Garland Journal

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VOL IX ISSUE 12 February 5, 2020

MY TRUTH Cheryl Smith Publisher

You Bring Me Joy! Has there ever been a moment for you when time stopped? Maybe you have wished or said to yourself, “time could stop right here, right now.” It’s a beautiful feeling and one that I think everyone should experience, not just once, but over and over again. Heck, I’d be overjoyed to have that feeling daily. There have been some wonderful times in life and recently I had that feeling that, “this is it!” I wasn’t talking about the “big one” that comedian Redd Foxx would refer to in his popular 1970s sitcom, Sanford and Son. No, I’m talking about “it” being that wonderful feeling that comes over you and makes you realize what life is all about. I can’t help to think about what my sorority sister “Breezy” said during this period of total euphoria. Her daughter said, “Everybody dies but not everybody lives!” Which brings me to my truth.

World continues to mour n K obe Bryant and 8 others killed in helicopter crash

Judge Nathaniel Jones By the Philadelphia Tribune a​nd Staff Reports Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic and the late, great Kobe Bryant chat after a game that took place only weeks before the latter’s tragic death // Photo courtesy of the Dallas Mavericks

By Dorothy J. Gentry Sports Editor

The Dallas Mavericks retired the No. 24 jersey, players of every professional sport poured out tributes on social media, fans held their loved ones a little tighter and the whole world froze with the news of the death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others

in a helicopter crash in California. Bryant, 41, was traveling in an S-76 helicopter on Jan. 26 when it crashed just before 10 am into a hillside near Calabasas, Calif., roughly 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The flight manifest listed nine people on board — one pilot and eight passengers. Immediately upon news of the tragedy, tributes began pouring in from all over.

“We are shocked and saddened by the devastating news of the passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna,” Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said in a statement. “Kobe was an ambassador for our game, a decorated legend and a global icon. Above all, he was a loving and dedicated father.” Cuban also announced See KOBE, page 2

60 Years Ago: Students launched Sit-In Movement

Vickie, Celia, Mary, Sabrina and Cheryl Five of the 34 Elusive Ladies

I didn’t know I was going to have such a wonderful time when once again I attended the National Newspaper Publishers Association’s annual winter conference in Fort Lauderdale last week. Sure I enjoy gathering with fellow publishers and I also hoped to see some old friends from college, as well. When I tell you that I felt like I was on a vacation, even though I accomplished so much in terms of the amount of business that I took care of. It was FUN! Yes, it was a productive four days that I was in the Sunshine State, and even though it started off freezing cold and I didn’t have an opportunity to get any garlic crabs; I went to bed every night and woke up every morning with a smile on my face! Some of the highlights included watching the Association take a vote approving membership of my digital publication, I Messenger. With that vote, I Messenger joined the two sister publications under the I Messenger Media LLC umbrella, Texas Metro News and the Garland Journal, as members. Then some of my line sisters, four women who were initiated into Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, with me in 1978 at Florida A&M University came to see me and dinner almost turned into a midnight snack! Talk about a wonderful time. There I was surrounded by women who have a unique experience with me and who, even after meeting approximately 42 See MY TRUTH, page 4

Former judge, civil rights activist Nathaniel Jones d​ies

Students from Norfolk’s Booker T. Washington High School stage sit in at Granby Street’s Woolworth’s lunch counter. Photo: New Journal and Guide Archives By Dr. Kelton Edmonds Special from The New Journal and Guide

February 1, 2020 marked the 60th anniversary of the launch of the historic Sit-in Movement, when four African American freshmen from North Carolina A&T State Coll-

ege (now University) in Greensboro, NC sparked the non-violent and student-led wave of protests that ultimately resulted in the desegregation of F.W. Woolworth and other racially discriminatory stores.

The brave freshmen from NCA&T, who would later be adorned with the iconic label of the “Greensboro Four,” consisted of David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, See HISTORY, page 3

CINCINNATI — Nathaniel Jones, a former federal judge who served for more than two decades on the federal appeals court in Cincinnati and previously served as general counsel for the NAACP, has died of congestive heart failure. He was 93. Judge Jones’ death was confirmed by his daughter, Stephanie Jones, and the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office. Stephanie Jones said her father died of congestive heart failure January 26 at his home in Cincinnati, according to T​ he Cincinnati Enquirer.​ In 1979, former President Jimmy Carter appointed Judge Jones to the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, where he served until his retirement in 2002. The federal courthouse in Youngstown later was named in his honor. The native of Youngstown had served as the chief lawyer for the NAACP from 1969 until his appointment to the federal appeals court. As counsel for the NAACP, he argued for the organization in school desegregation suits filed against public school districts in Cleveland, Dayton, Columbus, Boston, Atlanta, San Francisco and Los Angeles. In the 1980s, he traveled across Africa, assisting emerging nations in establishing judicial systems. He also helped South African leaders draft a constitution ending that nation’s system of legal racial segregation known as apartheid. In 2016, the NAACP announced its selection of Judge Jones as the recipient of its highest honor, the Spingarn Medal. He was also a recipient of the International Freedom Conductor Award from the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. The award recognizes the contributions of individuals who reflect the spirit and courageous actions of conductors on the historic Underground Railroad. Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley praised Jones on Sunday for his work in civil rights and said that knowing him “has been one of the greatest honors of my life.” “Cincinnati and our country is a better place for his life,” Mayor Cranley said in the statement. Judge Jones is survived by five children and eight grandchildren. Information on funeral services had not been released at press time. He was a Prince Hall Freemason and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Waiting for Glory I WAS JUST THINKING... By Norma Adams-Wade

Walking past the TV, the news flash froze my steps. The announcer said jubilantly that the U.S. Navy would posthumously name a future aircraft carrier in honor of war hero and Waco native Doris “Dorie” Miller. The honor is a first for an African-American and was bestowed on January 20

during a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday ceremony. The rest of the celebratory comments faded to “bah, bah, bah” as I immediately began to wrestle with my anger. This is crazy, I said to my anger, trying to make it go away. This is happy news. Why are you reacting this way? Because I’m tired of waiting,

my anger answered. Waiting? What do you mean? Let me explain. Miller, of course, has been written about countless times as the Naval “Mess Attendant” and later kitchen cook who became a hero. Outside his usual duties, the 6 foot 3 inch tall, 200-pound Naval boxing heavyweight champion repeatedly fired an anti-aircraft machine gun at a Japanese enemy aircraft that attacked the U. S. battleship West Virginia at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. After he ran out of ammu-

nition, Miller then helped carry a wounded Captain and later other wounded sailors to safer locations, thus, as Navy officials later reported, “Unquestionably saving the lives of a number of people.” African-American newspapers and civil rights organizations pushed to have the government and military recognize Miller’s heroism. Of course, segregation and discrimination were rampant across the country and in the military at that time, See THINKING, page 5


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