MEMPHIS, Tenn. (NNPA) — The Rev. Dr. Henry J. Lyons and his supporters vowed to challenge the results, announced a little after 9:30 p.m. Sept. 10, of the run-off for presidency of the National Baptist Convention, USA after a stunning loss. REV. HENRY LYONS
WASHINGTON (AP)—The White House environmental adviser under fire for inflammatory statements made before he joined the administration resigned after what he called a “vicious smear campaign against me.” Van Jones “understood that he was going to get in the way” of President Barack Obama’s agenda, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Sunday. EMBATTLED ADVISER RESIGNS—Van Jones, an administration official specializing in environmentally friendly “green jobs,” is seen at the National Summit in Detroit, in this June 16 file photo.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP)—Marcus Wells and Shirley Walker view their economic prospects from opposite ends of the age spectrum. Wells, 25, was initially optimistic about his prospects for finding a new job after he was laid off as a systems analyst in January in San Jose, Calif. Now unemployment has begun to wear on him, and he believes his age has factored into his frustration. SEARCHING—Marcus Wells prepares his job resume in his bedroom in San Jose, Calif.
For the Week of Sept. 10-16 September 10 1847—John Roy Lynch was born into slavery on this day near Vidalia, La. Lynch would be among the first group of Blacks to serve in the United States Congress after slavery. He represented the state of Mississippi. Lynch would even serve as temporary chairman of the Republican Party National Convention. During this period, the Republicans were the more progressive and friendly-to-Blacks party. FATHER DIVINE But as the period of Reconstruction faded and Southern politicians made it virtually impossible for Blacks to remain in political office, Lynch moved to Chicago and practiced law. He died in 1939 at the age of 92.
For the Week of September 3-9 September 3 1838—Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore using so-called “free papers” and disguising himself as a sailor. He would go on to become the most prominent anti-slavery activist and Black leader of his day. He is perhaps best remembered for his now famous 1857 quote: “If there is no struggle there is no progress...Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” Free papers were documents normally required to be in the possession of all free Blacks. But one freedom tactic employed during slavery was for a slave to somehow borrow the papers of a free Black who fit his or her general description and use the papers to escape from slavery. FREDERICK DOUGLASS
ATLANTA (AP)—The city that became a post-civil rights movement emblem of the political power held by African-Americans could have a White mayor for the first time in a generation—a possibility that has some in the Black community scrambling to hold on to City Hall. Atlanta Councilwoman Mary Norwood, who is White, is one of the front-runners for the Nov. 3 election, along with City Council President Lisa Borders and state Sen. Kasim Reed, both of whom are Black. FINAL PREPARATIONS— City of Atlanta mayoral candidates Mary Norwood, second from left, is surrounded by a field of Black candidates including Lisa Borders, left, Peter Brownlowe, right, Rod Mack, second from right, and Glenn Thomas as they make final preparations before facing off in a debate. If Norwood wins the election she would become the first White mayor of Atlanta in a generation. All three have bristled at a racially charged e-mail circulated by a Black leadership group calling for Norwood’s defeat before a possible runoff. If the Black candidates split the African-American vote, Norwood may find herself in a runoff, where she could benefit.
RICHMOND, Va. (NNPA)—A new jail is on the way, but for now Richmond inmates are having to help pay for upkeep of the overcrowded and decrepit facility where they are kept. City Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr. is charging inmates $1 a day to stay at the city jail to help cover the cost of operations. He expects to raise between $60,000 and $200,000 a year from the fee. He began imposing the charge April 15, he said in a recent interview. He joined Chesterfield County and some other jails around Virginia and across the country in imposing the charge that is permitted under state laws.
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (AP)—Authorities say they are charging a North Carolina woman who slept as a pit bull chewed the toes off her 4-month-old baby’s left foot. The Onslow County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that the child’s mother, Robie Lynn Jenkins, and her boyfriend, Tremayne Spillman, will be charged with felony child abuse.
ASHINGTON (NNPA)—Grandmothers have long been the safety net for parents who are either unable or unwilling to take care of their own children. Social workers refer to families in which grandparents raise their grandchildren instead of the parents as “skipped-generation” households. Grandma stands in for mom—or grandfather for dad. Or, often, one as both.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)—The son of the pastor who was brutally killed inside her Oklahoma church says her funeral will be another chance for his mother to spread the word of God.Services for 61-year-old Carol Daniels were held Aug. 31. in Oklahoma City. Daniels’ mutilated body was discovered Aug. 23 at her small Pentecostal church in Anadarko. PASTOR SLAIN—This undated photo shows Carol Daniels of Oklahoma City. Daniels, pastor of Christ Holy Sanctified Church in Anadarko, was discovered Aug. 23, inside the church in what the local district attorney described as the “most horrific crime scene I’ve ever witnessed.”
