www.mississippilink.com VOL. 23, NO. 15 FEBRUARY 2 - 8, 2017 50¢ Rev. William Barber tells black press: “bowing Emmett Till’s accuser Carolyn down is not an option” Bryant admits it was all a lie Barber By Freddie Allen Holder, white evangelicalism Managing Editor, NNPA Newswire and the current political envi- Reverend William Barber, ronment in the age of “alter- the president of the North native facts.” Carolina state chapter of the Noting that President NAACP and leader of the Woodrow Wilson played the Moral Mondays movement, white supremacist propaganda delivered a rousing keynote film “Birth of a Nation” in the address to open the 2017 Mid- Oval office in 1911, Barber Winter Conference of the Na- said that Trump’s ascension tional Newspaper Publishers and election is not an anomaly Association (NNPA). in American history. The theme of the conference “This is not the first time was “Strengthening Black- that white supremacy has oc- owned Newspapers through cupied The White House. This Till Bryant Training, Innovation and is not the first time that Amer- Technology.” The NNPA part- ica has elected a racist egoma- nered with General Motors, niac,” said Barber, reminding By Stacy M. Brown small town. spark the Civil Rights Move- terview, newly revealed in the The Washington Informer Chevrolet, Ford Motor Com- the audience that President After the encounter, Roy ment. book, “The Blood of Emmett NNPA Member pany, Reynolds American Inc. Wilson, a former college pres- Bryant, Carolyn’s husband, and During the trial, Carolyn Till,” Carolyn Bryant admits (RAI), and the Bill and Melin- ident, played “Birth” to signal More than six decades after J.W. Milam tracked young Till Bryant testified that Till, who that it never happened. da Gates Foundation to host that Reconstruction was over. the horrific, racially-motivated down, kidnapped him, tortured was 14, had made physical “That part’s not true,” she the conference; Volkswagen, “Education doesn’t necessar- murder of Emmett Till, the him, shot him, and then tied and verbal advances toward told writer Timothy Tyson, Ascension, Coca-Cola, and ily get racism out of you.” white woman who accused the his battered body to a cotton her, a sensational claim that according to “Vanity Fair,” the American Association for To a chorus of “Amens,” Chicago teenager of verbally gin fan using barbed wire and increased tensions surrounding though she claimed she could Cancer Research supported Barber said that the one thing and physically accosting her in dumped him in the muddy Tal- the case. She testified that Till not recall what happened the the event as sponsors. that we have to first decide to Money, Miss., in 1955, has ad- lahatchie River. had grabbed and threatened her rest of the evening at her hus- During his speech titled, do in this moment is that bow- mitted she lied, according to a Later, the two men were ac- inside the store – and that he band’s country store, where “Where Do We Go from Here: ing down is not an option. new book. quitted of the murder by an had used an “unprintable” word Emmett stopped by briefly on Chaos or Community?” Bar- Recognizing that he was ad- Till had allegedly whistled all-white, all-male jury after an when he told her he had been Aug. 24, 1955, to buy two cents ber tackled voter suppression at and groped Carolyn Bryant, hour’s deliberation. Till’s brutal intimate “with white women in the aftermath of Shelby v. Barber a 21-year-old white woman, killing and photos of his open before.” Till Continued on page 3 while at a country store in the casket at his funeral helped But according to a 2007 in- Continued on page 3 Lawyers’ committee goes on red One of Jackson’s best cheerleaders alert as Trump rolls back civil rights on trail for embezzlement By Lauren Victoria Burke By Othor Cain ney. “We will show you that what you spent?” NNPA Newswire Contributor Contributing Writer my client received approval Smith, who just recently fin- President Donald Trump be- Former Jackson City Coun- by the board of DJP for all of ished a personal trial himself, gan his first term by attempt- cilman Ben Allen, who now these ridiculous allegations, called as his first witness Spe- ing to roll back the civil rights heads the not-for-profit Down- including using his personal cial Assistant Attorney Gen- gains that occurred under his town Jackson Partners (DJP) credit cards for business ex- eral Melissa Patterson, who predecessor, President Barack group is in court this week, to penses...this is called coding.” assisted in the investigation Obama. answer the ten-count indict- Two of the charges in the in- of DJP. “Based on my profes- Hours after Trump was sworn ment of embezzlement charg- dictment alleges DJP collected sional research, I conclude in as president, the Civil Rights es that were leveled against $86,000 from various