Adriane Speaks with Mukasa Dada "Original Black Panther Party"

Tune in Monday Night at 9PM Est, as I talk with Willie Ricks aka Mukasa Dada.

Who Is Mukasa Dada?

1. Civil Rights Leader, Elder, Father, Organizer, Orator
2. Field Secretary of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
3. "The fiery orator of SNCC" - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his 1967 book, Where Do We Go From Here
4. "Willie Ricks must rank as one of those unknown heroes who captured the mood of history. In calling for Black Power, he caught the essence of the spirit, moving Black people in the United States and around the world who were poor, Black, and without power" - James Forman of SNCC
5. Popularized of the chant, "Black Power"

As the Field Secretary for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Ricks organized countless sit-ins, marches, demonstrations, and boycotts—all of which ere instrumental in destroying the overt forms of Jim Crow and racial oppression that were so prevalent in the United States less than thirty years ago.

Mukasa Ricks was introduced to the Civil Rights Movement in 1960 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at the age of 17. For two years he was active in Chattanooga while working with the local NAACP chapter in the sit-in movement. Quickly he became a hero in the African American community and as a result, persons in the white community made attempts on his life and the lives of his family members. Cars were burned in their yard and their neighbors were harassed.

In 1961, Ricks was contacted by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to help voter registration in Chattanooga. Speaking the language of the rural African American community, he became on e of the South’s most powerful organizer’s. Ricks continued organizing in Chattanooga until he was asked to come to Georgia by the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1962. As a result he became a part of SNCC’s first Direct Action Program in Albany, Georgia where he first began to build a long-term working relationship with Martin Luther King, Jr.

Ricks continued organizing for SNCC in Georgia, and then in Alabama, Mississippi and throughout the South. While organizing in Mississippi in 1964, he helped to build the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) along with Fannie Lou Hamer and others. Subsequently, Ricks returned to Alabama and helped to organize the Lowndes County Freedom Organization. This organization became known as the Black Panther Party and was the first group inside the movement to defend themselves with guns.

By this time, Ricks, who was speaking on the same platforms with Dr. King and other important figures, had become one of the leading organizers and speakers for SNCC in particular and the movement in general. Having participated in hundreds of sit-ins, stand-ins, demonstrations, pickets and marches, Ricks paid the price by being jailed, beaten, bitten by dogs and shot. While organizing once in Americus, Georgia, he was shot at by the police which resulted in him being gazed and left with a scare he still has today.

In January of 1966, Mukasa was a key organizer in Tuskegee, Alabama where Sammy Young Jr. was shot in the head with a shotgun for using a “White Only” toilet. During this same year, SNCC put Ricks in charge of organizing students under what was called Campus Traveler’s Program.

Ricks also traveled extensively with Kwame Ture (formerly Stokely Carmichael) and spoke in the same platforms with him wherever he spoke. In fact, when Ture stepped down as the Chairman of SNCC, Ricks was the leading candidate to replace him but chose to work more quietly in the background. Consequently, when H. Rap Brown was selected as the Chairman of SNCC, Ricks was appointed to travel with Brown in order to show him the ropes.

In February of 1968, when over sixty-nine students were shot in the Orangeburg massacre at South Carolina State College, Ricks was one of the key organizers.

Rick’s organizing activities were so effective that the state of Georgia declared him to be one of the ten most dangerous persons in the state in 1973. As a result the police were requested not to approach his house by themselves but, instead, to signal “39” which meant “Police in Stress, Need Help.” It has been documented that they were given orders to shoot to kill!

Ricks has remained active ever since he first stated out in Chattanooga in 1960. He is one of the most committed activists and charismatic speakers around. The experiences he shares and the message he gives is powerful and needs to be heard by all.

Adriane Speaks with Mukasa Dada "Original Black Panther Party"

Tune in Monday Night at 9PM Est, as I talk with Willie Ricks aka Mukasa Dada.

Who Is Mukasa Dada?

1. Civil Rights Leader, Elder, Father, Organizer, Orator
2. Field Secretary of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
3. "The fiery orator of SNCC" - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his 1967 book, Where Do We Go From Here
4. "Willie Ricks must rank as one of those unknown heroes who captured the mood of history. In calling for Black Power, he caught the essence of the spirit, moving Black people in the United States and around the world who were poor, Black, and without power" - James Forman of SNCC
5. Popularized of the chant, "Black Power"

As the Field Secretary for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Ricks organized countless sit-ins, marches, demonstrations, and boycotts—all of which ere instrumental in destroying the overt forms of Jim Crow and racial oppression that were so prevalent in the United States less than thirty years ago.

Mukasa Ricks was introduced to the Civil Rights Movement in 1960 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, at the age of 17. For two years he was active in Chattanooga while working with the local NAACP chapter in the sit-in movement. Quickly he became a hero in the African American community and as a result, persons in the white community made attempts on his life and the lives of his family members. Cars were burned in their yard and their neighbors were harassed.

In 1961, Ricks was contacted by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to help voter registration in Chattanooga. Speaking the language of the rural African American community, he became on e of the South’s most powerful organizer’s. Ricks continued organizing in Chattanooga until he was asked to come to Georgia by the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1962. As a result he became a part of SNCC’s first Direct Action Program in Albany, Georgia where he first began to build a long-term working relationship with Martin Luther King, Jr.

Ricks continued organizing for SNCC in Georgia, and then in Alabama, Mississippi and throughout the South. While organizing in Mississippi in 1964, he helped to build the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP) along with Fannie Lou Hamer and others. Subsequently, Ricks returned to Alabama and helped to organize the Lowndes County Freedom Organization. This organization became known as the Black Panther Party and was the first group inside the movement to defend themselves with guns.

By this time, Ricks, who was speaking on the same platforms with Dr. King and other important figures, had become one of the leading organizers and speakers for SNCC in particular and the movement in general. Having participated in hundreds of sit-ins, stand-ins, demonstrations, pickets and marches, Ricks paid the price by being jailed, beaten, bitten by dogs and shot. While organizing once in Americus, Georgia, he was shot at by the police which resulted in him being gazed and left with a scare he still has today.

In January of 1966, Mukasa was a key organizer in Tuskegee, Alabama where Sammy Young Jr. was shot in the head with a shotgun for using a “White Only” toilet. During this same year, SNCC put Ricks in charge of organizing students under what was called Campus Traveler’s Program.

Ricks also traveled extensively with Kwame Ture (formerly Stokely Carmichael) and spoke in the same platforms with him wherever he spoke. In fact, when Ture stepped down as the Chairman of SNCC, Ricks was the leading candidate to replace him but chose to work more quietly in the background. Consequently, when H. Rap Brown was selected as the Chairman of SNCC, Ricks was appointed to travel with Brown in order to show him the ropes.

In February of 1968, when over sixty-nine students were shot in the Orangeburg massacre at South Carolina State College, Ricks was one of the key organizers.

Rick’s organizing activities were so effective that the state of Georgia declared him to be one of the ten most dangerous persons in the state in 1973. As a result the police were requested not to approach his house by themselves but, instead, to signal “39” which meant “Police in Stress, Need Help.” It has been documented that they were given orders to shoot to kill!

Ricks has remained active ever since he first stated out in Chattanooga in 1960. He is one of the most committed activists and charismatic speakers around. The experiences he shares and the message he gives is powerful and needs to be heard by all.

Adriane Talks with Former Leader of KKK

broadcast listed on this page  or listen at http://www.fftradionetwork.com/

all broadcasts available on Itunes

Adriane Talks with Former Leader of KKK

broadcast listed on this page  or listen at http://www.fftradionetwork.com/

all broadcasts available on Itunes

New Changes to Hope Scholarship from Attorney Janice Mathis

LOTTERY FUNDS HELP ELITE AT EXPENSE OF WORKING FAMILIES, MINORITIES AND THE POOR
Janice L. Mathis, Esq. Rainbow PUSH Coalition – 02/22/2011
I live in Athens, Georgia, where Kiddie Condos and SUV’s abound.  They are the unintended consequences of lottery-funded scholarships.  Wealthy parents who don’t have to pay tuition, send their kids to luxuriate in Athens while they attend the state’s flagship university.  Today, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal aided by capitulation of some Democrats in the General Assembly, have decided to make the Georgia Lottery-funded Hope Scholarship even more unfair and elitist.  In order to win lottery scholarships Georgia students must take more challenging high school courses, achieve at least 1200 on the SAT and maintain a 3.7 grade point average.
It is difficult to evaluate this proposal without considering the purpose of the Hope Scholarship.  Is it to make sure that the highest-achieving students remain in the state for college? Is it to help promising but needy student afford college?  Is it to mask the effect of a declining commitment to education?  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Where you stand on lottery funded college scholarships depends on your perspective.
According to one study, “because of HOPE, enrollment for youth from families with incomes above $50,000 rose 11.4 percent, but the program has had no effect on enrollment of youth from poorer families.”  Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke recently indicated that “the best solution to income inequality is providing a high-quality education for everybody.”  The same study concludes that “HOPE appears to have benefited White students more than Black. Compared with nearby states, college attendance among White students in Georgia rose 12.4 percent faster from 1993 to 1997, but remained virtually unchanged for Black students.” 
Especially when one considers the percentage of one’s annual income spent on state lotteries, the inescapable conclusion is that lotteries function as a highly regressive tax, impacting the disadvantaged far more than the privileged.  I saw the effects in my own family.  A dear relative  spent a healthy chunk of her meager monthly income on the lottery.  Of her 30-odd grandchildren, only one received the HOPE scholarship.
On average, lottery states spend about 50% of their total state budgets on education, while non-lottery states spend an average of 60%. This seems to clearly demonstrate that once lotteries start to fund schools, states spend less of their budgets on education and instead spend money on other programs. The actual revenue produced by the lottery, then, is not actually increasing education funding at all, but serving whatever programs the legislature is most eager to fund.

In the fall of 2000, two public policy researchers at the University of Georgia, McCrary and Pavlak, undertook an extensive telephone survey to more exactly determine the economic impacts of the Georgia State Lottery. Their findings seem to clearly demonstrate that the Georgia lottery has the impact of helping the privileged with the money of the poor.

The bulk of the Georgia lottery’s educational expenditures are through the HOPE Scholarship Program. The McCrary and Pavlak study clearly indicates that recipients of HOPE scholarships are primarily white.  More importantly, they are also most likely to be children of casual players or people who do not play the lottery at all, and their parents most likely have a college degree or some college education. 

Before the state of Georgia stiffens HOPE eligibility requirements, Governor Deal and the legislature should explain to the people of Georgia what policy goals they are attempting to achieve.

New Changes to Hope Scholarship from Attorney Janice Mathis

LOTTERY FUNDS HELP ELITE AT EXPENSE OF WORKING FAMILIES, MINORITIES AND THE POOR
Janice L. Mathis, Esq. Rainbow PUSH Coalition – 02/22/2011
I live in Athens, Georgia, where Kiddie Condos and SUV’s abound.  They are the unintended consequences of lottery-funded scholarships.  Wealthy parents who don’t have to pay tuition, send their kids to luxuriate in Athens while they attend the state’s flagship university.  Today, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal aided by capitulation of some Democrats in the General Assembly, have decided to make the Georgia Lottery-funded Hope Scholarship even more unfair and elitist.  In order to win lottery scholarships Georgia students must take more challenging high school courses, achieve at least 1200 on the SAT and maintain a 3.7 grade point average.
It is difficult to evaluate this proposal without considering the purpose of the Hope Scholarship.  Is it to make sure that the highest-achieving students remain in the state for college? Is it to help promising but needy student afford college?  Is it to mask the effect of a declining commitment to education?  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  Where you stand on lottery funded college scholarships depends on your perspective.
According to one study, “because of HOPE, enrollment for youth from families with incomes above $50,000 rose 11.4 percent, but the program has had no effect on enrollment of youth from poorer families.”  Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke recently indicated that “the best solution to income inequality is providing a high-quality education for everybody.”  The same study concludes that “HOPE appears to have benefited White students more than Black. Compared with nearby states, college attendance among White students in Georgia rose 12.4 percent faster from 1993 to 1997, but remained virtually unchanged for Black students.” 
Especially when one considers the percentage of one’s annual income spent on state lotteries, the inescapable conclusion is that lotteries function as a highly regressive tax, impacting the disadvantaged far more than the privileged.  I saw the effects in my own family.  A dear relative  spent a healthy chunk of her meager monthly income on the lottery.  Of her 30-odd grandchildren, only one received the HOPE scholarship.
On average, lottery states spend about 50% of their total state budgets on education, while non-lottery states spend an average of 60%. This seems to clearly demonstrate that once lotteries start to fund schools, states spend less of their budgets on education and instead spend money on other programs. The actual revenue produced by the lottery, then, is not actually increasing education funding at all, but serving whatever programs the legislature is most eager to fund.

In the fall of 2000, two public policy researchers at the University of Georgia, McCrary and Pavlak, undertook an extensive telephone survey to more exactly determine the economic impacts of the Georgia State Lottery. Their findings seem to clearly demonstrate that the Georgia lottery has the impact of helping the privileged with the money of the poor.

The bulk of the Georgia lottery’s educational expenditures are through the HOPE Scholarship Program. The McCrary and Pavlak study clearly indicates that recipients of HOPE scholarships are primarily white.  More importantly, they are also most likely to be children of casual players or people who do not play the lottery at all, and their parents most likely have a college degree or some college education. 

Before the state of Georgia stiffens HOPE eligibility requirements, Governor Deal and the legislature should explain to the people of Georgia what policy goals they are attempting to achieve.

Genealogy with Antoinette Harrell

Tonight on Fight for Truth

How to trace your Ancestry.  My special Guest is Antoinette Harrell, talkshow host, videographer, Genealogist will guide us through the steps of tracing our heritage. Tune in to the show at 9PM Est.  Show call in number 347-994-3501 or listen via internet at:http://www.fftradionetwork.com/.

Genealogy with Antoinette Harrell

Tonight on Fight for Truth

How to trace your Ancestry.  My special Guest is Antoinette Harrell, talkshow host, videographer, Genealogist will guide us through the steps of tracing our heritage. Tune in to the show at 9PM Est.  Show call in number 347-994-3501 or listen via internet at:http://www.fftradionetwork.com/.

Roadside Memorials to go Uniform

Every time State Rep. Earnest “Coach” Williams passes a roadside memorial, he thinks about his aunt, Beatrice Williams, who died on a Georgia highway driving from Macon to Albany in 1983. Like many others, Williams wanted to mark the spot where his relative died as a memorial to her. But he felt it was important to put safety first. And as a lawmaker, he wanted to make sure that others did the same thing.  This month, state legislators passed HB 1294, calling for uniform memorial signs, rather than makeshift ones, along highways and road right-of-ways. Rep. Williams sponsored the legislation, which he had worked on last year. The new law will go into effect July 1.

State Rep. Earnest

“My aunt Beatrice was like a sister to me. I authored this bill as a way to bring closure to families like mine who have experienced a loss that happened on state

highways,” Williams said. “The bill will also bring some uniform to our freeways, some of which are beginning to look like grave yards.”

In place of the candles, roses, crosses and sometimes stuffed bears to mark where a loved one lost their life, state lawmakers approved the bill to install a modest white sign that will list the name of the person who died under the words “Drive Safely, In Memory.”

The 15-inch oval signs with black lettering will be the only roadside memorials allowed on state and federal roads, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation. All others will be removed for safety reasons, DOT officials say.

The person who requests the sign from the DOT pays $100. The sign will stand for a year, and then be given to the person who paid for it.

Williams, who represents DeKalb’s District 89, says there is no easy way to deliver this message and understands families that might be upset with it.

“This is a very sensitive matter. However, this bill was created in respect to families that have lost love ones and as another way to keep our roads safe. Many roadside memorials are elaborate displays that draw the eyes of drivers away from the road, which can have fatal consequences,” Williams said.

The new bill only affects state and federal highways. Cities and counties regulate their own roadways.

DOT spokesman David Spear noted that 1,400 people die every year on Georgia roads. He says the department will work with sensitivity in regards to removing existing memorials. They are prohibited under state law, and many are removed as workers cut the grass and pick up litter along the roadways.

“We will be sensitive to the losses people have experienced,” Spear said. “But now under state regulation, we will be more diligent about removing the memorials already made.”

The new signage program is open to family or friends (with approval of immediate family), of individuals killed in accidents on federal and state routes on or after July 1, 2010.

The sign can be requested by submitting a written application, the accident report and the $100 fee to the DOT’s maintenance engineer.

More information and the application forms are available at www.dot.ga.gov/doingbusiness/PoliciesManuals/pap/Documents/Policies/6160-9.pdf. 404-363-7625.

Roadside Memorials to go Uniform

Every time State Rep. Earnest “Coach” Williams passes a roadside memorial, he thinks about his aunt, Beatrice Williams, who died on a Georgia highway driving from Macon to Albany in 1983. Like many others, Williams wanted to mark the spot where his relative died as a memorial to her. But he felt it was important to put safety first. And as a lawmaker, he wanted to make sure that others did the same thing.  This month, state legislators passed HB 1294, calling for uniform memorial signs, rather than makeshift ones, along highways and road right-of-ways. Rep. Williams sponsored the legislation, which he had worked on last year. The new law will go into effect July 1.

State Rep. Earnest

“My aunt Beatrice was like a sister to me. I authored this bill as a way to bring closure to families like mine who have experienced a loss that happened on state

highways,” Williams said. “The bill will also bring some uniform to our freeways, some of which are beginning to look like grave yards.”

In place of the candles, roses, crosses and sometimes stuffed bears to mark where a loved one lost their life, state lawmakers approved the bill to install a modest white sign that will list the name of the person who died under the words “Drive Safely, In Memory.”

The 15-inch oval signs with black lettering will be the only roadside memorials allowed on state and federal roads, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation. All others will be removed for safety reasons, DOT officials say.

The person who requests the sign from the DOT pays $100. The sign will stand for a year, and then be given to the person who paid for it.

Williams, who represents DeKalb’s District 89, says there is no easy way to deliver this message and understands families that might be upset with it.

“This is a very sensitive matter. However, this bill was created in respect to families that have lost love ones and as another way to keep our roads safe. Many roadside memorials are elaborate displays that draw the eyes of drivers away from the road, which can have fatal consequences,” Williams said.

The new bill only affects state and federal highways. Cities and counties regulate their own roadways.

DOT spokesman David Spear noted that 1,400 people die every year on Georgia roads. He says the department will work with sensitivity in regards to removing existing memorials. They are prohibited under state law, and many are removed as workers cut the grass and pick up litter along the roadways.

“We will be sensitive to the losses people have experienced,” Spear said. “But now under state regulation, we will be more diligent about removing the memorials already made.”

The new signage program is open to family or friends (with approval of immediate family), of individuals killed in accidents on federal and state routes on or after July 1, 2010.

The sign can be requested by submitting a written application, the accident report and the $100 fee to the DOT’s maintenance engineer.

More information and the application forms are available at www.dot.ga.gov/doingbusiness/PoliciesManuals/pap/Documents/Policies/6160-9.pdf. 404-363-7625.

The State of Black Dekalb

Watson to host ‘State of Black DeKalb’

Written by Site Editor

DECATUR—In celebration of Black History Month, DeKalb County Commissioner Stan Watson will present the “State of Black DeKalb: How Far Have We Come?” to the citizens of DeKalb. The event will be held Feb. 21, 4 to 7 p.m., at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts and Community Center, 3181 Rainbow Drive. Watson said a panel of community leaders will share their thoughts on political issues that are impacting DeKalb. “We want to have a candid conversation about the progress we’ve made and the challenges and concerns that we as African Americans have regarding life in DeKalb County,” said Watson. On Common Ground News’ editor Valerie Morgan, who plans to participate on the panel, applauds Watson for hosting the Town Hall style meeting. “An honest assessment of ourselves is only going to make DeKalb that much stronger,” Morgan said. A reception will follow the panel discussion. Stan Watson

The State of Black Dekalb

Watson to host ‘State of Black DeKalb’

Written by Site Editor

DECATUR—In celebration of Black History Month, DeKalb County Commissioner Stan Watson will present the “State of Black DeKalb: How Far Have We Come?” to the citizens of DeKalb. The event will be held Feb. 21, 4 to 7 p.m., at the Porter Sanford III Performing Arts and Community Center, 3181 Rainbow Drive. Watson said a panel of community leaders will share their thoughts on political issues that are impacting DeKalb. “We want to have a candid conversation about the progress we’ve made and the challenges and concerns that we as African Americans have regarding life in DeKalb County,” said Watson. On Common Ground News’ editor Valerie Morgan, who plans to participate on the panel, applauds Watson for hosting the Town Hall style meeting. “An honest assessment of ourselves is only going to make DeKalb that much stronger,” Morgan said. A reception will follow the panel discussion. Stan Watson

THE STATE OF BLACK DEKALB

On Feb 21, 2011 at Porter Sanford III Performing Arts Center 3181 Rainbow Drive Decatur GA .  Discussions include:  Economic Development, Education, Faith Based Community, Healthcare, Future of Dekalb, and Community Partnership and Resources.  For more information contact Commissioner Stan Watson's Office at 404-371-3681

THE STATE OF BLACK DEKALB

On Feb 21, 2011 at Porter Sanford III Performing Arts Center 3181 Rainbow Drive Decatur GA .  Discussions include:  Economic Development, Education, Faith Based Community, Healthcare, Future of Dekalb, and Community Partnership and Resources.  For more information contact Commissioner Stan Watson's Office at 404-371-3681

DeKalb school closure list drops from 14 to 8

DeKalb school closure list drops from 14 to 8



After hearing thousands of complaints, DeKalb County interim’s superintendent amended the school system’s controversial redistricting plan, proposing that eight schools close, not 14.



On Monday night, the district unveiled the revamped plan, which calls for Atherton, Glen Haven, Gresham Park, Peachcrest, Medlock and Sky Haven elementary schools, Avondale Middle School and Avondale High School to close in August. The board is scheduled to approve the closures March 7.



Although Avondale Middle and High are closing as neighborhood schools, part of the high school will remain open as the DeKalb School of the Arts.



The schools spared were Livsey, Rock Chapel, Bob Mathis, Toney, Wadsworth Magnet and Kittredge Magnet. However, those schools -- and others -- could close as early as summer 2012, interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson said.



Tyson recommended the changes after reviewing residents’ complaints, concluded that the process was moving too fast, there was not enough financial data and the magnet programs shouldn’t be centralized.



“Is there a plan that makes everyone happy? No,” Tyson said. “These difficult decisions will allow the school system to redirect in the first year alone $12.4 million toward student achievement.”



The new plan means the district will save the aforementioned total, rather than the proposed$15 million annually.



The new plan also means less students will be transferred to new schools next year, 8,989 compared to 15,000 students, school officials said. Under the revised plan, the magnet programs will not be relocated.



The redistricting plan is needed to remove 11,300 empty seats to generate more state funding. However, under the new plan, the district will eliminate 5,125 seats and still have 6,185 empty seats.



“We still have a lot of work to do,” Tyson said.



Last week, the state Department of Education said the district could receive $3.5 million more annually to build and renovate schools if the district closed more schools.



Molly Bardsley, a mother of three, implored the board to close more schools. “Every dollar spent on half-empty buildings, is a dollar we can’t afford,” she told the board. “Doing the right thing isn’t always the popular thing. Please make the difficult choice tonight.”



Not every one had the same views as Bardsley. The school board attempted to quiet some of the rallying parents by posting a sign that said anyone who carried signs or noisemakers would be ejected and prosecuted.



An extra police presence didn’t prevent the more than 300 residents in attendance from promoting their schools. Another 50 people waited in the hallway after police closed the meeting because of fire codes.



The president of the Organization of DeKalb Educators held a Glen Haven first-grader as he talked about school closures. Connie Boon, mother of a Sky Haven student, listed her school’s accomplishments.



Khalid Muhammad Ali Farrakhan lined up four little girls, holding photos of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and President Barack Obama, as heasked the board to leave “black” schools alone.



“You want to close Glen Haven and 13 other schools that house black children," he told the board. "You should bequeath the schools to the black community. Just leave the school buses, the utilities to us and we will take care of the rest."



Other residents and some board members have criticized the plan for targeting primarily African-American schools in south DeKalb. Only one of the schools on the closure list, Medlock, is in north DeKalb.



However, south DeKalb houses some of the neighborhoods in metro Atlanta hardest hit by the housing slump and foreclosures.

DeKalb school closure list drops from 14 to 8

DeKalb school closure list drops from 14 to 8



After hearing thousands of complaints, DeKalb County interim’s superintendent amended the school system’s controversial redistricting plan, proposing that eight schools close, not 14.



On Monday night, the district unveiled the revamped plan, which calls for Atherton, Glen Haven, Gresham Park, Peachcrest, Medlock and Sky Haven elementary schools, Avondale Middle School and Avondale High School to close in August. The board is scheduled to approve the closures March 7.



Although Avondale Middle and High are closing as neighborhood schools, part of the high school will remain open as the DeKalb School of the Arts.



The schools spared were Livsey, Rock Chapel, Bob Mathis, Toney, Wadsworth Magnet and Kittredge Magnet. However, those schools -- and others -- could close as early as summer 2012, interim Superintendent Ramona Tyson said.



Tyson recommended the changes after reviewing residents’ complaints, concluded that the process was moving too fast, there was not enough financial data and the magnet programs shouldn’t be centralized.



“Is there a plan that makes everyone happy? No,” Tyson said. “These difficult decisions will allow the school system to redirect in the first year alone $12.4 million toward student achievement.”



The new plan means the district will save the aforementioned total, rather than the proposed$15 million annually.



The new plan also means less students will be transferred to new schools next year, 8,989 compared to 15,000 students, school officials said. Under the revised plan, the magnet programs will not be relocated.



The redistricting plan is needed to remove 11,300 empty seats to generate more state funding. However, under the new plan, the district will eliminate 5,125 seats and still have 6,185 empty seats.



“We still have a lot of work to do,” Tyson said.



Last week, the state Department of Education said the district could receive $3.5 million more annually to build and renovate schools if the district closed more schools.



Molly Bardsley, a mother of three, implored the board to close more schools. “Every dollar spent on half-empty buildings, is a dollar we can’t afford,” she told the board. “Doing the right thing isn’t always the popular thing. Please make the difficult choice tonight.”



Not every one had the same views as Bardsley. The school board attempted to quiet some of the rallying parents by posting a sign that said anyone who carried signs or noisemakers would be ejected and prosecuted.



An extra police presence didn’t prevent the more than 300 residents in attendance from promoting their schools. Another 50 people waited in the hallway after police closed the meeting because of fire codes.



The president of the Organization of DeKalb Educators held a Glen Haven first-grader as he talked about school closures. Connie Boon, mother of a Sky Haven student, listed her school’s accomplishments.



Khalid Muhammad Ali Farrakhan lined up four little girls, holding photos of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and President Barack Obama, as heasked the board to leave “black” schools alone.



“You want to close Glen Haven and 13 other schools that house black children," he told the board. "You should bequeath the schools to the black community. Just leave the school buses, the utilities to us and we will take care of the rest."



Other residents and some board members have criticized the plan for targeting primarily African-American schools in south DeKalb. Only one of the schools on the closure list, Medlock, is in north DeKalb.



However, south DeKalb houses some of the neighborhoods in metro Atlanta hardest hit by the housing slump and foreclosures.

Feds threaten to revoke $7 million from DeKalb | ajc.com

Feds threaten to revoke $7 million from DeKalb ajc.com

Politics could be to blame for DeKalb County losing a $7.8 million federal stimulus grant and possibly millions more if the county doesn’t move forward with a proposal to turn landfill gas into alternative fuel.
The plan involves using a federal Department of Energy grant to capture methane gas at the county’s Seminole Landfill in Ellenwood and converting it into automotive-grade compressed natural gas, which would be used to power the county’s 40 garbage trucks.
County officials signed a contract last year with Clean Cities Atlanta to help with the plant, but now some DeKalb officials have begun to back off from the agreement after a private company submitted an alternative proposal.
On Monday, the DOE sent a letter to the county, threatening to revoke the grant and future stimulus money if the county commission doesn’t approve the project by the end of Tuesday. The commission is scheduled to vote on the issue Tuesday.
“Certainly when you don’t perform a project well or at all, you’re certainly at risk of not getting future projects,” said Stephen Clermont, director of the DOE's Center for Transportation and the Environment. “This could be a black eye for DeKalb County in terms of getting stimulus money and other grants.”
The county could also possibly face litigation if it doesn’t move forward, Commissioner Jeff Rader said.
“We would be in default. There already is a legally binding contract between DeKalb County and the Department of Energy,” Rader said. “We can’t just change our mind.”
Last year, the DOE awarded the region a $14.9 million stimulus grant to help make the metro area less dependent on foreign oil.
The largest project in the group included $7.8 million for DeKalb to build the CNG plant at its landfill, along with a CNG public fueling station at Memorial Drive and Kensington Road. DeKalb would convert all of its garbage trucks from diesel to CNG and sell the remainder of its CNG to other fleets.
The county would end up spending about $1 a gallon for CNG, rather than $3-plus a gallon for diesel fuel.
“The county has about 50 years of natural gas that it can mine from this landfill alone,” said Don Francis, executive director of Clean Cities Atlanta, a non-profit that works with the federal government to find petroleum alternatives. “Not only is it cheaper and improves air quality, but we would be reducing the dependency on foreign oil. We will be using natural gas that is made right here in DeKalb County."
The remainder of the grant money has already gone to the City of Atlanta to convert airport shuttles into CNG vehicles, to UPS to convert 50 trucks and to Coca-Cola to buy hybrid trucks.
“Everything has to be built and up and running by March 2012 and it will take a year to build. We’re running out of time,” Clermont said. “Really, this is a win-win and there is no reason the county should be stalling.”
However, Commissioner Lee May said he doesn’t know if the financial benefit is that simple. DeKalb will have to eventually raise sanitation rates to pay for retrofitting those garbage trucks and operating the CNG facility at the landfill, May said.
“Right now, there is no proposal to raise rates, but there will have to be. Over the years, we’re going to have to spend $21 million of our money to maintain that plant,” May said.
With the county facing an estimated $28 million shortfall in this year’s budget along with increased water rates, May isn’t sure if CNG is the best solution.
Rader said the county could avoid raising trash rates by cutting the number of residential pickups from four to once a week.
May and county officials are now looking a public-private venture, where DeKalb would sell all of its natural gas to Jacoby Energy Development. Jacoby, which already runs a private energy facility at DeKalb’s Live Oak landfill, submitted an alternative proposal late last year. This proposal, which is not eligible for the federal stimulus money, would involve paying DeKalb a “royalty” to use its trash.
"We would use our existing infrastructure so there would be no outside costs to the county," said John Borden, Jacoby's general counsel. "We were invited to submit a bid and the county was intrigued. We didn't mean to create controversy."
If th DOE project moves forward, DeKalb would be the first government in the metro area to convert trash into clean gas, officials said.
“This was to be an example for the region,” Francis said. “What I have been told by the Department of Energy is if DeKalb pulls the plug and goes with Jacoby, I have to find a similar project somewhere else in the country. This will hurt us and be a black mark for DeKalb for a long time.”
Currently, the region has only one CNG station, located off Riverdale Road in Clayton County. Under the grant, a total of six more will be built, including the two in DeKalb. The rest will be operated by private companies.

Feds threaten to revoke $7 million from DeKalb | ajc.com

Feds threaten to revoke $7 million from DeKalb ajc.com

Politics could be to blame for DeKalb County losing a $7.8 million federal stimulus grant and possibly millions more if the county doesn’t move forward with a proposal to turn landfill gas into alternative fuel.
The plan involves using a federal Department of Energy grant to capture methane gas at the county’s Seminole Landfill in Ellenwood and converting it into automotive-grade compressed natural gas, which would be used to power the county’s 40 garbage trucks.
County officials signed a contract last year with Clean Cities Atlanta to help with the plant, but now some DeKalb officials have begun to back off from the agreement after a private company submitted an alternative proposal.
On Monday, the DOE sent a letter to the county, threatening to revoke the grant and future stimulus money if the county commission doesn’t approve the project by the end of Tuesday. The commission is scheduled to vote on the issue Tuesday.
“Certainly when you don’t perform a project well or at all, you’re certainly at risk of not getting future projects,” said Stephen Clermont, director of the DOE's Center for Transportation and the Environment. “This could be a black eye for DeKalb County in terms of getting stimulus money and other grants.”
The county could also possibly face litigation if it doesn’t move forward, Commissioner Jeff Rader said.
“We would be in default. There already is a legally binding contract between DeKalb County and the Department of Energy,” Rader said. “We can’t just change our mind.”
Last year, the DOE awarded the region a $14.9 million stimulus grant to help make the metro area less dependent on foreign oil.
The largest project in the group included $7.8 million for DeKalb to build the CNG plant at its landfill, along with a CNG public fueling station at Memorial Drive and Kensington Road. DeKalb would convert all of its garbage trucks from diesel to CNG and sell the remainder of its CNG to other fleets.
The county would end up spending about $1 a gallon for CNG, rather than $3-plus a gallon for diesel fuel.
“The county has about 50 years of natural gas that it can mine from this landfill alone,” said Don Francis, executive director of Clean Cities Atlanta, a non-profit that works with the federal government to find petroleum alternatives. “Not only is it cheaper and improves air quality, but we would be reducing the dependency on foreign oil. We will be using natural gas that is made right here in DeKalb County."
The remainder of the grant money has already gone to the City of Atlanta to convert airport shuttles into CNG vehicles, to UPS to convert 50 trucks and to Coca-Cola to buy hybrid trucks.
“Everything has to be built and up and running by March 2012 and it will take a year to build. We’re running out of time,” Clermont said. “Really, this is a win-win and there is no reason the county should be stalling.”
However, Commissioner Lee May said he doesn’t know if the financial benefit is that simple. DeKalb will have to eventually raise sanitation rates to pay for retrofitting those garbage trucks and operating the CNG facility at the landfill, May said.
“Right now, there is no proposal to raise rates, but there will have to be. Over the years, we’re going to have to spend $21 million of our money to maintain that plant,” May said.
With the county facing an estimated $28 million shortfall in this year’s budget along with increased water rates, May isn’t sure if CNG is the best solution.
Rader said the county could avoid raising trash rates by cutting the number of residential pickups from four to once a week.
May and county officials are now looking a public-private venture, where DeKalb would sell all of its natural gas to Jacoby Energy Development. Jacoby, which already runs a private energy facility at DeKalb’s Live Oak landfill, submitted an alternative proposal late last year. This proposal, which is not eligible for the federal stimulus money, would involve paying DeKalb a “royalty” to use its trash.
"We would use our existing infrastructure so there would be no outside costs to the county," said John Borden, Jacoby's general counsel. "We were invited to submit a bid and the county was intrigued. We didn't mean to create controversy."
If th DOE project moves forward, DeKalb would be the first government in the metro area to convert trash into clean gas, officials said.
“This was to be an example for the region,” Francis said. “What I have been told by the Department of Energy is if DeKalb pulls the plug and goes with Jacoby, I have to find a similar project somewhere else in the country. This will hurt us and be a black mark for DeKalb for a long time.”
Currently, the region has only one CNG station, located off Riverdale Road in Clayton County. Under the grant, a total of six more will be built, including the two in DeKalb. The rest will be operated by private companies.

