Oracle The
MONDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2012
HENDERSON STATE UNIVERSITY
VOLUME 105, ISSUE 09
Jones speaks at NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet Zach Dutton Staff Writer
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People held its 21st annual Freedom Fund Banquet in the Garrison Day Gym on Saturday where President Dr. Glendell Jones, Jr. presided as the event’s keynote speaker. The NAACP, according to its preamble, “will continue to fight for justice until all without regard to race, gender, creed or religion enjoy equal status. The United States of America, built by us all, belongs to all of us. The repayment for our labor is equality and justice for all.” The oldest civil rights organization in the world has a vision to create a society characterized by equal rights for all individuals without racial discrimination. This event was held to honor that notion and to call upon the community to help in continuing to work toward this goal. The event began with a catered meal before recognizing local officials who showed up in support. The president of the Arkadelphia chapter of the NAACP, Henry Wilson, organized the event. Wilson was on campus in the Garrison a couple of weeks ago to register voters for the upcoming elections. As president, Wilson has been on the forefront to get individuals ready to vote. In an effort to encourage voters, Wilson announced that the NAACP in Arkansas has decided to move the 2013 Black History Month from February to November this year. Voting isn’t the only issue on Wilson’s plate. The local members of the organization are also looking to change the
Photo by Ryan Klare/Oracle
ADVANCEMENT Henderson president Glendell Jones (shown at an earlier event) spoke at the annual NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet. Jones is the first African American to head a public university in Arkansas aside from the chancellors at the University of Arkansas’ Pine Bluff campus. name of Pine Street. “As long as I’m alive, we will not change our desire to change Pine Street to MLK Boulevard,” Wilson said. Members believe that Martin Luther King Jr. deserves a prominent place in our community. This would show respect for the work he began toward civil rights in this country, as well as recognize the ultimate sacrifice
he made in efforts toward this battle. The NAACP is locked in an uphill battle over this issue. Dr. Lewis A. Shepherd, Jr. introduced the president. “[Dr. Jones] wakes up every morning and strives for excellence,” Shepherd said. “[Dr. Jones is] leading Henderson to be great.” President Jones began his speech with appreciation for
the work done by the NAACP. Jones warned that decisions come with consequences and that the political season is a great time to reflect on decisions as a community with regards to the family in the modern society. He went on to the main point of his speech, the importance of education for young people to get themselves and their families out of poverty. Poverty, according to Jones, creates the greatest division in communities today. “Our kids do have hopes and ambitions, but somewhere along the way, they stop believing,” Jones said. “Many of our young people, by the time they turn 18, their path is already disrupted.” The disruption comes from lack of schooling, leading to a lack of jobs for young people. If citizens do not step up, then nothing will change, urged the president. Poverty is the issue at hand, believes Dr. Jones. He gave a number of statistics. Thirty-three percent of African-American kids live in poverty, 27 percent of Hispanic kids live in poverty and 10 percent of white kids live in poverty. Fifty percent of African-American kids in poverty live with a single parent and 33 percent of white kids in poverty live with a single parent The problem of the 20th century was a problem with discrimination. The main problem of the 21st century, according to Jones, is a problem with the poverty line. Coming from humble roots in Mississippi, Dr. Jones has made his way out of poverty, along with a number of his family members, and he attributes that to education.
“I’m grateful to be a part of the university that has given so much to me,” Jones said. “We believe in the power of education. The number one way to fight poverty is to graduate with a college degree.” He says the next step is to get involved in a positive ministry to help others. This is not only to help others in need, but to help peers stay on that same positive track. “I think it is the essence of the Reddie spirit to help out a fellow Reddie,” Jones said. State representative candidate Fred Harris agreed with Dr. Jones’ fight against poverty. “Our main purpose is to educate a child and to keep them safe,” Harris said. “They need not a handout, but a helping hand.” The fundraiser was an overall success. More than 100 community members showed their support Saturday in the ongoing fight toward equality. Awards were presented to audience members, including a youth leadership award, community service award, NAACP life member recognition award and Mr. Wilson’s personally selected president’s awards. The audience commended President Jones for his speech, his positive views on the educational process and the profound effects it has on young people and their lives. “It doesn’t matter what you have or don’t have, hold your head high,” Jones said. President Jones gave a charge to the audience to help make a difference in the lives of young people and ultimately the success of Arkadelphia and American society. “Join me in making an investment in young people’s lives today,” Jones said.
