Newspaper Page Text
S MSJEANNIE LEDFORD GA NEWSP AP s
AL PROJ CHIPS DI PLMAINLILGA
o> &
¥ ” CTHENS, GA 30602-1641
pripy /)( 3 '
e
: eS— m‘
- LT 7 e
Servi
South Carc
December 14 - December 20, 2006 Vol. 25, No. 1270
£, ~ -A ' ,a
’ -
Magic Johnson in cam
fiaign to end disease in
lack community
Page 2A
Middle Class Blacks are
their ‘Brother’s Keeper' -
Literally
Page 2A
Civil rights projects
attractive, not divisive to
donors
Page 3A
DA NRAN RS R NTS R TR ST LN
Joe Bowles is missing
too much work...
Page SSA
It is our own fault
Page 4A
m
On the Real with
Miss Monique...
ISu what are you
anning to do,
E’Rapid ficfund?
Page 1B
The Pursuit of Hap
pyness is Chris Gard
ner’s Uplifting Story
Page lé)
Prayer: Not a Cop
%ut (—) But a Man’s
ay Out
By{{nry Sullivan
Page 2B
Youth dance company
delights audience of
all ages
Page 1B
ST AT RN LS S A RO SO s
Christmas Wish List
2006
Page GA
Sixth Annual “Behold
the Star” Christmas
e sy De
u . Decen
ber 21, 2,0%2’ at 7:00
pm., Creative Impres
sions will present its gixth
Annual “Behold the
Sear” Christmas Concert
entiled “C.I. Sings
Christmas”™ (1996 -
2006).
Am.‘t ......-.-.13
.m“ ...--.....7A
cmmhn.l.ll.”
: m m-.“--“
4 W .........-.....-2.
ik : -
Radio Hosts come together for the community
Charles “Champ” Walker
and Ryan 8., who both host
their own radio talk shows on
WAAW 94.7, from tme to
ume do not se eye to eye on
various issues. One personality
is laid back in his approach and
the other ils known éw embrac
ing local and natonal contro
versy. Both have demonstrated
talent in confronting the issues
facing the arca and (l]‘w bulldog
tenacity to lead.
“Ryan B. has been blessing to
this community, [ am so happy
he has « )mc," commented on
older female who was in atten
dance at the recent town hall
mecting held at Bls. With
Race Debate at John Hopkins
University Turns Ugly
By SEAN YOES
Special to the NNPA
[BALTIMORE (NNPA) -
Last month Johns Hopkins
University student Jusin H.
Park was suspended from the
school unal January 2008. He
is the author and distributor of
the “"Halloween in the Hood™
party invitation characterized as
racist by many in the commu
nity. A group of Hopkins stu
dents protested Parks punish
ment, which they claim
impacts free speech on the
campus, and they demonstrat
ed in a manner similar to that
of the school’s Black Student
Union, which originally
pre stested the Halloween in the
Hood inadent.
The party hosted by Parks
fraternity Sigma Chi, encour
aged revelers to wear, “regional
clothing from our locale ... fur
coats, bling bling ice i grills,
hoochie hoops, white wes” and
charactenized Balamore as, *the
HIV pit” and “the mother
fo#@* ghetto.”
Just beneath the surface of
the discourse on campus race
relatons and the free speech
protest lies a litany of racially
charged threats and accusations
being hurled through cyber
space at Hopkins' BSU and its
president Christina Chapman.
“You should be ashamed of
yourself for being an attention
sceking whore who ruined a
kids educaton as well as the
most racially diverse fraternity.
By playing the race card, you
forced the university to violate
When Diamonds Are Not a Girl’s Best Friend
WRINDA M. BULLOCK
A National Ml
WASHINGTON
(NNPA) - During the holi
day season, enamored
boyfriends and husbands
often choose diamonds to
make a romantic statement.
But this scason, the Warner
Brothers film, Blood Dia
mond and hip-hop mogul/
entrepreneur Russell S%m—
mons are using the gems to
make a global statement
about diamond mining in
Africa.
