INSIGHT NEWS

May 26 - June 1, 2008 • MN Metro Vol. 33 No. 21• The Journal For Community News, Business & The Arts • www.insightnews.com

MzBel
Ghanaian Hip Hop Star

Gravitas
performs at the 2008
African Women in the
Diaspora Conference
Celebrating leadership PAGE 3

By Al McFarlane and B.P Ford

The Editors
editors@insightnews.com

Leaders of what we fondly call the

legacy organizations and McFarlane
Media are launching an annual
leadership recognition event next month
and will celebrate William “Bill”
English, co-chair of the African
American Leadership Summit/Coalition
of Black Churches as the event’s first
honoree.
The event is 6 pm Sat., June 14,
Take your
2008, at Radisson Plaza Hotel, 35 South mortgage for a
7th Street, Downtown Minneapolis. check up
The 6 pm reception is followed by a 7
pm banquet dinner. PAGE 3
“We have come to a rather
remarkable realization over the past
several months,” event planners say.
“That realization is that the African
American Community in Minnesota has
capitulated to others by allowing them
to define those who truly contribute to
our community.
“We have chosen to correct that
oversight by initiating this year an
annual recognition dinner of those
whom we believe serve our community
with integrity and competence,” we say

ENGLISH TURN TO 12
Photo: Studiotobechi The Truth:
funkmasters don’t
Obama takes near-victory need safety net of
studio for stellar “Live”

lap in Iowa despite big win album

for Clinton in Kentucky
By Hazel Trice Edney
NNPA Editor-in-Chief
WASHINGTON, DC (NNPA) –
Democratic Presidential front-runner
Sen. Barack Obama took a near
victory lap in Iowa last Tuesday
night, celebrating an insurmountable
lead in pledged delegates after
defeating Sen. Hillary Clinton 56-42
percent in Oregon. He apparently
heads for the Democratic nomination
in spite of her landslide win in
Kentucky, 65-30 percent.
“From the very beginning, you
knew that this journey wasn’t about
Michelle Obama made a brief visit to Lexington on the eve of the
May 20 Kentucky primary to thank campaign volunteers for their
hard work in the city. Sen. Obama made a strong showing in
Lexington and Louisville despite the Clinton victory in Kentucky.
Credit: Patrice K. Muhammad/The Key Newsjournal
PAGE 4
me or any of the other candidates in
this race,” he told the screaming
crowd in Iowa, where he celebrated
because it was the first state to give
him the nod. “It was about whether
this country, at this defining moment,
will continue down the same road
that has failed us for so long or
whether we will seize this
opportunity to take a different path,
to forge a different future for this Photos: NNPA
country that we love.” Benjamin Jealous addresses board members and the press at the NAACP National Headquarters
Benjamin Jealous named NAACP President
Clinton has been arguing that
Obama will be hard-pressed to win
white working class voters in the Graduation
general election.
By Hazel Trice Edney
Jealous in an NNPA interview just executive director of the National for Admission Possible
moments after the official Newspaper Publishers Association,
OBAMA TURN TO 12
NNPA Editor-in-Chief announcement of his appointment the Black Press of America. He left students is time for
to lead the 99-year-old civil rights NNPA after three years to become celebration
BALTIMORE (NNPA) – Already organization, the nation’s oldest. director of Amnesty International’s
mapping a strategy to maximize “We have one heck of a batting
average and we need to maintain
U. S. Human Rights Program. He
comes to the NAACP from the San
PAGE 11
Black voter participation and issues
in the general election November 4, it,” he said of the record voter Francisco-based Rosenberg
former Black Press executive turnout during the primary. “It’s to Foundation, where he has served as
Benjamin Todd Jealous has been make sure that we are as strong of a president since 2005.
named the new national president player in this century as well as the A positive aura exuded from the
of the NAACP. next. So, a lot of this is about horde of beaming civil rights
“My primary goals are to make raising money, it’s about the use of leaders as Jealous stood outside of
sure that the Black surge that we technology, it’s about rebuilding the organization’s Baltimore
saw in the primary is repeated in the staff.” headquarters alongside board
the general election and to make Jealous, who will start the job chairman Julian Bond, Vice Chair
sure that we have both an agenda September 1, has an extensive Roslyn Brock and other supporters
for the transitioning government resume, entrenched in civil rights. from the 64-member board that
that will be happening in January as He is a former managing editor of voted to hire him. However, no
well as for this next century,” said Mississippi’s historic Jackson NAACP TURN TO 13
Advocate. In 2000, he became
To nominate a student, teacher, program or event email info@insightnews.com

