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Permit No. 923 Fj&iCi»~jtiS
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I8I>5 MLK Jr. Blvtk Sav., G A 31415
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March 27* 2024 - April 2, 2024
VoL 54 No. 13
Tel: 912-2JLV6I28 - Fax: 912-233-6H0
w ww.sava n Dabtribu ne.com
Women's History Month
Ida B. Wells-Barnett
Journalist, Civil Rights Activist, Suffragist
(1862-1931)
By The Transformative Justice Coalition | Photo Credit:
Cihak and Zima
“Bom a slave in
1862, Ida Bell Wells was the
oldest daughter of James and
Lizzie Wells. The Wells were
decreed tree by the Union,
about six months after Ida’s
birth.... [H]er parents were
able to support their seven chil
dren because her mother was a
‘famous’ cook and her father
was a skilled carpenter....”
Her father... was involved
with the Freedman’s Aid Soci
ety and helped start Shaw Uni
versity ... (now Rust College)
and served on the first board of
trustees.... Yellow Fever swept
through Holly Springs and
killed her parents and youngest
sibling.... [S]he kept the fam
ily together by securing a job
teaching... [and].. .managed to
continue her education... [at]...
near-by Rust College.
“In 1882, Wells
moved with her sisters to Mem
phis, Tennessee, to live with an
aunt.... Wells continued her
education at Fisk University in
Nashville. “It was in Memphis
where she first began to fight
(literally) for racial and gender
justice. In 1884 she was asked
by the conductor of the Ches
apeake & Ohio Railroad Com
pany to give up her seat on the
train to a white man.... Wells
wrote in her autobiography: ‘I
refused.... He went forward
and got the baggageman [sic]
and another man to help him
and of course they succeeded
in dragging me out. ’ .... “Wells
sued the railroad, winning a
$500 settlement in a circuit
court case. However, the de
cision was later overturned by
the Tennessee Supreme Court.
...’’Ida B. Wells
...w[rote] about issues of race
and politics in the South... in
papers geared to African Amer
ican and Christian audienc
es.... Wells eventually became
an owner of the Memphis Free
Speech and Headlight, and lat
er, of the Free Speech....
“In 1892 three of her
friends were lynched. Thomas
Moss, Calvin McDowell, and
Henry Stewart.... were owners
of People’s Grocery Company,
and their small grocery had
taken away customers from
competing white businesses.
A group of angry white men...
attacked People’s grocery, but
the owners fought back, shoot
ing one of the attackers. The
owners ... were arrested, but
a lynch-mob broke into the
jail, dragged them away from
town, and brutally murdered
all three....
Ida B. Wells-Barnett
Her newspaper of
fice was destroyed ...after the
killing of her three friends.
She could not return to Mem
phis, so she moved to Chicago.
She... [was] active in investi
gating and exposing the fraud
ulent ‘reasons’ given to lynch
Black men.... [A]s a lecturer
and organizer of antilynch
ing societies, [s]he traveled to
speak in ... major U.S. cities
and twice visited Great Britain
for the cause.
“In 1896, [Ida]
formed the National Associa
tion of Colored Women. The
National Association of Col
ored Women Clubs (NACWC)
was established in Washing
ton, D.C... by the merger ...
of the National Federation of
Afro-American Women, the
Women’s Era Club of Boston,
and the National League of
Colored Women of Washing
ton, DC... [and] smaller orga
nizations that had arisen from
the African-American wom
en’s club movement. Founders
of the NACWC included Har
riet Tubman, Margaret Mur
ray Washington, Frances E.W.
Harper, Ida Bell Wells-Barnett,
and Mary Church Terrell....
The NACW came about as
a result of a letter written by
James Jacks, the president of
the Missouri Press Association,
challenging the respectability
of African American women,
referring to them as thieves and
prostitutes.
During the next ten
years, the NACW became
involved in campaigns in fa
vor of women’s suffrage and
against lynching and Jim Crow
laws....[I]n 1910 she found
ed and became the first presi
dent of the Negro Fellowship
League, which aided newly ar
rived migrants from the South.
Continued on Page 4
The Deadline Date Is April 22,
2024 To Register To Vote In The
May 21st Primary Election
Check Your Voter Status: mvp.sos.ga.gov/s/
Applications For The Absentee Ballot Are Now Available!
