Bill English Feature

8/9/2019 Bill English Feature

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INSIGHT NEWSMay26 - June1,2008 MNMetroVol.33No.21 TheJournalForCommunityNews,Business&TheArtswww.insightnews.com

11PAGE

Graduationfor Admission Possible

students is time for

celebration

Insights Spotlight on

EDUCATION

4PAGE

The Truth:funkmasters dont

need safety net of

studio for stellar Live

album

3PAGE

Take yourmortgage for a

check up

3PAGE

MzBelGhanaian Hip Hop Star

performs at the 2008

African Women in the

Diaspora Conference

14PAGE

Sade Pollardis on the road to track

immortalityWhen University of Minnesota senior Eva Moses-McDewdecided to declare African American and African studies asher major in 2004, she admitted she was worried. What willI do with an African American studies degree? Will I beable to find a job?

Fours year later, Moses-McDew is graduating from theU with a bachelor of arts degree in African American andAfrican Studies and has a nice job waiting for her in thehuman resource office of Target Corporation as a collegerecruiter.

Moses-McDew is a resident of Maple Grove andattended Cretin-Derham Hall High, where she was a topcompetitive cheerleader. She originally attended U of

Central Florida, was not happy there and transferred to theU of M at the invitation of the Us cheerleading coach. Inthe first semester, she took a Literature of AfricanAmerican Men class taught by Professor Alexs Pate. After

Photo: University News Service

To nominate a student, teacher, program or event email [email protected]

Eva Moses-McDew

Myrlie Evers-Williams, widow ofcivil rights leader Medgar Evers,last week endorsed Sen. BarackObama citing his unique ability tobring people together and achievereal change we can all believe in.

I am deeply honored toannounce my support for Sen.Barack Obama. Over the course ofthis campaign, I have watched withpride as Barack Obama has inspireda new movement for change.Countless Americans of every race,economic and political background

Myrlie Evers-Williams

endorses Barack Obama

13ENDORSEMENT TURN TO

WASHINGTON, DC (NNPA) Democratic Presidential front-runnerSen. Barack Obama took a nearvictory lap in Iowa last Tuesdaynight, celebrating an insurmountablelead in pledged delegates afterdefeating Sen. Hillary Clinton 56-42percent in Oregon. He apparentlyheads for the Democratic nominationin spite of her landslide win inKentucky, 65-30 percent.

From the very beginning, youknew that this journey wasnt about

me or any of the other candidates inthis race, he told the screamingcrowd in Iowa, where he celebratedbecause it was the first state to givehim the nod. It was about whetherthis country, at this defining moment,will continue down the same roadthat has failed us for so long orwhether we will seize thisopportunity to take a different path,to forge a different future for thiscountry that we love.

Clinton has been arguing thatObama will be hard-pressed to winwhite working class voters in thegeneral election.

Obama takes near-victory

lap in Iowa despite big win

for Clinton in Kentucky

12OBAMA TURN TO

Michelle Obama made a brief visit to Lexington on the eve of theMay 20 Kentucky primary to thank campaign volunteers for their

hard work in the city. Sen. Obama made a strong showing inLexington and Louisville despite the Clinton victory in Kentucky.

Credit: Patrice K. Muhammad/The Key Newsjournal

BALTIMORE (NNPA) Alreadymapping a strategy to maximizeBlack voter participation and issuesin the general election November 4,former Black Press executiveBenjamin Todd Jealous has beennamed the new national presidentof the NAACP.

My primary goals are to makesure that the Black surge that wesaw in the primary is repeated inthe general election and to makesure that we have both an agendafor the transitioning governmentthat will be happening in January aswell as for this next century, said

Jealous in an NNPA interview justmoments after the officialannouncement of his appointment

to lead the 99-year-old civil rightsorganization, the nations oldest.

We have one heck of a battingaverage and we need to maintainit, he said of the record voterturnout during the primary. Its tomake sure that we are as strong of aplayer in this century as well as thenext. So, a lot of this is aboutraising money, its about the use oftechnology, its about rebuildingthe staff.