Baldwin's Nigger 3 of 3

Baldwin's Nigger 3 of 3

My Running Soul He's Always There by Carolla Rice

To Purchase the Book:
http://www.xulonpress.com/bookstore/bookdetail.php?PB_ISBN=9781609579142&HC_ISBN=



Carola Landis Rice was born July 7, 1948 to the late Rev. James Edward McDowell and Lillian Bell Carter McDowell. She grew up in a small town in Kentucky and later at the age of sixteen she made residence in Queens, New York. Here Prophetess Rice would find an inner presence transforming her into a Woman of Power.
Anointed and appointed for a spiritual journey that would impact the lives of those she would touch. Prophetess Rice graduated from John Adams High School and attended Clemmie Atkins School of Home Interior Design. Her experience with God and personal stories depict the life of a young girl running so graciously through times of rape, abuse, and persecution. But through it all she gained strength and victory. Prophetess Rice was compelled by the Spirit of God to write and share her story, letting others know that God is a deliverer.

The voice of God spoke to Prophetess Rice in the year 1971 and anointed her with the gift of Prophecy. Since that time she has been working for the Master. She has written many spiritual songs which are included in her book. Prophetess Rice has four children, Natalie Johnson, Christina Brown, Regina Johnson and Nathaniel Brown Jr.

She has ten grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Prophetess Rice wrote this book and it is a true story. The characters are real. They may be your next door neighbor, the teacher at school, a lawyer, a sister, a brother or a preacher. But the most important truth that is revealed in her book is the confirmation by God that she is his child

My Running Soul He's Always There by Carolla Rice

To Purchase the Book:
http://www.xulonpress.com/bookstore/bookdetail.php?PB_ISBN=9781609579142&HC_ISBN=



Carola Landis Rice was born July 7, 1948 to the late Rev. James Edward McDowell and Lillian Bell Carter McDowell. She grew up in a small town in Kentucky and later at the age of sixteen she made residence in Queens, New York. Here Prophetess Rice would find an inner presence transforming her into a Woman of Power.
Anointed and appointed for a spiritual journey that would impact the lives of those she would touch. Prophetess Rice graduated from John Adams High School and attended Clemmie Atkins School of Home Interior Design. Her experience with God and personal stories depict the life of a young girl running so graciously through times of rape, abuse, and persecution. But through it all she gained strength and victory. Prophetess Rice was compelled by the Spirit of God to write and share her story, letting others know that God is a deliverer.

The voice of God spoke to Prophetess Rice in the year 1971 and anointed her with the gift of Prophecy. Since that time she has been working for the Master. She has written many spiritual songs which are included in her book. Prophetess Rice has four children, Natalie Johnson, Christina Brown, Regina Johnson and Nathaniel Brown Jr.

She has ten grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Prophetess Rice wrote this book and it is a true story. The characters are real. They may be your next door neighbor, the teacher at school, a lawyer, a sister, a brother or a preacher. But the most important truth that is revealed in her book is the confirmation by God that she is his child