daddyBstrong: Update on the LaVena Johnson Case

TALK TO THE DADDY

Hello. Come on in. The daddy writes about current events, literature, music and, once in a while, drops something on you from back in the day to make you pause and ponder, stop and stare, and begin to wonder. Who knows? You may start to pace the floor, shake your head from side to side, then fall down on bended knees in a praying position and cry, "Lawd, have mercy! What is this world coming to?" Check yourself! But this blog is NOT about the daddy. It's about you: your boos, your fam, your hood, your country...our hopes and dreams of a better tomorrow. So let's make a pact: the daddy will put it on the track if you'll chase it down and hit him back. Together, we can definitely take it to another level. Shall we?"

Friday, July 18, 2008

Update on the LaVena Johnson Case

From the LaVena Johnson blog:

Socialist Appeal post on LaVena

Josh Lucker of Socialist Appeal attended the Black & Green Wednesday panel discussion on PFC LaVena Johnson that was held on June 4, and has published an article in support of the effort to re-investigate her death in Iraq.

On June 6th, a panel discussion was held in St. Louis to discuss the death of LaVena Johnson. She was the first Missouri woman killed in Iraq, just eight days shy of her 20th birthday. Today, three years after her death, questions still surround the circumstances of this tragedy. Her father, Dr. John Johnson, and other family members, have dedicated countless hours researching and traveling the country looking for an answer.

Lucker's article references the incidence of sexual assault in the military - the family of PFC Johnson believes that sexual assault was an circumstance in her death - as well as other cases of women soldiers who died from “self-inflicted, noncombat injuries” whose deaths demand vigorous investigation.

Many thanks to Josh and to Socialist Appeal for their article.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...: I read her parents have getting the run-around for 3 years. None of my daughters are joining.; July 18, 2008 at 9:35 PM
LISA VAZQUEZ said...: Hello there...

I know that the truth WILL COME out...

Thank you for covering this story so thoroughly!
Lisa; July 18, 2008 at 10:28 PM
Mac Daddy Tribute Blog said...: anon: I think I understand. I mean, what chief agency, what person is supposed to be providing oversight over this stuff? I'm just as patriotic as anyone else, but, if I had daughters, and if I didn't have reasonable assurance that my government is looking out for them, I wouldn't tell them not to join. I'm still doing research and will share more later.
Lisa: Thanks. And thanks for your insights on the post about Bill Cosby. Regardless of positions, it felt good to have a quality conversation with you. I appreciate you.; July 18, 2008 at 10:52 PM

SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER

"I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man. I live in the South, and I've seen the South come a long way, and I've seen the rest of the country that share the South's attitude toward minority groups at that time, particularly African Americans." And that racism inclination still exists. And I think it's bubbled up to the surface because of the belief among many white people, not just in the South but around the country, that African-Americans are not qualified to lead this great country. It's an abominable circumstance, and it grieves me and concerns me very deeply."

GOOD LOOKING OUT!!!

Steve McNair, the great quarterback for the TennesseeTitans for many years, was murdered this summer. But Vince Young, presently a Titan quarterback and McNair's best friend, surprise McNair's two sons-- 11-year-old Trenton and 5-year old Tyler-- by taking them to their school's "Dear Dads Breakfast" at a local restaurant. Said Young: ""Those are my boys.. I wouldn't say it was to pay anyone back; it was just out of love. Steve would do it for me. He pretty much did it for me when I was growing up. I have a history with the boys and I want to do anything I can. I am their big brother."

USAIN-ITY

Usain Bolt blew away the field in the 100m on Aug. 16, lowering his own world record to 9.69 seconds despite looking around, raising his arms out and then pounding his chest over the last few meters. Then he became the first man since Carl Lewis to sweep in the 100m and 200m at the Olympics, and he broke Michael Johnson's 12-year-old record in the process. Bolt dominated the field to clock 19.30, bettering Johnson's mark by .02. Finally, Bolt ran the third leg of Jamaica's 4x100m relay, handing off to Asafa Powell, who brought it home for an easy gold.

THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN

"The war will not halt the attacks of Islamic radicals. Terrorist and insurgent groups are not conventional forces. They do not play by the rules of warfare our commanders have drilled into them in war colleges and service academies. And these underground groups are protean, changing shape and color as they drift from one failed state to the next, plan a terrorist attack and then fade back into the shadows. We are fighting with the wrong tools. We are fighting the wrong people. We are on the wrong side of history. And we will be defeated in Afghanistan as we will be in Iraq." --Chris Hedges, Truthdig

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

MEL BROWN DEAD

(1939-2009) Another great one has gone to meet his ancestors. But fortunately for us, Mel Brown left us with a legacy of great music as both a soloist and as a rhythm guitarist. He made a number of very good albums, played with all the greats (T Bone Walker, B.B. King, Albert King, Etta James, Albert Collins, etc.), and, for years, lead a house band at Antone's in Austin, Texas. He even played telefvsion (The Steve Allen Show, The Bill Cosby Show, The Jerry Lewis Telethon. Check him out on UTUBE playing "Crosstown," one of my favorites.

SAINT ON EARTH

(1918-2009) Every time the daddy entertains the illusion that he is a self-made man, something dramatic brings him back to reality. Lots of people helped him out. One such person was D' Agostino (Mama D), who died yesterday. When a young daddy came to the Univers ity of Minnesota and his scholarship check hadn't come, Mama D fed him, gave him "coffee money," and paid his rent for two months. The daddy just walked into her restaurant and asked for a job. She said he looked hungry. Recognizing he didn't want charity, she sent her dishwasher home and said he could wash dishes, after he ate. She personally fixed him a large plate of shrimp scampi.The daddy worked three or four days a week for her for two months. But he wasn't the only one. One day a year, for 42 years, on March 19th, on St. Josephs Day, she fed the needy. A Saint on earth. She was 91.

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

The Prez Executive Order to create a Council for Women and Girls. He said the purpose of this organization will be to "ensure that women and girls are treated fairly in public policy." He said this council l "will provide a coordinated federal response to the challenges confronted by women and girls and to ensure that all Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies consider how their policies and programs impact women and families." It will be led by Valerie Jarrett, a close Obama adviser (see photo above).

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

The Prez signing the Ledbetter Equal Pay Fairness Act, the first bill he signed into law. It makes it easier to sue employers for wage discrimination. . Though a great victory, though a good tool to end pay discrimination, a second more comprehensive law — already passed by the House — is needed. The Paycheck Fairness Act (PFA) would update the Equal Pay Act of 1963. The PFA would help create incentives for employer compliance with equal pay laws, re-arm federal law enforcement, and encourage programs to help eliminate persistent wage discrimination.

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

The Prez signing THE EXECUTIVE ORDER ON EITHICS COMMITTMENTS BY EXECUTIVE OFFICE PERSONNEL on January 21, 2009. It prohibits executive branch employees from accepting gifts from lobbyists. Second, closes the revolving door that allows government officials to move to and from private sector jobs in ways that give that sector undue influence over government, and requires that government hiring be based upon qualifications, competence and experience, not political connections. It orders every one of his appointees to sign a pledge abiding by these new rules.

CARTER G. WOODSON

(1875-1950) Carter G. Woodson was the first to open the long-neglected field of black studies in high schools and colleges. To focus attention on black contributions to civilization, he founded Negro History Week in 1926. This celebration and remembrance would later evolve into Black History Month. He devoted his entire life to research to show the valuable contributions that African Americans made to civilization. The son of former slaves, Woodson received his doctorate from Harvard in 1912, only the second African American to do so. Live Black History in February, in every month of the year.

KWAME TOURE

Born in the Port of Spain, Trinidad, Stokely got involved with the civil rights movement by becoming a "freedom rider," a group of young people who rode on buses in the South to test the new Supreme Court ruling that said Blacks could not be discriminated against during interstate travel. In Jackson, Mississippi, Stokely (later Kwame Toure), along with other freedom riders, was beaten then jailed for 49 days in Parchman Penitentiary. In 1966 Stokely became chairman of SNCC. On 5th June, 1966, after James Meredith was shot and black leaders decided to continue the march he started. When the marchers got to Greenwood, Mississippi, Carmichael and other marchers were arrested. It was the 27th time that Carmichael had been arrested. After his release on the 16th of June, he made his famous "Black Power" speech, calling for "black people in this country to unite, to recognize their heritage, and to build a sense of community". He also advocated that African Americans should form and lead their own organizations, reject American values and develop new values and styles of their own. The following year Carmichael joined with Charles Hamilton to write the book, "Black Power.." Though highly criticized by moderate black leaders and whites, Carmichael made a lasting impact on the civil rights movement. Live Black History in February, in every month of the year.

MALCOLM X

(1925-1965) On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X was assassinated. Born Malcolm Little, he educated himself on ghetto streets and in prison. He went on to organize a small religious sect called The Nation of Islam into a powerhouse organization with which to be reckoned in the 1960's His powerful speeches on behalf of black rights and black self-determination made him a favorite on college campuses and among activists all across America. His book "The Autobiography of Malcolm X," written during a period when his life was being threatened, was read by millions. Live Black History in February, in every month of the year.

MILES DAVIS

(1926-1991) He was a great trumpet player who was prominent on the cool jazz scene of the 50's and sixties. And he played with the greats: people who pioneered new styles such as cool jazz, hard bop and fusion, and more. Davis studied at the Juilliard School (1947) and played in Charlie Parker's popular bebop quintet (1948). He worked with orchestra conductor Gil Evans, John Coltrane and later electronic pop artist Herbie Hancock. His album "Kind of Blue" is considered one of the greatest jazz albums of all time. Live Black History during February and every month of the year.

FREDRICK DOUGLASS

Fredrick Douglass (1817-1895) The son of a slave, Douglass was perhaps America's most courageous and influential abolitionists. But he raised his voice not only against slavery but the bondage of women as well. Indeed, he was invited to speak at gatherings that supported women's rights. He also spoke truth to powering, at times scolding Abraham Lincoln for not being more forthcoming in helping to end slavery. Douglass was named to many official posts, including Marshal of the District of Columbia. His autobiography, "The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass," was first published in 1881.

ZORA NEAL HURSTON

(1901-1960) Her books sat collecting dust at the end of bookshelves in libraries until "discovered" by womanist writer Alice Walker. Hurston was a student of anthropology; and she used this knowledge to capture the folktales, stories, religion and songs of blacks in the South. Though many of the black elite looked with disfavor at her sympathetic portrayal of poor blacks at the time, the sum of her work speaks of black people as dynamic, creative and resilient. She wrote "Mules and Men" (1935), "Tell My Horse" (1938), and Jonah's Gourd Vine (1934). But she is best known for her splendid novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937). Celebrate Black History in February and every month of the year.

JAMES BALDWIN

JAMES BALDWIN (1924-1987) From a poor child in Harlem to a Pentecostal minister to controversial novelist to one of the most influential writers and social critics of his time. His first two novels-- Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953), reflecting his experience as a young preacher, and Giovanni's Room (1956), which dealt with homosexuality-- made him a controversial must-read. His perceptive and honest essays in The Fire Next Time (1963) won him critical acclaim. Live Black history in February and throughout the year.

ROLE MODEL-PAT TILLMAN

Remember him? This Arizona Cardinal safety walked away from a lucrative National Football League contract to join the Army Rangers. He was killed in Afghanistan Thursday, April 22, 2004. The great essayist and poet Raphph Waldo Emerson said of such men, "What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think....you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude."

DR. JOSEPH LOWERY

Much has been said about anti-gay minister Rick Warren giving the invocation at President-Elect Barack Obama's inauguration. But little has been said about pro-gay minister and civil rights warrior Rev. Joseph Lowery who will give the last word. What a great selection. Besides a long-time "soldier" of the civil rights movement, Lowery is also known for calling President George Bush to account at Coretta Scott King's funeral. At the 2006 funeral, with Bush present and on the same stage as a podium guest, Lowery chastised Bush, saying: “We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there. But Coretta knew, and we know, that there are weapons of misdirection right down here. Millions without health insurance. Poverty abounds. For war, billions more, but no more for the poor.”

