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Frank Dukes, Influential Leader of the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement, Dies at 92

By Barnett Wright The Birmingham Times The Rev. Frank Dukes, an influential Birmingham Civil Rights Movement leader and President of Miles College’s trailblazing student body in the early 1960’s, has died. He was 92. Mr. Dukes, who passed on Saturday morning, would have turned 93 in fifteen days. “It is with profound and nearly indescribable […]
The post Frank Dukes, Influential Leader of the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement, Dies at 92 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

5 months ago

December 5, 2023

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Frank Dukes, icon of the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement, has died. (Screengrab YouTube)

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By Barnett Wright

The Birmingham Times

The Rev. Frank Dukes, an influential Birmingham Civil Rights Movement leader and President of Miles College’s trailblazing student body in the early 1960’s, has died. He was 92.

Mr. Dukes, who passed on Saturday morning, would have turned 93 in fifteen days.

“It is with profound and nearly indescribable grief and sadness I announce that this morning my precious father, Reverend Frank Dukes, icon of the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement, Co-Creator of the Selective Buying Campaign of 1962, Co-Leader of the Easter Sunday March of 1963 and one of the Birmingham bodyguards for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr,” has passed, wrote his daughter Donna Dukes in a Facebook post on November 11.

Frank Dukes with daughter, Donna, founder/CEO, Maranathan Family Learning Center & Academy, Inc. for at-risk youth and adults. (Donna Dukes/Facebook)

Mr. Duke’s passing comes as the city is commemorating 60 years since the 1963 Birmingham campaign for Civil and Human Rights.

In the early 1960s, Mr. Dukes, as a 31-year-old Miles Student Government Association president, organized students to challenge Birmingham’s stringent segregation through the Selective Buying Campaign.

The campaign grew into a local movement designed as an economic boycott of white merchants who refused to hire Black workers or to desegregate their facilities. It demonstrated the power of non-violent protest and prompted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to come to Birmingham the following year in 1963 to lead nonviolent demonstrations to end segregation.

Mr. Dukes is also a former Director of the Alumni Affairs Department of Miles College, second Black hired by the Alabama State Department of Education as a vocational rehabilitation counselor, US Army/Korean War veteran and President Emeritus of the nonprofit Maranathan Family Learning Center & Academy, Inc. for at-risk youth and adults, founded by his daughter Donna.

“He served a purpose that was very necessary and the Movement would not have been the same without that type of individual …,” Birmingham historian Dr. Horace Huntley told the Birmingham Times. “[Frank Dukes] was a person that spoke the truth and he could speak to people from all walks of life. That’s always important because at that particular juncture [in Birmingham] you had to speak to those who were in ‘control’ and those who were in the street if you were going to be effective. And was very effective with that.”

Few in the Movement were as fearless as Mr. Dukes, said Huntley.

“I really looked up to him because he had a varied background, meaning that he grew up here in Birmingham, he’d gone off to the service and grew up in the military and then he came back and he was not afraid to challenge,” said Huntley, who interviewed Mr. Dukes in 1995 for the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute’s Oral History Project. “A lot of us when we left [the city], we always had in our mind that we were coming back to help change Birmingham, to solve the problems of Birmingham and he epitomized that thought.”

Mr. Dukes was instrumental in the Selective Buying Campaign at downtown Birmingham stores in early 1962, which had its genesis in December 1961 when he had drafted a public statement entitled “This We Believe” which called for more educational and employment opportunities for Blacks in white stores.

The campaign led by Dukes and other boycott leaders such as Miles College Professor Jonathan McPherson; Miles alumnus retired Judge U.W. Clemon; and three prominent Black housewives, Deenie Drew, Althea Montgomery and Ruth Barefield-Pendelton set in motion the end of segregation in Birmingham.

The following spring the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and Alabama Christian Movement for Human Right’s ‘s (ACMHR) Birmingham Campaign launched with Mr. Dukes serving both as a Miles campus organizer and as a guard, protecting leaders during meetings. He was one of four leaders of a mass march from Thirgood Memorial CME Church on Easter Sunday, April 14, and was arrested along with A. D. King, Nelson Smith and John Porter

“He was one of those individuals who was not afraid of [Birmingham Public Safety Commissioner] Bull Conner,” Huntley said. “A lot of us were afraid of Bull Conner, afraid of the police. Frank Dukes [wasn’t] and they knew that, and they respected him for that. White folks and Black folks respected him for the same thing – they couldn’t run over him.”

Mr. Dukes was the third of eight children born to a Fairfield steelworker’s family. He was a graduate of Fairfield Industrial High School served in US Army from 1949 to 1950. After his discharge he worked for Dodge motor company in Detroit, Michigan. In 1954 he re-enlisted for the Korean War and served until 1957. He returned to Detroit, but, after being laid off in 1958 he came home to Fairfield to wait for his recall.

Instead he decided in 1959 to enroll at Miles under the GI Bill. With his broader perspective on justice, and inspired by student protests in North Carolina, Mr. Dukes began urging fellow students to engage in public opposition to segregation in Birmingham. He formed an Anti-Injustice Committee at the college and began formulating demands, including the desegregation of public buildings and businesses and the hiring of African Americans in stores and government departments.

His daughter wrote on Facebook that Mr. Dukes “has made his Earthly transition to be with his Heavenly Father. Please keep our family in prayer … Rest well son, rest well! Lord have mercy upon us! Christ have mercy upon us! Lord have mercy upon us!

Services for Mr. Dukes will be held on Saturday November 18 at noon ion St. Joseph Baptist Church, 500 9th Avenue North, Birmingham AL 35204.

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

The post Frank Dukes, Influential Leader of the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement, Dies at 92 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

4 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

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