Hinds County Supt. Responds to Petition to Remove Her by Shanderia K
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www.mississippilink.com VOL. 22, NO. 21 MARCH 17 - 23, 2016 50¢ Hinds County Supt. responds to petition to remove her By Shanderia K. Posey of individuals tendent of Hinds County School and administrators leaving the tendent level, so I made the deci- The petition specifically cited Editor with children in District” on Change.org. district this year. sion to create this change.org pe- five areas of concern: the num- An online petition seeking the the district, which Donna Wilson of Byram is the “I have never been an activist. tition. Our school district is now ber of teachers and administrators removal of Hinds County School according to its administrator of the Parents 4 A I consider myself an active par- ranked 101 in the state. We need leaving the district, students being District Superintendent Dr. De- Facebook page, Better HCSD page. ent. When issues affect my child a superintendent who not only lis- tested without proper instruction, lesicia Martin was posted on has 41 members. Wilson was among a group then I request answers,” Wilson tens to the parents, but cares for the removal of students from Al- Change.org Wednesday. Martin To read the pe- of parents who met with Martin said. “I and other parents who our children’s education. Not just gebra classes who were not per- The petition was created by tition in its entirety search for Tuesday evening to discuss con- attended the meeting felt change about state test scores,” Wilson Parents 4 A Better HCSD, a group “Remove Dr. Martin as Superin- cerns of more than 100 teachers needed to happen at the superin- continued. Petition Continued on page 3 Jackson music Bully’s food festival plans move indoors earns praise By Stephanie R. Jones Contributing Writer When the Jackson Rhythm & Blues Festival re- turns for its fourth annual run Aug. 19-20, the main difference will be the location of the event. The festival is moving from its home for the past three years at the Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum to the Jackson Convention Center, organiz- ers announced last week. They say the move will at- tract more attendees. “The move will allow us more opportunity for growth and help give a different approach to the fes- tival,” said Yolanda Clay-Moore of the Jackson Con- vention and Visitors Bureau. Past festivals have drawn approximately 5,000 to 10,000 people said Alex Thomas, festival coordina- tor. He said moving to an indoor venue will provide more stability than the outdoor areas at the Ag Mu- seum. The weather – whether extreme August heat or rain – has been a variable in attendance. “This way people will be able to sit and be indoors Music festival Continued on page 3 Mississippi legislators presented resolutions to Bully’s soul food restaurant Tuesday. PHOTOS BY SHANDERIA K. POSEY By Shanderia K. Posey “We want to show our apprecia- Rep. Chris Bell, D-65 presented He works very hard. He has a pas- Editor tion for Bully’s restaurant because Bully’s a Resolution 80 for offering sion for it. The people in the neigh- Obama nominates In honor of its recent designation we all know that America is get- up great food and service. borhood, politicians and those from as one of America’s Classic Restau- ting ready to find out that Bully’s is “The hard work has paid off,” said far and near have always supported rants by the James Beard Founda- one of the best places you can eat Tyrone Bully. us.” moderate jurist tion, Bully’s, a soul food restaurant in America,” said Sen. John Horhn, “It’s an awesome feeling not The James Beard Foundation located at 3118 Livingston Road in D-26, who along with several other just for us but for the community Awards are annual awards present- Jackson, was presented with Senate legislators presented the resolution as well,” said Greta Bully. “We Garland to court Concurrent Resolution 612 by the to Tyrone and Greta Bully in front couldn’t have done it without our Bully’s By Kathleen Hennessey Mississippi Legislature Tuesday. of the eatery. staff. I’m so proud of my husband. Continued on page 3 Associated Press WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama nominated appeals court judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, thrusting a respected Judge Wise discusses child custody issues moderate jurist and former prosecutor into the center of an election-year clash By Janice K. Neal-Vincent 27 or 28 years ago. over the future of the nation’s highest Garland Contributing Writer As she spoke on the topic “Child court. Women for Progress welcomed Custody Issues,” she explained when Obama cast the 63-year-old Garland as “a serious Chancery Court Judge Patricia D. she first took the bench, there were man