Jealous, who will start the jobSeptember 1, has an extensiveresume, entrenched in civil rights.He is a former managing editor ofMississippis historic JacksonAdvocate. In 2000, he became

executive director of the NationalNewspaper Publishers Association,the Black Press of America. He left

NNPA after three years to becomedirector of Amnesty InternationalsU. S. Human Rights Program. Hecomes to the NAACP from the SanFrancisco-based RosenbergFoundation, where he has served aspresident since 2005.

A positive aura exuded from thehorde of beaming civil rightsleaders as Jealous stood outside ofthe organizations Baltimoreheadquarters alongside boardchairman Julian Bond, Vice ChairRoslyn Brock and other supportersfrom the 64-member board thatvoted to hire him. However, no

Benjamin Jealous named NAACP President

Photos: NNPA

Benjamin Jealous addresses board members and the press at the NAACP National Headquarters

13NAACP TURN TO

11EDUCATION TURN TO

By Hazel Trice EdneyNNPAEditor-in-Chief

File photo

Myrlie Evers-Williams

By Hazel Trice EdneyNNPAEditor-in-Chief

12ENGLISH TURN TO

Leaders of what we fondly call thelegacy organizations and McFarlaneMedia are launching an annualleadership recognition event next monthand will celebrate William BillEnglish, co-chair of the AfricanAmerican Leadership Summit/Coalitionof Black Churches as the events firsthonoree.

The event is 6 pm Sat., June 14,2008, at Radisson Plaza Hotel, 35 South7th Street, Downtown Minneapolis.The 6 pm reception is followed by a 7pm banquet dinner.

We have come to a ratherremarkable realization over the pastseveral months, event planners say.That realization is that the AfricanAmerican Community in Minnesota has

capitulated to others by allowing themto define those who truly contribute toour community.

We have chosen to correct thatoversight by initiating this year anannual recognition dinner of thosewhom we believe serve our communitywith integrity and competence, we say

By Al McFarlane and B.P FordThe [email protected]

GravitasCelebrating leadership

Photo: Studiotobechi


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A recent search of the MinnesotaBureau of Criminal Apprehension(BCA) database indicated that of asampling of 147 men who completedthe Anger Management Program atPhyllis Wheatley Community Center,96% had no reported incidents ofdomestic violence 10-18 months aftergraduating from the program.

Various evaluation outcomeindicators have long proven thisprogram to be effective, and we arevery pleased with results from theBCA database that further confirmsthis, said Barbara Milon, ExecutiveDirector of Phyllis WheatleyCommunity Center.

Wayne Hunter, Family ServicesManager at Phyllis WheatleyCommunity Center, has operated theMens Program at Phyllis Wheatleyfor the past nine years. We helppeople develop techniques of selfcontrol and effective relationshipskills, said Hunter. Violentbehaviors are often a response to stressin ones life by those who have notreceived the support or education thatwould have enabled them to developthe capability to deal with conflict inhealthy ways, continued Hunter. Wehelp them to develop coping skills, andto address those areas in their life thatare causing stress.

Often men involved in familyviolence feel isolated, and this 20-week educational and support groupprovides an atmosphere conducive forthe men to come together and focus onbettering their relationships and theirlives. Participants are primarilyreferred to the program by the courts orother human service professionalsbecause of a violent incident; peoplecan and voluntarily register as well.There is no fee charged for theprogram which is supported byHennepin County, along with grantsfrom the Greater Twin Cities UnitedWay, Allianz, Ameriprise and Thrivent

Financial.Anger is a very strong emotion

that we all experience, said Hunter.We help people learn how to managethis emotion and keep it fromescalating out of control, andcircumvent the downward spiral thatoften occurs with men following adomestic conflict that requires publicintervention. While anger is a primarytopic, we are interested in helping

participants develop their full rangeand capacity to regulate in a healthymanner all emotions. Hence, a moreappropriate title for the program maybe Emotional Regulation Education.

During the 20-week program, thegroup addresses effectivecommunication, healthy relationships,cultural influences of violence inAmerica, and how to make thetransition from co-dependency to selfvalidation. Eight effective steps toemotional intelligence are also shared.In addition, the program offersinformational clinics or workshops onsubjects such as physical health,chemical addiction, financialmanagement and legal issues likecriminal record expungement in aneffort to address the many barriersprogram participants contend with.

