a Cline
VOLUME 88 - NUMBER 9
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2009
TELEPHONE (919) 682-2913 PRICE: 30
Black caucus presses Obama on priorities
Rev. William Barber, state president of the NAACP, delivered a letter to the general
manager of WRAZ, the local FOX affiliate in Durham Feb. 26. The letter was to ask for
more inclusion of African Americans in the editorial offices of the New York Post and
other NewsCorp entities. The Post published a chimpanzee that was killed by two w hite
policemen and said the killing would stop the federal economic Stimulus Plan offered by
President Obama. Holding a image of the cartoon if Rev. Rachel Green, member of the
executive committee of the Durham Branch of the NAACP.
NAACP Protests NY Post Cartoon Nationwide
By. Eric Mayes
Special to the NNPA from the Philadelphia Tribune
PHILADELPHIA (NNPA)'-'The NAACP is calling for News Corp.. which owns the New York Post and
recently published a political cartoon - artwork many said was racist - to hire more minorities to ensure such an
incident never happens again.
"We hope that Mr. Murdoch will make good on his apology and agree to make the needed changes in the
newsroom and its policies." said Benjamin Jealous, president and CEO of the National Association for the Ad
vancement of Colored People.
Rupert Murdoch, owner of News Corp.. has apologized for the cartoon.
Nevertheless, protests were planned at Fox News television stations in dozens of U.S. cities on Thursday be
cause of the cartoon that critics said likened a violent chimpanzee to President Barack Obama.
The cartoon featured Travis, a real-life chimpanzee shot recentlx by police in Connecticut, near New York,
after it had attacked a woman. In the drawing, two policemen stand over the chimp’s body - one sa\s: "They’ll
have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."
J. Whyatt Mondesire, president of the state and Philadelphia NAACP chapter, along with his members, were
seen marching at the comer of Third and Market streets at the local Fox station on Thursday, with signs protesting
the New York Post’s controversial cartoon.
The national civil rights organization said demonstrations were scheduled in more than 50 cities - including
New York. Boston and Baltimore - to protest the Feb. 18 cartoon.
The group also decried what it called "racial insensitivity" and lack of diversity at the paper and the Fox News
station.
Jealous said Murdoch had not gone far enough..
"We welcome Rupert Murdoch’s statement that the New York Post will endeavor to be more sensitive to the
communities it serves, but unfortunately his apology fails to answer how the Post will do so." Jealous said in a
statement. "Mr. Murdoch could resolve this unfortunate situation in 15 minutes by meeting to develop substantive
measures to ensure thpt this t\ pe of incendiary incident does not happen again."
Representatives for the Post and Fox News did not immediately respond to phone calls from the Associated
Press.
A spokesman for the Fox Networks Group, which runs the local TV affiliates, declined to comment.
According to Jealous, the NAACP received more than 20.000 e-mails demanding that Murdoch apologize.
On Feb. 24 he did so.
"Last week, we made a mistake." Murdoch said. "We ran a cartoon that offended many people. Today I want
to personally apologize."
(Continued on Paae 4)
By Ben Evans
WASHINGTON (AP) -
President Barack Obama re
assured members of the Con
gressional Black Caucus that
he's on their side and will do
what he can to support the
group’s left-leaning agenda,
lawmakers said Feb. 26 after
an hour-long session at the
White House.
Nearly all the group’s 42
members attended. Notice
ably absent was Illinois Sen.
Roland Burris. Obama’s re
placement who is fending off
calls to resign.
The lawmakers - all Demo
crats - said the reception was
a welcome change from the
tenure of former President
George W. Bush, who held
several cordial meetings with
black lawmakers but rarely
agreed with them on sub
stance.
"There is no comparison.’’
said Rep. Elijah Cummings
of Maryland. "(Obama) basi
cally assured us that having
been a member of the Con
gressional Black Caucus ...
that he gets the issues and
will do everything he can to
work with us."
Lawmakers said they pre
sented Obama with a wish-
list covering a broad range
of topics, many of them eco
nomic issues affecting their
districts.
They pressed Obama to fo
cus on hiring more minorities
to federal jobs and helping
small and minority-owned
businesses get government
contracts. They also discussed
creating a health-care safety
net and addressing medical
disparities among minorities.
Lawmakers expressed con
tinued concerns about the
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,
and proposed forming a na
tional task force for improv
ing education in low-income
communities.
Rep. Sheila .lackson Lee of
Texas said the caucus made
its priorities clear but is
"not unrealistic about what a president can do."
Cummings said some of the proposals don’t involve addi
tional money. For example, he said Obama talked about us
ing the bully pulpit to encourage minorities to get more health
screenings.
Although Obama was a member of the caucus during his
Senate tenure from 2004-2008. he has never had a particular
ly close relationship with the group. Accommodating its full
agenda could cause problems for the president’s effort to build
a moderate political coalition.
But caucus members said it’s their job to make sure he re
mains focused on the hardships facing their districts, many of
which are poor urban areas with high unemployment.
"Everybody ’s pulling together." said Rep. David Scott of
Georgia.
