For her part, Cheney called Thompson a tremendous leader in a statement to The New Republic. As our world constantly changes, we must develop our policy stances to modern advancement to bring our world closer together; our nation increasingly faces the factors affecting and influencing our societys melting pot. Committee members including Liz Cheney and Adam Schiff pushed back and said such a decision had not been made yet. Miguel Correa finds parallels to events today. Let us see you in your colorful paraphernalia. The University of Mississippi fraternity brothers who posed with guns at the bullet-pocked marker were suspended by the Kappa Alpha Order, an organization that glorifies the Confederate South. The hearings and report included testimony on the importance social media played in spurring supporters to come to Washington and inciting the mob after it penetrated the Capitol to further anger against former Vice President Mike Pence. But it also gave me the way forward of how you work toward institutional change in a community, Thompson said. In order of their founding, here are some highlights of these nine Black Greek letter organizations. Sixteen years before the insurrection, on January 6, 2005, Thompson voted against certifying the electoral victory of President George W. Bush, objecting to the election results in Ohio. He makes sure that we have an opportunity to reach consensus, said Representative Zoe Lofgren. And he was that kind of guy.. Martin Luther King Jr. was among the luminaries in the civil rights movement who spoke at the colleges Woodworth Chapel. She added that she wanted to particularly credit him for his decision to elevate GOP Representative Liz Cheney to the role of committee vice chair. A replica of Bryant's Grocery is part of the Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center Museum in Glendora, Miss. He practiced law for several years, representing CBS in a suit over Janet Jacksons costume incident during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. "Every day, somebody's dragging up the race card. The highest number of lynchings in the country between 1882 and 1968 occurred in Mississippi, according to the NAACP. I am always looking for students who are a little different from everybody else, who are not afraid to speak their mind, Cingranelli says. Binghamton was over 80% white at the start of Jeffries freshman year, according to figures provided by the school. That context was particularly pronounced at predominantly white institutions, including the Indiana university where Kappa Alpha Psi was founded in 1911. "And for people to come along and shoot it up is to say that's not the story we want to tell. Blacks were not allowed to reside in on-campus dormitories, were not afforded off-campus accommodations, and they were also denied the use of all other university facilities, and were barred from participating in contact sports. The 122-page Summary of Investigative Findings, which was obtained and posted by the Washington Post, analyzes testimony from employees and documents received from tech companies including Twitter Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. The expectation that you live both your personal values, as well as those espoused in the Fraternitys Ritual of Initiation. "It's just a symptom of America's struggle to come to grips with its history of racial brutality," Morse says. It can demonstrate to young people, Thompson said, that somebody who was not born on the right side of town, somebody who didnt go to the best schools, somebody who basically by all indications is lucky to be alive, that properly encouraged can make it.. The establishment in the community saw this as a threat to their way of life. The city clerk had told him in the first meeting of the new council that he would not do anything the Black aldermen said. Hes one of the few people in politics who has no ego. Through its worldwide prominence, Kappa Alpha Psi has had a global impact on events which affect our local communities as well as places around the globe. Top 10 Most Famous Sororities And If nobody would stir that damn pile of stuff up, it wouldn't stink.". It was kind of an icebreaker, Thompson, now a member of the U.S. House, told me more than five decades later. You know, I cast votes based on what the issues are at that time, Thompson told CNN last July, explaining his vote against certifying Bushs election. the highest possible standards of scholarship; Who safeguard the reputation of their chapter Congress launches inquiry into states disinvestment in Jackson water, Jan. 6 panel votes unanimously to subpoena Trump to testify, Capitol Police investigate letter with concerning language found near Jan. 6 committee Chair Bennie Thompsons office, Congress launches inquiry into states disinvestment in, Jan. 6 panel votes unanimously to subpoena, Capitol Police investigate letter with concerning language. That it has to be addressed head-on, or it can quickly take us back to where we were in Mississippi in the 1950s and 1960s., Representative Jamie Raskin, a member of the January 6 committee, also drew a line from Thompsons experiences confronting racist institutions in the Deep South to his leadership of the committee. To help address these challenges Democrats introduced the Affordable Care Act of 2010. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 8:20AM. U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson called on the hundreds who marched during the annual King Day at the Dome to continue to fight against injustice. Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Favorite Healthcare Staffing. For a long time, Thompson says, people didn't talk about Till's lynching. WebOne of the 5 Objectives of the Fraternity is: To promote the spiritual, social, intellectual and moral welfare of members. Many aspects of the Fraternitys rites are engrained in The state of Indiana became a stronghold for the Ku Klux Klan. Bennie Thompson Family And Net Worth. But, although he has had his fair share of big-name interviews, Thompson has maintained a relatively low profile. The House panel that investigated the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection focused in televised hearings and in its final report on the role Trump and his efforts to overturn the presidential election. The company found its own response to the incitement of violence troubling, according to the report, but no substantive work was done to improve the situation in 2021, including in other high-profile elections such as in Brazil last year. A "private property" sign posted out front is barely visible. Write to Mini Racker at mini.racker@time.com. As we celebrate Black History Month, its important to acknowledge the remarkable legacy of the Divine Nine. The idealist, John Milton Lee also contributed significantly to the fledgling organization. Wicker was the only member of the states Republican congressional delegation not to cast votes on Jan. 6 challenging the All Rights Reserved. Avid hunter. You have reached your limit of free articles. Mississippi continues to face tremendous challenges as we confront our health care needs. After becoming mayor of Bolton, Thompson helped organize the Mississippi Conference of Black Mayors, which successfully lobbied for federal funds to aid the region. Charter Line Spring 1979 Rutgers University! hide caption. He was very good at it. What do they teach their fraternity members? Javascript is required for the selection of a player. As a direct result of these policies, even before Jan. 6 we terminated thousands of channels, several of which were associated with figures related to the attack, and removed thousands of violative videos, the majority before 100 views.. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. All Rights Reserved. As members of the Favorite Healthcare Staffing family, if you are also a member of a Divine Nine fraternity or sorority, please post a picture of yourself representing your organization. The killing propelled the civil rights movement, and his name is still invoked when innocent blood is shed in racial violence. What occurred on January 6, and the vitriol and the racism of the modern era, were reminiscent to Fitzgerald of what she and Thompson experienced during the civil rights movement. The charter members were Elder Watson Diggs, Byron K. Armstrong, John M. Lee, Henry T. Asher, Marcus P. Blakemore, Guy L. Grant, Paul W. Caine, George W. Edmonds, Ezra D. Alexander and Edward G. Irvin. A spokeswoman for Representative Bennie Thompson, the Democratic chairman of the panel, didnt respond to a request for comment or confirm the authenticity of the document. Being a member of what we call the Divine Nine, that is, the traditional African American sororities and fraternitiescreates a relationship with probably over a million people who have that connection in common, says Georgia Rep. Bishop. The Bryant's Grocery building is in ruins, overtaken by trees and vines. On January 5, 1911, the Fraternity then became known as Kappa Alpha Nu, possibly as a tribute to the Black students of 1903 (the Alpha Kappa Nu Greek Society) who preceded them at Indiana University. Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., testifies before the House Rules Committee on Dec. 14, 2021. The name of Fraternity and the image it portrayed was of paramount importance. Fraternities and sororities have been an integral part of collegiate life since the establishment of colleges and universities in America. Kappa Alpha Psi proudly boasts of members who epitomize the very essence of Achievement in Every Field of Human Endeavor. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. The organization was given the temporary name of Alpha Omega, while they further developed the formation of the organization. Tougaloo was probably that point in my life that convinced me to stay in Mississippi, to choose public service as a lifelong occupation, and just to try to make, in my own way, a difference in the lives of my state and my community, Thompson said. Most folks that I talk to who were members of white fraternities and sororities will talk about it in past tense once they leave college, says Tamara L. Brown, one of the editors of African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision. "And in 2019, you have another hate crime of vandalism occurring where they want to desecrate the space that we've allotted for memory of him.". Andrew Harnik/AP. He plans to donate a long-term lease to better protect the site. Bennie Thompson is the son of Will and Annie Lauris Thompson. His father, who died when Thompson was a teenager, was an auto mechanic, and his mother was a teacher. Bennie Thompsons salary is $174,000 per year, which is the salary for most members of the U.S. House of Representatives, according to the Congressional Research Service. Most of them were working their way through