Elections 2014
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Dawkins-Haigler faces Lithonia challenger for District 91 seat ....page 7
Antioch-Lithonia Missionary Baptist ordains Frances Pinckney ....page 8
SERVING DEKALB, FULTON, GWINNETT, HENRY AND ROCKDALE COUNTIES
VOLUME 19 NUMBER 50
Kendrick Johnson’s parents to lead GABEO march
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By Valerie J. Morgan
he parents of Kendrick Johnson, the black Valdosta, Georgia teen whose body was found inside a rolled-up wrestling mat at his school gym, will be the guests for a program and march hosted by the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials (GABEO) on April 5. As Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson commemorate the 46th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr. with GABEO, they also will remember their 17-year-old son whose mysterious death a year ago is now under investigation. This week, schoolmates of Kendrick Johnson and their parents were subpoenaed by a federal grand jury investigating the case. GABEO’s president, Rep. Tyrone Brooks, D-Atlanta, said he plans to join the Johnsons on April 4 at a march that will be held at the federal courthouse in Macon where the proceedings are under way. “We have been working with the Johnsons for over a year now on this case,” said GABEO’s president, Rep. Tyrone Brooks, D-Atlanta. “There are a lot of unanswered questions concerning the death of their son. We want justice for them.” Brooks said the Johnsons participated in GABEO’s annual march commemorating the anniversary assassination of King last year and it was decided that the couple would lead this year’s march. The Johnsons reported their son missing after he failed to come home from school. The teen was found the next day—Jan. 11, 2013—by students in a gym class who saw his feet in the mat. The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office concluded Kendrick died by accident while reaching for a shoe. However, the Johnsons say there’s been a “coverup.” The couple had their son’s body exhumed last June and commissioned an independent autopsy, which attributed the teen’s death to “apparent non-accidental, blunt force trauma.” GABEO also is demanding justice— as it has for years now—for two black couples who were lynched by a mob of white men at the Moore’s Ford Bridge See Kendrick, page 6
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DeKalb inks $1.2 million partnership with Development Authority ....page 10
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MARCH 15, 2014
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President Obama endorses Hank Johnson for re-election
C Kenneth and Jacquelyn Johnson stand next to a banner on their SUV showing their late son, Kendrick Johnson
Business
By Valerie J. Morgan
ongressman Hank Johnson announced this week that President Obama has endorsed his re-election to Georgia’s Fourth District. “Congressman Johnson has done an outstanding job,” President Obama said in a statement released by Johnson’s campaign office.
‘I am honored by President Obama’s endorsement.’
President Barack Obama, followed by Rep. Henry Johnson, D-Ga., waves as they step out of Air Force One at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah on March 2, 2010.
– Congressman Hank Johnson “Together, we are fighting to restore middle class security and expand opportunity for all Americans. I’ve worked with Congressman Johnson as we’ve extended the security of health care to millions and pulled our economy back from the brink of collapse while protecting consumers and passing historic Wall Street reform. I am proud to stand with Hank and support his reelection.” The endorsement marked the third Johnson has received from the President, said Andy Phelan, Johnson’s spokesperson. Johnson also received See Obama, page 6
Congressman Hank Johnson drew a crowd of more than 300 supporters including Congressman John Lewis at Johnson’s re-election campaign kickoff in Lithonia.
DeKalb Stands Tall In Macon Four basketball squads make history as state champions
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By Joshua Smith
roud victory messages are displayed on the schools’ marquees. Pep rallies are being planned. Businesses are offering celebratory dinners. Even though it’s close to spring, it feels a lot like Christmas in DeKalb County. That’s because four DeKalb high schools are state champions: Miller Grove, Tucker, Redan and St. Pius. “We work all year to get to that point, the one night where all the kids’ hard work and dedication pays off,” said Miller Grove Head Basketball Coach Sharman White. “We
Photo by Joshua Smith/OCG News
Miller Grove leads the pack of DeKalb high schools that represented the county well at the GHSA Basketball State Championship on March 7 in Macon.
had a lot on our shoulders with the death of Terrell, but fought through it. We wanted to make sure we did this right to reach the one big goal as a team and coaching staff. We take pride in doing the little things right.”
Miller Grove High’s varsity basketball team claimed its sixth straight championship, defeating Warner Robins 70-43, in the Class AAAAA finals at the Macon Coliseum on March
7. With the win, Miller Grove became the first high school boys’ basketball team in Georgia to win six consecutive state championships. Miller Grove dedicated its season to the memory of Terrell Coleman, a 15-year-old who died while playing in an AAU basketball game last fall. “We wore all black for Terrell early this season. Terell was always grinding with us, always working to be better. All he wanted was a ring and I’m glad we could win it for him,” said Miller Grove senior James Walker. “People doubted us this whole See Basketball, page 5