Insight’s Spotlight on
Myrlie Evers-Williams EDUCATION Eva Moses-McDew
Sade Pollard
is on the road to track

endorses Barack Obama When University of Minnesota senior Eva Moses-McDew

decided to declare African American and African studies as
immortality

Myrlie Evers-Williams, widow of
civil rights leader Medgar Evers,
last week endorsed Sen. Barack
Obama citing his unique ability to
bring people together and achieve
real change we can all believe in.
“I am deeply honored to
announce my support for Sen.
Barack Obama. Over the course of
this campaign, I have watched with
pride as Barack Obama has inspired
a new movement for change.
Countless Americans of every race,
economic and political background
ENDORSEMENT TURN TO 13
PAGE 14
her major in 2004, she admitted she was worried. What will
I do with an African American studies degree? Will I be
able to find a job?
Fours year later, Moses-McDew is graduating from the
U with a bachelor of arts degree in African American and
African Studies and has a nice job waiting for her in the
human resource office of Target Corporation as a college
recruiter.
Moses-McDew is a resident of Maple Grove and
attended Cretin-Derham Hall High, where she was a top
competitive cheerleader. She originally attended U of
Central Florida, was not happy there and transferred to the
U of M at the invitation of the U’s cheerleading coach. In
the first semester, she took a Literature of African
American Men class taught by Professor Alexs Pate. After
File photo Photo: University News Service EDUCATION TURN TO 11
Myrlie Evers-Williams
http://insightnews.com
Phyllis Wheatley’s Anger Management Program effective in reducing domestic violence
A recent search of the Minnesota
Bureau of Criminal Apprehension
(BCA) database indicated that of a
sampling of 147 men who completed
the Anger Management Program at
Phyllis Wheatley Community Center,
96% had no reported incidents of
domestic violence 10-18 months after
graduating from the program.
“Various evaluation outcome
indicators have long proven this
program to be effective, and we are
very pleased with results from the
BCA database that further confirms
this,” said Barbara Milon, Executive
Director of Phyllis Wheatley
Community Center.
Wayne Hunter, Family Services
Manager at Phyllis Wheatley
Community Center, has operated the
Men’s Program at Phyllis Wheatley
for the past nine years. “We help
people develop techniques of self
control and effective relationship
skills,” said Hunter. “Violent
behaviors are often a response to stress
in one’s life by those who have not
received the support or education that
would have enabled them to develop
the capability to deal with conflict in
healthy ways,” continued Hunter. “We
help them to develop coping skills, and
to address those areas in their life that
are causing stress.”
Often men involved in family
violence feel isolated, and this 20-
week educational and support group
provides an atmosphere conducive for
the men to come together and focus on
bettering their relationships and their
lives. Participants are primarily
referred to the program by the courts or
other human service professionals
because of a violent incident; people
can and voluntarily register as well.
There is no fee charged for the
program which is supported by
Hennepin County, along with grants
from the Greater Twin Cities United
Way, Allianz, Ameriprise and Thrivent
Financial.
“Anger is a very strong emotion
FULL CIRCLE
that we all experience,” said Hunter.
“We help people learn how to manage
this emotion and keep it from
escalating out of control, and
circumvent the downward spiral that
often occurs with men following a
domestic conflict that requires public
intervention. While anger is a primary
topic, we are interested in helping
participants develop their full range
and capacity to regulate in a healthy
manner all emotions. Hence, a more
appropriate title for the program may
be Emotional Regulation Education.”
During the 20-week program, the
group addresses effective
communication, healthy relationships,
cultural influences of violence in
America, and how to make the
transition from co-dependency to self
validation. Eight effective steps to
emotional intelligence are also shared.
In addition, the program offers
informational clinics or workshops on
subjects such as physical health,
chemical addiction, financial
management and legal issues like
criminal record expungement in an
effort to address the many barriers
program participants contend with.
Traditionally delivering a the perpetrator and children in the
curriculum culturally specific to
African American males, the program
now serves all ethnic groups and
National origins, with participants
ranging in age from 17 (with parental
consent) to 70.
