Newspaper Page Text
(ity Region
Moving past internal turmoil, SCLC
announces new leader, vision
By DANIELYEE
Associated Press Writer
ATLANTA (AP) - With
oratory vigor and power remi
niscent of co-founder Martin
Luther King, Jr., the new presi
dent of the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference —the
storied organization tied to
some of the civil rights move
ment’s greatest achievements —
announced Nov 12, the group
will raise money and work
against injustice around the
world.
“The SCLC is moving for
ward,” said Charles Steele Jr,
the former Alabama state sena
tor who left politics to help the
SCLC and was appointed pres
ident on Friday of the organiza-
At 59, Georgian is pregnant with twins
SYLVESTER, Ga. - A 59-
year-old great-grandmother
living in south Georgia is
set to give birth to twins
next month, which would
steal some of the limelight,
and a purported record,
from a 56-year-old New
York City woman who gave
birth to twins this week.
Frances Harris, of rural
Sylvester, says she wasn’t
trying to get pregnant. She
didn’t even know she was
carrying a child - let alone
two - until she visited a doc
tor in August while trying
to figure out some unusual
weight gain over the sum
mer.
“A lot of things changed
about me,” said Mrs. Har
ris, a homemaker whose
twins are due Dec. 21. “I
started craving grapes and
apples, things I don't usual
ly crave. By then I was four
months’ pregnant.”
When the doctor broke
the news, “They had to sit
me down. I couldn’t even
talk,” Mrs. Harris said dur
ing an interview Thursday
100 Black Men of Augusta gets
ready for holiday tournament
The 11th Annual 100
Black Men of Augusta
Thanksgiving Basketball
Classic will be held at Rich
mond Academy on Novem
ber 26 and 27. This year’s
classic will feature 10 teams
for a holiday weekend full
of great basketball. Game
time each day starts at 1:00
p-m. New teams this year
are Hephzibah High and
North Augusta High
coached by Ist year Coach
Al Young, formerly of Cross
Creek High.
Returning teams are T.W.
Josey coached by Ist year
coach Sammy Lilly, former
ly of 2002 State Champions
Silver Bluff in AA in South
Carolina, Butler High State
AAAA runner-up last year,
tion that King helped found in
1957.
“We've set together in a new
direction, not only throughout
this country but throughout
the world.”
Stecle pledged to pull the
organization out of finandal
problems by raising money
through private and corporate
donors.
The SCLC, which helped
put together the 1963 March
on Washington and the
“Bloody Sunday” march that
led to the Voting Rights Act of
1965, owes $43,000 in state
and federal taxes. The groups
pool of dues-paying members
has shrunk; membership has
dwindled from tens of thou
in her tidy mobile home,
nestled between cotton
fields, a pond and a high
way.
For this mother of five,
grandmother of 14 and
great-grandmother of six,
the news of her pregnancy
was even more shocking
considering she had her
tubes tied after the birth of
her last child - 33 years ago.
“They came untied,” she
said matter-of-factly.
Mrs. Harris had her first
child when she was only 15
years old, which means 44
years will separate her oldest
from her youngest.
“At first 1 was a little
upset. I was thinking I'm
not the baby anymore, but
it’s fine. I know I'm proba
bly going to be the one who
helps her care for them,”
said Mrs. Harris’ youngest,
Kendra Jackson, who works
at a dry-cleaning business in
Sylvester.
The twins’ father, Ray
mond Harris, is a 60-year
old heavy equipment opera
tor who was equally
Glenn Hills, Cross Creek,
Evans Richmond Academy,
L.C. Laney and Edisto
High from South Carolina.
Players to watch this year
are division one prospect
and All-Area Dominic
Archie from T.W. Josey, All
Area and high scoring Tony
Keller from Glenn Hills,
Big man Auston Steed and
Tyress Harris from Region
AAAA State runner up But
ler High and South Caroli
na All-Area high scoring
Justin Wheeler and big man
Keanon Harmon from
North Augusta.
Additional classic features
are Slam Dunk and 3pt.
Competition among the
players from the teams on
Saturday morning starting
AUGUSTA FOCUS
& *
N
7{
Charles Steele, Jr.
sands of members to about
3,000.
In addition, Steele said the
SCLC will have offices in Italy,
create conflict resolution cen
ters around the world and has
been asked by the Israeli gov
ernment to help in Middle East
peace talks.
shocked to learn of the
pregnancy. He was busy
working and was unreach
able Thursday, Nov 11.
The couple divorced years
ago but plan to get married
before the twins are born,
Mrs. Harris said. She plans
to care for the twins herself,
with the help of her chil
dren and the babies’ father.
The oldest American
believed to have given birth
to twins is Aleta St. James, a
single mother who turns 57
on Friday. She gave birth
Tuesday at New York’s
Mount Sinai Medical Cen
ter.
“It all feels right. I feel
like everything is in harmo
ny. My babies are very calm
and peaceful too,” Ms. St.
