Jimmy Carter, President Obama, Emmett Till & Race
Jimmy Carter, President Obama, Emmett Till & Race
CNN reported the following on former President Jimmy Carter:
ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- Former President Jimmy Carter reiterated Wednesday that he believes racism is an issue for President Obama in trying to lead the country.
"When a radical fringe element of demonstrators and others begin to attack the president of the United States as an animal or as a reincarnation of Adolf Hitler or when they wave signs in the air that said we should have buried Obama with Kennedy, those kinds of things are beyond the bounds," the Democrat who served from 1977-1981 told students at Emory University.
"I think people who are guilty of that kind of personal attack against Obama have been influenced to a major degree by a belief that he should not be president because he happens to be African American.
"It's a racist attitude, and my hope is and my expectation is that in the future both Democratic leaders and Republican leaders will take the initiative in condemning that kind of unprecedented attack on the president of the United States," Carter said.
If you want to hear former President Carter in his own words go to the link below:
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/09/15/carter.obama/index.html?iref=newssearch#cnnSTCVideo
Many pundits, Black and white, are saying that President Carter is correct if you look at how things were in his era. They say that racism is not so much a factor in this era because this generation has moved on. When you read the information below you will have to ask yourself the question, has America moved on from using race as a defining factor to determine its political stances? You will see below that the racism that was displayed that caused the death of Emmett Till has been inherited and promoted by the generation after the time of Emmett Till. The following proves that racism is alive and well. Don’t fool yourself!!
Nearly 54 years after the traumatic lynching of Emmett Till which shocked the nation and galvanized the Modern American Civil Rights Movement, the son of one of the lawyers who defended Till’s murderers organizes another lynch mob in Tallahatchie County out for blood…
This isn’t a Hollywood movie…Nor is this Wilmington, NC, 1898; Elaine, Arkansas, 1919; Tulsa, Ok, 1921; Rosewood, Fl, 1923…This happened Thursday, August 20, 2009 in Sumner, Ms, in Tallahatchie County…Yes the same county where a young Black boy named Emmett Till met his doom/destiny some 54 years ago this week…This time a young Black man named Will Pittman,28 years old, of Tutwiler, MS, was the target of an unauthorized manhunt by a law official and his posse of “deputized” gun toting thugs…
Sometime Thursday, August 20, 2009, Pittman & his friend McKeel Scott (at the time of this writing his whereabouts is still unknown) were accused by John Whitten III, the County Attorney of Tallahatchie County, of burglarizing the home of a neighbor and quite possible a relative…According to several sources, the boys were not actually caught in anybody’s home at that time, but were still accused. This supposed act infuriated Mr. Whitten, whose father, John Whitten Jr., was the defense attorney for the killers of Emmett Till (the brothers J.W. Milam & Roy Bryant), and so instead of going through the proper channels he decided to seek his own brand of vigilante justice, southern style.
He organized a militia of what could best be described as a lynch mob. Some of these men were actual law enforcement officers while others such as the case of an unidentified white maintenance man from Tutwiler, MS, simply wore a police uniform and was given a police car along with plenty of booze, guns and ammunition. Even the K-9 unit from the Department of Corrections at the notorious Parchman State Penitentiary was alerted for this mission. In addition to the man, fire and canine power, Whitten deployed two military tanks for the purpose of hunting down Mr. Will Pittman as well.
Around 5pm on Thursday evening, Will Pittman was Public Enemy # 1 of the Magnolia State as far as Whitten was concerned. Whitten proceeded to chase Pittman with his posse of dogs, firepower and tanks for what seem to be several hours and a hauntingly surreal event for anybody who witnessed the spectacle…As bullets were whistling all around him, Will Pittman had the presence of mind to run into a field and drop to the ground to cover himself in mud and grass.
Not knowing where Pittman was hiding with the only visible evidence being footprints that seemed to lead to nowhere, by this time the would-be executioners, literally drunken with sadistic power as well as large quantities of alcohol, out of frustration of not being able to find the wily Pittman, began to shoot wildly into and around the field with their 50 caliber machine guns, assault rifles and tank.