Traditionally delivering acurriculum culturally specific toAfrican American males, the programnow serves all ethnic groups andNational origins, with participantsranging in age from 17 (with parentalconsent) to 70.

The program excels in providingresources to those who are typicallyhard to serve, including those battlingeconomic hardship, homelessness,mental health and chemicaldependency issues. The program helpsindividuals navigate through thecriminal justice system towardsunsupervised citizenship.

Frequently men remain connected tothe Center following graduation.Benefits experienced by graduatesinclude regaining and maintaining

sobriety, regaining custody of theirchildren, fulfilling probationary

obligations successfully, improvedfamily relationships and becomingmore responsible members of theircommunities.

Still, domestic violence persists toundermine family stability. In 2007,there were 862 incidents of reportedaggravated domestic assault inMinneapolis, with 383 of theseoccurring in North Minneapolis.Domestic violence hurts all membersof a family beyond those physically

impacted, including the actual victim,the perpetrator and children in thefamily.

Domestic violence has evenfurther reaching negative impacts onthe community. When one personhurts or is hurt the entire community isaffected by the dysfunctions associatedwith domestic violence. The cycle ofviolence, including violence in thestreet, is learned first and foremost byexperiences a child witnesses in thehome. In our efforts to extricateviolence in the home, we are alsoattempting to help reduce or eliminateviolence in the streets of ourcommunity.

The Mens Anger Managementprogram has grown dramatically sinceHunter has managed the program;when he started in 1999 the program

served 20 men annually and it nowserves over 200 men each year. With

the rising demand, there is a four-month waiting list for those in need ofthe service. No doubt this is related tothe programs reputation and its abilityto get results.

We couldnt achieve these greatresults without the help of ourdedicated volunteers, concludedHunter. Hunter incorporates guestfacilitators to share variousperspectives and wisdom in promotinghealthy families. Volunteers critical to

the programs success include SonnyAnderson, an investigator forHennepin County; DorethaAsantwaah, Outreach Coordinator forthe American Red Cross; the Rev.David Belton, School SuccessCoordinator at Phyllis Wheatley andChemical Dependency Counselor atTurning Point; James Bransford,Dispositional Advisor for HennepinCounty Public Defenders Office; Dr.Jovan Cleveland, Psychologist ofNorthPoint Health Center; Dr. AllenHolmes, Psycho-Therapist ofNorthwest Psychological Services;Thornton Jones, Marketing andCommunications Director forNorthPoint Health Center; NickyJurgens, Community Health Specialistfrom Hennepin County Human Healthand Public Services Department; Yer

Lee Community CommunicationSpecialist of Accountability

Minnesota; Monica McClain,Hennepin County Probation Officerand Creator of the Womens AngerManagement Curriculum From Rageto Roses; Shane Price, ViolencePrevention Coordinator of AfricanAmerican Mens Project; TakashiYoshino, primary Case Manager forEden House Drug Treatment Center;and financial experts: Matt Clark, VPand Business Development Officer,Lehman Brothers; and Harold Minor,

Financial Planner of HD Minor LLC.A new contributor to the programis David Simon, Harvard Law Schoolstudent (J.D. candidate, expected June2008), who is working to establish thePhyllis Wheatley CommunityLawyering Project. The intent is toprovide access to legal servicesthrough a three-prong approach, withpresentations from qualified attorneysaddressing priority legal concerns inselect group sessions, periodic legalfairs that will be open to thecommunity, and access to pro bonolegal resources. In addition toaddressing legal needs, efforts areunderway to establish psychologicalservices on site for programparticipants as well.Phyllis Wheatley also operates aWomens Anger Management

