the South. It continued when black men were arrested on trumped-up charges for almost anything, routinely convicted, and then sentenced to hard labor. The hard labor was then served doing forced labor in mines around Alabama, or doing forced labor elsewhere. What Blackmon uncovered was a system in which corporations kicked money back to local and county officials for their “help” in the providing an unending supply of labor. If any movie should have been entitled “The Help” it should have been about this type of enforced enslavement. But that is another story.

Fast forward to 2012, and it is clear that “slavery by another name” has been an ongoing part of the lives of black sports and entertainment figures. Every week, DirectTV, channel 328, TVONE, features a show called “Unsung.” Week in and week out, the careers of black musicians are laid bare. Unsung tells the good and the bad of the careers of well-known black performers who “made it big” only to later discover that they were flat broke. Performers, both solo and group, who sold millions of records, platinum and gold, left the management of their money to folks who robbed them blind. Recently Unsung featured the group Atlantic Starr. The lead female singer related how she and the group had toured all over the world to packed houses, but when she called her accountant to ask how much money she had in the bank he told her, “not a dime.” Remember Fantasia Barrino, the American Idol winner? She appeared on Oprah telling the same story of how, after singing her heart in recording studios and to packed audiences, that she tried to use her debit card and a $3 purchase was declined. Her response was that her “money managers” had “thrown her under the bus.”

And now Terrell Owens, in a January 25, 2012 Dallas Morning News Story, is singing the same song. Fifteen years in the NFL, earned 80 MILLION DOLLARS, and now he says that he has no money. What he did reveal is that he is paying $44,600 in child support to four women from casual sex, for the support of four children—one child per woman. The story says this: “Owens blames bad investments, especially in real estate; and bad advice from professionals he trusted, including his longtime agent, Drew Rosenhaus.” Terrell is then quoted as saying: “I hate myself for letting this happen,” he says. “I believed that they had my back when they said, ‘You take care of the football, and we’ll do the rest.’ And in the end, they just basically stole from me.”

Any black person in sports and entertainment should have learned all they need to know about crooked agents and managers from Joe Louis. Joe Louis, “The Brown Bomber,” was born in Alabama in 1914. His family later moved to Detroit. Louis began boxing professionally in 1934 winning his first 27 fights, all but four of which he won by knockouts. Louis became the world heavyweight champion, retiring in 1949 as the undefeated heavyweight champ. But he was forced back into the ring because of unpaid taxes and debts that the direct result of how other people mismanaged his money. In 1950, Joe Louis attempted to recapture his heavyweight title in a bout against Ezzard Charles. In a points decision, Louis was handed a loss. Not ready to accept defeat, in 1951 he again entered the ring against Rocky Marciano. Marciano knocked Louis through the ropes in the 8th round. This was Joe Louis’ final time in the ring. He had earned $5 million in his illustrious boxing career. But at 37, Joe Louis had not a single penny to show for it. To support himself, Louis decided to make a living as a Las Vegas casino host.

African American athletes and entertainers have continued to operate under a “slavery by another name” system in which primarily white agents and managers rob them blind. While these athletes and entertainers are singing, dancing, and taking hard hits on sports fields, agents and managers are “cooking the books” for their own personal gain. What these “managers” know is that these athletes and entertainers do not know—do not know anything—not even enough to know what to ask about their own money. These so-called managers have also routinely keep black athletes and performers at bay by giving them just enough bling-bling—a fancy car, some fancy women, some mind altering drugs, and a pat on the head, while they went in the back room and robbed them blind. Slavery by another name—alive and well in 2012.

Copyright 2012 – L. Arthalia Cravin. All rights Reserved. No part of this commentary may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the author.

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January 26, 2012

Our Recent History: Olympic Size Civil Disobedience

Topic »: Black History — Tags: , — Leave a comment

Peter Norman, Tommie Smith and John Carlos

It was the most popular medal ceremony of all time. The photographs of two black American sprinters standing on the medal podium with heads bowed and fists raised at the Mexico City Games in 1968 not only represent one of the most memorable moments in Olympic history but a milestone in America’s civil rights movement.

The two men were Tommie Smith and John Carlos. Teammates at San Jose State University, Smith and Carlos were stirred by the suggestion of a young sociologist friend Harry Edwards, who asked them and all the other black American athletes to join together and boycott the games. The protest, Edwards hoped, would bring attention to the fact that America’s civil rights movement had not gone far enough to eliminate the injustices black Americans were facing. Edwards’ group, the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR), gained support from several world-class athletes and civil rights leaders but the all-out boycott never materialized.