The program excels in providing
resources to those who are typically
hard to serve, including those battling
economic hardship, homelessness,
mental health and chemical
dependency issues. The program helps
individuals navigate through the
criminal justice system towards
unsupervised citizenship.
Frequently men remain connected to
the Center following graduation.
Benefits experienced by graduates
include regaining and maintaining
sobriety, regaining custody of their
children, fulfilling probationary
Photos provided by PWCC
Barbara Milon, Executive Director
obligations successfully, improved
family relationships and becoming
more responsible members of their
communities.
Still, domestic violence persists to
undermine family stability. In 2007,
there were 862 incidents of reported
aggravated domestic assault in
Minneapolis, with 383 of these
occurring in North Minneapolis.
Domestic violence hurts all members
of a family beyond those physically
impacted, including the actual victim,
family.
Domestic violence has even
further reaching negative impacts on
the community. When one person
hurts or is hurt the entire community is
affected by the dysfunctions associated
with domestic violence. The cycle of
violence, including violence in the
street, is learned first and foremost by
experiences a child witnesses in the
home. In our efforts to extricate
violence in the home, we are also
attempting to help reduce or eliminate
violence in the streets of our
community.
The Men’s Anger Management
program has grown dramatically since
Hunter has managed the program;
when he started in 1999 the program
served 20 men annually and it now
serves over 200 men each year. With
Insight News • May 26 - June 1, 2008 • Page 7
Wayne Hunter, Family Services Manager with
program contributor James Bransford
the rising demand, there is a four- Minnesota; Monica McClain,
month waiting list for those in need of Hennepin County Probation Officer
the service. No doubt this is related to and Creator of the Women’s Anger
the program’s reputation and its ability Management Curriculum “From Rage
to get results. to Roses”; Shane Price, Violence
“We couldn’t achieve these great Prevention Coordinator of African
results without the help of our American Men’s Project; Takashi
dedicated volunteers,” concluded Yoshino, primary Case Manager for
Hunter. Hunter incorporates guest Eden House Drug Treatment Center;
facilitators to share various and financial experts: Matt Clark, VP
perspectives and wisdom in promoting and Business Development Officer,
healthy families. Volunteers critical to Lehman Brothers; and Harold Minor,
the program’s success include Sonny Financial Planner of HD Minor LLC.
Anderson, an investigator for A new contributor to the program
Hennepin County; Doretha is David Simon, Harvard Law School
Asantwaah, Outreach Coordinator for student (J.D. candidate, expected June
the American Red Cross; the Rev. 2008), who is working to establish the
David Belton, School Success Phyllis Wheatley Community
Coordinator at Phyllis Wheatley and Lawyering Project. The intent is to
Chemical Dependency Counselor at provide access to legal services
Turning Point; James Bransford, through a three-prong approach, with
Dispositional Advisor for Hennepin presentations from qualified attorneys
County Public Defenders Office; Dr. addressing priority legal concerns in
Jovan Cleveland, Psychologist of select group sessions, periodic legal
NorthPoint Health Center; Dr. Allen fairs that will be open to the
Holmes, Psycho-Therapist of community, and access to pro bono
Northwest Psychological Services; legal resources. In addition to
Thornton Jones, Marketing and addressing legal needs, efforts are
Communications Director for underway to establish psychological
NorthPoint Health Center; Nicky services on site for program
Jurgens, Community Health Specialist participants as well.
from Hennepin County Human Health Phyllis Wheatley also operates a
and Public Services Department; Yer Women’s Anger Management
Lee Community Communication Program. Other family service
Specialist of Accountability
Thornton Jones,
program contributor
programs at the Center include
Effective Parenting, which helps
parents develop positive discipline
techniques and supportive
relationships with their children, and
the Northside Family Initiative
Program, which helps families and
individuals gain economic
independence and address factors
influencing family economic stability,
such as employment and housing.
Youth services at Phyllis Wheatley are
designed to help students meet or
exceed academic progress goals by
working with parents, teachers and
volunteers to achieve long-term
success. Programs include the after-
school (and all day summer) Academic