Program. Other family service

programs at the Center includeEffective Parenting, which helpsparents develop positive disciplinetechniques and supportiverelationships with their children, andthe Northside Family InitiativeProgram, which helps families andindividuals gain economicindependence and address factorsinfluencing family economic stability,such as employment and housing.Youth services at Phyllis Wheatley are

designed to help students meet orexceed academic progress goals byworking with parents, teachers andvolunteers to achieve long-termsuccess. Programs include the after-school (and all day summer) AcademicAchievement Program, Early Birds,School Success and MentoringProgram. The center also operates oneof the oldest licensed non-profit childcare centers in Minneapolis, Mary T.Wellcome Child Development Centerfor infants to preschoolers.Celebrating 83 years of helpingchildren and families succeed, PhyllisWheatleys mission is to providecomprehensive, quality programs inlife-long learning, child developmentand family support for the diverseGreater Minneapolis community. Visitwww.phylliswheatley.org or call (612)

374-4342 for more information.

http://insightnews.com Insight News May 26 - June 1, 2008 Page 7

FULL CIRCLEPhyllis Wheatleys Anger Management Program effective in reducing domestic violence

Thornton Jones,program contributor

Photos provided by PWCCBarbara Milon, Executive Director

Wayne Hunter, Family Services Manager withprogram contributor James Bransford


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But, Oregons 80 percent whiteelectorate has debunked that theory.Also, his return to vastly white Iowa,

which cheered and chanted in hisfavor, continued to prove that thewhite vote is not monolithic.The crowd went wild when hedeclared, Tonight, Iowa, in thefullness of spring, with the help ofthose who stood up from Portland toLouisville, we have returned to Iowawith a majority of delegates electedby the American people and youhave put us within reach of theDemocratic nomination for presidentof the United States of America!

They chanted: Obama! Obama!Obama! Obama is now only 73delegates shy of the 2,026 delegates

needed to secure the Democraticnomination.

Still, Clinton pressed on inKentucky. In a speech alsopunctuated with cheers andapplause, she declared she will notgive in yet despite Obamasapparently insurmountable lead.

Its not just Kentucky bluegrassthats music to my ears. Its thesound of your overwhelming vote ofconfidence, even in the face of somepretty tough odds. Some have saidyour votes didnt matter, that thiscampaign was over, that allowingeveryone to vote and every vote tocount would somehow be a mistake.But that didnt stop you. Youvenever given up on me because youknow Ill never give up on you, shesaid to applause. This is one of theclosest races for a partys nominationin modern history. Were winningthe popular vote, and Im more

determinedmore determined thanever to see that every vote is cast andevery ballot counted.She conceded, however, that bothshe and Obama have agreed that they

will support each other regardless ofthe ultimate winner.While we continue to go toe-to-toefor this nomination, we do see eye-to-eye when it comes to uniting ourparty to elect a Democratic presidentin the fall, she said.The race is not exactly toe-to-toe.Obama leads in every category,including super delegates, 305-277.Clinton is hoping to convince theremaining 218 super delegates thatshe is best able to win the generalelection against Republican Sen.John McCain in the fall because she

has won a strong contingency ofvastly working class states, such asWest Virginia, Kentucky andPennsylvania.

The 800 super delegates, whocast their votes at the DemocraticPrimary in August, are allowed todecide their individual endorsementsbased on whatever they think is bestfor the party.An upset does not appear likely asObama now has a chance to win the2,026 pledged delegates necessary to

secure the nomination. The finalprimaries are Puerto Rico, 63delegates; Montana, 24; and SouthDakota, 23. Pollsters say he isexpected to win in Montana and

South Dakota. Clinton is expected towin Puerto Rico. In a close race inPuerto Rico, however, he could sheeroff enough delegates to put him overthe mark.Record numbers of voters are stillpressing out.

He reminds me of my grandsonand I love him [Obama] to death. Ihope we can push him into theWhitehouse, said Virginia Watkins,as she left her poll in Lexington, KY.,according to a report from KeyNewsjournal editor PatriceMuhammad. The Journal, located in

Central Kentucky, reports thatWatkins was recently hospitalizedfor pneumonia and had been homerecuperating, but wanted to come outto vote for Obama.New voters continue to show up,indicating a likely heavy turnout inthe fall.

Voting for only the second timein his life, Klaistrae Jackson said,We have who we have in office nowbecause people arent voting. Ifigured, if I dont vote then I cant

complain. So Im here to vote forObama, the Key Newsjournalreported.

Though those votes werentenough to bring Obama close to awin in Kentucky, predictions are thathe will still make history in August.

