National

Chavis: Civil Rights Movement Needed More Now Than Five Decades Ago

Published

9 years ago

January 20, 2015

Oakland Post

Ben Chavis defends value of Black Press (Courtesy Photo)

Ben Chavis (Courtesy Photo)

By Nathan Hardin
Special to the NNPA from The Fayetteville Observer

PEMBROKE – Civil rights leader Benjamin Chavis kicked off a week-long Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration in Pembroke on Friday by saying a civil rights movement is of greater need in the state now than it was nearly five decades ago.

“One of the last things that Dr. King said before his assassination was that we must strive toward economic justice as well as racial justice,” Chavis said. “That’s certainly true. There’s too much poverty. Too many people are still near foreclosure. So we’ve got some work to do. I would say in 2015 we need a civil rights movement today more than we needed it years ago.”

Chavis, a native of Oxford, was an assistant to King, who inspired him to work in the civil rights movement in the 1960s.

Chavis was one of the Wilmington 10, nine black men and a white woman, who were convicted of fire-bombing a grocery store in Wilmington during racial unrest in 1971. The convictions were overturned based on evidence of perjury and prosecutorial misconduct. The group was later granted gubernatorial pardons.

During a VIP reception at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, the 66-year-old told students and faculty the state was divided into two North Carolinas.

“One progressive and one reactionary,” he said. “One going forward and one going backward.”

He commended the Rev. William Barber, who has led Moral Monday protests since spring 2013 in response to legislation passed by the Republican-led General Assembly.

“I think that we’re now celebrating the legacy and dream of Dr. Martin Luther King and certainly Dr. King’s legacy falls on the progressive side,” he said as he mingled with the crowd. “I’m hoping people use the 2015 King ceremonies to reaffirm the importance of inclusiveness.”

As a young teacher in Lumberton City Schools, Frances Cummings remembered following Chavis after the Wilmington 10.

“He empowered me with his ideas, his thoughts and his action,” she said. “As a result of listening and following him, it gave me strength to be a change agent, a shaper and mover – to make things better for the total population.”

Cummings, 73, saw firsthand school integration and discrimination in the late ’60s, she said, and used Chavis’ experience for motivation. She moved on from teaching school to a successful political career, serving in the N.C. House of Representatives.

“Fortunately or unfortunately, I helped to integrate the Lumberton City Schools, and it was my experiences there that caused me to be more determined for change,” she said. “To work with all people, to bring all people together for the good of the cause, which was what he was doing.”

Chavis also spoke directly to a group of students who were among the roughly 30 people in attendance Friday night.

“To all of the young students here, your college educations are probably the most important years of your life,” he said. “You’re not only laying an academic foundation, but you’re laying the foundation with how you’re going to interact with the larger world.”

Jamar Smith, a 21-year-old senior, said Chavis is a Phi Beta Sigma fraternity brother and said he came out to hear Chavis’ remarks on community service and the civil rights movement.

“Being able to listen to him as a fraternity brother who worked with Dr. Martin Luther King and to see where he’s come from and all the work he’s done kind of gives us a second wind to push forward and to use what he’s done and to try to implement it today in our work and our service,” Smith said.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 17 – 23, 2024

Published

6 days ago

April 19, 2024

Oakland Post

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Barbara Lee

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Issues Statement on Deaths of Humanitarian Aid Volunteers in Gaza 

On April 2, a day after an Israeli airstrike erroneously killed seven employees of World Central Kitchen (WCK), a humanitarian organization delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, a statement was release by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA-12). “This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

Published

1 week ago

April 17, 2024

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Barbara Lee

By California Black Media

“This is a devastating and avoidable tragedy. My prayers go to the families and loved ones of the selfless members of the World Central Kitchen team whose lives were lost,” said Lee.

The same day, it was confirmed by the organization that the humanitarian aid volunteers were killed in a strike carried out by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Prior to the incident, members of the team had been travelling in two armored vehicles marked with the WCF logo and they had been coordinating their movements with the IDF. The group had successfully delivered 10 tons of humanitarian food in a deconflicted zone when its convoy was struck.

“This is not only an attack against WCK. This is an attack on humanitarian organizations showing up in the direst situations where food is being used as a weapon of war. This is unforgivable,” said Erin Gore, chief executive officer of World Central Kitchen.

The seven victims included a U.S. citizen as well as others from Australia, Poland, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Palestine.

Lee has been a vocal advocate for a ceasefire in Gaza and has supported actions by President Joe Biden to airdrop humanitarian aid in the area.

“Far too many civilians have lost their lives as a result of Benjamin Netanyahu’s reprehensible military offensive. The U.S. must join with our allies and demand an immediate, permanent ceasefire – it’s long overdue,” Lee said.

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Commentary

Commentary: Republican Votes Are Threatening American Democracy

In many ways, it was great that the Iowa Caucuses were on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We needed to know the blunt truth. The takeaway message after the Iowa Caucuses where Donald Trump finished more than 30 points in front of Florida Gov. De Santis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley boils down to this: Our democracy is threatened, for real.

Published

1 week ago

April 16, 2024

Oakland Post

It was strange for Iowans to caucus on MLK day. It had a self-cancelling effect. The day that honored America’s civil rights and anti-discrimination hero was negated by evening. That’s when one of the least diverse states in the nation let the world know that white Americans absolutely love Donald Trump. No ifs, ands or buts.

By Emil Guillermo

In many ways, it was great that the Iowa Caucuses were on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

We needed to know the blunt truth.

The takeaway message after the Iowa Caucuses where Donald Trump finished more than 30 points in front of Florida Gov. De Santis and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley boils down to this: Our democracy is threatened, for real.

And to save it will require all hands on deck.

It was strange for Iowans to caucus on MLK day. It had a self-cancelling effect. The day that honored America’s civil rights and anti-discrimination hero was negated by evening.

That’s when one of the least diverse states in the nation let the world know that white Americans absolutely love Donald Trump. No ifs, ands or buts.

No man is above the law? To the majority of his supporters, it seems Trump is.

It’s an anti-democracy loyalty that has spread like a political virus.

No matter what he does, Trump’s their guy. Trump received 51% of caucus-goers votes to beat Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who garnered 21.2%, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who got 19.1%.

The Asian flash in the pan Vivek Ramaswamy finished way behind and dropped out. Perhaps to get in the VP line. Don’t count on it.

According to CNN’s entrance polls, when caucus-goers were asked if they were a part of the “MAGA movement,” nearly half — 46% — said yes. More revealing: “Do you think Biden legitimately won in 2020?”

Only 29% said “yes.”

That means an overwhelming 66% said “no,” thus showing the deep roots in Iowa of the “Big Lie,” the belief in a falsehood that Trump was a victim of election theft.

Even more revealing and posing a direct threat to our democracy was the question of whether Trump was fit for the presidency, even if convicted of a crime.

Sixty-five percent said “yes.”

Who says that about anyone of color indicted on 91 criminal felony counts?

Would a BIPOC executive found liable for business fraud in civil court be given a pass?

How about a BIPOC person found liable for sexual assault?

Iowans have debased the phrase, “no man is above the law.” It’s a mindset that would vote in an American dictatorship.

Compare Iowa with voters in Asia last weekend. Taiwan rejected threats from authoritarian Beijing and elected pro-democracy Taiwanese vice president Lai Ching-te as its new president.

Meanwhile, in our country, which supposedly knows a thing or two about democracy, the Iowa caucuses show how Americans feel about authoritarianism.

Some Americans actually like it even more than the Constitution allows.

About the Author

Emil Guillermo is a journalist and commentator. He does a mini-talk show on YouTube.com/@emilamok1.