Yesterday I published what I thought was a mildly-worded post stating my preference for not renaming the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. In saying that, I was following what I believed was the stated view of the late Rep. John Lewis, whose passing is being marked across the country this week — just as … Continue reading John Lewis Said DON’T Rename the Pettus Bridge. Here’s Why:
[NOTE: See also this UPDATE to this post, here.} I feel torn about renaming the Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama. On the one hand, Pettus was all those odious things: traitor, KKK leader, etc., etc. On the other hand, John Lewis & many others shed their blood under that sign, and seared its letters onto … Continue reading Rename the Pettus Bridge? I’m in no hurry.
I. Summary SAYMA’s Representative Meeting gathered on Zoom the evening of July 20, and lasted amost four hours. More than forty persons were on the line. It was not an easy session. The main agenda items were a summary review of the 2019-2020 budget, and the initial reading of the 2020-2021 proposed budget (their fiscal … Continue reading SAYMA Representative Meeting: Summary & Comment
Apropos of the King holiday, here’s a quick racial justice history lesson, with a moral: In January, 1960, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was indicted by an Alabama grand jury on two counts of felony perjury, charges that could have tossed him into one of the state’s rotten, segregated penitentiaries for up to ten years. … Continue reading Activists, Money & SAYMA: How Dr. King Almost Got Ten Years
I’m getting inquiries about what happened at the SAYMA representative session Monday evening. I’m working on a report, which will be on this blog soon. Meantime, here’s a pop quiz/teaser: Can you guess which participant piquantly referred to the session today in a circulating email as: “That shit show of a meeting last night . … Continue reading SAYMA: Quick Update [Note: Adult Language]