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3A NEWSfin^e C^arlottt $ot Thursday, August 11, 2005 Missing blacks ignored by most media Huston By Hazel Trice Edney NATIONAL NEy^'SPAPER PUBUSHERS ASSOCIATION WASHINGTON - When 24- year-old Tamika Huston of Spartanburg, S.C., did hot return home on June 2 last year, her mother, Gabrilla Simehehe, her friends and family began relying on every resource to find her. Hoping to get quick, wide spread cover age on the 4- foot-11, 125- pound aspiring singer, Hiey called in a missing perscn’s report to the Spartanburg, S.C. Pohce Department, they reached out to the local news media, missii^ persons agen cies, and to the national news stations. It seemed, howev^, the national airwaves were already crowded as day after day the stories of missing white women took precedent over people of color. “In reference to Natahe Holloway and the others, I mean, Fm going throu^ the same thing they’re going through. They’ve gotten the attention that they deserve to get and I wish we could receive the same attention they’ve been getting,” says Simehehe. ‘1 guess they just Figueroa pick a formula that the pubHc would like to see. I’m angry behind this because every person should be treated equal.” The sagas of Holloway the American student who van ished on the CaribbeEin island of Aruba; Atlanta’s Jennifer Wilbanks, the “runaway bride,” who returned home safely from New Mexico after faking an abduction; and Fresno, Calif’s Lad Peterson, whose hus band, Scott, has been convict ed and sentenced to death for the murder of her and their unborn son, are a few among those that Simdiehe watched being aired day after day while her daughter and oth ers were not mentioned. The stories that have been aired are quite diverse, but the victims aU have one thing in common. They are aU white, young and pretty That mold only compounded the pain for Huston’s aunt, Rebkah Howard, a pubfic relations ®{pert in Florida. Howard recalled the morn ing that the news of a Salt Lake City Utah case of miss ing jogger Lori Hacking hit the airwaves July 19 last year. “Literally within hours after her not returning fiom her morning jc^, it was all over the news,” Howard says. ‘1 was so finstrated because ht- erally all the same programs, all the same correspondents who I had been reaching out to — to no avail — were all over that story That’s when it real ly hit home for me. What makes her story any more compelling than my niece’s? What makes her any more important than Tamika?”’ ^thin four months of national news coverage. Hacking’s husband, Mark, confessed to having murdered his wife and her body was recova:ed. Meanwhile, Spartanburg police say they have discov ered blood belonging to Huston under a carpet inside the former apartment of a man she had been dating. Pohce won’t release his name, but say he has been incarcer ated on an unrdated parole violation imtil the investiga tion yidds ^ough evidence to chaige him in Huston’s disap pearance. Investigators say major news coverage of a case always help to bring leads by putting pressure on the pohce and the community and by broadening the name and face recognition of the pereon Crises facing black males needs solutions, panelists say Continued from page 1A he admonished pohticians for not assuming responsibihty for improving the ph^t of Blacks and criticized the media’s influence on black men. We must stop allowing people to gain poht- icaUy fix)m us and then not reciprocate with dealing and being held accountable to our people,” he said. "As lor^ as we allow people to get elected off of us and dehver nothing to us, then part of our problem is that we have such low pohtical self-esteem that we think that the role of our vote is to sponsor others’ careers rather than solving the problems of ^ our youth... Every time we give them support for no support, we add to the marginalization of Black men.” Sharpton said record companies and media have not provided positive images and mes sages for youths. He pointed to the current movie Hustle and Flow, saying young Black men might be imbued by "models of success” shown in the movie’s glorification of the "pimp” lifestyle, instead of having positive images to ^nulate. "People emulate what, they see, and people can’t see what is not shown to them,” said Sharpton. But given the numerous issues facing black men, are they really on the brink of extinc tion? Cose and Adelaide Sandford, vice chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents, responded with a resoimding TIo.” "If you look at American culture and take Black males out of the equation, there is no American culture. So no, I don’t think they’re in dang^. But I do think that there is a sig nificant portion of our community that is undo* siege, and I think that constitutes a devastating problem,” said Cose. Sandford spoke of her concern with using the term "endangered species” to describe Afiican-American males. "Historically,1 an endangered species is pro tected, is given sanctuary, is given support. And then, when it is released again into the ocean or into the air, it goes with a \mit that allows for a monitoring of its progress,” she said “How can we possibly use the term ‘endangered species’ as it apphes to men of Afiican ancestry? They are not an endan gered species. They have no protection; they have no sanctuary” Ga. massacre re-enacted By Alexander M. Ford THE AHANTA DAILY WORLD ATLANTA — These micro film copies of the Atlanta Daily World show the original headlines reporting the ‘’Monroe Massacre” fix)m 1946. The first one, "LYNCH ING BEE STAGED AT MON ROE” is fix)m the July 27, 1946 paper. It was followed up the next day with photographs fium the seme and calls for the Governor and FBI to act, beneath the headline "$10,000 REWARD OFFERED FOR GA. LYNCHERS.” The July 30, 1946 headline shows "FBI Probers Take Over Monroe Massacre; Harrison Guarded.” Additional stories on that page note ‘’Lynch Metims Laid to Rest On Ga. ‘Black Simday”* ‘White Methodists Blast Monroe Mob,” and "Negro Publishers Ask Amall, Thunan to Act On Mol^ters.” The July 31, 1946 story headline says, ‘’TRUMAN ORDERS LYNCH