Old writings are now new woes for Arkansas GOP Andrew DeMillo Associated Press The following is an AP news analysis by Andrew DeMillo. DeMillo has covered Arkansas government and politics since 2005. The opinions do not necessarily reflect those of The Oracle
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LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — The racially charged writings of three Republican House candidates in Arkansas have become a problem for GOP leaders inching closer toward what they believe is a takeover of the state Legislature. The only question that remains is whether they can keep the damage from spreading into other races. The Republicans aren’t grappling with a problem that came about because of a hidden camera capturing what was intended to be a private comment or a gaffe on the campaign trail. In fact, these were remarks intended for mass distribution. Shortly after taking office in
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2011, Republican Rep. Jon Hubbard gave some colleagues a copy of a self-published book where he wrote that slavery may have been a “blessing in disguise” for African-Americans. In the years leading up to his successful bid for a state House seat last year, Republican Rep. Loy Mauch wrote dozens of letters to a Little Rock newspaper defending the Confederacy and calling Abraham Lincoln a “war criminal.” GOP House candidate and former House member Charlie Fuqua set up a website to promote his self-published book where he, among other things, calls for the deportation of all Muslims. The writings could upend a campaign where Republicans have plenty of reasons to be confident. Democratic President Barack Obama’s popularity remains bleak in the state, and most political observers believe the GOP is poised to sweep all four of Arkansas’ congressional districts. It’s a situation that many
Democrats acknowledge has created an advantage for a Republican Party that hasn’t controlled either chamber of the Legislature since Reconstruction. The Republican efforts to distance the party from the three’s comments show just how precarious that advantage is, and how much GOP leaders want to limit the fallout. State GOP officials announced last week that they would not contribute any more money to Fuqua, Hubbard or Mauch. The state’s three Republican congressmen also criticized the candidates’ remarks. “The statements that have been reported portray attitudes and beliefs that would return our state and country to a harmful and regrettable past,” freshman Republican U.S. Rep Rick Crawford said. Congressman Tim Griffin, widely viewed as a potential candidate for governor or Senate in 2014, called on the three to give his campaign contributions to charity. He said
Mauch’s writings ranged from “outrageous to historically inaccurate and anachronistic to downright odd.” The comments clearly provide an opening for Democrats, who have grappled with controversies of their own in addition to an unfriendly political climate this year. Those controversies include a state legislator who resigned after pleading guilty to ballot fraud and a state treasurer whose investment practices have come under fire. But the state’s top Democrats, at least publicly, are being careful to not use the comments as an argument against all Republican candidates on the ballot this fall. “I don’t paint the whole Republican Party with the actions of some, just like you don’t paint the whole Democratic Party with the actions of some,” Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe, who called the writings sad and embarrassing, told reporters last week. “There are people on both sides of the aisle who
reflect badly on their respective parties. It’s the nature of the beast. As a result of that, you have to be careful not to throw everybody in that same pan.” Despite that, fallout from the controversial writings by the three is unlikely to go away anytime soon. Hubbard’s decision to write a letter to the Jonesboro Sun comparing Beebe, Attorney General Dustin McDaniel and other top Democrats to Nazis for their criticism hurt Republicans’ efforts to distance the party from the writings and end it as an election-year issue. Republicans publicly say they’re not worried about the controversy affecting other races or the party’s bid to win a majority in the House and Senate. While not calling for the three to withdraw their candidacies, GOP officials say it’ll be up to the voters to render a verdict. “That’s the good thing about elections,” said Rep. John Burris, R-Harrison. “The voters are going to have a say in four weeks.”