EARTHA KITT DIES

1927-2008. Dancer, singer, actress, and "sex kitten" Eartha Kitt died today. You will hear that she appeared in movies, that she ahcieved fame playing Catwoman on the Batman television series. You will hear that the "sex kitten," for the most part, lived alone (although she did have brief affairs with a few rich men), that she is a model to women on how to keep a good figure even in old age. But what you probably will not hear is that, at the risk of her career, she spoke out against the Vietnam war. Because she did so, she had a hard time getting bookings in the U.S. and had to work in Europe. Here is what she said at one of those polite parties at the White House hosted by Lady Bird Johnson: "You send the best of this country off to be shot and maimed! They rebel in the street. They don't want to go to school because they're going to be snatched off from their mothers to be shot in Vietnam."

IT'S YO BIRTHDAY!!!

November 27 is the birthday of Jemi Hendrix, one of the greatest guitarist of all time, a guy who helped change music and culture. To many, Hendrix was known as the guy who hooked up with two white guys from England to form The Jimmie Hendric Experience, playing "spaced out" rock & roll songs like Purple Haze. But Hendrix rhythm and solos had its genesis in blues solos while playing with some of the best R&B bands at the time, including Little Richard, King Curtis, and Wilson Pickett. Hendrix was more into funk than "spaced out" rock & roll. But it was his revolutionary tricks with distortion mixed with other guitar tricks and his alternately ragged then smooth solo lines that gave his playing such an exotic, spiritual, and instantly recognizable quality. Happy birthday, Jimi...

IT'S YO BIRTHDAY!!!

October 31 is the birthday of high-flying Illinois Jacquet. The Lousiana native is best known for a passionate solo he played on Hampton's "Flying High." This solo is considered one of the greates solo performances in jazz history. That song became his signature, and he parlayed it into a brilliant jazz career stretching over fifty years. He performed his own band in 1945 and performed high flying performances all over the world. A raw-boned tenor sound combining R&B boldness and jazz sophistication was his trademark. His band won much acclaim Said Jacquet in a 1988 Jazz Times interview, "With this kind of music you don't get old, because it takes 50 years to learn how to play it."

WHY DID PFC. LAVENA JOHNSON DIE!!!

LEVI HAS LEFT US.

2008 is shaping up to be the year a lot of great ones died: Johnny Griffin. Bo Diddley. Isaac Hayes.Pervis Jackson. Norman Whitfield, Dee Dee Warwick (Dione Warwick's siste) and now Levi Stubbs, the lead singer of the great R&B group The Four Tops. Stubbs died of complications from cancer and other health problems. He was 72. Some will remember his lead singing on the hit "Reach out. I'll be there." Others will favor "Baby, I need your loving." Still others will say "Sugar pie honey bunch" was their song. But the daddy's favorite was the Four Tops live recording of the bittersweet ballad "Just Ask the Lonely." And the daddy is feeling a bit lonely now that Levi is no longer with us.

CONGRATS!!!

October 2, 1967 Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as the first African American to be appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, the highest court in the land. Unlike Clarence Thomas, the present African American on the court (Pray for him, pleeease!), Marshall-- before his appointment-- had been well known as a legal advocate for civil rights at all levels of the court system. Indeed, he had argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court itself and won. Marshall was appointed by the late president Lyndon Johnson.

GOOD LOOKING OUT!

On this day, October 4, 1988, Camille and Bill Cosby donated 20 million dollars to Spelman College, the largest donation ever given to a predominantly black college at the time. Now, the daddy has criticized Bill Cosby for sexist statements he has made about black women and classist ones he has made about the black poor. But there is another Bill Cosby, a strong black man who, after becoming successful, has consistently given time and money back to his community of Philadelphia and predominantly black colleges like Spelman and Tuskegee Institute. Moreover, Cosby has served as a role model to other wealthy blacks such as Oprah Winfrey, illustrating the importance of thinking beyond the self and serving one's community and one's people. Bill and Camille, good looking out.

