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An appeal
to Black leaders
We have a tremendous opportunity to obtain
so much for our community if our leaders will urge Black people to vote. Many
of them are registered to vote but don't. It is so vital for church leaders to
push their congregations to go and vote. We have so many Black organizations
that do not help with the "get out the vote effort" on Election Day. The
failure to seize the opportunities in 2006 will come back to haunt us in the
near future. The conservative Republicans are in a struggle to hold on to power
in Georgia and in the nation. The Black vote will make a difference in our
favor if we all push those who need pushing to go vote.
Other communities such as Hispanics, Jews,
whites, and others are working behind the scenes. Many of us have received
telephone calls to encourage us to vote for a local Republican. They are on the
job. We have to do likewise and make something happen that will benefit us.
We realize that many of our local leaders
are uncomfortable with the local NAACP because we point out the anti-Black
behavior by Whites and many uninformed Blacks and we do not hesitate to do so.
If anyone is uncomfortable with the activism of the NAACP and the Americus
Sumter Observer newspaper, then go ahead and do what you can within your church
or civic organization.
Just do something to help advance us to
another level.
Voting is so crucial because it empowers us
to gain control of areas like the school system, the city council, county
commission, the Hospital Authority, and Payroll Development Authority. We must
have representation on these various entities in order to get our fair share of
the tax dollars that we spend. It will take leaders to inform the members of
their organizations to vote to help us put strong Black representatives in key
positions.
We pray that the ministers will do like
preachers did in the 1960s. They made sure their congregations went to the polls
and voted. It can't be that hard for a caring pastor to see to it that all of
his voting age members vote. The main thing any leader or business person
should be fighting for is to empower the citizens so that they will have jobs.
Members can't support the church if we do not have decent incomes. It makes so
much sense for independent business persons to push for our people to have
financial success to keep supporting their businesses.
The power elite of Sumter County are doing
everything they can to stop what they call urban sprawl. What they are saying
is that they do not want too many good jobs here because it will attract many
Blacks from surrounding areas and change drastically the demographics from what
they are now. A good example is Lowe's which will bring more than 50 jobs with
good benefits. If several job-producing entities try to come here, the power
elite will block them.
The Black leaders of Sumter County are
divided in every possible way but that will change as hard times hit this area
hard enough to force us to unite. Right now we are deeply saddened to see so
many churches in this community that are wasting so much time competing with
each other for members and to be the biggest church. Fraternities and
Sororities like Eastern Stars, Elks and the American Legion, Matronites, and
many more should structure an effort to get our people to the polls so that they
will be empowered to advance us. It is apparent that these groups will not work
as a united front at this time, but to avoid wasting golden opportunities, they
should make sure they are actively putting something together as individual
groups to help get our people to vote.
The local NAACP is very active in Sumter
County but that activism has frightened so many who are strong supporters but
can't risk being fired on a job or attacked by racist employers who can make
life hard for them. We have been told by our Sumter County branch president, Dr
John Marshall that the supporters that we have in the NAACP are very bold and
are fighting the discrimination and anti-Black forces that exist in law
enforcement, Sumter Regional Hospital, the school system, the elections board,
city council, and the county commissioners. The Americus Sumter Observer has
been a tremendous voice for the NAACP efforts and we see clearly that
information is more powerful than we ever imagined, says Marshall.
This newspaper is very clear about the
situation as we see it for Black people in Sumter County. We have dedicated our
all to expose the racist Whites and the Blacks who are even worse than some of
the racist Whites in this county. We have their numbers and with God's help, we
will continue to sound the clarion call until the righteous Blacks and Whites
come running and say, "Enough is enough." We will never have peace and
prosperity until the evil forces in high places decide to do what's right in
Sumter County. Until they come to that level of realization, we will sound the
alarms as long as God permits us to do so.
We pray that every leader will speak to
their members of whatever groups and encourage them to vote and have them call
others to please go and vote.
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Vengeance
Is Mine
I have been an active part of the movement to abolish the
death penalty for more than 20 years. Throughout that time I have been careful
to stay out of debates and discussions about the death penalty. I am firmly
convinced that the death penalty is not a rational issue that can be argued or
debated; otherwise it would have been abolished long ago. The death penalty
simply makes no rational sense.
We do not need a moratorium in this state to study the
death penalty. It has been studied to death, if you will excuse the pun.
Studies show that the death penalty does not deter crime. In fact, states that
have the death penalty have higher murder rates, and murder rates increase
around the time of an execution.
Studies show that the death penalty is applied in a racist
and classist way. African Americans accused of killing white people are much
more likely to land on death row. African Americans are 12% of the U.S.
population, but 42% of prisoners on death row. More than 20% of African
American defendants who have been executed were convicted by all-white juries.
Many death penalty trials last less than a week-not enough
time to present a good defense. A Texas death row prisoner said, "There is only
one color on death row, and that color is poor."