Achievement Program, Early Birds,
School Success and Mentoring
Program. The center also operates one
of the oldest licensed non-profit child
care centers in Minneapolis, Mary T.
Wellcome Child Development Center
for infants to preschoolers.
Celebrating 83 years of helping
children and families succeed, Phyllis
Wheatley’s mission is to provide
comprehensive, quality programs in
life-long learning, child development
and family support for the diverse
Greater Minneapolis community. Visit
www.phylliswheatley.org or call (612)
374-4342 for more information.
Page 12 • May 26 - June 1, 2008 • Insight News
English
From 1
in a letter inviting residents, agencies,
and companies to a special evening
honoring English’s lifetime
commitment to community and
economic development.
“For more than forty years Bill
has unselfishly served our
community. His role as a servant,
leader and activist has been well
documented. His work is quite
deserving of this recognition,” said
the Rev. Randolph Staten, co-chair of
the Leadership Summit and Black
Church Coalition.
English’s service and leadership
are iconic. Whether in the classroom,
the corporate boardroom, the
community board meeting, the
church, the halls of politics, in the
courts or on the protest picket line,
English brings gravitas, weight, to
the demand for justice, fairness and
inclusion for our people at the tables
Obama
From 1
But, Oregon’s 80 percent white
electorate has debunked that theory.
Also, his return to vastly white Iowa,
which cheered and chanted in his
favor, continued to prove that the
white vote is not monolithic.
The crowd went wild when he
declared, “Tonight, Iowa, in the
fullness of spring, with the help of
those who stood up from Portland to
Louisville, we have returned to Iowa
with a majority of delegates elected
by the American people and you
have put us within reach of the
Democratic nomination for president
of the United States of America!”
They chanted: “Obama! Obama!
Obama!” Obama is now only 73
delegates shy of the 2,026 delegates
PUZZLE ANSWERS from page 13
of wealth and power.
A program of
acknowledgements, reflections,
tributes and roasts begins at 8 pm and
is followed by a 9 pm live concert
featuring stellar Minnesota
entertainers.
For information about banquet
tickets and the program, call Ms. Lue
or Ms. Patricia at Insight News at
(612) 588-1313.
English embodies the tenacity
and single mindedness that
characterizes the importance and
passion of the civil and human rights
movement, locally and globally. He
was at the front lines of the 1950’s
civil rights movement as a student
and as a member of the United States
Armed Services. He was a
community organizer in the Twin
Cities mobilizing residents to create
innovative solutions to racial
discrimination. He helped organized
signature institutions including
Sabathani Community Center and
the Afro-American Cultural Center in
South Minneapolis, and Pilot City,
needed to secure the Democratic
nomination.
Still, Clinton pressed on in
Kentucky. In a speech also
punctuated with cheers and
applause, she declared she will not
give in yet despite Obama’s
apparently insurmountable lead.
“It’s not just Kentucky bluegrass
that’s music to my ears. It’s the
sound of your overwhelming vote of
confidence, even in the face of some
pretty tough odds. Some have said
your votes didn’t matter, that this
campaign was over, that allowing
everyone to vote and every vote to
count would somehow be a mistake.
But that didn’t stop you. You’ve
never given up on me because you
know I’ll never give up on you,” she
said to applause. “This is one of the
closest races for a party’s nomination
in modern history. We’re winning
the popular vote, and I’m more
the predecessor to NorthPoint Health
& Wellness, in North Minneapolis.
English enjoyed a productive
professional career in management at
Control Data Corporation, and its
successor, Ceridian.
He presently, though formally
retired, works as an administrator of
the City, Inc., an alternative school
program serving youths in North and
South Minneapolis. In a broadcast
interview last week, English reflected
on the importance of Great Society
programs that created Pilot City and
its sister programs in South
Minneapolis and St. Paul, Model
Cities.
“The Model Cities program
invited cities to submit proposals for
federal funding for programs that
would deal with blighted areas. One
thing Congress did that was visionary
was create what they called the
‘citizen participation component’ that
required that citizens be involved in
the spending of significant amounts
of money,” English said.
“It ended up being over $70
determined…more determined than
ever to see that every vote is cast and
every ballot counted.”
She conceded, however, that both
she and Obama have agreed that they