IT'S YO BIRTHDAY!!!

September 9th is the birthday of highly acclaimed soul singer Otis Redding. Many critics view Redding as the single most influential male soul artist of the 1960's. His raw singing and fever-pitiched live performances was in stark contrast to the smoothed-out sound of rival soul singers such as The Supremes and Marvin Gaye from the label Motown. Though born in Dawson, Georgia in 1941, Otis grew up in poverty in Macon, Georgia. He lived in the Tindall Heights projects and sang in the choir at the Vineville Baptist Church nearby. He was playing in the band of guitarist Johnny Jenkins until he recorded a song called "These arms of mine" in 1962. It became a big hit and Redding was on his way. Appreciated by fans the world over Otis travelled constantly and worked hard to give listeners and concert goers a big taste of "southern soul."

IT'S YO BIRTHDAY!!!

August 18th is the birthday of Roberto Clemente, the great baseball player from Puerto Rico. From Wilkipedia: "Clemente played eighteen seasons in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1972, all with Pittsburgh. He was awarded the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award in 1966. During the course of his career, Clemente was selected to participate in the league's All Star Game on twelve occasions. He won twelve Gold Glove Awards and led the league in batting average four different seasons. He was involved in charity work both in Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries, often delivering baseball equipment and food to them. He died in an aviation accident on December 31, 1972, while en route to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua."

IT'S YO BIRTHDAY!!!

Born Frederick Christian on September 3, 1934, Freddie King mixed a "country blues" fingerpicking style and a more soulful urban approach to fashion a more aggressive blues style, laying the foundation for rock music of the late 60's and 70's. The book "Nothing But the Blues" said: "King (no relation to any of the other blues guitarists named King) was one of the lynchpins of modern blues guitar. Along with Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, and Magic Sam, King spearheaded Chicago's modern blues movement in the early '60s and helped set the stage for the blues-rock boom of the late '60s. His influence on such blues-rock titans as Eric Clapton helped preserve a legacy characterized by searing, aggressive guitar solos and the welding of blues and rock into one cohesive sound. "

SENSIBLE PEOPLE!

Though it was hot, they dressed up in full-body jumpsuits, pulled black masks over their heads and marched in the streets to protest the torture and denial of basic rights to prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba: Minnesota Post quoted one protester, Bob Kolstad, a lawyer, as saying: "What is going on at Guantanamo flies in the face of everything our form of government and the principles of the United States Constitution stand for, This is a visible symbol of how corrupt our government has become." Good to see some sensible people at the RNC.

HIS BEST SPEECH EVER!

If the corporate media pundits hadn't spent so much time yapping, you would have heard one of the top 5 speeches at the national democratic convention and John Kerry's best. In it, he calls out Sen. McCain for flip flopping on issues and basically selling out what few principles he had in 2000 to become president. Here's what the National Post said of it:: "He spoke for just under 14 minutes, but in his limited time Kerry hammered the crap out of McCain for most of his speech, and did so in a way that highlighted how wrong Kerry thinks the Bush/McCain axis has been and how right candidate Obama is. " Kerry has emerged as one of Obama's most trusted advisors and has worked tirelessly for his campaign. Watch Kerry's speech on YouTube http://beltwayblips.com/video/senator_john_kerry_at_the_2008_dnc/

AFL-CIO TAKES RACISM HEAD ON

Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka at the steelworker's convention last weekend: "Speaking to the United Steelworkers’ (USW) convention in Las Vegas this week, Trumka said: [At] the end of the day, what people are going to need to hear is that when it comes to protecting jobs, when it comes to protecting pensions, when it comes to health care, child care, pay equity for women, Social Security, Medicare, seeing to it that people can afford to go to college and buy a home—and restoring the right to collective bargaining—Barack Obama has always, always been on our side. This is a guy who’s voted with labor 98 percent of the time!"

II'S YO BIRTHDAY!!!

