That context was particularly pronounced at predominantly white institutions, including the Indiana university where Kappa Alpha Psi was founded in 1911. He loved stepping and I just remember him constantly harassing me to teach him different moves.. Despite the growing hostility of Whites toward Blacks in Indiana, some Black students sought a college education at Indiana University, as it was a tuition-free university of the highest quality. "And the story never got told from an African American perspective.". Bennie Thompson (second from left) at the National Conference of Black Mayors in 1974. The Kappa step shows soon became a draw for students of color across campus. In 1986, Mike Espy became the first Black man elected to Congress from Mississippi since Reconstruction. We have a saying down here America, welcome to Mississippi. So a lot of what Bennie is dealing with, Im sure like all of us, we were hopeful that we wouldnt see again, Fitzgerald said. All of a sudden, there was a part of the campus that just didnt know that we even existed, and then we were like the Beatles on campus, Cordero says. A bullet-riddled sign that once marked where Emmett Till's body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River is now housed at the Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, Miss. Vigilante lynchings of Blacks were commonplace. When Rep. 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. "We came by to see this part of history about Emmett Till," says Alexis Ortiz. | Follow my Instagram: @benniegthompson . