Hannah-Jones Declines UNC-Chapel Hill's Tenure Offer

STATE2STATE BRIEFSISSN 0049-7649AN INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERDedicated to R.S. Jervay,Founder of R.S. Jervay Printers,1901 and T.C. Jervay, Sr.,Founder of The WilmingtonJournal, An offspring ofthe Cape Fear Journal, 1927Published Weekly At412 South Seventh Street,Wilmington, NC 28401By Wilmington Journal, Inc.P.O. Box 1020,Wilmington, NC 28402Periodical Postage Paid AtWilmington, NC 28402(910) 762-5502,Fax: (910) 343-1334,Email: Single Copy 1.00Local Subscriptions 45 Yearly,Out of Town 50 Yearly,Foreign 55 YearlyPayable in Advance.(TaxesIncluded )Address all communications andmake all checks andmoney orders payable to:The Wilmington Journal,P.O. Box 1020,Wilmington, NC 28402WEACCEPTRALEIGH CITY COUNCILCONSIDERING LOCALCROWN ACT[RALEIGH] The RaleighCity council is consideringinstituting its own versionof the CROWN Act, anational movement to preventdiscriminationagainst anyone because ofthe appearance of theirhair. The Wake CountyCommissioners passed aCROWN Act in March.Durham was the first cityin North Carolina to institute it. Fayetteville isreportedly considering asimilar measure.UNC-CH POLICE CHIEFRESIGNS AFTER LESSTHAN TWO YEARSCHAPEL HILL] Afterless than two years on thejob, UNC-Chapel Hill PoliceChief David Perry, who hasbeen on leave since lastMay, has submitted his resignation to the university.Perry did so June 30th inthe aftermath of videoreleased showing UNC officers pushing UNC studentsupportersofNikoleHannah-Jones out of aBoard of Trustees meetingto discuss her tenure. Whilea national search goes onfor a replacement, Asst.Chief Rahsheem Holland isThursday, July 8, 2021serving as acting chief.Members of the BlackStudent Movement opposeHolland staying in thatposition.STATE LAWMAKERSDECIDE TO DELETETHEIR EMAILS AFTERTHREE YEARS[RALEIGH] In an effortto end saving emails for upto ten years, state lawmakers decide to delete their emails after three years.Still, observers say, the newpolicy will be problematicfor pushing for greatertransparency from theirstate leaders. The newemail retention policy willalso be a problem for thoserelying on those emails asevidence when filing lawsuits.COMPILED BYCASH MICHAELSLegal analysis ofvoting rights; Cosby decisionsBY CASH MICHAELSOF THE WILMINGTON JOURNALShawn Jervay ThatchChief Operating OfficerMary Alice Jervay ThatchPublisher//EditorJohanna Thatch BriggsAssistant EditorGeorge MilesCopy Editor//CirculationCash MichaelsReporter/Editorial StaffJohn DavisPhotographerDeShon BriggsDistributorJoshua AllenDistributorOpinions expressed bycolumnists in this newspaperdo not necessarily representthe policy of this paper.The Wilmington Journal cannotaccept yard sale and dinner saleannouncements as briefs.These are considered advertisements. Community and religious briefs are designated forpublic service announcements,which are free and open to thepublic.All news must be submittedtwo weeks in advance byFridays at 5 p.m.There is no charge forsubmitting briefs, news andphotos. All briefs will run for amaximum of two weeks.Please send news near theevent date. Briefs/news cannotbe taken over the phone.Photos and stories may also beemailed to us at wilmjournnews@aol.com. News, but notphotos, may be faxed to us at910-343-1334. Photos may bepicked up after appearing in thepaper. The publisher is notresponsible for the return ofunsolicited news, pictures oradvertising copy unlessnecessary postageaccompanies the copy on aself-addressed envelope.HUB/MWBE Certified by Stateof North CarolinaMember of the NationalNewspaper PublishersAssociation, Inc.Member of North CarolinaBlack Publishers story!TheWilmingtonJournalisa recorderofBlackHistory.Last week the conservativemajority U. S. Supreme Courthanded down another majorblow to the voting rights ofcitizens of color when, by a 63 margin, it sided withArizona in effectively saying,according to POLITICO, that" rules amounting to only amodest imposition on voterswould not usually amount toa violation of the [VotingRights Act].""The mere fact there issome disparity in impactdoes not necessarily meanthat a system is not equallyopen or that it does not giveeveryone an equal opportunitytovote,"wroteAssociate Justice SamuelAlito for the conservativemajority. "The size of anydisparity matters. What areat bottom very small differences should not be artificially magnified."Most legal experts saidthe decision will now makeit harder to challenge voting laws as discriminatory.Professor Irving Joyner,of North Carolina CentralUniversity School of Law,agrees."The old saying that badfacts make bad law appliesto this challenge," Joyner,who is also a practicingcivil rights attorney andATTY. IRVING JOYNERBILL COSBYhead of the NC NAACP'sLegal Redress Committee,says."The voter-rights-relatedissue has to do with out-ofprecinct voting. Typically, onElection Day, voters mustvote in the precinct in whichthey are assigned. That isalso the law in NorthCarolina. The evidenceshowed that this requirementwould only impact a verysmall number of people. Thisallowed the [U. S. Supreme]Court to rule, for the firsttime, that a small racial disparity or impact does not violate the Voting Rights Act.What is a small disparity isnot defined, but it now imposes a new legal and factualburden on [VRA] Section 2claims and you must nowestablish the existence ofmore than a small disparityin order to prove this challenge. The racial disparity inArizona was 1%. Dependingon the political race, a 1% disparity can have a majorimpact on election success,but this decision now adds anew unknown standard tothe burden of proving a sufficient discriminatory impactby an act of the Legislature."In other words, if a mandated act of the state legislature causes even a smallpercentage drop of Blackvoting in any particularelection, it will be muchharder to challenge that actnow under the High CourtArizona ruling.The Reverend Dr. T.Anthony Spearman, president of the NC NAACP,issued a tough statement, sayingthe6-3decision" endorsed the ugly extremist strain within that haswormed its way into the onceproud Republican Party.In another headline making ruling last week, thistime by the PennsylvaniaSupreme Court, the 2018sexual assault conviction ofentertainer, Bill Cosby, wasvacated because the prosecutor who brought the casewas bound by the prioragreement of a previousprosecutor not to try Cosbyin exchange for his admitting in a civil depositionthat he, in fact, sexuallyassaulted one of the 60women who accused him.Cosby, 83, was releasedfrom prison after savingalmost 3 years of his 3 to 10year sentence.Attorney Irv Joyneragrees with most legalexperts that the reversal ofCosby's conviction hadabsolutely nothing to dowith the so-called #Me TooMovement."At the outset of the orig-inal charges against Cosby,the then elected prosecutorstruck a deal with Cosby,which provided him with atype of immunity fromprosecution if he wouldparticipate in a depositionin a civil suit which thisaccuserhadbroughtagainst him. Cosby agreedto this deposition based onthis agreement. Cosby andany other person may notbe forced to give selfincriminating testimony,but, as a result of thisagreement, he provided testimony which incriminatedhim.""On this point, the law isclear that when the [original]prosecutor offered notto prosecute Cosby inreturn for the depositiontestimony, the State ofPennsylvania was barredfrom ever reneging on thatdeal," Joyner continues."The newly elected prosecutor violated the law when hedecided to renege on thisagreement.ThePennsylvaniaSupremeCourt decision said thatwhen the State enters anagreement with a personand obtains its end of thebargain, a later elected prosecutor cannot breach thatagreement.""TheSupreme Court's opiniondid not analyze the merits ofthe sexual assault caseagainst Bill Cosby," Prof.Joyner continued. "It simply stated that the prosecutor knowingly violatedPennsylvania law when hemade the decision to prosecute Cosby after he hadalready been given immunity from that prosecution."Cosby may not be retriedin criminal court in thiscase, and the Pennsylvaniastatute of limitations hasvirtually run out on theother sexual abuse allegations by other women.“If the lions do not write their own history, thenthe hunters will get all the credit.”----AN AFRICAN PROVERB

NATIONALThursday, July 8, 20213Bill Cosby with his legal team and associates after release from prison June 30.Cosby's release spurs anger, puzzlement and jubilationBY BARRINGTON M. SALMON(TriceEdneyWire.com) - Tothe surprise of many, comedian, entertainer and actor BillCosby walked out of aPennsylvania prison on June30 after spending three yearsbehind bars for sexual assaultafter a jury found him guilty ofdrugging and sexually assaulting former basketball playerAndrea Constand.Cosby is free because thePennsylvania Supreme Courtoverturned his 2018 sexualassault conviction and orderedhim released from prisonimmediately.Thejudges'actions revolve around a deal aprosecutor cut in 2005 promising not to charge Cosby basedon testimony that he gave in acivil suit brought by Constand.Other district attorneys choseto ignore that agreement andbrought criminal chargesagainst Cosby based on thattestimonial evidence. Doingthat violated Cosby's dueprocess, the justices said.The decision triggered afirestorm of anger, disgust,derision, sadness and frustration from Cosby's victims,members and supporters of the#MeToo movement, women'srights and other advocates.Fabienne Sylvia JosaphatMerritt said news of Cosby'srelease produced a muddle ofemotions."I've been thinking aboutand observing the fallout and Istand by my original position:disappointment,"saidJosaphat-Merritt, a Miamibased writer and poet. "Peopleare using other words. Headmitted what he did. It mustbe horrific that this person isback among them. He abusedhis power, adulation andfame I'm extremely frustrated that he walks away on atechnicality. He still gets tokeep his fortune, his life. Iwould like to have a conversation with those people whoenabled him to do this."One woman, who said shewas sexually molested by a relative when she was a child, saidshe feels triggered and conflicted."He was our TV dad whoalwaysvisitedHowardUniversity," she recalled. "Iwould see him when I was ayoung student at Howard, andhe would shake my hand a certain way and I pulled awaybecause it triggered me. Helikes a certain 'type.' I knew Iwas that type, but I knew wellenough to leave it alone. Iadored him because he told ourstory. He was inspiration andaspirational. I hoped maybeone day, I would create a showlike his and be great at it."The woman, who spoke oncondition of anonymity andwho works in the entertainment industry, said she harbors no doubts about his guilt."I really don't care what otherpeople think and say. I enjoyedhis work. But like R. Kelly,whose music I don't listen to, Ihaven't watched anything withCosby in it, in 20 years. That'ssad."Journalist and author StacyBrown, who covered bothCosby trials, applauded the ruling because in his mind, "Theybroke all the rules.""When prosecutors andjudges do it, it's very dangerous, especially for Black men,"said Brown, who has been aworking journalist for 25 years."By any stretch of the imagination, this wasn't a fair trial.They made the right decision.Going forward, they will holdprosecutors and judges toaccount."Brown said he spoke brieflyto Cosby after his release, andsaid the 83-year-old continuesto strenuously assert his innocence."He still maintains 100 percent that he didn't do this,that he's innocent," saidBrown, a national correspondent for Black Press USA andTheseniorwriterforWashington Informer andthe Baltimore Times. "He waspushing that the truth needsto be told, that he was doing alot of mentoring with ManUP, helping those without themeans, money or reputationgetting the type of representation they deserve. He plansto go back onstage."Brown said once comedianHannibal Buress joked aboutthe irony of Cosby being"America's Dad,' sternly lecture people how to live butbeing accused of rape and sexual misconduct, that openedthe floodgates."You had a new district attorney in 2014-15 and there werethree or four women who said'he did this to me in the '60's and'70's and (attorney) GloriaAllred invited all the womenwith any accusations," he said."With a 100 million pot, everyone came out. It turns out someof them never had contact withhim. I'm not friends with theman or buddy-buddy, but I don'tknow if there are incidentsinvolving 60 women."Brown called what he sawduring the trial "dubious," asevidenced by reporters huddling together to comparenotes; the judge's refusal toremove a juror who told otherjurors they might as well gohome because Cosby wasguilty; the DA's racially insensitive comments; and womentelling vastly different storieswhile on the stand."It was a perfect setup andreports coming out of thecourtroom is what people standwith," said Brown, author of"Aftermath: Michael Jackson'sDysfunctional Family and theLegacy of the King of Pop," and"Blind Faith: The MiraculousJourney of Lula Hardaway,Stevie Wonder's Mother". "Iwould tell people to read the2005 deposition. He never saidhe was guilty. I'm not defendingthe guy. His actions weredeplorable. He cheated on hiswife who orchestrated hisdefense and legal team for thesupreme court case. He didhave to pay for his indiscretions - for cheating on his wife.This is not a commentary onwho was victimized. It's aboutwhat's right."Veteran media personalityMadelyne Woods said she didn't expect justice to act inCosby's favor but said she's satisfied with the outcome."This was an act of justice.The prosecutor was overzealous. In fact, it seemed like apersonally driven prosecution," said Woods, whoanchored BET Newsbriefshosted Video LP. "In my opinion it was a dirty trial. To takea popular Black person,defame him and to flout procedure isn't justice served."Woods said she is not questioning the women or theirintegrity and opted not to say ifshe thought Cosby is guilty ofthe crimes he's accused of."I want to see a more thorough investigation of theevent, but I don't expect that tohappen," she said of the casethat sent Cosby to prison.As she watches the furor, theanger, recriminations and thefurious back-and-forth betweensupporters, Woods said she'sbeen thinking a good dealabout the way men shouldcarry themselves when theyare intimate or trying to getintimate with a woman."There is a simple lessonhere for any man who wantsto and has an opportunity tohave sex with a woman, especially the clods who try torationalize criminal behavior by saying 'She was askingfor it' or 'she came on to me'or 'did you see what she hadon?'" Woods said, reflectingher Facebook post. "The lesson is that it's really easy toavoid a whole lot of legaltrouble and personal anguishif you remember that it's upto YOU to help a woman bewhat you define as a so called'lady,' even when she doesn'tact like one."Woods concludes, "You canjust say no to yourself.That's called self-regulation.That's called integrity. That'scalled living right. Learn toself-regulate. And just say no.To yourself."

VOICES4Thursday, July 8, 2021VISUAL VOICEThe Wilmington Journal was founded onthe principle of the Black Press Credo. TheBlack Press believes that America can bestlead the world away from racial andnational antagonism when it accords toevery person, regardless of race, color orcreed, full human and legal rights. Hatingno person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as anyone isheld back.The Wilmington Journal welcomes letters from its readers. Allletters are subject to editing. We will not publish pseudonymousletters. All correspondence must include a home address and adaytime phone number. All correspondence must be signed,unless it is e-mailed. Letters may be sent to our Physical Address:412 S. 7th Street, 28401 or our Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1020,28402. We also accept letters via e-mail at wilmjourn@aol.com orvia fax at (910) 343-1334.OUR VOICEGUEST EDITORIALThis anthemdoes not speak for me(TriceEdneyWire.com)Frances Scott Key, author of the Star-SpangledBanner, our "National Anthem" was a died in thewool racist. He opined that "Negroes" were a "distinct and inferior race." He was a slaveholder from a family ofslaveholders who influenced the odious seventh PresidentAndrew Jackson to appoint Roger Taney, the author of theDred Scott decision ("Blacks have no rights that whites arebound to respect") to the Supreme Court.Aspects of the "National Anthem" are derisive to Black people. Key disagreed that theformerly enslaved who fought with the Britishin the War of 1812 should receive their freedom due to their service. The British kepttheir word, settling formerly enslaved Blacksin the British Caribbean on land they provided them. How, then, does the raving of a racistbecome our nation’s national anthem, taughtDr. Julianne in every school, played at every athletic eventand assembly, and designed to stir patrioticMalveauxstrings when we hear it?When I hear the words, “land of the free,home of the brave," I think, "land of the thief, home of theslave." As early as 1836, abolitionists were mocking the song,taking that offensive line and recasting it as "the land of thefree, home of the oppressed." When you delve into the lyrics,Key's utter contempt for Black people, especially those formerly enslaved people who claimed their freedom by fightingwith the Brits, was apparent. But the Daughters of theConfederacy (surprise, surprise) were among those whothought this slave-deriding song should be our nationalanthem. In doing so, they ensured that generations of schoolchildren would never learn the truth about the hypocrisy oftheir country, fighting for freedom against the Brits whilealso fighting for the right to deny others freedom.When Gwen Berry, the African American athlete who hasqualified for the 2020 Olympics, turned her back on theAmerican flag while the troublesome national anthem wasplaying, she invited criticism for her actions and the paradoxof the African American reality in this nation. Berry said,“the anthem doesn't speak for me," and giving voice to theambivalence that so many African American people feelabout this nation. We are disgusted by the injustice andhypocrisy woven into every fabric of our lives, even as weexperience and enjoy aspects of progress and opportunitythat distinguish our lives from those of our enslaved foremothers and fathers. She turned her back and covered herface with a t-shirt that said "activist athlete" in the spirit ofFrederick Douglas, who famously asked what the Fourth ofYou Lie could mean to the Negro.Generations have been taught the Star-Spangled Bannerwithout understanding its author or the meaning of its lyrics.That the Daughters of the Confederacy championed it oughtto say enough. Since their