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The Millen News, Wednesday, February 25, 2009 — Page 3
“A Black History Tribute”
SOME UNFORGETTABLE REFLECTIONS
FOR SALE
By William P. McNeely
When the slave ship deposited
20 Negroes in the Virginia
Colony in the early 1600s, the
Negro began carving out his des
tiny in America! And the saga yet
continues.
For all practical purposes, and
since this is “Black History” ob
servance month, I thought it re
freshing to call to mind some in
dividuals who were, and who are,
too unforgettable to not highlight
during this time.
There comes a time in life,
when one crosses a path with in
dividuals who are truly unforget
table. It could be good looks or a
fine physique that captures your
attention, or it could be pure tal
ent, political savvy or stimulat
ing intellect. That unforgettable
quality could be style and person
ality. Throughout our history,
there have been persons who
have left their marks indelibly
etched in the hearts and minds
of Americans and the world. It
could have been personal cha
risma or an electric personality
that made them linger in one’s
consciousness. Once you met
them, you would never forget
them.
Let us now focus on a small
segment of these “destiny carv
ers.” It is said that Mary McLeod
Bethune was not what the world
calls beautiful, but she possessed
so much "inner beauty” that
when she entered a room, her
presence denuded respect, and
people would stand the moment
she entered. President Franklin
D. Roosevelt often sought her ad
vice.
Unforgettable is the most ap
propriate adjective for the bedaz
zling Josephine Baker, the “one-
woman extravaganza” who en
raptured Paris and the world in
the 1920s. It is also a fitting de
scription of Baker’s show busi
ness contemporaries: Ethel Wa
ters, who started out on the blues
circuit and evolved into one of
Broadway’s most popular black
performers; and Madame C.J.
Walker, who was quite a dynamic
woman, having made a fortune
with the hot iron method of
straightening hair.
S’oJourner Truth used her
powerful voice and flair for dra
matic communication to advance
abolitionist and women’s causes.
She even presented her views to
President Lincoln in 1869.
Harriett Tubman, (Moses of
the South,) relied on a cool head
and her belief in "divine sanc
tion” to return to the deep South
many, many times to lead 300
slaves to freedom via the “Un
derground Railroad,” and never
lost a passenger.
Unforgettable - yes - Zora
Neale Hurston was a writer, an
anthropologist and folklorist. She
was indeed a woman ahead of her
time. At age 14, she left her
hometown and later studied at
Morgan College. She wrote a
number of plays, short stories
and essays. Her best-known
work is the novel, “Their Eyes
Were Watching God.”
We cannot forget Ida B. Wells,
a most noted journalist of her day
who was also a founding mem
ber of the NAACP.
Among the chisel holders of
the male population was Carter
G. Woodson, known by many as
the "father of Black history.” He
spent his life educating Ameri
cans about Black history and cul
ture.
The elegancy of poetic expres
sion and dramatic appeal are un
forgettable and unsurpassed in
the writings of Paul Laurence
Dunbar, James Weldon Johnson
and Langston Hughes.
At this junction, we can write
all day about Louise Beavers,
Lena Home, Pearl Bailey, Hattie
McDaniel, Eartha Kitt, Shirley
Chisholm, Dorothy Dandridge,
Barbara Jordan, Hank Aaron,
Michael Jordan, Willie Mays,
Larry Doby, Tony Dungy, Doug
Williams, Colin Powell, Ben
jamin Mays and many more that
have left their mark on America’s
arena.
Last, but not least. Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr., the first black
American honored by a national
holiday, was a man who tried to
project love and serve humanity.
And today, our 44 th president
of the United States, Barack
Obama - we salute you.
The afore-mentioned individu
als are just a few. But, whether
their contribution was in the arts,
literature, entertainment, sports,
civil rights or human rights, in
their own unforgettable way they
have enriched or will enrich the
lives of contemporaries, as well
as those who follow. They will
probably say to us today that the
carving is not complete and the
building process is far from
completion - lest we forget that
there is still a “present time” and
most importantly, a “future
time.”