He is apparently strategizing todo so by embracing his opponentwith hopes for a unified party longbefore the convention.You know, in her 35 years of publicservice, Sen. Hillary RodhamClinton has never given up on herfight for the American people. And

tonight I congratulate her on hervictory in Kentucky, Obama toldthe Iowa crowd. You know, wevehad our disagreements during thiscampaign, but we all admire hercourage, and her commitment, andher perseverance. And no matterhow this primary ends, Sen. Clintonhas shattered myths and brokenbarriers and changed the America inwhich my daughters and yourdaughters will come of age, and forthat we are grateful to her.

Page 12 May 26 - June 1, 2008 Insight News http://insightnews.com

PUZZLE ANSWERS from page 13

Obama

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Obama is now only 73 delegates shyof the 2,026 delegates needed to

secure the Democratic nomination.

in a letter inviting residents, agencies,and companies to a special eveninghonoring Englishs lifetimecommitment to community andeconomic development.

For more than forty years Billhas unselfishly served ourcommunity. His role as a servant,leader and activist has been welldocumented. His work is quitedeserving of this recognition, said

the Rev. Randolph Staten, co-chair ofthe Leadership Summit and BlackChurch Coalition.

Englishs service and leadershipare iconic. Whether in the classroom,the corporate boardroom, thecommunity board meeting, thechurch, the halls of politics, in thecourts or on the protest picket line,English brings gravitas, weight, tothe demand for justice, fairness andinclusion for our people at the tables

of wealth and power.A program of

acknowledgements, reflections,tributes and roasts begins at 8 pm andis followed by a 9 pm live concertfeaturing stellar Minnesotaentertainers.

For information about banquettickets and the program, call Ms. Lueor Ms. Patricia at Insight News at(612) 588-1313.

English embodies the tenacityand single mindedness thatcharacterizes the importance andpassion of the civil and human rightsmovement, locally and globally. Hewas at the front lines of the 1950scivil rights movement as a studentand as a member of the United StatesArmed Services. He was acommunity organizer in the TwinCities mobilizing residents to createinnovative solutions to racialdiscrimination. He helped organizedsignature institutions includingSabathani Community Center andthe Afro-American Cultural Center inSouth Minneapolis, and Pilot City,

the predecessor to NorthPoint Health& Wellness, in North Minneapolis.English enjoyed a productiveprofessional career in management atControl Data Corporation, and itssuccessor, Ceridian.

He presently, though formallyretired, works as an administrator ofthe City, Inc., an alternative schoolprogram serving youths in North andSouth Minneapolis. In a broadcastinterview last week, English reflectedon the importance of Great Societyprograms that created Pilot City andits sister programs in SouthMinneapolis and St. Paul, ModelCities.

The Model Cities programinvited cities to submit proposals forfederal funding for programs thatwould deal with blighted areas. Onething Congress did that was visionarywas create what they called thecitizen participation componentthatrequired that citizens be involved inthe spending of significant amountsof money, English said.

It ended up being over $70

million in federal funds forMinneapolis, to do a wide range ofthings including infrastructureredevelopment and communityprojects. Many of the things you seeright now grew out of Model Cities.For instance, Minneapolis Age andOpportunity Center was a directresult of and first funded underMinneapolis Model Citiesprogram, he said.

The citizen participationrequirement was unique in that itallowed citizens to have equal powerto the government. Just before thefirst application for funding wassubmitted there was a midnightnegotiation I had with the then CityCoordinator, Tommy Thompson, inwhich we said we were not going tosign the application unless we gotwhat we wanted out of it, Englishsaid.

The city finally capitulated andgave us the programs we wanted anda structure which gave us an equalvoice to the citys, he said.

English congratulated the City of

St. Paul whose still ongoing ModelCities program has continued themodel. English was speaking on lastTuesdays KFAI broadcast ofConversations With Al McFarlanealongside special guests Dr. BeverleyHawkins, CEO of St. Paul ModelCities, and Kansas State Sen. DavidHaley, nephew of noted Roots writer,Alex Haley. Haley was in town lastweek to address the Model CitiesAnnual Meeting.

Model Cities allowed us toorganize our community. Thatbrought an unprecedented level ofcivic engagement and really,engagement in the politicalprocessin power.