Obama is now only 73 delegates shy
of the 2,026 delegates needed to
secure the Democratic nomination.
will support each other regardless of
the ultimate winner.
“While we continue to go toe-to-toe
for this nomination, we do see eye-
to-eye when it comes to uniting our
party to elect a Democratic president
in 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 the
remaining 218 super delegates that
she is best able to win the general
election against Republican Sen.
John McCain in the fall because she
has won a strong contingency of
vastly “working class” states, such as
West Virginia, Kentucky and
Pennsylvania.
The 800 super delegates, who
cast their votes at the Democratic
Primary in August, are allowed to
decide their individual endorsements
based on whatever they think is best
for the party.
An upset does not appear likely as
Obama now has a chance to win the
2,026 pledged delegates necessary to
million in federal funds for
Minneapolis, to do a wide range of
things including infrastructure
redevelopment and community
projects. Many of the things you see
right now grew out of Model Cities.
For instance, Minneapolis Age and
Opportunity Center was a direct
result of and first funded under
Minneapolis’ Model Cities
program,” he said.
“The citizen participation
requirement was unique in that it
allowed citizens to have equal power
to the government. Just before the
first application for funding was
submitted there was a midnight
negotiation I had with the then City
Coordinator, Tommy Thompson, in
which we said we were not going to
sign the application unless we got
what we wanted out of it,” English
said.
“The city finally capitulated and
gave us the programs we wanted and
a structure which gave us an equal
voice to the city’s,” he said.
English congratulated the City of
secure the nomination. The final
primaries are Puerto Rico, 63
delegates; Montana, 24; and South
Dakota, 23. Pollsters say he is
expected to win in Montana and
South Dakota. Clinton is expected to
win Puerto Rico. In a close race in
Puerto Rico, however, he could sheer
off enough delegates to put him over
the mark.
Record numbers of voters are still
pressing out.
“He reminds me of my grandson
and I love him [Obama] to death. I
hope we can push him into the
Whitehouse,” said Virginia Watkins,
as she left her poll in Lexington, KY.,
according to a report from Key
Newsjournal editor Patrice
Muhammad. The Journal, located in
Central Kentucky, reports that
Watkins was recently hospitalized
for pneumonia and had been home
recuperating, but wanted to come out
to vote for Obama.
New voters continue to show up,
indicating a likely heavy turnout in
the fall.
Voting for only the second time
in his life, Klaistrae Jackson said,
“We have who we have in office now
because people aren’t voting. I
figured, if I don’t vote then I can’t
St. Paul whose still ongoing Model
Cities program has continued the
model. English was speaking on last
Tuesday’s KFAI broadcast of
“Conversations With Al McFarlane”
alongside special guests Dr. Beverley
Hawkins, CEO of St. Paul Model
Cities, and Kansas State Sen. David
Haley, nephew of noted Roots writer,
Alex Haley. Haley was in town last
week to address the Model Cities
Annual Meeting.
“Model Cities allowed us to
organize our community. That
brought an unprecedented level of
civic engagement and really,
engagement in the political
process…in power.”
But the power attained and
exercised through those and similar
community based negotiation has
dissipated, leaving the Black
community at greater risk of being
marginalized, disadvantaged, and
ignored, English said.
“It is clear that North
Minneapolis is Minnesota’s largest
Black community,” he said. “The
complain. So I’m here to vote for
Obama,” the Key Newsjournal
reported.
Though those votes weren’t
enough to bring Obama close to a
win in Kentucky, predictions are that
he will still make history in August.
He is apparently strategizing to
do so by embracing his opponent
with hopes for a unified party long
before the convention.
“You know, in her 35 years of public
service, Sen. Hillary Rodham
Clinton has never given up on her
fight for the American people. And
http://insightnews.com
mayor, R.T. Rybak, has taken it upon
himself to hook in with a local
developer to buy up boarded up
homes and then offer them at
discount to city employees, most of
whom are not people of color.
Whether it is a formal conspiracy or
informal conspiracy, it doesn’t
matter.
“The results are the same. What
we must recognize is that we have the
most valuable property in the City of
Minneapolis, with its proximity to
Downtown and because the new
baseball stadium is being built on the
edge of our neighborhood. The goal
seems to be to get rid of the poor