inception in 1894, those womenhave been determined to embrace the Southern "Lost Cause."Historically openly racist, they endorsed the Ku Klux Klan attheir 1919 convention. They have supported or funded theerection of statues and memorials to Confederate leaders.They have never refuted their racist views, although theyhave had many opportunities to do so in contemporary times.Their headquarters in Richmond, the cradle of the confederacy, was damaged by fire last year as people protested the massacre of George Floyd at the knee of Derek Chauvin. Theirideology ought to be equally incinerated.While many opposed the national anthem, WoodrowWilson, whose own racial views were questionable, embracedthe anthem. Still, it was not made official until the passage ofHR 14 in 1929. Before that, America the Beautiful (oh beautiful, for gracious skies) was considered the national anthem.The Ray Charles rendition, and his struggles to sing it inGeorgia, are more impactful emblems of “America” than thelyrics of a slaveholder could ever be.Gwen Berry said the anthem did not speak for her, but itstill seems to speak for so many of our fellow citizens whomindlessly sing racist lyrics penned by a slaveholding man.As long as this is our international calling card, so long asthis is the music that accompanies our athletic victories, wetell our Black athletes that they are valued for their athleticism, but not for their lives and for the injustices they experience. To force someone to stand up and listen to that nonsense is to shove patriotism down the throats of those whofeel somewhat less than patriotic. It is entirely possible toexcel in one's sport and look askance at American hypocrisy.Gwen Berry is one of a long line of activist athletes. Shedeserves applause, not approbation. She says the StarSpangled Banner doesn't speak for her. It doesn't speak for meeither.Dr. Julianne Malveaux is an economist, author, and Deanof the College of Ethnic Studies at California State University,Los Angeles.THEBLACK PRESS:USE It or LOSE It!MATTERS OF OPINIONTO BE EQUALStimulus aid to cities presents an opportunity to fight crime with summer jobs(TriceEdneyWire.com)“The Harlem Youth ActionProject was a city-fundedattempt to keep some of thesmarter kids off the street the next time I saw Jet magazine there I was, all the wayin the top left-hand corner ofa news photo, leaning overDr. King with my trusty taperecorder in my hand, lookingfor the last word. I was anything but a Power Memorialjunior; I was starting to feellike what I thought of as aman.” – Kareem AbdulJabbarWhen I was sworn inas Mayor of NewOrleans in 1994, Iwas taking the helm of a citythat led the nation in violentcrime. Although I had manybold and ambitious plans forthe city, confronting violentcrime had to my first priority.A major component of myanti-crime agenda involvedsummer jobs for teenagers,which not only would giveyoung people an alternative tocriminal activity, but also provide income to families inneed.With a lot of hard work, ourprogramwassuccessful.Violent crimes and murdersdropped by 60%, the unemployment rate was cut in half, andNew Orleans’ poverty rate felldramatically.Today the nation finds itselffacing another rise in violentcrime. We’realsofacedwith anotheropportunityto reduce notonlythecrime rate,buttheunemployMarcmentandpover tyMorialrates, too.The BidenAdministration has recognizedthe importance of summerjobs for youth in combating arising crime rate. In itsComprehensive Strategy toPrevent and Respond to GunCrime and Ensure PublicSafety released just over a weekago, the Administration notedthat young people are disproportionately likely to beinvolved in gun violence, eitheras perpetrators or victims.Youth employment programs,including summer jobs programs, can reduce theirinvolvement in violence by asmuch as 45%.That’s why cities across thenation have an obligation touse the funding they receivedthrough the American RescuePlan to create summer jobs.Of the 350 billion directedto state and local governments,more than 45 billion is directlytargeted to metropolitan citygovernments where violentcrime is most serious.One study cited by the BidenAdministration showed thatviolent crime arrests droppeddramatically among studentswho took part in Chicago’s“One Summer Chicago Plus.”The program offered an 8-weeksummer job at minimu

tenure for which no other scholar at the school has ever had to fight. The decision came one day before Hannah-Jones was officially scheduled to begin working at the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media. The Hannah-Jones victory is seen, not only as a win for Black females in academia on college campuses, but justice for free speech advocates