A book display in a Coral (iabies« Florida Barni's Si Nohk* had
a display of books on President Obama and his >vite. According to
Barnes & Noble management, a customer placed a book on monkeys
in the display. Below is their explanation and apology, this picture had
been circling on the Internet.
“Barnes & Noble would like to publicly apologize for what liap-
pened in our Coral Gables, Florida store. We believe that a customer
played a cruel joke and placed an inappropriate title in the front win
dow of our store, where we were featuring books w ritten by or about
President Obama. We want to assure our customers that the book
placed by someone other than our booksellers was never intended to
be included in our display and was removed as soon as we became
aware of the situation. We are looking into it and are taking the steps
necessary so that it does not happen again. From time to time cus
tomers will move titles from one area of the store to another. In this
particular case, we do not condone whatever message may have been
intended with the placement of this title in our Presidential display.
It certainly was not part of our merchandising and we regret that we
didn't see the placement of this title immediately.
Mary Ellen Keating. Spokesperson
Barnes & Noble, inc.
Durham Native Wilbert ‘Bill’ Tatum - ‘Black Press Giant’ Dies in Croatia
NNPA
NEW YORK (NNPA) - The New York Amsterdam News has announced
the death of ’Black Press giant’ Wilbert "Bill’’ Tatum, publisher emeritus.
CEO and chairman of the board of the newspaper that is in the midst of its
centennial celebration.
Tatum. 76. died in a hospital in Croatia on Wednesday evening. Febru-
aiy 25. after a brief illness.
His wife. Susan, and family were working to bring Tatum’s body back
to the U. S. from Croatia, a country in Central Europe. His daughter. Elinor
Tatum, publisher and editor-in-Chief of the nationally known and respect
ed weekly newspaper, has expressed her gratitude for the outpouring of
support and condolences from leaders in the Black Press, political, public
service and Black leadership communities across the nation.
"He was much loved and greatly respected in the Black community and
in the media world in general. An international traveler. Bill Tatum saw it
as his ambition, mission and accomplishment to grow the Harlem-based
New York Amsterdam News into the world-renowned publication that it is
today." states the official announcement on www.amsterdamnews.com.
Ms. Tatum, who was named editor-in-chief in 1997. assures readers that
the paper will continue in its outstanding tradition of service to the local,
national and international community to keep ’The New Black View’ in
the forefront.
As funeral plans were still incomplete at NNPA deadline, salutes were
being echoed across the nation for Tatum, who during his tenure, expanded
the readership and influence of the Amsterdam News, New York’s oldest
Black newspaper.
"The Black Press has lost a giant." says Dorothy R. Leavell. chair of the
NNPA Foundation. "The death of Wilbert Tatum reminds me of his call for
integrity in our own industry as well as the public. Wilbert’s presence and
wisdom will be missed by me and so many others that he influenced in his
journalistic and activist-inspired leadership."
NNPA Chairman John B. Smith Sr., who has known Tatum more than
30 years, describes him as "a true and stellar newspaperman, who person
ified fairness, justice and determination to better the ’beloved community.
He made certain, throughout his four decades at his publication, to
[write] truth-to-power editorials to advance the African-Ajuerican diaspo
ra. in particular, and the nation and world, overall,"
Tatum, highly esteemed as a businessman as well as a publisher and
civil rights leader, gained respect from every facet of society and across
political lines.
Democratic Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a former New York sen
ator. said. "Bill was a dear friend, an inspiration, and a leader among jour
nalists and indeed throughout his community. As the longtime publisher of
the Amsterdam News. New York City’s oldest African American newspa
per. and former Deputy Borough President of Manhattan. Bill’s leadership
and advocacy on behalf of civil rights, his community, and journalistic
integrity is an inspiration to all of us."
Republican Mayor Michael Bloomburg. with whom Tatum frequently
sparred, saluted him in a heartfelt statement upon his death.
"It’s a big loss for a paper that has been influencing and reflecting City
politics for over lOO years now." said Bloomberg. ’’Bill helped build the
company into a major employer in Harlem, but the paper’s voice really
was heard across the city - and. on many occasions, around the world. He
covered issues of concern to African-Americans in ways that other media
outlets did not. and he gave many young writers opportunities they might
not otherwise have had."
From politicians to civil rights activists. Tatum carried major influ
ence.
New York Action Network President Al Sharpton described Tatum as
"an iconic and vitally important figure in both Journalism and civil rights.
I first met him when I was a teenager involved in civil rights work in New
York and have known him over 30 years." he says. "His courage, his tenac
ity, his sagacity, and his advocacy are unparalleled in African-American
journalism. We have lost a great advocate, a penetrating writer, an unmatch-
able institution builder, and for me. a great friend and fatlier figure."
The Amsterdam News was founded in 1909 as a Black-owned and op
erated institution. In 1996, Wilbert Tatum bought out the last remaining
investor. Though he stepped down as publisher, he continued serving as the
publication’s publisher emeritus, CEO, and chairman of the board.
(Continued On Page 4)
TATI 'M