James said from her hospi
tal room Thursday, resting
her infants on her chest as
she sang and spoke softly to
them.
Ms. St. James, a motiva
tional counselor from New
York who helped her broth
er Curtis Sliwa found the
crime-fighting Guardian
at 10:30 a.m. The half time
of the Saturday’s games well
feature local step groups
such as the South Augusta
Marching Unit (SAMU),
Bell Terrence Marching
Unit and others.
Proceeds from the classic
benefit the 100 Black Men
of Augusta Mentoring Pro
gram. Advance tickets sales
may be purchased from par
ticipating Schools.
For additional informa
tion contact James Quarles
at (706) 736-5184 or Rod
ney Patterson at (706) 724-
5994.
hope to cultivate the interest of
a new generation of civil rights
activists through programs
related to next years 40th
anniversary of the historic civil
rights march from Selma, Ala.,
to Montgomery, Ala.
Board members announced
the appointment of Steele, pre
viously the groups executive
vice president, after holding a
dosed door vote Friday at an
Atanta hotel, where board
members were conduding a
two-day retreat. Applause
could be heard from the con
ference room and board mem
bers held hands, singing “We
Shall Overcome” before
adjourning their meeting,
“We are very proud of the
oy < R At L\; 5 ; ;‘?
AR /T k. i B
o -
s A 2o N ~;zb :
- %
———
5
¥
Frances Harrls
Angels in the 19705, gave
birth after in vitro fertiliza
tion. The twins - a girl
Top black college marching bands
prepare to ‘take the house’in Atlanta
From the first whistle,
to .the show-stopping,
spectacular grand finale,
fans will be on their feet
as the Honda Battle of
the Bands rolls into
Atlanta’s Georgia Dome
January 29th.
Now in its third year,
the exhilarating show
promises to dazzle as this
year’s 10 Historically
Black College and Uni
versity (HBCU) march
ing bands, nominated
from a field of 40 partic
ipating HBCUs, have
been selected to perform
at the Honda Battle of
the Bands Invitational
Showcase.
Putting a well-deserved
spotlight on a variety of
HBCU marching styles,
announcement of our new
leadership,” said board member
Bernard LaFayette Jr. “Its
important to have a new vision
and a new strategy.”
The SCLC has been work
ing to regroup and overcome
the image that it is in internal
and financial turmoil after its
former president and co
founder, the Rev. Fred Shut
tlesworth, resigned on
Wednesday, Nov. 10.
Steele- said he thought the
idea that the image of the
SCLC has suffered in the
wake of Shuttlesworth’s resig
nation was ‘exaggerated.”
“We are together,” Steele
insisted.
named Francesca and a boy
named Gian - were born by
Caesarean section.
this year’s top 10 feature
tremendously talented
show bands, bands noted
for their drumlines or
brass sections and even a
number of ensembles
best known for their
dance teams and live
halftime surprises.
As they take the field,
these acclaimed black
college bands will show
case the rich diversity of
African American musi
cal heritage and culture
with fresh routines, riv
eting choreography and
contemporary song
selections ranging from
the best in R&B, funk,
Hip-Hop, classical and
jazz something for fans
of all ages. The colleges
now set to “march on the
November 18, 2004
“You have a family, don'
you? You all have disagree
ments. We love all civil rights
leaders.”
“The SCLC is not dead,”
added the Rev. Raleigh Tram
mel, who was c_lccted .the
group’s board chairman.
“We're not searching for a
leader. We already have a
leader.”
Shuttlesworth had ques
tioned whether the group’s
current leadership can
recover from entrenched
financial strife and internal
squabbling. That includes
last year's resignation of the
revious president, Martin
Euther lé,ng 111, and this
summer’s chaotic convention
in which police had to be called
to keep d‘g: peace.
Secretary of State
g:lns to extend
y voting
ATLANTA (AP) - The
Georgia Secretary of State’s
Office would like to extend
the period of advance voting
before the state’s next big
election.
Election officials would
like to see the time for early
voting extended beyond one
week as it was before last
week’s election, spokesman
Chris Riggal said.
Riggal said the office will
propose extending the peri
od of advance voting to two
to three weeks before each
election.
The office also is expected
to push the idea of weekend
and eveping voting,
Nearl‘/,‘l 78 percent of
Georgia’s registered voters
cast their ballots in the past
election — setting a record.
It would be up to individ
ual counties to pay for the
cost of extra voting
machines and staff to man
offices so people could vote
early.
Mecca” in the largest and
only national scholarship
program showcasing the
pageantry, heritage and
showmanship of black
college bands are:
- North Carolina Cen
tral University and Vir
ginia State University,
representing the Central
Intercollegiate Athletic
Association (CIAA);
-Bethune-Cookman
College and Florida
A&M University, repre
senting the Mid- Eastern
Athletic Conference
(MEAC);
~Clark-Atlanta Univer
sity and Tuskegee Uni
versity, representing the
Southern Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference
Sec Bands, page 10A
3A