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Millennials must answer ‘How will you lead?’

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Dr. Wes Bellamy, the Tennessee Regional Black Millennial Convention’s “Black Millennials Unbossed & Unapologetic Summit” keynote speaker, was thrust into the spotlight in 2017 when he led efforts to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from a city park. A deadly encounter involving white supremacist protesters and counter-protesters ensued, with three people killed and more than 30 injured.

Published

5 years ago

March 12, 2019

Oakland Post

By John Semien, Special to the New Tri-State Defender

“Nobody can do this for us but us.”

To Dr. Wes Bellamy, a city councilman from Charlottsville, Va., that statement by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is the rendezvous point for picking up where King left off in the fight for social justice for all.

“We are in very serious times,” Bellamy said, speaking at the Tennessee Regional Black Millennial Convention’s “Black Millennials Unbossed & Unapologetic Summit” at the National Civil Rights Museum.

Calling King “one of the most thought-provoking people to walk the earth,” the 32-year-old Bellamy – the youngest council member in Charlottesville’s history – drew upon King to put his comments to the group in context.

“Believe in yourself and believe that you are somebody … nobody can do this for us. No document can do this for us…If the Negro is to be freed, he or she must reach down into the inner resources of his own soul and sign with the pen and ink of self-assertive manhood their own emancipation proclamation. Don’t let anybody take your manhood or womanhood for that matter. Be proud of your heritage. We don’t have anything to be ashamed of.”

Bellamy, the summit’s keynote speaker, was thrust into the spotlight in 2017 when he led efforts to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from a city park. A deadly encounter involving white supremacist protesters and counter-protesters ensued, with three people killed and more than 30 injured.

The summit in Memphis built upon the first such gathering held in Washington, DC, last year. Bellamy told about 100 attendees that he wanted to get the language right today. …I want to get the language so right that everyone will say, ‘yes I’m black and I am proud and beautiful.’”

King, said Bellamy, was “about the message that we are good enough.”

Acknowledging that some older folks say millennials “don’t want to do nothing,” Bellamy said, “we’re here, we’re leading, we’re standing and we’re acting because we are good enough. …The old adage ‘wait your turn’ is one I often have a problem with.”

Some considered leaders of the community seem bent on maintaining the status quo to maintain a position or a title, he said. Zeroing in on millennials, Bellamy said, “If we want to break the mold of how leadership should be or how it is conducted, then we have to be the ones who lead.

“How will you lead is now the question. That is a question that only you can answer for yourself.”

Bellamy said he is disappointed that Memphis, a predominantly black city that had black leadership for many years, now has someone who “doesn’t look like us.”

Not calling Mayor Jim Strickland by name, Bellamy said, “I don’t know your mayor. I can’t say if he’s a good man or a bad man. But I know he doesn’t look like any of the folks in this room and I wonder why.

“I wonder what will we do, but more importantly what will you do? Is it enough to have leadership that looks like us? Or should the next step be to have them push for policies that change things in our communities?”

Black leaders in the limelight need help and support from community leaders and organizers to go to the school board and council meetings and do the day-to-day unglamorous work that is necessary for meaningful change, he said. “That kind of stuff is what changes the landscape of our communities.”

After Bellamy’s address, summit attendees separated for panel discussions that included state Sen. Raumesh Akbari, state Rep. London Lamar, Shelby County Commissioner Tami Sawyer and others.

Topics included “Modern Education and the new Jim Crow,” “The Dos and Don’ts of Running for Political Office” and “Sparking Revolutionary Movements Through Intersectional Organizing.”

The Equity Alliance in Nashville co-sponsored of the convention. Charlane Oliver said she founded the organization two years ago along with other black women frustrated about blacks not “having a seat at the table” when it comes to making decisions that determine the course of the city.

Challenging the status quo,” the group organized and registered over 8,000 voters before the last election, she said.

“But this year we are championing a new cause. We are digging deeper because there are 421,000 Tennesseans who are impacted by not getting their political rights restored,” Oliver said,” emphasizing that these are ex-felons working and paying their taxes and not allowed to vote.

Oliver asked the conference attendees to support legislation that would make it easier for ex-felons to have their voting rights restored.

Akbari described the convention as awesome.

“We have a lot of young African Americans who want to be engaged in the political process,” she said. “I am really happy that they chose Memphis as their first breakout city.”

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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

3 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.

Stacy M. Brown

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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

3 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.

Stacy M. Brown

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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.