Happy birthday, James Baldwin, novelist, essayist. Born in Harlem in a family of nine, Baldwin received a scholarship, which allowed him to go to Paris. There, he finished his first novel, "Go Tell It on the Mountain" in 1953. In 1956, he wrote "Giovonni's Room," a book about homosexual love. In 1957, Baldwin returned to the United States and participated in the civil rights movement, often speaking at fundraisers to help the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (the organization headed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.). In 1962, he returned to Paris and wrote "Another Country," a bitter novel about the difficulties andl tensions in personal relationships. In 1963, he wrote "The Fire Next Time," a group of essays whose naked honesty and probing insights would define him as one of the most important writers of his time.

JOHNNY GRIFFIN DIES

The great jazz tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin, who played with many of the greats but chose to live in France, died on Friday. He was 80. The cause of death was unclear. He was found dead on Friday morning in the music room of his home in Mauprevoir in western France by his wife Miriam. Griffin began playing with Lionel Hampton in 1945 and moved on to play with John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk and Art Blakely in the 50's and 60's.. The 1958 album he cut with Coltrane and Blakely called "A Blowing Session" remains among his signature works. "Jazz," said Griffin, " is music made by and for people who have chosen to feel good, in spite of conditions."

INVISIBLE WOUNDS OF WAR

"...effective treatments documented in the scientific literature — evidence-based care — are available for PTSD and major depression. Delivery of such care to all veterans with PTSD or major depression would pay for itself within two years, or even save money, by improving productivity and reducing medical and mortality costs. Such care may also be a cost-effective way to retain a ready and healthy military force for the future. However, to ensure that this care is delivered requires system-level changes across the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the U.S. health care system." Rand Corporation study.

BO DIDDLEY DEAD

Bo Diddley, one of the pioneers of Rock and Roll, died today of heart failure at his home in Archer, Florida, at the age of 79. His three stroke/rest/two strokes invention can be heard in a who's who of rockers, including Buddy Holly ("Not Fade Away," which was also covered by the Rolling Stones), Johnny Otis ("Willie and the Hand Jive"), the Yardbirds ("I'm a Man," a Bo Diddley's song), the Count Five ( "Psychotic Reaction), Strangelove ("I Want Candy"), Bruce Springsteen ("She's the One"), U2 ("Desire"), George Michael ("Faith"), to name only a few. Many others continue to cover his songs and use his beat. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987..

I KNOW THAT'S RIGHT!

"Those 'quiet riots' that take place every day are born from the same place as the fires and the destruction and the police decked out in riot gear and the deaths. They happen when a sense of disconnect settles in and hope dissipates. Despair takes hold and young people all across this country look at the way the world is and believe that things are never going to get any better. You tell yourself, my school will always be second rate. You tell yourself, there will never be a good job waiting for me to excel at. You tell yourself, I will never be able to afford a place that I can be proud of and call my home. That despair quietly simmers and makes it impossible to build strong communities and neighborhoods. And then one afternoon a jury says, “Not guilty” — or a hurricane hits New Orleans — and that despair is revealed for the world to see."

I KNOW THAT'S RIGHT!

From an interview in Playboy Magazine, in 1963: "At the bottom of the social heap is the black man in the big-city ghetto. He lives night and day with the rats and the cockroaches and drowns himself with alcohol and anesthetizes himself with dope, to try and forget where and what he is. That Negro has given up all hope. He's the hardest one for us to reach, because he's the deepest in the mud. But when you get him, you've got the best kind of Muslim. I look upon myself as a prime example of this category - as graphic an example as you could find of the salvation of the black man."

I KNOW THAT'S RIGHT!

Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director and founder of IAVA (Iraqi & Afhanistan Veterans of America), said, "The profound cowardice of some top brass stands in such marked contrast to the bravery of the men and women they commanded. These officials felt brave enough to send our military into battle, and yet not one of them has the strength of character to look Pat's mother, Mary Tillman, in the face, and say they are sorry. This is unconscionable." See his commentary in the June 23rd Huffington Post.