Several law officials in the area were well aware of as well as disturbed by what was going on in Sumner. Sheriff Deputy Willie Booker of Tallahatchie County was at the scene and called Sheriff William Brewer about what was taking place to stop the potential lynching and reinforce law and order, but was told not to get involved and leave. Not wanting the death of Will Pittman on his conscience, Sheriff Deputy Booker alerted Attorney Ellis Pittman of Clarksdale, MS, the father of Will Pittman, about the mayhem taking place up in Sumner. Once he became aware that his son was the target of lynch mob justice by a man, John Whitten III, who is a sworn mortal enemy of his from their confrontations in the judicial arena, Attorney Pittman immediately alerted the appropriate authorities and shortly thereafter got into his car in a literal race of life and death to Sumner, Ms.
However, it was the very courageous gesture from the younger brother of Will Pittman, Cornelius Pittman,24, that stopped a true tragedy from happening that day. Without a hesitating thought for his own safety and life, Cornelius went into to field to talk down the lynch mob from doing the unthinkable. Through a true act of God, Cornelius’ words of mercy resonated with one of the law enforcement officials at the gathering, K-9 Officer Michael Davies who then pleaded with the others to back off as well…
Once they find out who Will’s father was many more heeded the call…Some of the law officials then negotiated a peaceful surrender of Will Pittman to law enforcement officers and he was placed in Sumner jail without any further incident or bodily harm. John Whitten frustrated and enraged in coming up short of his intentions then allegedly told Cornelius Pittman in the field the following:
“I am going to kill Will and his whole g****** family if I have to!”
Attorney Pittman successfully made it to the Sumner town jail to bail his son out later that evening. His son currently is being housed in a safe place and has not been publicly seen since his horrifying brush with death. Attorney Pittman was also successful in interviewing and recording several law enforcement officials about last Thursday’s incident…Surprisingly all interviewed were refreshingly honest with Attorney Pittman about the details of the manhunt confirming 'the fact is stranger than fiction tale' without hesitation.
As far as the behavior of lynch mob leader John Whitten is concerned, Attorney Pittman told W.E. A.L.L. B.E. News that Whitten “is supposed to be enforcing laws and not breaking them.” From what I was able to find online, Whitten was a municipal court judge for the towns of Charleston, Tutwiler, Webb and Okland, Ms. Ironically, in addition to his duties as county prosecuting attorney for Tallahatchie County he is also the city attorney for Tutwiler, a predominantly Black town with a Black mayor and 100% Black town council. Attorney Harvey Henderson was Tutwiler’s attorney before John Whitten. Harvey Henderson was also one of the actual attorneys that defended Till’s killers with John Whitten, Jr.
W.E. A.L.L. B.E. News was made aware by several sources that the FBI have just started an investigation this past Sunday August 23, 2009, working closely with several state officials to get to the bottom of this incident. And on Weds. August 26, 2009 @ 9PM Central/10PM Eastern, W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio will be interviewing Attorney Ellis Pittman & longtime Mississippi Civil Rights activist and artist Sis. Margaret Block for an update about the case. Please call 646-652-4593 and join the conversation as well as tune in online at the following link:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2009/08/27/Tha-Artivist-PresentsW E-ALL-BE-News-Radio
Help Bring Awareness About What Happened In Sumner, MS, By Doing The Following…
Although WABG CH 6 in Greenville,MS interviewed some principle players in this story last week, currently there is a media blackout on this story. However, there are some things you great citizens can do to bring some truth and light to this horrible case of true human rights violations in a supposedly post-racial country supposedly governed by laws and not men. Remember we have the power of the information highway (internet) let’s use it for the power of good. The best weapon in any arsenal and war is knowledge!
Remember you heard this story first on W.E. A.L.L. B.E. News http://www.weallbe.blogspot.com, the home of 21st Century citizen journalism!!!
