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FT. LAUDERDALE, FL 33310
PERMIT NO. 1179
VOL. 47 NO. 37 50¢
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18 - WEDNESDAY, OCT. 24, 2018
By Linda M. Thigpen We know, all too well, there is no perfect person, place or thing. People are flawed, places fail expectation and things fade. It’s the reality of things. Even so, we strive to improve imperfections in people, make the best of places we visit and spend time restoring things tarnished. Correcting a wrong or getting a second chance to make better is the embodiment of the spirit of redemption—and Amendment 4. One definition
(Photo source: Nationofchange.org)
of redemption describes the improving of something: “The act of saving something or somebody from a declined, dilapidated, or corrupt state and restoring it, him, or her to a better condition.” Restoring the voting rights of approximately 1.7 million ex-offenders is a
Straight Talk:
significant step in bettering their conditions. The intent of Amendment 4 is to automatically restore voting rights to individuals with prior felony convictions, except for those convicted of murder or a (Cont’d on page 2)
Republican-inspired voter suppression
Crystal Mason, the Black Texas Mother Facing 5+ Years in Prison for Voting in the 2016 Election, and attorney Kim Cole (Photo Source: Democracy Now!)
Voting is the glue holding democracy together. However, the suppression of the vote only weakens democracy. Republicans make political prisoners of Crystal Mason, whereas they champion their own Republicans even when they commit voter fraud. By Ed Gray, North Dallas Gazette Contributor
The conviction of Jason Van Dyke could prove historic, but much more needs to be done to stem the tide of police shootings involving African Americans.
In my latest “My Voice My Opinion” of Oct. 7 as viewed on
WFAA 8, I spoke out against the Republican-inspired plan of voter suppression. This voter suppression seeks to limit the effect of Black voter turnout. In Tarrant County, this has resulted in the federal imprisonment of Crystal Mason for voting a provisional ballot. The provisional ballot did not count; however, the Republican Party selected her as their poster child to solidify their base. Crystal voted while under courtordered supervision, for this
she was sentenced to ten months in federal prison, with a possibility of an additional five years in state prison. The Republican Party has made it their cause to malign Democrats and their supporters by stating most voter fraud is committed by Democrats. The President of the United States has played this Trump card as well, by invoking a campaign to drive down the votes of young, Black, and female voters. To this end, Crystal Mason has (Cont’d on page 3)
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Correspondent Contradictory, overly rehearsed and simply not believable – those were just a few adjectives jurors in the Laquan McDonald murder trial used after finding former Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke guilty of second-degree murder. Van Dyke shot McDonald 16 times in Oct. 2014 and, although McDonald, 17, was carrying a knife, videotaped evidence showed he was veering away from Van Dyke and other officers and he posed no threat. In fact, jurors noted the videotape that showed several officers at the scene with none of them firing a single shot. Van Dyke arrived and immediately opened fire, killing the teenager. One white woman juror told the New York Times that it appeared that during testimony, Van Dyke “seemed kind of like he was finally giving the play after they had been rehearsing him for weeks.” It’s that description – that “play” from what has been a tried and true playbook – that has allowed law enforcement officers to repeatedly dodge prosecution or guilty verdicts in the shootings of African Americans. This time, advocates and court watchers noted that jurors didn’t buy it. Their historic verdict not only (Cont’d on page 12)
The National Newspaper Publishers Association, which represents over 200 Black-owned media companies across the U.S., recently traveled to the ancient city of Ile-Ife for a culturally impactful inaugural trade mission, which included attending the Olojo Festival. By Jeffrey L. Boney, NNPA International Correspondent When it comes to what it means to celebrate the richness of African tradition and culture, you don’t have to wait for the next blockbuster Hollywood theatrical production to experience it – the real “Wakanda” is located on the continent of Africa and can be found in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. This is the real “Wakanda”! No… there is no Vibranium (that we know of) or any other state-of-the-art things that
were featured in the Black Panthermovie, but there is a spiritual energy and connection to African tradition and culture that far supersedes anything you can read in books or see on television. When most people think of Nigeria, the city of Lagos usually comes to mind, primarily because it is the largest city in Nigeria and is considered by many to be the financial, industrial, commercial, educational and technological epicenter of Nigeria. However, the ancient city of Ile-Ife is widely regarded
as the cradle of human existence based on the collection of historical information, empirical facts and science. According to Yoruba myth, IleIfe is celebrated as the original source of all mankind and is widely known for its many sacred shrines and spiritual sites that are meant to regularly highlight, promote and remember the Yoruba race (Cont’d on page 12)
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