After graduating Binghamton with a Bachelors degree in political science, Jeffries got a law degree at New York University. Learn more on the philanthropy page. The charter members were Elder Watson Diggs, Byron K. Armstrong, John M. Lee, Henry T. Asher, Marcus P. Blakemore, Guy L. Grant, Paul W. Caine, George W. Edmonds, Ezra D. Alexander and Edward G. Irvin. Major cities like Detroit and New York donated firetrucks and garbage trucks. It's also available for basketball, baseball and hockey. The mission that helped launch the fraternity nearly eight decades before Jeffries joined carried over to each new chapter across the country, including Binghamtons Mu Kappa chapter. A "private property" sign posted out front is barely visible. Whitten's father was one of the defense lawyers. All five members of Mississippis U.S. congressional delegation other than Thompson are Republicans. "We have struggled with getting the whole story out; we don't want the sanitized version.". Weband Thompson served as a town alderman from 1969 to 1973, when he won election as the towns mayor. Bennie was sent to Hins County public school by his parents. Congress launches inquiry into states disinvestment in Jackson water, Jan. 6 panel votes unanimously to subpoena Trump to testify, Capitol Police investigate letter with concerning language found near Jan. 6 committee Chair Bennie Thompsons office, Congress launches inquiry into states disinvestment in, Jan. 6 panel votes unanimously to subpoena, Capitol Police investigate letter with concerning language. Civil rights tour guide Jessie Jaynes-Diming stands on the banks of the Tallahatchie River, one of several Emmett Till Memorial sites that local officials are trying to have protected under the National Park Service. It Doesnt Always Make It Easy for Them to Lead. He didn't die in vain, and he triggered, I believe, the civil rights movement.". We have long established policies that prohibit hate speech, harmful conspiracies and incitement, Ivy Choi, a YouTube spokesperson, said in an email. In what capacity would you like to participate? If the history of Emmett Till was swept under the rug before, one driving force in commemorating it now is tourism and the potential to bring new money to the Mississippi Delta a largely agricultural landscape in the northwest part of the state that struggles to attract new industry. Bennie Thompson was born in a very loving family in Bolton, Mississippi. "Basically African Americans didn't have an opportunity to tell any of the story back in 1955 when it did happen," he says, because of fear of reprisals in Jim Crow-era Mississippi. The expectation that you live both your personal values, as well as those espoused in the Fraternitys Ritual of Initiation. Rep. Bennie Thompson: You know, now, this is somebody who voted against a committee made up of 50 percent appointed by Pelosi and 50 percent appointed by Republican Leader McCarthy. Thompsons chairmanship of the select committee is not just a capstone of the career of a respected congressman and chair of the Homeland Security Committee, but of his lifes work of subverting systems while still acting within them, using his relative power to methodically scrub the grout of racism and corruption from their halls. U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson called on the hundreds who marched during the annual King Day at the Dome to continue to fight against injustice. Bennie Thompson has never won a Super Bowl. I believe that my chapter can become an ideal chapter. The two men attacked the teen after Carolyn Bryant claimed he made an aggressive pass at her. His 43 years of public service is a testament to his unwavering dedication to fulfill their expectations and to be the resounding voice for the constituents of the Second District of Mississippi. The city halls are no longer places our black folks fear to come, Thompson told The New York Times in a 1979 article. "The basic idea is that you can't shoot an app," Tell says. Today, the building is in ruins, overtaken by trees and vines. Since 1980, 13 members of the fraternity have served in the United States House of Representatives, the most by any member organization of the National Pan Hellenic Council. All Rights Reserved. He has been married his college sweetheart, London Johnson of Mound Bayou, Mississippi, since 1968. Thompson and wife have a daughter, BendaLonne Thompson. Bennie Thompson and his wife London Johnson have a daughter, BendaLonne; granddaughter, Jeanna; and grandson, Thomas Gordon. Bennie Thompson is the son of Will and Annie Lauris Thompson. Achievement in Every Field of Human Endeavor. The Mississippi congressmans long struggle for civil rights is culminating with his role atop the January 6 committee. The committee may also have to wade into controversial waters and call Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomass wife, Virginia, to testify, based on reports that she lobbied the White House chief of staff to pursue efforts to overturn the election. In Congress, Thompson focused much of his work on racial equity. The historic marker was taken down after three white fraternity brothers from the University of Mississippi were pictured holding guns next to the sign. These three Founders are credited with guiding the infant Fraternity through the most perilous years of its life. According to Brown, Black Greek life in the U.S. arose from exclusion and racism in higher education. Since the beginning, every endeavor was directed toward establishing the Fraternity upon a strong foundation before embarking on plans of expansion. A New York Times article detailing Thompsons victory said he was regarded as far more confrontational than Espy, noting that he made no overtures to white voters.. This environment made day-to-day life for Blacks an arduous task and attempts to successfully achieve in school, nearly impossible. The Greek Letter was chosen in place of N and the Fraternity acquired a distinctive Greek letter symbol and Kappa Alpha Psi thereby became an indistinguishable Greek-letter Fraternity. Thompson added: I can assure you that if a criminal referral would be warranted, there would be no reluctance on the part of this committee to do that, according to the Post. hide caption. One of the 5 Objectives of the Fraternity