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My Truth Publisher Cheryl Smith
www.GarlandJournal.com
see MY TRUTH, page 5
MAY 20, 2020
GEORGIA MAN AHMAUD ARBERY, SHOT AND KILLED — JOGGING WHILE BLACK By Stacy M. Brown NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
The Legacy of love continues Recently I was waiting with anticipation to hear results from elections at Florida A&M University. There were two young ladies seeking leadership positions at my alma mater and I was so proud of them because they were both worthy candidates and exemplary representatives. Their parents were so proud and with good reason. These two young ladies would make it their business to find me if I was visiting campus, and they were always very respectful and a joy to spend time with, When the news came of their victories, it was the type of news that will be in FAMU’s history books; and that is so exciting! Erika Johnson is the daughter of two of my classmates. Frederick and I entered FAMU together and shortly after Vivian walked on campus. We’ve been friends for more than four decades. Erika ran for Miss FAMU, and won by an overwhelming
VOL IX ISSUE 18
Ahmaud Arbery
The McMichaels charged with murder
Garland among locations with COVID-19 Testing locations in Walmart From Staff Reports
testing for our community. Testing is critical so that we’re not Last week Walmart opened flying blind as we do everything four additional COVID-19 that we can to keep you safe drive-thru testing sites in Wal- during a time when our econmart parking lots in Dallas omy is reopening,” said Dallas County: County Judge Clay Jenkins. • 15757 Coit Rd., Dallas, TX “Walmart is part of the com75248 munity, and we are proud to • 951 W. Belt Line Rd., DeS- help support the expansion of oto, TX 75115 COVID-19 testing in Dallas dur• 5302 N Garing this unpreceland Ave., dented time, said Garland, TX Laurie Smalling 75040 Letts, Walmart • 2501 LakPublic Affairs Dieview Pkwy., rector for Texas. Rowlett, TX “We are grateful 75088 to our associates The sites are who keep our supported by Walstores running, mart, eTrueNorth our pharmaand state and local cists who supofficials to test anport these testJudge Clay Jenkins yone who meets ing sites, and to CDC and state eTrueNorth and and local guidelines on who local officials as we work toshould be tested, including first gether to open the site and help responders, health care provid- our community.” ers and others with symptoms Details on the COVID-19 testof COVID-19 and those in high- ing site: risk groups without symptoms. Beginning tomorrow, the sites Those interested in being tested are open Mondays, Wednesneed to visit www.DoINeeda- days and Fridays weekly 7 a.m. COVID19test.com to see if eli- to 9 a.m., weather permitting. gible for testing and to make an Appointments must be made appointment. through eTrueNorth’s online “We’re pleased to partner with Walmart on this important see WALMART, page 5
Add jogging while Black to the ever-growing list of reasons African Americans continue to be shot down senselessly by armed White men, supposedly under the color of law. Georgia resident Ahmaud Arbery, 25, was shot and killed while jogging after a former police officer and his son chased him down because they “thought he looked like the suspect in a recent string of breakins.” The incident took place two months ago but has come to light after Civil Rights Attorney Lee Merritt and Arbery’s mother, Wanda Cooper, appeared on CNN recently to call for justice. Cooper said police originally told her that her son was involved in a burglary. They claimed there was a confrontation between Arbery and the homeowner and a struggle over a gun. The incident took place in Brunswick, a southeast coastal town in Glynn County, that’s less than five hours from Atlanta. Two district attorneys have recused themselves over possible conflicts of interest, one of whom wrote that Travis McMi-
Norma Adams-Wade Mention the name Dr. M. K. Curry Jr. and the current generation likely will give you a blank stare. Add the name to Bishop College and the blank stare may continue. It’s really not the young one’s fault or the newcomer who has recently settled here. Time moves on, memories fade, new crises replace old ones. But recently conversations with two persons full of memories and artifacts filled my own head with recall, wonder and regrets.
The wonder comes from the mystery of how circumstances can turn a life from distinction to debris. The regret comes from imagining how different this one life would have been if the road has turned right instead of left. Dr. M. K. Curry Jr. was president of Bishop College in Marshall, Texas and when the college moved to Dallas in 1961. Paul Quinn College now occupies the old Bishop College campus. By many accounts Dr. Curry was a brilliant scholar, a decent and polite man, and an insightful, stubborn and determined leader for all the right reasons. Dr. Curry ascended to heights at the helm of the 287-acre
see AHMAUD, page 3
Little Richard, dies at 87 By Lauren Victoria Burke NNPA Newswire Contributor Richard Wayne Penniman, better known as Little Richard, was one of the most influential singer songwriters in popular music. He was one of the founders of Rock n’ Roll in the 1950s and one of the most memorable performers in rock history. Little Richard was born in 1932 in Macon, Georgia. “Tutti Frutti” (1955), one of his signature songs, became a hit reaching the No. 2 on the Billboard chart. Another hit, “Long Tall Sally” (1956), hit No. 1 on Billboard. Two of his songs,”Tutti Frutti” and “Good Golly, Miss Molly” were listed on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Legend has it that James Brown came up with the Famous Flames debut hit, “Please, Please, Please,” after Richard had written the words down on a napkin. Redding started his professional career with Little Richard’s band, The Upsetters. Bob Dylan performed covers of Little Richard’s songs on piano during a high school talent show with his rock and roll group, the Golden Chords. In 1959, Dylan wrote in his yearbook under “Ambition,” “to join Little Richard.” He was inducted into the
Little Richard
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of its first group of legendary inductees in 1986. He was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Little Richard is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. Little Richard was ranked eighth on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time and Rolling Stone listed three of Little Richard’s recordings, “The
Forgotten Giant I was just Thinking
chael acted out of self-defense, and their actions fell within Georgia’s citizen arrest laws. “The decision to rely on the citizen’s arrest statute is really a recent invention, prior to that they just simply said it was self-defense,” Merritt told CNN, adding that the men are trying to use the law to say they were trying to stop a crime. “According to that law, you actually have to be observing the crime or be in the immediate knowledge of the crime,” Merritt said. “The only thing they have ever said is... that (Arbery) stopped by a house that was under construction and he looked through the window. We don’t know if that happened or not, but even if that did happen, that is not a felony that would invoke the citizen’s arrest statute that would make this allowable.” After the shooting, Gregory McMichael told police he saw the same man “the other night” and that he stuck his hand down his pants on that occasion, leading McMichael to believe he was armed, according to the police report. After seeing Arbery jogging, McMichael then alerted his 34year-old son, Travis, according to a Glynn County Police report. “Travis, the guy is running
Girl Can’t Help It,” “Long Tall Sally” and “Tutti Frutti,” on their 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Little Richard was the third of 12 children of Leva Mae and Charles Penniman. Lauren Victoria Burke is an independent journalist for NNPA and the host of the podcast BURKEFILE. She is also a political strategist as Principal of Win Digital Media LLC. She may be contacted at LBurke007@gmail.com and on twitter at @LVBurke
Inside
I ain’t no damned scientist, but this COVID Dude, is not Playin! page 4
Students relax on grass in the 1960s at the entrance to the old Bishop College campus that is now Paul Quinn College on Simpson Stuart Road in far Southwest Dallas.
campus on Simpson-Stuart Road near Bonnie View Road in Southern Dallas. Then misappropriated federal money by certain members of his staff sent the college into a tailspin.
The after-math led to indictments, a lengthy federal court trial, a Dallas Black community and HBCUs in turmoil, students, professors and oth-
see THINKING, page 3
Hip Hop Royalty Angela Simmons page 6