Commissioners attend legislative conference
Jenkins County Commis
sioners joined their counter
parts and other county offi
cials from across the state at
the annual Legislative Confer
ence coordinated by the Asso
ciation County Commission
ers of Georgia (ACCG.) Gov.
Sonny Perdue, Lt. Gov. Casey
Cagle, House Speaker Glenn
Richardson and other General
Assembly members partici
pated in the conference and
expressed their concerns for
balancing the state budget
with a deficit that could rise
above $2.2 billion.
“The proposed elimination
of the Homeowners Tax Relief
Grant Program, which has
provided a credit to all
homeowners since 1999, was
the hottest topic discussed,”
said Jerry Griffin, executive
director of ACCG. "While
legislative leaders continue to
pledge to find the $429 mil
lion to reimburse local gov
ernments for the 2008 credit
that was given to
homeowners, the governor
was much less supportive,
warning that funding this pro
gram will result in cuts to
other areas that are critical to
local communities.”
In addition to hearing from
state leaders, ACCG’s Legis
lative Conference provides an
opportunity for county offi
cials to learn about legislative
and budgetary issues that are
before the General Assembly.
They also meet with their state
legislators to explain how
their decisions on these issues
will impact people in their
community.
“It is important for us to
have a voice on many of these
issues and remind them that
every move they make has an
impact back home,” said Jerry
Henry, chairman, Jenkins
County Board of Commis
sioners. “Issues change daily
at the Capitol this time of year,
and legislation that may sound
like a good idea may have un
intended consequences for our
county.”
ACCG staff briefed county
officials on legislation that
ranged from the proposed in
crease in the homestead prop
erty tax exemption to the two
options under discussion to
address Georgia’s transporta
tion needs. They also pro
vided an overview of legisla
tion dealing with natural re
sources, healthcare, public
safety and other areas, and
explained how proposed cuts
to some state agencies will
mean increased costs for lo
cal government.
“These are tough times for
everyone - state and local
government alike,” said Jan
Tankersley, a Bulloch County
commissioner and ACCG
president. “As local govern
ment leaders, many counties
also are cutting programs and
staffing in response to declin
ing revenues. We need to
work as partners with our state
legislators in addressing this
recession.”
On Monday, Feb. 9, the day
before the ACCG Legislative
Conference, Pam Dwight also
participated in the Certified
Commissioners Advanced
Program. This professional
training program is offered by
ACCG in conjunction with the
Carl Vinson Institute of Gov
ernment at the University of
Georgia and provides county
officials courses throughout
the year. Courses featured
prior to the Legislative Con
ference included Board Lead
ership: The Roles of the
Chairman, County Govern
ment Law/Personal Liability,
Ethics, Personnel/Human Re
sources, Tax Policy: Concepts
and Practice, and also Politi
cal Climate Changes: What
County Leaders Need to
Know and How to Survive it
for the County Commissioner
Leadership Alumni Program
(CCAP.)
“The ACCG training pro
gram provides me with the
tools that I need to be success
ful in my job and lets me learn
from the experiences of my
peers,” said Dwight. “These
courses allow me to focus on
one key issue and really learn
how to make our county gov
ernment run more efficiently
and effectively.”
Learn how to rid your yard of invasive plants
Got kudzu? Wisteria strangling
your trees? Privet and Chinaber-
ries taking over your woods and
fence rows? Come to the Jenkins
County Agriculture Center 6:30
p.m. Tuesday, March 10, to find
out what to do about it.
The Millen Garden Club
Council invites everyone who is
interested to hear Dr. David
Moorhead speak, beginning at 7
p.m., on "Invasive Plants: Threats
to our Forests, Fields and Land
scapes.”
Dr. Moorhead is a professor
and co-director of the Center for
Invasive Species & Ecosystem
Health at The University of
Georgia’s Wamell School of For
estry and Natural Resources in
Tifton.