And not everyone under
stands what that statement
is — or agrees with it
Last wcci, Simmons
returned from a nine-day
“fact-finding” miission in
Africa, where he visited
+ 5 3
3t o ar
b ITVv s ' -
A\ 2 Fy .
Ry o L 4
Sl N '
\
-
i
2
Ryan B.
more than 350 people present,
our right to free speech. T hope
you know that most of the uni
vcrsiry hates )'()u," wrote
Wayne Atwell, a White Hop
kins student, in an email to
Chapman.
Most of Chapmans detrac
tors arent as bold as Awwell,
who attached a picture of him
sclf wearing a cape, a crown
and wiclding a sword. (Accord
ing to Chapman, Atwell was
admonished for the email by
Hopkins' administration and
he later apologized to her by
email.) The vast majority of the
verbal attacks leveled against
the soon to be 21-year-old sen
jor and the BSU have been
transmitted anonymously and
in most cases via Hopkins
internet forum " 7he Daily Jolt.”
The gutless administration is
going to cave to at least some of
[ht‘ dcmands ()f th()&' idiot pro
testers. Apparently, that
b%#@* Chnsuna Chapman
wont shut her mouth either,”
someone anonymously wrote
on Nov. 3 under the subject
“Cowards” on the internet
forum. Yet, despite the vitriol
aimed at her, Chapman, a bio
medical engineering major,
scems undaunted.
‘A lot of the comments-they
only bother me in the sense
that [ feel like people have such
a great misunderstanding of
issues of diversity,” said Chap
man. "The students on cam
pus say that we Black students
tarnished the schools reputa
gon like the Black students
arent also part of the school.”
Chapman did find at least one
some of Africas largest dia
mond mines in Botswana
and South Africa, promot
ing the use of C(mfiict'frcc
diamonds. He also
announced his “Green Ini
dative” that will give 25
ercent of net proceeds
(?mm his Simmons [lcwdry
Company's men’s line to
schools and hospitals of
African mining communi
ties through tfic Diamond
Empowerment Fund.
I\fi‘:v to the jewelry busi
ness, Simmons launched
the Simmons Jewelry
Company in 2003, one of
few, ilf any, major Black
owned jewelry companies
in the world. So fgr. co
owner Kimora Lee Sim
mons’ Bab.y Phat and
“Hello Kitty” women'’s lines
Subscribe to the Augusta Focus, Call (706) 722-4222
' ‘,l
|
Charles “Champ” Walker
Champ and Ryan, with the
"Daily Jolt" post, which dis
cusses Hopkins' decision to sus
pend Park, “partcularly impor
rant to Pnlnt out.
“If 1 do something T'll be
labeled a racist...] can make
cogent arguments about how it
is an injustice that a member of
the BSU was on the conduct
board. However, that will label
me as aracist.” The anonymous
author rambles a bit more
about the conduct board then
another unidentified writer
posts the following: “"Well ... we
could always put on masks and
lynch ‘em ... yknow ... for the
sake of hiding our identties.”
Perhaps, the person who wrote
this was attempting to be irrev
erent or humorous; its impossi- |
ble to know for much of thc'
dialogue takes place anony
mously in the vacuum of
cyberspace.
Chapman believes it s
indicative of systemic racism
and ignorance at Hopkins. “A
lot of people want to be igno
rant. There were two open
forums on campus and not one
person who was against what
Lhc BSU did'du')' did not gcl
up,” she said. “"They just want
to create forums for people
who think like them. But, with
issues like this its important for
there o be an exchange of
appropriate information ... I'm
just convinced that they dont
want to learn-they don't want
anyone to tell them anything
that they dont agree with.”
Chapman argues Park and his
See Ugly, page 3A
3 N~
v | J 0.
\ s e L
b,
h
Russell Simmons launches Green Initiative during a press con
ference in NY last week.
have grossed $lO million
this year, he said.