Still impassioned by Edwards’ words, Smith and Carlos secretly planned a non-violent protest in the manner of Martin Luther King, Jr. In the 200-meter race, Smith won the gold medal and Carlos the bronze. As the American flag rose and the Star-Spangled Banner played, the two closed their eyes, bowed their heads, and began their protest.

Smith later told the media that he raised his right, black-glove-covered fist in the air to represent black power in America while Carlos’ left, black-covered fist represented unity in black America. Together they formed an arch of unity and power. The black scarf around Smith’s neck stood for black pride and their black socks (and no shoes) represented black poverty in racist America.

While the protest seems relatively tame by today’s standards, the actions of Smith and Carlos were met with such outrage that they were suspended from their national team and banned from the Olympic Village, the athletes’ home during the games.

A lot of people thought that political statements had no place in the supposedly apolitical Olympic Games. Those that opposed the protest cried out that the actions were militant and disgraced Americans. Supporters, on the other hand, were moved by the duo’s actions and praised them for their bravery. The protest had lingering effects for both men, the most serious of which were death threats against them and their families.

Smith and Carlos were honored in 1998 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of their protest.

An interesting side note to the protest was that the 200m silver medallist in 1968, Peter Norman of Australia (who is white), participated in the protest that evening by wearing a OPHR badge.



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January 25, 2012

Our Recent History: Red Summer of 1919 – Nationwide Rioting

Topic »: Black History — Tags: , — Leave a comment

“It was the most horrendous sight I’d ever seen . . . We locked the plant, went downstairs, and drove home in silence. My hands were wet and there were tears in my eyes. All I could think of was that young black man dangling at the end of a rope.” ~ Actor Henry Fonda, witness to Omaha lynching at age 14

Will Brown, lynched in Omaha

Like the events in the 1919 Chicago riots, what happened in Omaha on September 28, 1919 also grew from labor unrest at the local stockyards and conflicts with European immigrants. With over 10,000 African Americans, Omaha had one of the largest black populations west of the Mississippi. Earlier that week Will Brown had been arrested for allegedly raping a white woman. A mob of 4000 set fire to the courthouse and demanded that Brown be turned over to them. He was hanged nearby, then his body was dragged though the streets and burned. National guard troops arrived early the next morning to stop further violence.

Front Page of Arkansas Gazette

Another attempted lynching led to a death toll some estimates place at over 100 in Knoxville on August 30. Although the suspect had been moved to Chattanooga for his safety, the rioters dynamited the jail, taking confiscated whiskey and firearms. Violence spread throughout the city. Two platoons of National Guardsmen arrived quickly but could not restore order until the next day. Dozens of arrests were made of white men who took part but all were acquitted.

Even more deadly was the Elaine Massacre in eastern Arkansas beginning September 30 with unconfirmed deaths as high as 200. It began with a confrontation between sherriff’s deputies and African American sharecroppers who were gathered to demand equal treatment from landowners. Rumors quickly spread about their intent, and white men from surrounding areas in Arkansas and Mississippi poured in to put down the revolt. Federal troops where called in and were responsible for a number of the African American deaths. The violence ended with the arrest of between 250 and 300 African Americans. Of that number, twelve were sentenced to death but their sentences were overturned due to the efforts of the NAACP Field Secretary James Weldon Johnson and attorney Scipio Jones.

369th Infantry Regiment, World War I "Harlem Hellfighters"

The return of over 350,000 African American troops from World War I was a major factor in the events of the summer.

After fighting for their country these men found it difficult to readjust to life in Jim Crow America and their presence increased white repression. Outbreaks in Washington DC, Charleston, and Bisbee, Arizona stemmed from conflicts involving African American sevicemen. Cameron McWhirter’s recent book Red Summer: The Summer of 1919 and the Awakening of Black America traces this and other causes.

If  We Must Die, by Claude McKay
 
If we must die, let it not be like hogs
Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot,
While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs,
Making their mock at our accursed lot.
If we must die, O let us nobly die,
So that our precious blood may not be shed
In vain; then even the monsters we defy
Shall be constrained to honor us though dead!
O kinsmen we must meet the common foe!
Though far outnumbered let us show us brave,
And for their thousand blows deal one deathblow!
What though before us lies the open grave?
Like men we’ll face the murderous, cowardly pack,
Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!
 
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