school. Fast forward to today, the Divine Nine is a collective of Black fraternities and sororities that are governed by the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Kappa Alpha Psi, a college Fraternity, was born in an environment saturated in racism. There was an additional misunderstanding being attributed to the acronym of the Fraternitys Greek letters, KAN. Some confused the abbreviation of the letters to refer to the state of Kansas. "We have struggled with getting the whole story out; we don't want the sanitized version.". Im proud of our work together and honored to be his friend.. And Bennie Thompson has life experience dealing with all of these things, Raskin said. which transcends any personal selfishness; Who realize that membership means personal responsibility The ideals of the church were an important foundation of the Fraternity. Jeffries and Ervin Graves at a Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Binghamton Alumni Chapter and Mu Kappa Undergraduate Chapter meeting in 1991. (It was also where he met his wife of more than 50 years, London.). of the chapter and the national organization; Who bring credit to the fraternity by striving to attain He didn't die in vain, and he triggered, I believe, the civil rights movement.". It is a fact of which Kappa Alpha Psi is proud that the Constitution has never contained any clause which either excluded or suggested the exclusion of a man from membership merely because of his color, creed, or national origin. "Emmett was murdered because of racial hatred," says Gordon-Taylor. More than 30 years before he was elected to lead 211 of his fellow Democrats in Washington, Hakeem Jeffries was tapped to lead a dozen young men in upstate New York. The committees findings contradict complaints from conservative politicians that social media companies are biased against right-wing users. 37 46 37 37. The leak of the document comes as Facebooks parent company, Meta, decides whether to allow the former president back on its platforms. One of those men, 21-year-old Bennie Thompson, had run for office because he wanted change for the towns Black residents: improved housing and infrastructure, fire and police protection, recreation for young people. That is not who we want to be.". The founders of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. are: Elder Watson Diggs, more affectionately known as 'The Dreamer', Dr. Ezra D. Alexander, Dr. Byron Kenneth Armstrong, Atty. Bolton, Mississippi benniethompson.house.gov Born January 28 Joined October 2009 562 97.2K Followers Replies Media Pinned Tweet A bullet-riddled sign that once marked where Emmett Till's body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River is now housed at the Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, Miss. This button displays the currently selected search type. As you mature, its so much more.. Reddit, in a statement, said it found no evidence of coordinated calls for violence on it platform related to Jan. 6. How We Can Learn to Live with COVID-19 After Vaccinations. Proudly serving #MS02 in Congress. John Milton Lee. Other Kappa Alpha Psi alumni include famed NBA center Wilt Chamberlain, civil rights activist and quarterback Colin Kaepernick, lawyer Johnnie Cochran, and New York Times columnist Charles Blow, as well as Mandela Barnes, the former Wisconsin lieutenant governor who nearly flipped a U.S. Senate seat last year. The name was officially changed to Kappa Alpha Psi on a resolution adopted at the Grand Chapter Meeting in December 1914. Bennie combines the wisdom, judgment, patience, and good humor necessary to guide our committee at this historic moment, she said. That gives committee members a ticking clock to complete their task. Can rise within the system that initially and aggressively sought to exclude him. And there's shame attached to it.". They were also notorious for discriminating against Black students. In Congress, Thompson focused much of his work on racial equity. It was clear at the outset that the new fraternity would not warm over principles or practices of other organizations. Whitten's father was one of the defense lawyers. It's part of our culture. Even so, the site draws attention and visitors, like one couple from Brooklyn on a civil rights road trip through the South. When Rep. Thompsons chairmanship of the January 6 committee is a natural progression from his pre-Congress days as a student, politician, and activist, said Fitzgerald, his college friend. Please see our Contributors and Sources page for data source details. "The issue of race is still the undercurrent about the discussion of Emmett Till," according to Rep. Bennie Thompson, an African American Democrat who has represented the Mississippi Delta region in the U.S. House since 1993. The group works with families who have been victims of racially motivated crimes and police violence. The event also creates opportunities for community leaders in the fraternity to meet with, and hear from current members of the House and Senate, who are also members of the fraternity. Realizing that they had no part in the social life of the university and drawn together by common interests, they decided that a Greek-letter fraternity would do much to fill the missing link in their college existence. Thompson spent his time as mayor determined to improve infrastructure for the towns Black residents: Streets were paved, housing renovated, and a new City Hall constructed. Power