His presentation will provide
information that will be helpful
in identifying pest plants that are
invading local woods, roadsides
and gardens; how to minimize
their spread; and techniques to
control them. Gardeners should
leam about landscape plants that
have become a threat; landown
ers should leam about the threat
of native habitat loss.
(2) Canon Rebel EOS
Digital Cameras
Can buy both cameras or just 1 by itself.
Perfect for someone interested in photography.
Good cameras for beginners.
Cali Ires at: 706-554-2111 Ext. 211
Single
Economy
Denture
Augusta
Dental Center r.c
J. Michael Scott DMD
Locally Owned • We accept Cash, Visa, MC, Discover, AmEx, GA Medicaid
Simple Extraction $35. 00 Dentures - Full Economy Set
Surgical Extraction $75. 00 Starting at $350.°°
Partials Starting @ $ 395. 00
Porcelain Crowns
Full Mouth X-Ray
$495.°°
$35.0°
IMMEDIATE
DENTURES
• Teeth Extracted
• Dentures or Partials immediately
• You never go without your teeth
• All Surgery & Extractions
done in our office
Open Mon-Fri 7:30 AM
No Appointment Necessary
12th & Greene St.
Downtown Augusta
(across from Greyhound)
Fees Valid Thru 2/28/09
706-721-4288 |
lo
ALL FISHING
ITEMS ON SALE
Rods, Reels, Combos, Lures, Etc.
Also, Minkota Trolling Motors ON Sale.
Morons - 30% off * All Other Fishimg Items - 35-45% Off
I Ipi'iu lukAtlu^ I rlduA v mu . t, jini- Vilimi.Ui am >■ .1 |im
Toll Free; 5*4-2012 E-mail: a I ltd, m l
mi V Main Street * Sylvtmm. GA 311467
Judy C- loynrr
7^*e*’ s DE t FE "*iv*
^2^
DRIVING SCHOOL
Defensive Driving [t or a Hr Classes)
Drivers Training Classes
(3Q Hrs Classroom/fc Hrs Behind the Wheel)
Driver Training Schedule:
(Next Session)
Saturday
February 2Hili, 2009 9:00 tt.ni. - 2:0ft p.m.
Saturday
March 7lh, 2009
9:Q0a.itL - 2:0(1 p.m.
Saturday
March 14lh. 2009
O:f>0 a.m, - 2:00 p.m.
Saturday
March 21st, 2QQ9
9:00 a.in. - 2:00 p.m.
Saturday
Match 2Nili, 26(19
9:00 a.m, - 2:00 p.m.
Saturday
April 4lh T 2009
9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
(Nexl Session)
Saturday
April 18th; 200<*
9:00 tt.Eit. - 2:00 p.m.
Saturday
April 25th, 2009
9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Saturday
May 2nd, 2009
9:00 a.m, ■ 2:011 p.m.
Saturday
May hih. 2009
9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Saturday
May lf>ih. 2009
9:00 a,m, - 2:00 p.m.
Saturday
Mav 23rd. 2069
9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Fur nlLfre falforiNBI iim, Cull -
iidt lay tier s! 478-9*2-0201.
1(16 Old Louisville Utl.
Millen, GA 30442
478-982-0201
Congress
on the
Corner to
be held
Feb. 28
Congressman John Barrow
will host “Congress on the
Corner” from 9:30 a.m. until
10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 28,
at Cindy’s Cafe on Cotton, lo
cated at 535 Cotton Avenue.
This is an opportunity for citi
zens to visit one-on-one with
the congressman and discuss
the issues that matter most to
them.
Barrow and his staff will
also be available to help the
public with questions or con
cerns they have about a par
ticular government agency
such as the Social Security
Administration, Medicare or
the Veteran’s Administration.
Residents of the 12 th Dis
trict are invited to meet with
the congressman.
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