In a 1993 case, Herrera v. Collins, the U.S. Supreme Court,
by a vote of 6-3 ruled that a claim of actual innocence based on newly
discovered evidence was not grounds for overturning a death sentence. As
Justice Blackmun wrote in his dissent, "The execution of a person who can show
that he is innocent comes perilously close to simple murder."
No matter how you study it, the simple truth is the death
penalty is dead wrong.
Those in favor of the death penalty have cried out often
for the families of the victims, saying that they need closure, and the only way
to provide it is to execute the killer. Of course, the very necessary appeals
process, which sometimes lasts for decades in a death penalty case, keeps
closure from happening. Hearings and trials go on and on, and the loved ones of
the victims must relive the murder over and over again. A life prison sentence
would bring an end to that suffering. But, you see, the death penalty is not
rational.
Recently, there was a much-publicized execution in the
state of Florida of a man named Danny Rollings. He was a serial killer, who
committed several heinous murders, and terrorized the community of Gainesville
and the University of Florida in the fall of 1990, just a few months after a
similar serial killer, Ted Bundy, had been executed by the state of Florida.
Rollings' execution got a lot of media attention, even in
small-town Americus. But I was especially amazed by the following quote:
"Sadie Darnell, who was [Gainesville's] police department's
media spokeswoman at the time [1990] and developed enduring friendships with the
victims' families, said Rolling's execution still matters, even if it also
provides him more of the notoriety he sought.
'It symbolizes retribution,' said Darnell, now a candidate
for Alachua County sheriff. 'It does not symbolize closure for any of the
family members. Retribution, though, is important because it represents that
our society is holding that person accountable.'"
The death penalty is not a rational issue to be debated and
discussed. It is an emotional issue. The death penalty is also not at all
symbolic. It is very real. Mr. Rollings is very dead. It is true: the death
penalty is about retribution, and I am very glad that the ugly truth has been
spoken finally by an official who is in favor of the death penalty. All those
lies that have been told about the death penalty to try to make some rational
sense of it have been laid to rest finally. The simple truth is the death
penalty is punishment in retaliation for a crime.
It is interesting to note, however, that those in favor of
the death penalty love to quote the Bible: "An eye for an eye," the Good Book
says. Another word for retribution is vengeance, and the Good Book also says,
"'Vengeance is mine, I will repay,' says the Lord." (Deuteronomy 32:35 and
quoted by Paul in Romans 12:19) Paul goes on to say, "Do not be overcome by
evil, but overcome evil with good." (v. 21)
Overcome evil with good-a lesson we all must take to heart.
Sources for statistics and facts on the death penalty:
Amnesty International, Death Penalty Information Center, Helen Prejean's The
Death of Innocence, Southern Center for Human Rights, and the Campaign to End
the Death Penalty.
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- CAST THE FIRST STONE
- Good ole Boy
Network
By: James L. Bryant, Jr.
A classic example of how the good ole' boy network in
Sumter County works has been exposed in this month's newspaper. The reason why
we chose to run the "Girls Gone Wild" cover up story is because the citizens
need to see how city officials, attorneys, and the daily newspaper all work
together to protect one another. Our readership needs to see how even though
these good ole' boys have their fair share of differences, they can put those
differences aside to protect one another for a common goal.
Some may question the need for us to publish the criminal
background of teenagers Carley Blount, Jessica Murray, Joel Melton, Jr., and
Justin Minich. We question the need for the Americus Times Recorder and the
other local tabloids to publish negative background information on Craig Walker,
Mathis Wright, and myself. Some may pose the question: What do the children's
behaviors have to do with their parents? We pose the question: what purpose does
it serve to continuously bring up things that happened 15 and 20 years ago
concerning NAACP officials?
To those people who will complain, criticize, and accuse us
of being no better than the other newspapers in town, I say check the record
book. We're not lying! We didn't start the reporting of court records, they did.
We didn't start the practice of sensationalizing people in the headlines, they
did. All we have done is given you, the readership, the other side of the
story.
In closing, I want to send a message loud and clear to the
good ole boy network. This is a new day and a new era. Journalism in Sumter
County will never be the same. Slowly, but surely, the good ole boy network will
continue to be exposed until it no longer exists. The next time you decide to
pull one of your good ole boy tricks, remember, he that is without sin, let him
cast the first stone!
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Urban
Gardens: A country taste in the cities
The Honorable Elijah Muhammad taught us that Agriculture
was the root of civilization. Agriculture and civilization began in Africa.
Legends record this development in the form of a story about a husband and wife
team by the names of Ausar and Auset. According to this African legend, Auset
domesticated wild crops and animals so that she could grow the crops near her
house and keep the animals in a corral nearby. Her husband, Ausar, took this
technology which became the root of all civilizations and spread it around the
world. Now people would not have to travel long distances hunting and gathering
food. This steady supply of food, close to their homes, allowed humans to pay
attention to other sciences and interests instead of spending most of their day
finding food to survive.
Agriculture has now developed to a point where instead of
the food being grown close to home, it is now being produced on mega-farms or
feedlots hundreds and even thousands of miles from the population centers.
