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3A NEWSmt CiNirlotte Wednesday, December 31,2003 1940s neiMspaoer recoims immioiid had Mach idalhies jBy James Wright • THE BALTIMORE AFRO I * BALTIMORE - After I decades of silence, 78-year- jold Essie Mae Washington- 1 Williams has proclaimed to •the world that she is the f daughter of the late segrega- Stionist politician, Strom Thurmond. "I am Essie Mae Washington- Williams, and at last, I feel com pletely free,’ she said dur ing a recent press confer ence in Columbia, S.C. { However, the Baltimore Afro-American newspapers reported in 1948, the same year South Carolina’s then- Oov. James Strom VVashington- Williams Thurmond was the presiden tial nominee of the segrega tionist Dbdecrat Party, that he had several black rela tives, including an uncle and two cousins. The Afro initially reported in the edition dated Aug. 17, 1948, that a man named Robert Thurmond, from Morristown, N.J., was Strom Thurmond’s first cousin. “I certainly do know Strom, and he knows me, and he knows of our relationship because we were the only Thurmonds in Edgefield [South Carolina],” stated Robert Thurmond. Edgefield was the home of Strom Thurmond and his father, James E. "Snip” Thurmond Thurmond, and, according to AFRO reporter Douglas Hall, Edgefield was the home to several other Thurmonds, many of whom were black. At the end of August in 1948, Hall traveled to Edgefield to find the rest of Strom Thurmond’s colored clan. In the Aug. 24, 1948, edi tion of the Afro, he reported the existence of the Rev. James R. Thurmond, a half cousin of Strom Thurmond; Eva Thurmond Smith, another cousin; and Thomas Thurmond, Strom Thurmond’s imcle. ■’Why, I remember well when Gov. Thurmond’s father used to visit my grandfather. I remember asking my grandfather, why did that white man always visit our home? My grandfa ther [Thomas Thurmond] told me that they were Father’s decision spared son from wreck that killed four teen-agers Continued from page 1A crash. But some residents questioned whether a police officer may have chased them to their deaths. ' Troutman is about 35 miles north of Charlotte. The officer began chasing a 2001 Dodge Intrepid after he saw it weaving in its lane on JJ.S. Highway 21. The chase ended just after Jnidnight when the car hit an embankment, pipped and landed in a creek. ; The Highway Patrol said none of the victims had driver’s licenses or wore seat belts. The car had a spare tire on the right rear and was traveling at between 80 and 100 mph at the time of the accident. i Troutman police Chief Eric Henderson said Monday that Officer Keith Bills followed proper policy during the short chase and will jake off a couple of days before returning to duty. “He’s upset. We’re all upset. Naturally, it’s very upsetting when you lose a fife,” Henderson said. Howard Hurtt said his son and his fiiends had recently been borrowing cars from people they knew. He said he tried to get his son to stop the joyriding, but questioned why the group was pursued. “I’ve always been told that the patrolmen should foUow them, but don’t push them,” Hurtt said. “They were just out joyriding and a cop pulls them over and here we have seven deaths. I lost my only son.” The pursuit was captured on a video camera installed in Bills’ patrol car, Henderson said. The chief said he had not yet viewed the tape. North Carolina’s transportation depart ment said the crash was the deadliest in the state since 10 Plymouth High School students died in a vreck in 1997. One Nation... One Dream... Let Freedom Ring! UnHndVMm Of C«t>ifal Carotihas, loe. MOIT'OU.TIfiESNOM McCrorey Family YMCA Presents 10th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Breakfast Monday, January 19, 2004 7:00 A.M. Adam’s Mark Hotel 555 South McDowell Street, Charlotte Doors open at 6:45 A.M. Keynote Speaker: Dr. Bonnie Hines, Pastor, Walls AMEZ Church For More Information, call 704-716-6500 Individual Tickets $20.00 Proceeds are directed toward our Community Outreach Campaign so that the dreams of Children and teens may be realized. NOW ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR THE MLK SPIRIT AWARD. CALL 704-716-6506 FOR INFO Rev. brothers,” claimed Thurmond. Douglas Hall reported fur ther: ‘’It seems like eveiy- body up there [Edgefield, S.C.] are Thurmonds. They are of all colors. Some are so White that you cannot tell them from the original Thurmonds. The only thing that surprises Colored Thurmonds is, why is it so important that they are related to the white Thurmonds? It is an old story and ‘everybody in these parts knows it.’” In 1948, Essie Mae Washington was 23 years old and she allegedly had known about her father for seven years. The question is, did she know about her father’s other colored kin? WATER CARE SYSTEM apa. Bromine-Free. Chlorine-Free. Care-Free. www.baquaspa.tv SHOP ON LINE WITH H.PC.INC. BAQUASPA !s a Registered Traoeraark of Avecia, Inc. THE CHARLOTTE POST (USPS 965-500) is pub lished weekly for $40.00 per year by the Charlotte Post Publishing Co., 1531 Camden Rd. Charlotte, NC 28203-4753. Periodicals postage paid at Charlotte, NC. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE CHARLOTTE POST, PO Box 30144, Charlotte, NC 28230 Our BIGGEST Holiday Sale Yet!! 12 Months Interest FREE!* KEZIAH’S FURNITURE, INC Vaughn Bassett now Slei^ Bedroom Suit 6pc. SleiM! MADE IN U.S.A. ’O.A.C. Minimum Monthly — Payments required during Reg. $1349-- *2 momiLs Open Mon. - Sat. 9am - 6pm Financing Available 2914 Gibbon Rd. Charlotte, N.C. 704-596-7427 We Give Our Customers The Best Price! 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Dec. 31, 2003, edition 1
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