But the power attained andexercised through those and similarcommunity based negotiation hasdissipated, leaving the Blackcommunity at greater risk of beingmarginalized, disadvantaged, andignored, English said.

It is clear that NorthMinneapolis is Minnesotas largestBlack community, he said. The

mayor, R.T. Rybak, has taken it uponhimself to hook in with a localdeveloper to buy up boarded uphomes and then offer them atdiscount to city employees, most ofwhom are not people of color.Whether it is a formal conspiracy orinformal conspiracy, it doesntmatter.

The results are the same. Whatwe must recognize is that we have themost valuable property in the City ofMinneapolis, with its proximity toDowntown and because the newbaseball stadium is being built on theedge of our neighborhood. The goalseems to be to get rid of the poorpeople, to regentrify the community,he said.

The only way we are going tocombat this is by filing a lawsuitagainst the city that will shine apublic light on unfair policies andpractices, English said.

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one denied the reality of thedaunting challenge ahead given themajor problems that have plaguedthe organization in recent years.Former Verizon executive BruceGordon, resigned abruptly inFebruary last year after a 19-monthpresidency with the organization.He cited irreconcilable differenceswith the 64-member board.Four months later Bond made anational appeal for board membersand NAACP supporters to show

some love to the NAACP bygiving money.

Interim CEO Dennis Hayes,who stepped into leadership behindGordon announced staff cuts at theBaltimore headquarters from 119 to70 people. He said the organizationhad used more than $10 million inreserves to cover shortfallsfollowing the presidency of formerCongressman Kweisi Mfume.Despite financial woes, which areintrinsic to most civil and humanrights organizations, Bond hassteadily pointed to the social ills ofAmerica and the necessity of voterregistration as the greatest priorityof the organization.

The selection of Jealous meansgoing from Gordon, a corporateexecutive who had never

participated in a civil rights march,to a young, but seasoned civil rightsadvocate with a back groundentrenched in the priority issues ofthe NAACP, including voterregistration and education.

Of the many people that weinterviewed, he was head andshoulders above the others for thisreason, says Bond. He has spenthis entire professional life workingon the issues that the NAACP holdsdear. He has spent his entireprofessional life raising money fororganizations much like theNAACP. He is in sync with theNAACP to a high degree and weare very happy to have him withus... Hes a perfect fit for us inevery way.

Jealous election was notwithout the heated debate that haslong been typical of the 64-memberboard, packed with civil rightswarriors from communities andtrenches across America. Boardmembers said discussions thatstarted Friday evening continueduntil the wee hours of Saturday

morning.There was a great discussion, a

great debate on the issues that arecritically important to theNAACP, says labor leader BillLucy. And I think those are thekinds of discussions that engenderstrong feelings. But, the fact thatpeople debated it out into the weehours of the morning was a goodhealthy discussion. The fact is thatin the end, there was an agreementon his candidacy and that was agood thing.

Actually, sources said thedebate was not all about thecandidate. Much of it was about the

process. Jealous had been selectedunanimously by the organizationsthree-member executive committeeafter it had reviewed two othercandidates. The three finalists hadbeen presented to the executivecommittee by a search committeefor the selection of one candidate topresent to the board for aninterview, which sources say hasbeen the normal process forselecting NAACP presidents.Acrimony had started at previousmeetings when some boardmembers pushed to change theprocedure, arguing that the boardshould be allowed to interview allthree finalists. Tension continued inthe board meeting as somemembers said they had beendisenfranchised by not having

heard the other two candidates,who were the Rev. FrederickHaynes, a 47-year-old pastor fromDallas, and Alvin Brown, a formerClinton White House advisor.

The final vote for Jealous was34-21, according to the BaltimoreAfro-American. Responding to aquestion about how he will dealwith board factionalism that hasfrustrated other NAACP CEOs,Jealous synopsized his leadershipstyle.

Im a team player. I believethat in order to lead in the game,youve got to be completely in thegame, that in order to have peopleto follow you, they need to knowthat youre willing to followingthem, he said. This isnt a newindustry to me if you will. This isthe family, the movement that I wasraised in. So, I expect to havenothing but success.