is: To promote the spiritual, social, intellectual and moral welfare of members. Many aspects of the Fraternitys rites are engrained in Christianity ideals and contain excerpts from the Bible. Meta spokesman Andy Stone declined to comment on the draft report and referred questions about Trumps reinstatement to the companys previous public statements, which pledged consequences for future violations if Trumps accounts are reinstated. As far as replacing the sign, Weems is getting help from a fifth-generation local farmer, Walker Sturdivant, who owns the property and plans to donate a long-term lease to better protect the site. He graduated from Hinds County And the chairman of the January 6 committee, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, warned on CNN that no one is off limits in terms of being compelled to Their experiences at Howard gave rise to the chief motivating spirits which sowed of the seed for a fraternity at Indiana University and crystallized the idea of establishing an independent Greek-letter organization. February 10,1963 Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. The committee is also expected to hold more public hearings this year, after just one high-profile hearing with Capitol and Metropolitan Police officers last summer. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Milam (left) and Roy Bryant sit with their wives, Juanita Milam (second from left) and Carolyn Bryant, in September 1955. Mississippi social justice consultant Susan Glisson, who has also been working with the Memorial Commission, says the persistent vandalism sends a clear message. Pi Kappa Phis esoteric values are taught to each member He was a force to be reckoned with, Joseph Cordero, who was two years ahead of Jeffries and a fellow Nupe, recalls of the man who would go on to be the first Black lawmaker to lead either party in Congress. He loved stepping and I just remember him constantly harassing me to teach him different moves.. The name of Fraternity and the image it portrayed was of paramount importance. The company found its own response to the incitement of violence troubling, according to the report, but no substantive work was done to improve the situation in 2021, including in other high-profile elections such as in Brazil last year. "We're here in the cotton gin where they received the fan, the old fan, that they attempted to dispose of the child's body with," says museum founder and Glendora Mayor Johnny Thomas. Write to Mini Racker at mini.racker@time.com. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Spring 1990. Bennie combines the wisdom, judgment, patience, and good humor necessary to guide our committee at this historic moment, she said. In 1980, Thompson was elected to the Hinds County board of supervisors, where he served 13 years. It would be the only Greek-letter organization founded with the concept of achievement. In the US, Facebooks Samidh Chakrabarti, then the product lead for the US election, suggested forming a working group to study the torrent of election delegitimizing content on Facebook. Guy Rosen, Facebooks chief information security officer who was running the companys safety and integrity efforts at the time, told Chakrabarti that even studying the problem would just create momentum and expectation for action that he didnt support. Some people are possessed with a preternatural sense of purpose, a seriousness that lends them an air of gravitas even at a young age. Rep. Sanford Its a committee of bosses, Torres said, a committee of the most powerful personalities in Congress. "I think all these folks are stirring crap up," he says. Membership into these organizations were typically White Only.. Kappa Alpha Nu began uniting college men of culture, patriotism and honor in a Bond of fraternity. Thompson had three children: BendaLonne, Jeanna, and Thomas. Trumps Missing Phone Records Have a Familiar Stink of Criminality, A Federal Judge Rips Trump for Plotting a Coup, An Intimate Portrait of a Village Torn Apart by Politics, Inside the Battle Between Big Ag and Lab-Grown Meat, Its Bennie Thompsons Moment to Defend Democracy. Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles, How Hakeem Jeffries' Leadership of His Historically Black Fraternity Shaped His Career. The duty to uphold and abide by the Fraternitys standards of conduct and to use Ultimate Respect when confronting brothers who fail in their obligations to Pi Kappa Phi. "And in 2019, you have another hate crime of vandalism occurring where they want to desecrate the space that we've allotted for memory of him.". Avid hunter. The inaugural edition of the Kappa Alpha Nu Journal debuted April 1914 and has printed uninterrupted since with the exception to 1918 and 1919, due to WWI. They were also notorious for discriminating against Black students. Through its worldwide prominence, Kappa Alpha Psi has had a global impact on events which affect our local communities as well as places around the globe. A memorial first installed in 2008 to mark the spot where 14-year-old Emmett Till was recovered from the Tallahatchie River in 1955 has been repeatedly vandalized shot through with bullet holes. The ideals of the church were an important foundation of the Fraternity. In the late 1960s, Tougaloo, a private Black college on the outskirts of Jackson, Mississippi, had a population of particularly civic-minded students. Judge: Former California GOP Rep. Devin Nunes not defamed by Esquires Iowa farm story Wicker was the only member of the states Republican congressional delegation not to cast votes on Jan. 6 challenging the AP If I have two roads, a paved road with potholes in a white neighborhood and an unpaved one in a black neighborhood, my priority is the unpaved road, Thompson said in a 1985 profile written by Joe Klein for Esquire. This was a convergence of a mob riot with a white nationalist violent insurrection, and an inside political coup. The campus of Indiana University at that time did not encourage the assimilation of Blacks. (In the 1985 Esquire interview, Thompson said he didnt think that he was the right piece of equipment for the job of congressman. WebOne of the 5 Objectives of the Fraternity is: To promote the spiritual, social, intellectual and moral welfare of members. Many aspects of the Fraternitys