always changes hands, and Republicans are widely expected to retake the House in the midterm elections. The system, and the people who had long defined it, did not want to change. Read More: America Loves to Celebrate Firsts Like Hakeem Jeffries. Hakeem Jeffries at a Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Binghamton Alumni Chapter and Mu Kappa Undergraduate Chapter meeting in 1991. Thats one of the guys Im really going to miss working with when I leave here. (Katko, who was one of just 10 Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump after the events of January 6, was sure to clarify that his praise of Thompson pertained only to the Homeland Security Committee. He participated in step shows, a Black Greek Life tradition, stomping and clapping in unison with other brothers. The fraternity declined to comment to NPR. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Triangle. In a previous Web version of this story, we incorrectly said the Mississippi Delta is in the northeast part of the state. 2x Pro Bowl. READ MORE: Rep. Bennie Thompson, leading the public Jan. 6 hearings, has long worked to protect democracy. The Bryant's Grocery building is in ruins, overtaken by trees and vines. One day as one of the Fraternity members, Frank Summers, was running the hurdles, Founder Diggs overheard a White student state, He is a member of Kappa Alpha Nig. The sign was removed last month after an image surfaced of three white University of Mississippi fraternity brothers posing next to it with guns. I dont do a lot of talking, Thompson told me, because I like encouraging others to be engaged with whatever the process is. That focus on collaboration has served him well for the select committee, which includes two other committee chairs among its high-profile members: Lofgren, the leader of the House Administration Committee, and Representative Adam Schiff, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee. Denied an abortion, woman tells senators she nearly died on their watch hide caption. What is their social impact to their community?" Track and Field was the only sport which Blacks were able to demonstrate their athleticism. This change became effective April 15, 1915. Learn more on the philanthropy page. In 2012, Jeffries won his seat in Congress. The historic marker was taken down after three white fraternity brothers from the University of Mississippi were pictured holding guns next to the sign. Copyright 2022 Bennie Thompson for Congress. In the late 1960s, Tougaloo, a private Black college on the outskirts of Jackson, Mississippi, had a population of particularly civic-minded students. Some people are possessed with a preternatural sense of purpose, a seriousness that lends them an air of gravitas even at a young age. Instagram/Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting "The Emmett Till Memorial Commission put up that sign to say the story of Emmett Till is important to us as a community and to us as Americans," Glisson says. The two men attacked the teen after Carolyn Bryant claimed he made an aggressive pass at her. It Doesnt Always Make It Easy for Them to Lead. It details how the companies failed to adequately address the calls to violence and election-related conspiracy theories circulating online after the 2020 presidential election. Recent reporting by The Washington Post and CBS News revealed a gap in Trumps phone logs on January 6, 2021, of seven hours and 37 minutes. The duty to lead and the privilege to serve others in order to better the world around you. Today, the men of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. celebrate 110 years of Achievement in Every Field of Human Primarily, under the efforts and leadership of the calm, methodical, and philosophical Elder W. Diggs and the critical, and scholarly Byron K. Armstrong, the Kappa Alpha Nu Fraternity was founded. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Spring 1990. Troy Carter of Louisiana got to Congress in 2021, he and Jeffries joked about how they would work on growing their ranks in Congress. The college provided him with the framework to understand the structural racism that underpinned life in Mississippiwhy his side of town had no sidewalks or spaces for recreation, why his schools textbooks were secondhand and out of date. On Congressman Thompsons voting record, he has never voted against a Farm Bill during his nine terms in Congress. He wrote the legislation creating the National Center for Minority Health and Health Care Disparities in 2000 and advocated for federal funds to be properly allocated after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, as well as calling for greater oversight and reform of federal agencies that managed the aftermath of the crisis. hide caption. The Delta is in the northwest. She says the repeated vandalism just adds more pain. I call him a quiet giant. Hes someone who can walk in the room without saying things, but he makes you feel secure and comfortable, said Representative Joyce Beatty, the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. And the chairman of the January 6 committee, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, warned on CNN that no one is off limits in terms of being compelled to The Tallahatchie County courthouse where the trial was held has undergone a multi-million-dollar renovation, and now there's an Interpretive Center on the courthouse square. "Much like in the 1960s, racial