and an exemplary judge” deserving of a full hear- Wise as its guest speaker March 8, no custody issues with children be- ing and a Senate confirmation vote, despite Republican for a luncheon at Koinonia Coffee cause of the tender years doctrine vows to deny him both. Standing in the White House House, 136 S. Adams St., in West which states that children nourish Rose Garden with Garland, Obama argued the integ- Jackson. and flourish when they’re with their rity of the court was at stake and appealed to the Senate Dorothy Stewart, founder of Wom- mother, but in the 1980s and 1990s to “play it straight” in filling the seat left vacant by the en for Progress, introduced Wise to fathers were granted the right to have death of Justice Antonin Scalia. those who gathered for the event and custody. “It’s supposed to be above politics,” Obama said of explained the organization played a Wise explained how grandparents the high court. “It has to be. And it should stay that way.” role in Wise getting sworn in. Wise recalled making her first Wise (L to R) Attendee with Dorothy Stewart, Women For Progress; Dist. 4 Chancery Garland campaign speech in Stewart’s home Continued on page 3 Court Judge Patricia D. Wise, guest speaker PHOTOS BY JANICE K. NEAL-VINCENT Continued on page 3 Judge Reeves sets deadline in Confederate flag lawsuit By Emily Wagster Pettus day for briefs by Mississippi Attorney ments,” such as saying African Ameri- has set it up in his own perfect plan” vatives, had died. Associated Press General Jim Hood, who’s defending the cans could be entitled to reparations if by having the U.S. elect its first black “When we get that fifth liberal pro- U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves state, and Carlos Moore, a private at- the flag is found unconstitutional or that president in 2008 and by having Presi- gressive on the court, after Judge Reeves has ordered attorneys to file arguments torney from Grenada who sued the state Reeves will change the flag because he dent Barack Obama nominate Reeves, takes it down, it’s going to stay down,” over whether courts have standing to seeking to have the flag declared an un- is African-American. Moore said both a graduate of historically black Jackson Moore said of the flag during the March decide if Mississippi should remove constitutional vestige of slavery. things during a change-the-flag rally last State University, to the federal bench. 8 rally. the Confederate battle emblem that has In his scheduling order filed late week outside the state Capitol. Moore also said it was part of a divine Reeves said such statements “impugn been on the state flag since 1894. Monday, Reeves also told Moore to stop At the rally, Moore said he believes plan that Justice Antonin Scalia, one of Reeves set a deadline of next Mon- making “false or misleading public state- the flag will come down because, “God the Supreme Court’s staunchest conser- Flag Continued on page 3 MSDH: Heart NAACP calls for May New faith-based Share this issue with a friend disease mortality to be designated films tone down by mailing it to: rates drop among as Union Army religion, amp up Inside black women in Appreciation star power state Month Page 7 Page 4 Page 19 LOCAL 2 • THE MISSISSIPPI LINK MARCH 17 - 23, 2016 www.mississippilink.com Barretta presents emergence of Muddy Waters’ classic band sound By Janice K. Neal-Vincent Contributing Writer The month of March is devot- ed to the Hall of Fame at the Old Capitol Museum on State Street in Jackson. On March 2, Scott Barretta, principal writer and researcher for the Mississippi Blues Trail, began a series of events to fol- low with his historic account of bluesman Muddy Waters’ classic band sound. Barretta told the audience that Waters – a Stovall Plantation Clarksdale, Miss. native – was born in 1913. During his early years, Waters learned to play blues on a harmonica. But he Presenter Scott Barretta discusses Muddy Waters blues project with began to emulate blues artists retired professor of Tougaloo College Dr. Charles Holmes (right). West Jackson Community Development Center students (from left) Trelin McWilliams, D’aunta McLaurin, Son House and Robert Johnson Quendarius Howard; (second row) Carlos Epps, Leericks Brooks, Jamarcus Porter, Bernard Randall, Eric while playing his guitar when he blues look so simple, so easy to youth and adults captive: blues, Williams, Michael Clemons, Eric Irvin, math/science instructor and mentor; (back row) Anthony Darby, Wendell was seventeen. do, but it’s not.” rhythm and blues, rock and roll, Gaddis, Antonio Collins and Demarcus Lloyd. PHOTOS BY JANICE K. NEAL-VINCENT “It was Waters’ use of amplifi- Despite his blues being diffi- hard rock, folk, jazz and coun- cation though, that made him the cult to play, Waters’ indomitable try.