busi- that the monies DJP collect is Division of the U.S. Depart- him in March 2016. nesses and individuals to pay public money,” she said dur- ment of Justice undertook ac- Among the charges Al- for Mayor Tony Yarber’s inau- ing her testimony. “When you tions that signaled a major shift len is facing includes, having gural gala. “Ladies and gentle- commingle public money and in civil rights enforcement; par- DJP pay $38,373 for his per- Sessions men of the jury, they have no private money, all of the mon- ticularly work on voting rights sonal Capitol One credit card; receipts for the expenses of ey becomes public.” and policing reform. Rights Under Law. Rich is also state of play in civil rights poli- $6,621 for his AAA Financial this gala, they wrote a lot of Patterson made this deter- “The actions taken so quickly a former attorney working in cy as the Trump Administration credit card bill; $1,787 for his checks but there is no paper mination of DJP funds, while are unprecedented,” said Joe the Civil Rights Division at the begins. cell phone bill. All charges trail,” said Hinds County Dis- also acknowledging that the Rich, the co-director of the U.S. Department of Justice. “We are concerned about that Allen’s defense team ve- trict Attorney Robert Smith in group receives grant money Fair Housing and Community The Lawyers’ Committee hemently denies. “Ben Allen his opening statements. “This Development Project at the held a conference call January Lawyer is not guilty,” said Merrida gala is different from the cam- Allen Lawyers’ Committee for Civil 24 with the press on the current Continued on page 3 Coxwell, Allen’s lead attor- paign, how can you not know Continued on page 3 Black History Black Church Interview Share this issue with a friend event listing Matters with Hidden by mailing it to: Figures director Inside Theodore Melfi Page 4 Page 8 Page 19 NATIONAL 2 • THE MISSISSIPPI LINK FEBRUARY 2 - 8, 2017 www.mississippilink.com UniWorld Group, Inc. announces two key executive promotions The Mississippi Link Newswire forms. Some of her client UniCultural approach to NEW YORK – UniWorld experience includes Bell- understanding consumer Group, Inc. (UWG), the country’s longest-standing, full-service, South, BMW, Colgate Pal- identity beyond just race or multicultural marketing agency, molive, CVS/Pharmacy, ethnicity,” says Monique L. has announced two new executive JPMorgan Chase, Marriott Nelson, chair and CEO of promotions. Gregory Edwards International, Lexus, Sprint UWG. “As our culture and has been promoted to executive and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. our industry continue to vice president / chief operating officer and Matilda Ivey has been Ivey will continue to pro- evolve, I am proud to have appointed to SVP / director of Cli- vide strategic leadership to executive leadership that ent Services. the client services and busi- deeply understands cultural Edwards, who joined ness development teams, nuances and how they im- UWG in 2014, will con- building on existing brand pact the way people view tinue to oversee direct man- relationships while facilitat- and interact with products, agement of the Ford and ing new partnerships and brands and causes. This is Lincoln business. He is a revenue opportunities. She the UniWorld difference.” results-oriented marketing will continue to lead Col- Founded in 1969, Uni- executive with over 25 years Edwards Ivey gate-Palmolive, The Home World Group, Inc., is the of brand marketing experi- Depot, US Marines, Pfizer longest-standing, full-ser- ence. With a proven back- er and Gerber, to name a ership impact that enhances ning roles. She has expertise and the City Parks Founda- vice, multicultural market- ground that includes omni- few. Previously, Edwards development. within the total multicul- tion, among others. In her ing agency in the United channel, digital media and worked for the Leo Burnett Matilda Ivey, who re- tural market space, assisting expanded role, she will also States. The agency continues product development, Ed- Group, where he provided joined the agency in 2014, brands in capturing the bur- manage the Integrated Com- to be a trendsetter, poised to wards always sees bigger, insight on newly acquired has been promoted to SVP geoning $4 trillion opportu- munications (media, PR, connect forward-thinking strategic ideas as the true client Intel and sustained / director of Client Services. nity among Asian American, branded entertainment) and brands to the more than $3 catalyst to business growth growth on existing agency She is a senior advertising African American, Hispanic Project Management depart- trillion spending power of and the foundation of any clients, including Samsung, professional with over 15 American and LGBTQ seg- ments. multicultural consumers, comprehensive growth plan.