Contacts:
Whitten, John (The Would-Be Lynch Mob Leader)
Tallahatchie County Prosecuting Attorney 662-375-8726
P. O. Box 369
Sumner, MS 38957
U.S. Department Of Justice
BY MAIL:
Correspondence to the Department, including the Attorney General, may be sent to:
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
E-mails to the Department of Justice, including the Attorney General, may be sent to AskDOJ@usdoj.gov. THIS E-MAIL ACCOUNT IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR SERVICE OF OFFICIAL, CASE-RELATED OR LEGAL DOCUMENTS AND IS NOT MONITORED FOR SUCH SUBMISSIONS OR FOR OTHER TIME-SENSITIVE COMMUNICATIONS. E-mails with attachments will be deleted because they may contain viruses.
E-mails will be forwarded to the responsible Department of Justice component for appropriate handling.
"The Revolution Won’t Be Televised, But It Will Be Blogged, Googled, Twittered & Broadcasted Online!!!” Keep this story circulating in cyberspace and by any means necessary!!!
This ministry is struggling to stay alive. Because truth is being spoken to power resources that were always there are now not available. Most people think that I am paid by Light of The World. This is not true. What I do for the church is volunteer. I was Director of Mentoring for a State Funded program which paid my salary. This money was taken out of Indiana’s budget. A State Representative had the courage and power to put the money for the program back in the budget. Even though this money was put back into the budget it is not getting to the program. Therefore, I have not had income since March 15, 2009. When we met with the person who is supposed to get the monies to the program, he made the comment: “Well it looks like someone is trying to undermine you.” He said he would get back with us. Do you think we have heard from him? These financial games are the costs for speaking truth to power. Scripture says you have not because you ask not. Saints, I am asking. Please click on the PayPal donate button located on the right of this page so this ministry is not silenced and truth will prevail. It is through us that the will of God will exist on earth as it does in heaven. Thank you for listening and supporting AjabuSpeaks.
Rev. Ajabu
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Reader Comments (9)
Sir, I applaud YOU for this vital 'Heads-Up!!" This certainly would stuff the mouths of anyone who spouts off about 'post racial' or sez that 'racism(colorism) isn't as bad as it was!
If you and/or your colleagues are anywhere near BKLN NY on 9-26-09, I invite y'all to our RACISM QUOTIENT TEST for the '100 Blacks In Education Who Care' - at the landmark Antioch Baptist Church, 828 Greene Avenue, (betw. Stuyvesant & Lewis Aveenues) from 10am to 1pm my LoyalSonLaurence's wife, Venes, is catering her DEElish cuisine; it promises to be a quintessentially informative & exciting event.
My recent Blog (caroltaylorword.blogspot.com) "Moonwalking From Racism(Colorism) reveals my take on President Obama's position on issues colorist.
Your Sister-in-THE-Struggle,
Carol Taylor
First Black U.S.A. Flight Attendant
Author: THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK: Black Male Survival in America: Staying LIVE & WELL in an Institutionally RACIST Society (Thank GOD Will Pittman wasn't slaughtered by those racist lawmen and I don't have to enter his name in the back pages of my Little Black Book with the other killed black sons!)
Dear Brother Ajabu,
Well, if Jesus was not allowed to speak truth to the 'powers' of his day, surely we can expect no less of those considered 'powers' today. Fear not, my brother. There is a greater power that will render judgement, and soon.
This nation has been disease by racism for centuries and believe there is no 'cure' except taking to heart the greatest commandment of all - 'Love God and love you neighbor as yourself'. This nation has never done it, is not doing it now and I don't believe it ever will.
Like the Canaanites, who were allowed to sink into deep pits of evil and darkness, so we too have been eyewitnesses to this nations sinking to an even lower level. When the Almighty was ready to cleanse the land for his people, he did just that.
My brother, many of us are aware of the approaching storm, unlike any the world has ever seen. Jesus stated that it would dwarf the global flood of Noah's day. No one escaped God's wrath except those with righteously inclined hearts. Encourage us, my brother, to learn how to incline our hearts toward righteousness so that God may identify us during the coming wrath and spare our lives.