PROBE,” and reperis "Mass-Meet At Wheat Street Thursday N^ht - Leaders Ib Seek Statewide Aid for Sorrow-Stricken.” The ADW continued to fol low the story and build sup port for the community It continues to recall the story on each anniversary Streams of sweat sHthered down the faces of close to 200 spectators who huddled close ly together at the entrance of the Moore’s Ford Bridge in Monroe, Ga. the day that marked the annivm?ary of the Monroe Massacre on July 25,1946. It had been nearly 60 years since the Walton Country landmark shrouded a tear- inducii^ act of hatred. This was the scene of the brutal slayings of two black couples and an unborn child — Roger and Dorothy Malcom (seven months pregnant); (jeorge and Mae Dorsey They were dragged fiom a car by an esti mated 15 to 25 Klansmen, beaten and shot dozens of times aloi^ the Apalachee River with shotguns and pis tols until they were unrecog nizable to their own families. According to reports in the Atlanta Daily World in 1946, the shootings took place a few days after Roger Malcom went to jail for stabbing a white man who allegedly made advances toward his wife. After years of investigation, the case remained unsolved and eventually was closed by the FBI. However, in the mind of state Rep. Tyrone Brcx>ks, ' president of the (Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials, the road to justice was just being paved and pushed him to assemble a motivated and focused crop of activists that included National SCLC president, Charles Steele, who shared his vision of bringing the being sou^t. “There does appear'there may be some difference in the national news coverage says Lt. Steve Lamb, the lead investigator on the Huston case. At this point more than a year later, he says, ‘Hope that she is still ahve is very shm.” The family holds on to what httle hope is left. ‘Every time Tamika gets a single coverage fix)m a nation al program, new leads come in,” says Howard. America’s Most Wanted was the first national media to pick up the story in March, nine months after she was reported miss- irg. More than a year later, MSNBC and NBC have also aired the story “I understand that not every case can be covaed as widdy as they’ve been cover ing Natahe HoUoway, for example. But why don’t you cut back on that coverage? We don’t have to know every sin gle time hei* mother meets with the pohce. We don’t have to know if her Mom got up this morning and had scram bled ^gs,” Howard says. “We don’t have to know every detail. Report when you have something to report; then you will be able to open it up to make the coverage a Httle bit more broad.” Meanwhile, Howard has estabhshed a Web site, www.tamikahuston.com, that features 22 other missing per sons, mostly black, who are having difficulty getting expo- sine in national media. The cases include nine missing adult black males. Among oth^ cases of miss ing persons is the case of Latoya Figueroa, a pregnant 24-year-old Black woman missii^ since July 18. The news coverage may not have saved her niece’s Hfe, Howard says, “But what I think it could have saved is a lot of heartache for our family because I certainly beHeve had the intense media scruti ny been on this case initially, I think we would have foimd hei' by now. I think we would have had at least a confession or an arrest in the case. That’s where I think the media could have made the diffaence.” You’re QUALIFIED To Buy A CAR with: • 6 mo. employ. $1,500 Dn. • $1,500 gross income Call: 704-493-4167- THE CHARLOTTE POST (USPS 965-500) is published 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, Chariotte, NC 28230 Readings bv MISS HOPE SHE SAYS DON’T GIVE UP! vSoulhem Bom Spiritualist BRINGS YOU the solutions to the mysteries of the DEEP SOUTH. Helps thou sands who have been CROSSED, HAVE SPELLS, CANT HOLD MONEY. WANT LUCK. WANT THEIR LOVED ONES BACK. STOPS NATURAL PROBLEMS. GAIN FINANCIAL AID or PEACE. LOVE and PROSPERI TY in the home uxiay! SHE TELUS YOU ALL BEFORE YOU UTTER A WORD. ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM ILLNESS OR DISEASE that YOU CAN NOT CURE? There is a doctor of all doctors. This di.x.nor is GOD. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE arc amazed at the results gotten by MISS HOPE. 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Brooks finally unveiled the finits of his tireless labor in fix>nt of an audience mixed with local residents, media and interested visitors to the area, who viewed a shocking ly realistic reenactment of the events that occurred decades ago in. late July ^th no formal theatrical training and direction, sever al volimteers fix)m the local community gathered by activist and narrator of the reenactment, Bobby Evans, used thick tree branches, ^obs of ketchup and toy guns with fire crackers to recreate a scene in fiunt of the Moore Ford Bridge convincing enough to stun the audience and powerful enou^ to draw national attention to a mys tery that has yet to be solved. White theatrical masks or sacks with "KKK” scribbled on the sides and placed over the heads of volimteer actors symbolized the Klansmen of the time. The all-black cast used racially degrading lan guage and stir^^ed brusque ly while portraying the ai^ry mob. Those representing the victims let off hair-raising screams as they were smeared vsdth ketchup resem bling blood. ‘This was awesome,” said Monroe resident Sandra Glover, who helped behind the scenes. ‘ September 23, 200b Adami Mark Hold - 555 S, McDowell Streci, Charlollc 6:30 p.ni- Reteulion 7:30 p.rn. Dmnec'Silei'll Auction Ticket!; $75.00 pnt/. annua/ subscriplion to tht Posl) Proivvdi lio fo the Chdrlottf $0ft Pvst Schohrship fund Corporation of the Year - '■•',i:. i.iM:|t (. .i :'i;i,ilic.n Lnlrepreneur of the Year - t.L ■ L‘ irip,u"s, Ir: tdueator of the Year - \ iiir \ SporLperbon ol the Year - \ vir ‘-i 11 , ■ i CoiniTiunily Service Peryjn/Organi/alion of the Year - v nl .li i' l ! Top Senior of the Year - ■■ laur'::! I- '■! Top Senior of the Year Runner-up -: tvliur.Ci t-lr :-.,ir
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Aug. 11, 2005, edition 1
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