In 2003, government,
non-government and dia
www.augustatocus.com
help of some other local lead
ers, discussed issues related o
the state of our community
and recent issues inw)lvin'g
blacks and the law.
“Champ has a way of just
retting things done,” said Mr.
j:)llc-s, .Innlficr attendee. “He
reminds me a lot of his dad. ..
he can kick and holler if he
needs to, but 1t doesnt matter
how he gets it done as long as
he gets the job done.”
Many concerned citizens
have been outraged over the
last coupke of months as 1t
relates to law enforcement.
Cases in point: the Mark Wat
son inadent, the black male
Article of Analysis and Interpretation
Signs of a
Lost Mind
The enlightened citizens of
Augusta are abuzz with amaze
ment and dismay over a recent
ly published cditorial by a
“post-modern negro” chastising
Blacks about not cooperating
with whites. It is astonishing
how stupid and sclf-cffacing a
human being can be. He is
equally disingenuous for sure.
After much discussion 1t was
agreed that the writer in ques
tion had lost his ever-hatng
mind. Fortunately, there are
signs for people who think like
this. One just has to be vigilant
and recognize people like this as
they present themselves; they
are often mindless. The Augus
ta Focus offers here five basic
signs that let you know when
someone has lost his mind:
1.) You know that you've lost
your mind when you dont
make a clear distinction
between working with white
folk and being duped by them.
[t is clearly one thing to politc
for the interest of your con
stituency and yet another thing
to play into the hands of people
who dont have your con
stituency at heart — especially
when they « >nsistcnt{\' take
positions antithetical o your
race and their interests. The
erstwhile avil rights worker
turned fool and “post-modern
negro” who wrote the self-ffac
ing cditorial seems to want
blacks to capitulate to the inter
est of whites just to get along
and avoid what is normal poli
tics. In other words, revert to
second-class citizenship. Such
mond industry officials
came up with the Kimberly
Process Certification
Scheme to keep conflict
PRSRT STD
US POSTAGE
PAID
AUGUSTA GA
PERMIT NO 302
Serving Metro Augusta,
South Carolina and The CSRA
FIFTY CENTS
middke school principal who
was arrested duhinusl'\' tor
handing out informaton, and
only recently, the inadent con
cerning the musical youth
group in the Augusta Mall. The
community has been outraged
at the polic and the manner in
which they have handled
ISSUCS.
The ills of the community
have been brought to the fore
front in this meeting and these
on-air personalities are working
cohesively to address the prob
lems plaguing our community
with possible solutions immi
nent.
T
_ TR
e'. E "
N
14 " 3
M‘
a position as he takes is not just
amid, but is patentdy passive
and downright ignorant. Can
you imagine how far the avil
rights movement would be
today had black folk just rolled
over In a fetal positon and let
the white folk dictate their lives
Wed be sull \]Hn]\lng out of
separate water fountains and
participating in an ¢xtensive
array of sccond-class citizen
behaviors. The truth also 1s that
the avil rnights struggle, as
extensive as 1t was in the fifties
and .\iX(i('.\‘ 1s not over. | he pro
tective opposition that the five
black commissioners present
today s an effort to make blacks
whole; it 1s not being uncooper
ative. Why in the world are the
five white commissioners not
being uncooperanve when they
cnn.sistcn(ly 2417, vote lug&'lh
er? Not to the foolish man in
question. No. The “post-mod
ern negro” who wrote the infa
mous editorial gave a free pass
to the five white commissioners
See Lost Mind, page 9A
diamonds from being sold
on the international mar
ket. Conflict diamonds are
generally defined as those
mined In certain zones in
Africa and are used to fuel
or fund civil wars.
Simmons grappled with the
definition of “conflict-free”
in an interview with the
NNPA News Service.
“I don't know what con
flict-free means... Stll it’s a
c<mflict whcn ynu'rc stand
ing on a natural resource,
whether it be a diamond, or
oil, or uranium, or gold—
anything—and you're poor.
And so that's what Africa
has, so we want to find
places and examples where
See Diamonds, page 10A