Month: June 2016

Tuskegee Club Blocks No Confidence Vote

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By Michael June 29, 2016 Off

Members of the Atlanta Tuskegee Alumni Club are flat-out mad at the club’s executive board. Their anger is boiling over after an executive board member told Carl Trimble, an Atlanta architect, that no action was taken on a vote of “no confidence” approved by the Club in February.

On February 20, by a vote of 36-2 the club expressed it’s disapproval of the manner in which President Brian Johnson is discharging his duties at Tuskegee. Then they voted 32-2 to send “a vote of no confidence” to the Board of Trustees, due to their failure to properly oversee the operation of the university. read more

Jill Stein Brings Prez Bid to Atlanta

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By Michael June 25, 2016 Off

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, CASCADE PRESS (CP) Over coffee, cheese eggs, biscuits  and salmon patties, a group of political activists met in Southwest Atlanta, Georgia on a Saturday morning to plan ways to get Jill Stein, Green Party candidate for President, on the Georgia General Election Ballot. Stein needs 7500 signatures on a petition to be included with the names of the Republican and Democratic Party nominees. The deadline for submitting signatures to the Georgia Secretary of State is July 12. read more

Tuskegee Grad Ousted At Grambling

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By Michael June 25, 2016 Off

Dr. Willie D. Larkin, a 1973 graduate of Tuskegee University has resigned as President of Grambling State University. Larkin’s resignation will take effect on June 30. His resignation comes less than a year after he was hired to lead Grambling.

The average tenure of a Grambling President over the past 39 years is 2.4 years. Larkin did not serve the university one-full year before resigning after an executive session of the University of Louisiana Board of Supervisors. During this gathering, his brief tenure at the school was evaluated and apparently found lacking. Larkin is the tenth president at Grambling in the past 39 years. read more

SCLC Name Building After Steele

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By Michael June 23, 2016 Off

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, CASCADE PRESS (CP) This week the Southern Christian Leadership Conference named it’s headquarters, the Charles Steele, Jr. International Headquarters Building. The building is located at 320 Auburn Avenue, Atlanta, Georgia. It is in the heart of the old “Sweet Auburn” financial district. read more

Tuskegee Failed to Lift SACS Warning

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By Michael June 23, 2016 Off

Tuskegee University failed to lift the SACS Warning Notice. The warning was issued by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools on Colleges. This agency accredits the university’s degree granting programs.

Last June, SACS placed Tuskegee under a warning notice. The notice was intended to last for one year. It gave the university twelve months to comply with requirements due under a five year review plan. read more

After Orlando Dread Runs Amok

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By Michael June 15, 2016 Off

Following the massacre in Orlando dread runs amok. This century began with the dread of the Y2K bug. On first blush, the worst Y2K fears were unfounded. However, dread is taking over the collective sense of order in America. Orlando, as did Charleston a year ago, has shaken the fabric of our national conscious. read more

Chuck Asked Me to Pray For Him

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By Michael June 13, 2016 Off

My friend, Chuck Hampton asked me to place him on my prayer list last year. The year was just 21 days old. It was early in the morning. I had had my coffee and was running through my Facebook newsfeed as I often do before sitting down to write. I check my newsfeed like some people may check through their mail from the post office. I want to get a glance at what news may have come in over night before getting down to the serious business of writing. read more

Chuck Hampton A Remarkable Friend

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By Michael June 10, 2016 Off

Chuck Hampton is my friend. I’ve never embraced him, shook his hands, looked him in the eyes or raised a glass of cheer with him. Nevertheless, his passing over a month ago has left a void inside of me as deeply as if I had sat in his home on a weekly basis enjoying oysters and beer while we bantered about the various political and social issues of the day. read more

Obama and FBI Clinton Investigation

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By Michael June 10, 2016 Off

What does President Barack Obama know about the FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server while she served as Secretary of State? This is the one million dollar question flowing out of his Thursday endorsement of Clinton.

As president, Obama should not be privy to an ongoing criminal investigation. At least, not until the findings of that investigation have been completed and released to the public. read more

Trump, My White Bigot

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By Michael June 9, 2016 Off

Donald J. Trump is my white bigot. I mean every African American that I know in my generation has a white bigot they can point to as the epitome of racial prejudice in American. Trump has not always been my personal white bigot. But it seems a white bigot has always been present at every stage of my three-score years pulse in the earth. read more