rites are engrained in Christianity ideals and contain excerpts from the Bible. Consequently, eight other men met with Diggs and Armstrong for the purpose of organizing such a fraternity. Consequently, the few Blacks who took up residence in Bloomington in those early years were socially ostracized and encountered extreme acts of prejudice and discrimination. Bennie Thompson was born in New Orleans, LA. The University of Mississippi fraternity brothers who posed with guns at the bullet-pocked marker were suspended by the Kappa Alpha Order, an organization that glorifies the Confederate South. Born in a state with a unique history of racial inequality, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson draws inspiration from the legacies of Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer, Aaron Henry and Henry Kirksey. The Bolton, Mississippi native considers it an honor to walk the path Mississippi civil rights icons paved decades ago. He was involved with Binghamtons Black Student Union, and in attempting to elevate his fraternitys status on campus, he helped make communities of color more visible to the university as a whole. And there's shame attached to it.". Pi Kappa Phis esoteric values are taught to each member through our Ritual of Initiation. Vigilante lynchings of Blacks were commonplace. "Every day, somebody's dragging up the race card. He calls commemorative sites like signs and monuments the new lunch counters. In 2006, he was elected to the New York State Assembly. Founded in 1906 on the campus of Cornell University, Motto: First of All, Servants of All, We Shall Transcend All, Service Programs: Voter Engagement, Youth Mentoring/Education, and Elder Care, Founded in 1908 on the campus of Howard University, Service Programs:Education, Womens Health/Wellness, and Economic Empowerment, Founded in 1911 on the campus of Indiana University, Motto: Achievement in Every Field of Human Endeavor, Service Programs: Youth Education/Mentoring, Literacy, and Military/Veterans Affairs, Founded in 1911 on the campus of Howard University, Motto: Friendship is Essential to the Soul, Service Programs: Health/Wellness, Youth Education/Mentoring, and Literacy, Founded in 1913 on the campus of Howard University, Motto: Intelligence is the Torch of Wisdom, Service Programs: Economic Development, Educational Development, and Physical/Mental Health. Im proud of our work together and honored to be his friend.. Civil rights tour guide Jessie Jaynes-Diming stands on the banks of the Tallahatchie River, one of several Emmett Till Memorial sites that local officials are trying to have protected under the National Park Service. Power always changes hands, and Republicans are widely expected to retake the House in the midterm elections. He served in that capacity for six years. These incidents caused the Founders to change the name of the Fraternity. The system, and the people who had long defined it, did not want to change. There, he partnered with current New York City Mayor Eric Adams, then a state senator, to author a law preventing police from keeping the names and addresses of New Yorkers they stopped, frisked, and releasedmany of them Black and Latino. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our, Digital But it also gave me the way forward of how you work toward institutional change in a community, Thompson said. What do they teach their fraternity members? hide caption. "The issue of race is still the undercurrent about the discussion of Emmett Till," according to Rep. Bennie Thompson, an African American Democrat who has represented the Mississippi Delta region in the U.S. House since 1993. full responsibility as citizens; I believe that my chapter can become an ideal chapter, Last July, he was tasked by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to lead a select committee to investigate the attempted insurrection and storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Father. Can rise within the system that initially and aggressively sought to exclude him. Congressman Thompson has been a long supporter of Agriculture. Thompsons unpretentious persona may have allowed him to largely escape the wrath of the committees critics. Thompson considered running for Congress in the 1980s, after a congressional district with a majority African American population was created, but ultimately decided against it. Just make sure that you do it the right way.. ". Diggs presided as president, while Irvin was assigned as temporary secretary of Alpha Omega. Being a member of what we call the Divine Nine, that is, the traditional African American sororities and fraternitiescreates a relationship with probably over a million people who have that connection in common, says Georgia Rep. Bishop. "We came by to see this part of history about Emmett Till," says Alexis Ortiz. Politics | Since their inception, each organization has contributed countless hours of community service, donated millions of dollars toward educational scholarships, and have provided leadership to communities around the country. The duty to lead and the privilege to serve others in order to better the world around you. Thomas says it's about interpreting the Till story a different way. How We Can Learn to Live with COVID-19 After Vaccinations. Bennie Thompson had 40 receiving yards over his career. Instagram/Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting Once every year, the group meets in the District of Columbia tounderstand current legislation that affects members of our communities, and to develop talking points and plans of action for engaging elected representatives in the House, the Senate, and respective state assemblies, and local city halls. WebOne of the 5 Objectives of the Fraternity is: To promote the spiritual, social, intellectual and moral welfare of members. Many aspects of the Fraternitys rites are engrained in Do you have a sports website? Use tab to navigate through the menu items. J. Scott Applewhite/AP State: Mississippi, 2nd District. Weems says. The Delta is in the northwest. There was an additional misunderstanding being attributed to the acronym of the Fraternitys Greek letters, KAN. Some confused the abbreviation of the letters to refer to the state of Kansas.
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