Consequently, the quality, safety and with impending gasoline shortages, even
availability of food has been compromised for the convenience of the city
dwellers and the pockets of, what the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan
describes as, the "merchants of death". The recent E.coli outbreak in spinach,
carrot juice and lettuce is the most recent dramatic example of the break down
of the agricultural system. Some very large "organic" farmers are suspected of
cutting corners to make a profit by growing vegetables using untreated animal
waste in the irrigation water.
Our experience at Muhammad Farms has led us to conclude
that a safe and sustainable agricultural system must include both large scale
farms and smaller farms and gardens. This mixed agriculture system and an
emphasis on urban gardening was documented on our recent visit to Cuba as well.
Large farms are good at producing products like wheat, feed corn, dry beans,
sugarcane, cotton and potatoes because they can be grown using large machines
for production and harvesting and they store well for long distance shipping.
Other crops like watermelons and tree fruits are also amenable to large scale
production since they require a lot of area to grow and have a long shelf life.
On the other hand produce such as spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and other
fresh vegetable crops should be produced close to the point of consumption using
smaller plots of land and more hand labor to reduce the need for harmful
chemicals, and then eaten almost immediately to reduce the need for lengthy
storage. In this article we will highlight the urban garden movement in America
and how it can bring the taste of the country back to our cities.
Rashid Nuri, 58 year old agriculturalist and revolutionary,
has come full circle to his first love. "I have decided that the most
revolutionary act that I can perform is to grow healthy, delicious food right in
the city to supply the needs of the people," says Bro. Rashid.
Bro. Rashid earned a B.S. degree in political science from
Harvard University in the 60’s but after studying the life and works of Kwame
Nkrumah, he decided to get a master’s degree in agriculture from the University
of Massachusetts. Bro. Rashid analyzed that Nkrumah had made a mistake by basing
his agricultural development strategy on selling raw commodities like cocoa to
Europe instead of further processing these raw materials into products that
would bring a higher price in the world market. Bro. Rashid decided that Black
people in America needed to control the production of food from the seed to the
table.
He started his first urban garden project in San Diego, CA
before he was drafted to oversee the management of 13,000 acres of farm land
owned by the Nation of Islam in 1975. Included in that farm acreage was 4,500
acres of land in Terrell County Georgia which was sold off in the late 1970’s,
of which 1600 acres was redeemed by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan as he
rebuilt the Nation of Islam according to the vision of the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad. The present writer has been the farm manager for that farm since 1995.
After the Nation of Islam’s Salaam Agricultural Systems was
shut down, Bro. Rashid sought work elsewhere in the agricultural field. He
worked with the USDA under Mike Espy, the first Black Secretary of Agriculture
where he helped Mike Espy develop the first investigation of the systemic
discrimination against Black farmers by the USDA. Being the revolutionary that
he was, he also requested to investigate the hundreds of millions of dollars in
subsidies handed out by the USDA to large agribusiness firms on an annual basis
which allowed them to make tremendous profits while Black farmers were being
pushed out of business.
Shortly thereafter, Bro. Rashid left the USDA and has
worked on agricultural projects in 38 countries including his last assignment in
Ghana. He returned to America in 2006 and has come back to the idea of urban
gardening. In April of 2006 Bro. Rashid formed Truly Living Well Natural Urban
Farms (TLW), a community-supported agricultural organization with two farm sites
in Atlanta and a site each in Henry and Clayton counties.
"Our goal is to reach people and give them exceptionally
good food," Bro. Rashid said, "People should get their food from people they
know and trust." In discussing the now infamous E.coli infected spinach and
lettuce coming from supposedly "organic" farms in California, Bro. Rashid points
out that the codes for "organic" are too loose for his standards. For instance
he said that one of the regulations reads, "If you can’t get organic fertilizer
from your local supplier, you can use whatever is available locally." This
allows those who want to cheat to do so. Therefore, he keeps his production to a
higher standard than the so-called organic association certifications.
Growing and selling fresh healthy food is just part of the
mission of his organization. Eugene Cooke a young gardener who got his basic
farm training from his grandfather and now works with Bro. Rashid, states that
his goal is to get youth in the local communities adjacent to the gardens
involved in the production and distribution process so that food production
begins to bind and heal the communities. Mr. Cooke was greatly influenced by his
mentor Master Gardener Adonijah Miyamora El who set up the Food and Forestry
Project at Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles under the paradigm of "guerilla
gardening", where you see a vacant piece of land and just go to work without a
bunch of government red tape. Although young, Mr. Cooke loves gardening, however
he is concerned about its ability to sustain himself, his wife and son
financially. Love for the people is one thing but care of his family is another.
The TLW has not taken the complete "guerilla" approach.
Bro. Rashid has been given permission to utilize 4 acres of urban land owned by
different land owners. He hopes to expand to 40 acres. He has found that many
land owners have idle properties who will buy into this concept of urban
agriculture.
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