My contribution is enroute. Hope it helps. Wish I could do more, but I am not a wealthy man, materially. I am rich though in my relationship with my God, my friends, of whom I am proud to consider you one and my earth, that I try to leave as unspoiled as I found it. Come quickly King Jesus.
We love you and ask that you keep us in your prayers as you may rest assured, we keep you in ours.
Peace and love.
Wes
Carol,
Thanks for your words of encouragement. Many people from many places read this website. It would not surprise me that someone comes to your event. Here is a thought for you. The police did not kill Will Pittman, but are we letting society make him the walking dead? Too often our people see the suffering of our leaders, who suffered for us, so that we might have a better life, yet even in our better life we let our leaders suffer. This allows the leader to become the walking dead. Just something to think about.
Wes,
Your words are also very comforting. You know better than Carol the hills that were climbed for the rights of our people. You know that fighting for my son is a road up the rough side of the mountain. You know that they treated him as a murderer to try and use him to shut down the sounds of the prophet. Brother, the bugle must be blown. The calvary must show up. America is not post racial. America is a product of its racist birth defect. President Obama's election is the clarion call for that element of American racism to raise it's ugly head and express its ugly expressions, as it did when they beat and drowned Emmett Till at the bottom of the Talahatchie river because he supposedly whistled at a white girl. Some of the children of those racist have changed. Obviously from the info above, some have not. Medgar Evers was shot down in his driveway in front of his wife because he had the courage to stand up against the South's avowed racist. These armed people showing up at President Obama's rallies let us know that the prophetic words of Malcolm X are still true today. In America you are in the South if you are south of the Canadian border. We must make every effort to get along with our neighbor. We can only get along if they will let us. We can love our neighbor and dislike our neighbor's behavior. Jesus died so that we might have eternal life. Our leaders died so that we might have a better life. We cannot let this society make our leaders be the walking dead because they have the courage to speak this truth to power. My brother, I thank you and all others who have supported, as well as those who will support this ministry. God is still in the blessing business. May God continue to order the steps of the righteous.
Racism is even a bigger threat to the Black
population now than it ever was. I had forseen
the foundation of it's coming when Frank Ander-
son made sheriff here and when Blacks began to
wasily win token offices in our city, not to
mention the formating of Obama's campaign. It is so obvious that their plan was so clearly in
open view. The sad truth is that it is so well
camoliged by our own people that ignorant of their devices. I want to call your attention to
a incident in Kigail, Rwanda where there was a
genecide killing and we lost over 1 million
Blacks in 100 days.The U.N. and the United States stood by and did not interfere and would
not use the "g" word because they would have been obligated to address the matter. This was
shown on TBN this morning at 7:00 a.m.They even
killed the babies and blow up the churches there and all the white U.S. did was condemned
their actions.If you have taken notice every
Black politician has been tageted in the past year and smeared here in Indianapolis. Wea have
repeatedly seen Monroe Gray, Rozelle Boyd, Steve Talley, Doris Minton-Mcneil smeared all
across the television. Not to mention that I
was almost shot to death in my apartment on 37th and College 3 years ago for asking for a
written police report from a white police of-
ficer because I stopped a gang from robbing a
female tenant in our building and most recently
my home was raide by the Sheriff Department looking for a fugitive who was right there in the Marion County jail. It was not accidental.
I was targeted by a slect group of white officers with a white attorny that Frank Ander-\son has already paid 6.5 million dollars out
to already this year alone. We could have had
six Black lawyers for that price. Yes racism is
a very serious matter now and those who sit
back idle and do not contest these actions with
boycotts or civil disobedience in defence of our liberties will ultimately pay the price. We
are supposed to be in a recession but look at the money they found to repair the monument
circle. The monument circle has absolutely no
purpose honoring the Black military. When they
gave us a monument about 5 years ago it was a
little tiny metal sign on the corner of Stevens
and Virginia Ave. and I personally screwed the
bolts down as my heart was drowning in tears inside and it was hidden behind tree and it was
written on both sides where you have to get out
and read both sides honoring the 28th Regiment
Black Troops. It really hurts when you look up
north and see the huge Fountain Square Circle
with their soldiers in the middle of the street
on his mounted horse. All we got was a little
blue and gold sign. Racism is making a major
attempt to mentally destroy us our leaders are
making it easy and open season on our Black
communities. Police are shooting Blacks down like dogs and nobody is opening their mouths
anymore. Has anybody taken a count of how many
Blacks have died in this in the past 3 years alone??? People of Color and the first purpose
wake up while you can.You are no longer follow-
ing a dream. You are in the vision of a live
show. The producer is your enemy of another
color and of another purpose. I want my own city. I want my own police department. I want
my own court. I want my own hospital. I want my
own fire department. Why do we have to have his?.
