Ebony Veteran Thought He’d “Die Before I Saw This”
“Lerone Bennett Jr. was honored by the Mississippi Senate on Wednesday, and the renowned author said he never thought he’d live long enough to see a black man so welcome in the state Capitol,” Holbrook Mohr reported for the Associated Press.
“‘I’m 78 years old. I thought I would die before I saw this,’ Bennett said. ‘Thank you for making it possible for me to see the great dream that could be realized in this state.’
“Bennett has received widespread recognition for his work, including a Patron Saints Award of the Society of Midland Authors for his biography on his Morehouse College classmate, Martin Luther King Jr. He is the former editor of Ebony Magazine and received an American Book Award” for “Forced into Glory: Abraham Lincoln’s White Dream.” The 2000 book argues that Lincoln was a racist.
“Bennett was born in Clarksdale, a tiny Delta town also known for Oscar winning actor Morgan Freeman, who owns a blues club and restaurant there,” the AP story continued.
“Bennett said Mississippi has come a long way since the turbulent struggle for civil rights and now has more black legislators than almost any other state.
“‘I’m going back to Chicago tomorrow and tell people they’re doing things in Mississippi that they don’t do on Broadway,’ he said. ‘Thank you for this homecoming. Thank you for this hope for these old eyes.’
“Bennett has written 10 books, which have won him numerous awards. In 2006 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the National Association of Black Journalists.
“In February, Bennett’s footprints and those of 12 others were added to the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame near the Atlanta church where King preached. The walk, established in 2004, now includes 50 pairs of footprints, marked in granite, from people who organizers call the ‘foot-soldiers’ of the civil rights movement.”
MESSAGE BOARDS: Feel free to post a comment on this subject and view those from others.
Editorial Pages in N.O., D.C. Criticize Nagin
Editorial pages in both Washington and New Orleans criticized New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin over remarks he made in Washington before the trade organization of black newspaper publishers, and a television station Web site posted audio of Nagin’s statements so listeners could judge for themselves.
Accepting an award from the National Newspaper Publishers Association, Nagin “suggested that the slow recovery and rebuilding of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina which has prevented many black former residents from returning is part of a plan to change the racial makeup and political leadership of his and other cities,” according to a Washington Post story Saturday by Hamil R. Harris.
“Ladies and gentlemen, what happened in New Orleans could happen anywhere,” Nagin said. “They are studying this model of natural disasters, dispersing the community and changing the electoral process in that community.”
“Mayor Nagin said Monday that his comments were mischaracterized and that he didn’t ‘say anything racial,'” the New Orleans Times-Picayune said in an editorial on Wednesday “When he referred to the dispersal of ‘our people,’ he said, he wasn’t only talking about African-Americans.
“Perhaps that was his intent, but if so, he was misunderstood. Not only by a reporter, but by at least some of the audience members. The resulting divisiveness is not helpful to the city or any of its residents.
“What New Orleanians need is for Mayor Nagin to be thoughtful when he talks about the city’s recovery and to remember that he and we are on a national stage.”
The Washington Post said, “Maybe Mr. Nagin lashed out in frustration. No question, there’s plenty of blame to go around as city, state and federal officials continue to bicker and point fingers over decisions large and small. But his latest racial ramble distracts from the real issues facing his hobbled city. The slow pace of recovery, the fleeing professional class and crime are a few of them. Mr. Nagin’s considered opinion on those weighty matters would be most welcome.”
Editorial writer Jarvis DeBerry, writing in the Times-Picayune, said that “Nagin makes a huge leap when he goes from declaring the existence of racists to declaring that they are well-positioned, powerful and numerous enough to successfully frustrate the rebuilding of this city.”
Turning also to Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, who declared on Tuesday that she would not run for reelection, DeBerry said, “Because of their previous comments, their previous ineptitude or the combination of their previous comments and ineptitude, both Nagin and Blanco have lost their credibility.”
- Nagin’s Headline-Making Speech in DC (WDSU-TV, audio)
MESSAGE BOARDS: Feel free to post a comment on this subject and view those from others.
Ida B. Wells Award Nominations Due May 1
“News executives, managers, journalists or any individual who has made a significant difference in the hiring, promotion and news coverage of underrepresented minorities,” are eligible for the Ida B Wells Award, given jointly by the National Association of Black Journalists and the National Conference of Editorial Writers.
The deadline for applications is May 1.
The award, named after the crusading anti-lynching editor of the late 19th century, is intended “to give tangible and highly visible recognition to an individual or group of individuals and their company. Winners should have provided distinguished leadership in opening doors of employment opportunity and in coverage of minorities in American journalism.”
Recent winners include Virgil L. Smith, president and publisher of the Asheville (N.C.) Citizen-Times (2006); Reginald Stuart, corporate recruiter, Knight Ridder (2005); Don Browne, chief operating officer, Telemundo (2004); David Yarnold, senior vice president and editor, San Jose Mercury News (2003); Sam Adams, retiring curator of the award (2002); and Reid MacCluggage, retired editor and publisher of The Day, New London, Conn. (2001).