ROLE MODE: PRSIDENT JIMMIE CARTER

ROLE MODEL-BOBBY KENNEDY

From Publisher's Weekly: "From the 'tens of thousands' of photographs he took of Robert Kennedy, former Life magazine photographer Eppridge has culled his most evocative images for this 'photographic history of one of the nation's most compelling figures,' published to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his assassination. Following Kennedy from 1966, Eppridge chronicled Kennedy's '68 presidential campaign trail, his battles with Eugene McCarthy in the Democratic primaries and victory in California, which would have sent 'his campaign into orbit.' Soon after the victory speech, Eppridge heard eight gunshots — 'the sound I will never forget' — and snapped the grim final images of Kennedy, bleeding in the arms of a stunned supporter. A devastated Eppridge captured the national grief that followed, the funeral train from New York to Washington, D.C., attended everywhere by 'a cross-section of America... old, young, women, men, black, white."

ROLE MODEL-MALCOLM X

"Whether we are Christians or Muslims or nationalists or agnostics or atheists, we must first learn to forget our differences. If we have differences, let us differ in the closet; when we come out in front, let us not have anything to argue about until we get finished arguing with the man. If the late President Kennedy could get together with Khrushchev and exchange some wheat, we certainly have more in common with each other than Kennedy and Khrushchev had with each other. If we don't do something real soon, I think you'll have to agree that we're going to be forced either to use the ballot or the bullet. It's one or the other in 1964. It isn't that time is running out -- time has run out!"

ROLE MODEL-JESSIE JACKSON Jr.

Rep. Jessie Jackson Jr. on his father's comments about Senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama: "I'm deeply outraged and disappointed in Reverend Jackson's reckless statements about Senator Barack Obama. His divisive and demeaning comments about the presumptive Democratic nominee -- and I believe the next president of the United States -- contradict his inspiring and courageous career...Reverend Jackson is my dad and I'll always love him. He should know how hard that I've worked for the last year and a half as a national co-chair of Barack Obama's presidential campaign. So I thoroughly reject and repudiate his ugly rhetoric. He should keep hope alive and any personal attacks and insults to himself."

ROLE MODEL-ISAAC HAYES

ROLE MODEL--ZELMA HENDERSON

Zelma Henderson-1920-2008. Another pioneer and role model just left us. But she left footsteps for us to follow. She was the last surviving plaintiff in Topeka's Brown v. Board of Education case, which led to the historic 1954 Supreme Court ruling outlawing segregation in public schools, has died at 88. She died of pancreatic cancer. A former beautician, Ms. Henderson lived in Topeka, Kansas all of her life. In an AP interview in 2004, she said, "I wanted my children to know all races like I did...It means a lot to a person's outlook on life. No inferiority complex at all, that's what I wanted for my children as far as race was concerned.”

ROLE MODEL-SOJOURNER

Sojourner Truth, addressing a women's right's convention in Akron, Ohio, in 1851, asked: Ain’t I a Woman? "That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man - when I could get it - and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman?"

ROLE MODEL-DOUGLAS

As a firece abolitionist, strong women's advocate, prolific writer and publisher, and powerful speaker, Frederick Douglas was, arguably, one of America's greatest leaders of the 19th century. On July 5, 1852, Douglass was invited to give a speech at an event commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence, held near his home in Rochester, New York, at Corinthian Hall. Here's an excerpt from that biting, passionate oration: " What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer; a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sound of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciation of tyrants brass fronted impudence; your shout of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanks-givings, with all your religious parade and solemnity, are to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy -- a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States, at this very hour...."

ROLE MODEL-IRENE MORGAN

STERLING A. BROWN

The son of a Howard University professor, Sterling A. Brown was born in Wasington D.C,, in1901, Author of "Strong Men, " the poem below (Collected Poems, 1980), he wrote poems, essays and other writings that were rooted in folktales and black dialect. Most of his writing was completed by the mid-1940's but achieved a widespread revival two decades later. Molef Assante and the Black Atlas said of him, "As critic, essayist, and 'Opportunity' magazine columnist, he supported realistic writing and harshly attacked those who distorted black life." He died on January 17, 1989.

WHY daddyBstrong?