MMoja
You are a race baiter. Sure there were a few folks waving inappropriate signs, but they were in the 1% category. You missed the forest for the trees. I was there. You also seemed to miss when the Dems were calling Bush Hitler and saying unspeakable things about him. You call yourself a man of God? What God? Surely not Jesus. He did not incite hate like you do but love of fellow man. You are quite the opposite. You are a bad apple leading folks down the wrong path.
Abdul,
Humm. Your comments are very interesting. Those few folks waving inappropriate signs, and as you say were the 1% of the crowd seems to have gotten all of the attention. If these people are not a reflection of the sentiments of the organizers why were not they denounced? Are you denounicing their actions by using the word inappropriate? If so, the denunciation is a bit tepid. That being said, How do you deal with the posse organized to lynch Emmett Till's lawyer's son? Who is doing the race baiting there? Am I race baiting because I report the racist behavior of a few? The KKK were just a few white folks. But they had a devastating effect on the well being of Black people because the good white folks did not denounce their behavior. Silence is consent. Are you being silent? If not, it is sure hard for me to hear you. The good white folks, or good republicans, or good democrats, or good Christians, or good Muslims, or good whatever label you want to be associated with must speak out against this racist behavior. I respectfully await for you to speak out!! God bless.
Abdul Abdul
As a liberal Democrat who called George Bush only one name "dumb". You had to be dumb to pick Dick Cheney as your brain when he barely graduated from college because he was dumb too.
If you want to see race baiting, turn on Fox News and listen to Rush Limbaugh for a few hours and you will see that what you are attacking Ajabu for is minor.
Since you were in attendance of these protests, what do they want from a president who rescued this country from near total collapse, correcting the housing crisis, saved the bankers, and the unemployment is still slowing. He called for healthcare for all Americans who have none. What is so bad about that?
I know, they don't want a government run healthcare program. Well, it was not having the government regulate Wall Street and the Bankers that almost sank this nation.
When the Confederates and the racists scream about government controlling things, what I really hear are the deep seated haters who want to destroy this country. That is why we are hearing the governor of Texas say that they want to secede from the United States. Does that sound like love for America, no it is the same Confederate haters of America who do not want to respect and obey the rules set by our government.
Abdul, you can love it or leave it.
If ALL the Bible is true, and GOD says, "HE will supply ALL our needs!", then maybe YOU should wonder why your church is "struggling", as you say?
Maybe it is because you are preaching on the things of this world, (and LOOKING for hate from the other side, while being blinded by YOUR OWN hate of white people), and NOT the things of GOD and Heaven.
Ever hear of the "Separation of Church and State" that your side beats the other side over the head with if they even mention a political candidate?
Maybe someone needs to refer your church to the IRS for removal of tax exempt status?
Jack, Jack,
Welcome to the blog. The ministry of which I am the Director of Mentoring is entirely separate from the church. It has its own 501c3 status. The church is not struggling any more than other's in this economic times. Contributions are down, but that is across the board when one looks at the church world. So there is definitely a separation of our church and this ministry. I am asking for support of this ministry. We need to raise $10,000 over the next thirty days. Can you help? Or better yet, will you help. This ministry is to increase the love and decrease the hate. In other words, we can disagree without being disagreeable. If you want to see a church that is out of control go here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GD89JJZlWI
God does provide all needs. Are you ready to do the work that God has called us to do. If so, then we should put God first, then treat our neighbor as we want to be treated. God bless you.