In Person At The Voter Registration Office:
1117 Eisenhower Dr., Ste E, Savannah, GA31406;
Call in the request: 912-790-1520; or
Email voter@chathamcounty.org to request the application
ONLINE REQUESTS at
https://securemyabse11teeballot.sos.ga.g0v/s/
2024 Nikki T. Randall Servant Leadership Awards
T he Savan
nah Tribune
congratulates
Daniela Rodriguez, Executive
Director of Migrant Equity
Southeast and Murem Sharpe,
CEO of StrategyRx, who were
among 32 women in the state
of Georgia awarded the Nikki
T. Randall Servant Leader
ship Award at the Yellow Rose
Ceremony by the Georgia
Women’s Legislative Caucus
of the Georgia Legislature on
International Women’s Ob
servance Day, March 8th. For
2024, Sharpe was honored as a
nominee of Rep. Edna Jackson
and Daniela Rodriguez was the
nominee of Rep. Anne Allen
Westbrook. This prestigious
award is presented to women
who have provided exception
al community services in their
district that are not affiliated
with a political party.
The Georgia Wom
en’s Legislative Caucus is a
L-R: Rep. Edna Jackson, Murem Sharpe, Daniela Rodriguez, and Rep. Anne Allen
Westbrook
bi-partisan, bicameral organi- Georgia General Assembly. Georgia who faithfully promot-
zation that fosters communi- The award is named in honor ed community service,
ty and engagement between of Nikki T. Randall, a former
women legislators in the Representative from Middle
Chatham County Sheriff’s Office Celebrates Local Heroes at Annual
Awards Luncheon
Ji.
L-R: Shellie Terrell, Nisha Giustino, Tina Tyus-Shawn, Michael Owens, Jennifer Hagan, Rachel Stayer, and
Mike Carbo
In a splendid show
case of community spirit and
dedication, the Chatham Coun
ty Sheriff’s Office hosted its
biannual Awards Luncheon last
Thursday, March 21, 2024, at
their facilities. This prestigious
event, a hallmark in the Cha
tham County calendar, is ded
icated to recognizing the un
sung heroes of our community
who contribute significantly to
making Chatham County a saf
er, more vibrant place to live.
Under the leadership
of Sheriff John Wilcher, the
event brought together indi
viduals from various sectors of
the community, united in their
commitment to service and ex
cellence. The Sheriff’s Awards
of Excellence, as they are
known, are not just accolades
but a testament to the creative
and impactful ways individuals
are making a difference in the
workplace and beyond.
The luncheon was not
only an occasion to honor these
extraordinary individuals but
also a moment for the commu
nity to come together in grati
tude and celebration. It was a
vivid reminder of the strength
and resilience inherent in Cha
tham County, bolstered by the
commitment of its citizens.
Continued on Page 2
Savannah Music Festival to Present World of Music March 28 - April
13 With Nearly 100 Performances by Top Artists in Iconic Venues
The Savannah Music
Festival (SMF) - renowned
for its high-energy mix of jazz,
classical, blues, Americana and
global roots music programs -
will delight local residents and
visitors with live music per
formances presented in icon
ic venues across Savannah’s
National Historic Landmark
District from Thursday, March
28 through Saturday, April 13.
The 35th annual Savannah Mu
sic Festival will present nearly
100 live performances by ac
claimed artists from across the
country and around the world.
Tickets to the 2024
Savannah Music Festival are
currently available online at
savannahmusicfestival.org,
by phone at 912.525.5050
or in person at the Savannah
Box Office, located at 216 E.
Broughton St.
“We’re thrilled to
bring incredible live perfor
mances to Savannah through
out the spring, offering a world
of music in one city,” said
Savannah Music Festival Ex-
Chucho Valdes
by Martin Espino Garcia
ecutive Director Gene Dobbs
Bradford. “Savannah Music
Festival has a deep commit
ment to the local community
and to expanding access to live
music. We invite everyone to
enjoy their favorite musicians
and to discover exciting new
artists at the 2024 festival.”
During the 17-day
festival, top artists from around
Oumou Sangare
by Holly Whittaker
the world will converge in Sa
vannah, Ga., including blue-
grass legend Ricky Skaggs &
Kentucky Thunder, world-re
nowned soprano Renee Flem
ing, eminent classical pianist
Emanuel Ax and GRAMMY
Award-winning composer and
singer-songwriter Rosanne
Cash, who will return to the
SMF stage for the first time
Bobby Rush
by Arnie Goodman
in six years with her husband
and longtime creative partner
John Leventhal. In addition,
talented musicians from India,
South Africa, Ireland, Cuba,
Sweden, Portugal, Mali, Co
lombia, France, Argentina and
Spain will take center stage for
the 2024 festival.
Continued on Page 9
ROBERT E. JAMES
President since
December 1971
CARVER'
STATE BANK
«£ Feb, 23,1927
97 Years of Service, Leadership and Success!
LOO IS B. TOOMER
founder one)
1st President
MAIN OFFICE
70 i Martin Luther King. Jr. Bled., Savannah, GA 3140)
SKI DAW AY BRANCH
71 tO Skidaway Rd., Savannah. GA 31406