In random interviews withboard members, they spokeglowingly of Jealous. Only onedeclined to speak on the record.A lot of folks made a big to do

about age, said Lucy. I think its agood thing. The energy thededication and commitment arethose standards that thisorganization must stand by. Fromthe trade union side, Bens reallystrong belief in workers rights,people to be treated fairly on the

job, to receive adequate income andpay and to have a voice on the job,thats what were all about.Hazel Dukes, a former nationalpresident of the organization, saidshe met Jealous for the first timelast week.

Ive checked with people thathe went to school withI started

listening, she said when she heardhe was a candidate. And when helaid out the vision for us and to behis age and that he wants to comeback and give back to thecommunity with such passion anddevotion, Im just excited. As amother, Im just a proud African-American mom today that a youngman who has accomplished somuch has come back to work forthe oldest civil rights organizationwith a passion, with love andsupport. Maxine Smith, executivesecretary of the Memphis NAACPfor more than 40 years, currentlynational education chair, calledJealous a breath of fresh air.

She said, He has obviousability and inner feeling like thoseolder civil rights leaders and those

older NAACPers like us. Its likehes been on the warfield a longtime.

The Rev. Michael Nelson ofDetroit, says he believes Jealousage will cause the organization toattract youthful civil rightsadvocates.

We do think that with theyouthful nature of the new CEOthat he will bring the associationalong in that way and that he willalso speak to the issues of youthand young adults, Nelson says.We want to be sure that we willcontinue to build a base for theassociation. And that were takingin consideration the concerns ofyoung people. Thats veryimportant to us.

The Rev. Theresa Dear of

Bartlett, Ill. agrees: He representstaking the NAACP to the nextlevel. He is extraordinarilybrilliant. And he represents greatpromise and potential, not just forthe organization, but for youngpeople. Jealous holds a bachelorsdegree in political science fromColumbia University and amasters in comparative socialresearch from Oxford, where hewas a Rhodes Scholar.

By indications, this week,Jealous will also be welcomed backinto the civil rights community ofWashington, D.C. WadeHenderson, president and CEO ofthe Leadership Conference on CivilRights, said Jealous selection wasperfectly timed. Change is in theair. Were on the verge of very

important change, Hendersonsaid. He was referring to theelection of either Sens. BarackObama, Hillary Clinton or JohnMcCain. And I think Ben Jealousappointment at the NAACP helpsto further cement the transition ofthe important issues that are taking

place in the country todayItheralds a new level of leadershipfor the organization and a new levelof cooperation between theNAACP and the established non-governmental organization andcivil rights movement.

are engaged in our democracy witha passion and commitment not seenfor generations.

Like my husband MedgarEvers and other great leaders of theCivil Rights Movement, Barack

Obama embodies a deep well ofcourage, integrity, compassion,strength and sound judgment. Heoffers the kind of leadership that weneed in the White House as ournation grapples with chronic issueslike rising gas and food prices,skyrocketing healthcare costs, aflagging housing market, jobinsecurity and a misguided Iraq war.

America is again at acrossroads, and at this momentMedgars words speak to me with afierce urgency, Is there anythingthat you believe in strongly enough

to standup and fight for? BarackObama is a living testament toMedgars work. He is the strongestcandidate to unite our countryaround the common challenges weface. That is why I support BarackObama for president.

Of the endorsement, Obamasaid: I am honored to have thesupport of Myrlie Evers-Williams.Along with her husband Medgar,

she laid the groundwork for theCivil Rights Movement inMississippi, and did so much toadvance the cause of equality and

justice in this country. Evers-Williams tireless efforts to keep herhusbands legacy alive and to openup opportunity for all Americanshas been a light upon my path as acommunity organizer, civil rightsattorney, and state and U.S. Senator and their example is one Illcontinue looking to in the monthsahead and beyond.

http://insightnews.com Insight News May 26 - June 1, 2008 Page 13

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Endorsement

From 1

NAACP

From 1

NAACP Chairman Julian Bond and Vice Chair Roslyn Brock introduce new NAACP President-electBenjamin Jealous at Saturdays press conference

Documents

Bill English Feature