politics were worked out at lunch counters, sidewalks, swimming pools; in the 21st century, we work out our racial politics for example in battles over the flag or statues or the names of dormitories," says Tell. Since their inception, each organization has contributed countless hours of community service, donated millions of dollars toward educational scholarships, and have provided leadership to communities around the country. Picking an underclassman like Jeffries to run the chapter fit with the Kappa Alpha Psi mantra of training for leadership, Cordero adds, by letting the youngest brothers in the chapter run the chapter while the older ones can provide mentorship.. In 1986, Mike Espy became the first Black man elected to Congress from Mississippi since Reconstruction. Representative John Katko, the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, said he and Thompson have a terrific partnership, stemming from an understanding of the bipartisan importance of the committees purview. Troy Carter of Louisiana got to Congress in 2021, he and Jeffries joked about how they would work on growing their ranks in Congress. AP "What happened to Emmett Till, it's awful, it's sickening, turns my stomach every time I think about it, but it's a part of our history. A "private property" sign posted out front is barely visible. hide caption. Henry Tourner Asher, Dr. Marcus Peter Blakemore, Paul Waymond Caine, George Wesley Edmonds, Dr. The school provided a safe space for Freedom Riders and hosted meetings led by Medgar Evers, the president of the Mississippi NAACP. A spokeswoman for Representative Bennie Thompson, the Democratic chairman of the panel, didnt respond to a request for comment or confirm the authenticity Their intolerance toward Blacks fueled the negative mindset of other Whites residing there. Debbie Elliott/NPR Thompsons unpretentious persona may have allowed him to largely escape the wrath of the committees critics. For $5, you can watch a short film in which local residents describe what they remember from 1955, and walk through a hallway of exhibits, including a replica of Bryant's Grocery. Plans for violence were telegraphed on both far-right forums and mainstream platforms, which pushed Jan. 6 as a critical day in the Stop the Steal movement, the report said. A replica of Bryant's Grocery is part of the Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center Museum in Glendora, Miss. Bennie G. Thompson @BennieGThompson. Former members of Congress who were Kappas include Alcee Hastings of Florida, Don McEachin of Virginia, and Louis Stokes of Ohio, who helped lay the foundation of the Congressional Black Caucus. Bennie Thompson weighed 210 lbs (95 kg) when playing. (In the 1985 Esquire interview, Thompson said he didnt think that he was the right piece of equipment for the job of congressman. Mississippi social justice consultant Susan Glisson, who has also been working with the Memorial Commission, says the persistent vandalism sends a clear message. WebBennie Thompson is a producer, known for 2020 Democratic National Convention (2020), Spies of Mississippi (2014) and Attack on Democracy the January 6th Hearings (2022). The duty to uphold and abide by the Fraternitys standards of conduct and to use Ultimate Respect when confronting brothers who fail in their obligations to Pi Kappa Phi. He clearly understands that when you have domestic terrorism that goes unaccounted for, you can be guaranteed that you will have more acts of domestic terrorism. "Fella who came down here and got in trouble overstepped his bounds to a degree some folks thought," says Whitten. Somebody saying we have racial disparity here. Twitter reactivated Trumps account in November after Elon Musk, the companys new owner and chief executive, polled his followers on whether Trump should be reinstated. The percentage of Blacks on campus was less than 1%. "And it's not just about replacing the sign, but it's what do they teach there? The obligation to remain involved in Pi Kappa Phi after graduation and to work perpetually to build the ideal fraternity. For many of them, joining Kappa Alpha Psi represented a lifetime commitment to leadership and social change. Web6-0 , 210lb (183cm, 95kg) Born: February 10 in New Orleans, LA (Age: 60-069d) More bio, uniform, draft, salary info. A memorial first installed in 2008 to mark the spot where 14-year-old Emmett Till was recovered from the Tallahatchie River in 1955 has been repeatedly vandalized shot through with bullet holes. Three college students posed in front of the Emmett Till memorial sign in Tallahatchie County, Miss. Members of Greek letter organizations also get the opportunity to participate in numerous philanthropic and community service events. It's also available for basketball, baseball and hockey. Trump lawyer cross-examines rape accuser Carroll Hell also have some fraternity brothers to lean on for support. Its a real joy working with him, said Katko, who is retiring at the end of the year. Happy Founders Day to the men of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. This environment made day-to-day life for Blacks an arduous task and attempts to successfully achieve in school, nearly impossible. AP Kappa Alpha Psi was the first to Black Greek Lettered Organization to issue a monthly publication. These men of vision decided Kappa Alpha Nu would be more than another social organization.

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