people, to regentrify the community,”
he said.
“The only way we are going to
combat this is by filing a lawsuit
against the city that will shine a
public light on unfair policies and
practices,” English said.
tonight I congratulate her on her
victory in Kentucky,” Obama told
the Iowa crowd. “You know, we’ve
had our disagreements during this
campaign, but we all admire her
courage, and her commitment, and
her perseverance. And no matter
how this primary ends, Sen. Clinton
has shattered myths and broken
barriers and changed the America in
which my daughters and your
daughters will come of age, and for
that we are grateful to her.”
http://insightnews.com
NAACP
From 1
one denied the reality of the
daunting challenge ahead given the
major problems that have plagued
the organization in recent years.
Former Verizon executive Bruce
Gordon, resigned abruptly in
February last year after a 19-month
presidency with the organization.
He cited irreconcilable differences
with the 64-member board.
Four months later Bond made a
national appeal for board members
and NAACP supporters to “show
some love’’ to the NAACP by
giving money.
Interim CEO Dennis Hayes,
who stepped into leadership behind
Gordon announced staff cuts at the
Baltimore headquarters from 119 to
70 people. He said the organization
had used more than $10 million in
reserves to cover shortfalls
following the presidency of former
Congressman Kweisi Mfume.
Despite financial woes, which are
intrinsic to most civil and human
rights organizations, Bond has
steadily pointed to the social ills of
America and the necessity of voter
registration as the greatest priority
of the organization.
The selection of Jealous means
going from Gordon, a corporate
executive who had never
participated in a civil rights march,
to a young, but seasoned civil rights
advocate with a back ground
entrenched in the priority issues of
the NAACP, including voter
registration and education.
“Of the many people that we
interviewed, he was head and
shoulders above the others for this
reason,” says Bond. “He has spent
his entire professional life working
on the issues that the NAACP holds
dear. He has spent his entire
professional life raising money for
organizations much like the
NAACP. He is in sync with the
NAACP to a high degree and we
are very happy to have him with
us... He’s a perfect fit for us in
every way.”
Jealous’ election was not
without the heated debate that has
long been typical of the 64-member
board, packed with civil rights
warriors from communities and
trenches across America. Board
members said discussions that
started Friday evening continued
until the wee hours of Saturday
Endorsement
From 1
are engaged in our democracy with
a passion and commitment not seen
for generations.
“Like my husband Medgar
Evers and other great leaders of the
Civil Rights Movement, Barack
Obama embodies a deep well of
courage, integrity, compassion,
strength and sound judgment. He
offers the kind of leadership that we
need in the White House as our
nation grapples with chronic issues
like rising gas and food prices,
skyrocketing healthcare costs, a
flagging housing market, job
insecurity and a misguided Iraq war.
“America is again at a
crossroads, and at this moment
Medgar’s words speak to me with a
fierce urgency, ‘Is there anything
that you believe in strongly enough
How to do Sudoku:
Fill in the grid so the numbers 1 through 9 appear just
once in every column, row, and three-by three square
morning.
“There was a great discussion, a
great debate on the issues that are
critically important to the
NAACP,’’ says labor leader Bill
Lucy. ‘’And I think those are the
kinds of discussions that engender
strong feelings. But, the fact that
people debated it out into the wee
hours of the morning was a good
healthy discussion. The fact is that
in the end, there was an agreement
on his candidacy and that was a
good thing.”
Actually, sources said the
debate was not all about the
candidate. Much of it was about the
process. Jealous had been selected
unanimously by the organization’s
three-member executive committee
after it had reviewed two other
candidates. The three finalists had
been presented to the executive
committee by a search committee
for the selection of one candidate to
present to the board for an
interview, which sources say has
been the normal process for
selecting NAACP presidents.
Acrimony had started at previous
meetings when some board
members pushed to change the
procedure, arguing that the board
should be allowed to interview all
three finalists. Tension continued in
the board meeting as some
members said they had been
disenfranchised by not having
heard the other two candidates,
who were the Rev. Frederick
Haynes, a 47-year-old pastor from
Dallas, and Alvin Brown, a former
