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‘GEORGIA’S BEST WEEKLY”
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Week of February 11,2009 - February 17,2009 • Vol. 36 No. 51 • www.savannahtribune.com • 912-233-6128 • Fax: 912-233-6140
National
African
American
History
Month: A
Proclamation
President Barack Obama
The history of African
Americans is unique and rich,
and one that has helped to
define what it means to be an
American. Arriving on ships on
the shores of North America
more than 300 years ago, recog-
See A Proclamation, page 6
Women of Influence Recognized
The 2009 100/Plus Black Women of Influence inductees are Top (1-r): Emily M. Crawford, D.B.A., PhD.; Pamela
Oglesby; Patricia Jenks-Greene; Dorothy Strong; and Vera Banks. Bottom (1-r): Valerie Brown; Nicole Cutter
Manning; Dr. Ann Linton; Tamika Lonon; Pamela Jerald; and Brenda Roberts, Ed. S. Credit: Seaport Magazine
T he 2009 Audacity of Hope January 23, 2009, at the Ralph the United States, Barack Obama,
Ball and Reception for Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum and in honor of the 2009 inductees
100/Plus Black Women of Ballroom. The gala was held in
Influence (BWOI ) was held on celebration of the 44 ,h President of See Black Women, page 16
SCLC Drum Major Awards Herald New Era
by Aberjhani
As the United States prepared in January
2009 to inaugurate its first African-American
president, members of the recently established
Savannah Coastal Chapter of the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) pre
sented their first Drum Major Community
Awards.
The SCLC recognized more than a dozen
individuals with awards of distinction for their
contributions to the 1960s Civil Rights
Movement that, nearly all acknowledged,
helped pave the way for the election of Barack
Obama as the country’s 44th president. Local
SCLC Chapter President, Pastor Carl W. Scott
Gilliard, presented the awards to the following
recipients:
Ron Wallace (Civil Rights Legend
Award); Dave Richards (Humanitarian Award);
Walter Simmons (Community Award); Ben
Johnson (Lifetime Union Award); Rev. Dr. John
P. Lee III (Pastor of the Year); Pete Laikakis
(Elected Official of the Year); Lester Leek
White (Lifetime Award); Rev. Jimmy “The
Gator” Lang (Broadcast Pioneer Award);
Martha Massey (Civil Rights Legend Award);
Vanda Trappio Patton (Civil Rights Icon
Award); Mamie Small Williams (Trailblazer
Award); and Local 1414 (Organization of the
Year Award). Though absent from the proceed
ings, Francis Bright Johnson was acknowledged
with the Rev. Hosea Williams Award.
Rev. Samuel F. Mosteller, Georgia State
President of SCLC, described the election of
President Obama as a “correction” of history
made by God, “at the top, the bottom, and in the
middle.” He further spoke about the powerful
Vanda Trappio Patton, recipient of the Civil Rights
Icon Award.
sense of community that made the Civil Rights
Movement successful. As an example, he spoke
of how, following the death of Martin Luther
King, Jr., celebrated performer and political
activist Harry Belafonte made significant finan
cial contributions to cover the cost of King’s
funeral and to assist the slain minister’s family
for months following King’s death.
The SCLC was originally founded as the
Southern Leadership Conference in New
Orleans, Louisiana, on February 14, 1957, with
Martin Luther King, Jr., elected as its president.
It was renamed the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference in Montgomery,
Alabama, in August 1957. The organization did
not have a Savannah chapter during that time
but in 1959 formed the SCLC Crusade for
Voters, described as an “affiliate,” under the
leadership of Rev. Dr. Hosea Williams.
Vanda T. Patton, the Civil Rights Icon
Award recipient, recalled working with
Williams during the early 1960s and spending
her 25th birthday in jail for marching against
segregation. “At the time, I didn’t realize how
dangerous it was to protest the way we were
doing—for me or my two young sons who were
with me,” said Patton. “But I knew it was wrong
for us to have to go to the back of the buses or
drink out of different fountains just because we
were black and I knew something had to be
done about that.”
Patton was presented in 1964 with an
“Award for Valor and Courage” for her partici
pation in the Crusade for Voters. She also partic
ipated as a panelist for the “Legends of
Savannah’s Civil rights Movement and the
CCCV” program held at the Jepson Center for
the Arts in December 2008 and currently serves
on the 2009 Advisory Board for the Savannah
Chapter of SCLC.
SCLC continues to address issues of voter
education and registration but also focuses on
youth development, community empowerment,
and other issues.
For information on the organization,
please telephone (404) 522-1420 or email
info@sclcnational.org <mailto:info@sclcna-
tional.org> .
Mayor Otis
Johnson to
Host 3 rd
Small
Business
Conference
Suzanne Shank
Savannah small business
owners are invited to learn how to
survive these troubled economic
waters during the 3rd Annual
Small Business Conference, from
8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb.
17, at the Savannah Civic Center.
The event is hosted by Mayor Otis
S. Johnson and the City of
Savannah Economic Development
Department.
The conference is free and
open to the public, but pre-regis
tration is required. Call 651-3653
to register.
The theme for this year’s
conference is “Surviving the Game
of Business in Tough Economic
Times.” There will be a work
shop, panel discussion and presen
tations including, “Business
Survival Tips in Tough Economic
Times" led by Christopher Hanks,
Director of the Entrepreneurship
Program at the Terry College of
Business at the University of
Georgia.
This year’s keynote address
will be given by Suzanne Shank,
Vice-Chair, President and CEO of
Siebert Brandford Shank &
Company LLC. Shank is a gradu
ate of Johnson High School and
has been recognized by Black
Enterprise Magazine as one of the
“50 Most Influential Black
Women in Business” and one of
the "75 Most Powerful Blacks on
Wall Street." In October 2008 she
was named one of "25 People of
Power" by Essence Magazine.
For information, go to
www.savannahga.gov or contact
the Economic Development
Department at 651-3653.
arver
ew branch and a proud tradition of service
7110 Skidawa^ Road - Savannah Georuia 31406
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