Early in the 1990's, when I was a youth counselor, I facilitated group sessions with youth between the ages of 12 and 16. Some of these kids were in gangs, and some were not. Each week, we did libation, read and discussed a chapter from a book entitled "Lessons from History" by Jawanza Kunjufu. As the kids felt safe and found the sessions interesting, they brought their friends with them. Pretty soon, I was working with anywhere from 15 to 25 kids each group session.

As kids became comfortable with me, they began to give me names. So, my name changed from "Mr. Mac" to "MacDaddy" to "the daddy." "know what the daddy told me?"

Though rewarding, the work burned me out. For my own health, I had to end the groups, though I still worked with a few of the kids on an individual basis. I remember the final group session. That's when 10 or so kids lingered in front of the bookstore near my car. I remember giving them the handshake and the hug like brothers do. I remember getting in my car; and I remember that, as I was about to pull off, one of the kids said, "Yo, Daddy? Be strong." I remember saying "Will do."

Funny: I can't remember his name or even the outline of his face. But his words and my response to them still echo in my mind:

"Yo, Daddy? Be strong!"
"Will do...Will do."

BOOKS, ARTICLES AND POEMS

Books:

1. Miles to Go Before I Sleep: Lessons in Living with Cancer (published);
2. What Will It Take for Black Men to Heal (unpublished); and
3. The Sixties? Yes, I Remember (unpublished).

Major Articles:

1. On the Downlow or Just Lowdown;
2. A New, Independent Political Party Could Speed Our Recovery (from book, "What Will It Take for Black Men to Heal?");
3. Let Music Lift Your Spirit and Sooth Your Soul (from book, "Miles to Go Before I Sleep: Lessons in Living with Cancer"); and
4. I Ain't Gon Study Violence and War No Mo (from blog, daddyBstrong.blogspot.com).

Major Poems:

1. Survival;
2. Just One More Day:
3. My Sassy Lucille; and
4. Happy Homemaker

daddyBstrong

TALK TO THE DADDY

Friday, July 18, 2008

Update on the LaVena Johnson Case

3 comments:

THE DADDY'S CREW!!!

OUR 44th PRESIDENT

POLICE USING TASERS

"THE REBELLIOUS SIXTIES"

SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER

SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER

TRAGEDY-FORT HOOD

SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER

SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER

SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER

GOOD LOOKING OUT!!!

SPEAKING TRUTH POWER

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

USAIN-ITY

GOOD LOOKING OUT!

A CHANGE IS GONNA COME

THE WAR IN AFGHANISTAN

THAT'S THE WAY IT IS

MICHAEL GONE

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

"MY DAD IS MY HERO"

KOKO TAYLOR GONE

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

JOHN HOPE FRANKLIN

MEL BROWN DEAD

SAINT ON EARTH

FOOTPRINTS

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

CHANGE TO BELIEVE IN

SHADES OF BLACK/WHITE AWARD

THE SPLASH AWARD

SUPERIOR SCRIBBLER AWARD

THE HELPING HAND AWARD

KICK ASS BLOGGER AWARD- 2008

HONEST SCRAP AWARD

BLOGS THE DADDY CHECKS DAILY

BLOGS THE DADDY CHECKS OFTEN

CARTER G. WOODSON

CARTER G. WOODSON

KWAME TOURE

MALCOLM X

MILES DAVIS

FREDRICK DOUGLASS

ZORA NEAL HURSTON

Jayckie Joyner-Kersee

ALTHEA GIBSON

JAMES BALDWIN

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

ROLE MODEL-BARACK OBAMA

ROLE MODEL-PAT TILLMAN

COOL FIRST LADY

DR. JOSEPH LOWERY

EARTHA KITT DIES

FREDDIE HUBBARD DEAD

I AM A COMMUNITY ORGANIZER!

THE 13TH AMENDMENT

IT'S YO BIRTHDAY!!!

GOOD LOOKING OUT!

DREAMS CAN COME TRUE!

ON THE DEATH PENALTY

STUDS TERKEL, THANK YOU

IT'S YO BIRTHDAY!!!

WHY DID PFC. LAVENA JOHNSON DIE!!!

LEVI HAS LEFT US.