Clinton White House advisor.
The final vote for Jealous was
34-21, according to the Baltimore
Afro-American. Responding to a
question about how he will deal
with board factionalism that has
frustrated other NAACP CEOs,
Jealous synopsized his leadership
style.
“I’m a team player. I believe
that in order to lead in the game,
you’ve got to be completely in the
game, that in order to have people
to follow you, they need to know
that you’re willing to following
them,” he said. “This isn’t a new
industry to me if you will. This is
the family, the movement that I was
raised in. So, I expect to have
nothing but success.”
In random interviews with
board members, they spoke
glowingly of Jealous. Only one
declined to speak on the record.
“A lot of folks made a big to do
to standup and fight for?’ Barack
Obama is a living testament to
Medgar’s work. He is the strongest
candidate to unite our country
around the common challenges we
face. That is why I support Barack
Obama for president.”
Of the endorsement, Obama
said: “I am honored to have the
support of Myrlie Evers-Williams.
Along with her husband Medgar,
she laid the groundwork for the
Civil Rights Movement in
Mississippi, and did so much to
advance the cause of equality and
justice in this country. Evers-
Williams tireless efforts to keep her
husband’s legacy alive and to open
up opportunity for all Americans
has been a light upon my path as a
community organizer, civil rights
attorney, and state and U.S. Senator
– and their example is one I’ll
continue looking to in the months
ahead and beyond.”
Insight News • May 26 - June 1, 2008 • Page 13
about age,” said Lucy. “I think it’s a
good thing. The energy the
dedication and commitment are
those standards that this
organization must stand by. From
the trade union side, Ben’s really
strong belief in workers’ rights,
people to be treated fairly on the
job, to receive adequate income and
pay and to have a voice on the job,
that’s what we’re all about.”
Hazel Dukes, a former national
president of the organization, said
she met Jealous for the first time
last week.
“I’ve checked with people that
he went to school with…I started
listening,” she said when she heard
he was a candidate. ‘’And when he
laid out the vision for us and to be
his age and that he wants to come
back and give back to the
community with such passion and
devotion, I’m just excited. As a
mother, I’m just a proud African-
American mom today that a young
man who has accomplished so
much has come back to work for
the oldest civil rights organization
with a passion, with love and
support.” Maxine Smith, executive
secretary of the Memphis NAACP
for more than 40 years, currently
national education chair, called
Jealous a “breath of fresh air.” NAACP Chairman Julian Bond and Vice Chair Roslyn Brock introduce new NAACP President-elect
She said, “He has obvious Benjamin Jealous at Saturday’s press conference
ability and inner feeling like those
older civil rights leaders and those
older NAACPers like us. It’s like Bartlett, Ill. agrees: “He represents important change,” Henderson place in the country today…It
he’s been on the warfield a long taking the NAACP to the next said. He was referring to the heralds a new level of leadership
time.’’ level. He is extraordinarily election of either Sens. Barack for the organization and a new level
The Rev. Michael Nelson of brilliant. And he represents great Obama, Hillary Clinton or John of cooperation between the
Detroit, says he believes Jealous’ promise and potential, not just for McCain. “And I think Ben Jealous’ NAACP and the established non-
age will cause the organization to the organization, but for young appointment at the NAACP helps governmental organization and
attract youthful civil rights people.” Jealous holds a bachelor’s to further cement the transition of civil rights movement.”
advocates. degree in political science from the important issues that are taking
“We do think that with the Columbia University and a
youthful nature of the new CEO master’s in comparative social
that he will bring the association research from Oxford, where he
along in that way and that he will was a Rhodes Scholar.
also speak to the issues of youth By indications, this week,
and young adults,” Nelson says. Jealous will also be welcomed back
“We want to be sure that we will into the civil rights community of
continue to build a base for the Washington, D.C. Wade
association. And that we’re taking Henderson, president and CEO of
in consideration the concerns of the Leadership Conference on Civil
young people. That’s very Rights, said Jealous’ selection was
important to us.” perfectly timed. “Change is in the
The Rev. Theresa Dear of air. We’re on the verge of very
Puzzle answers on page 12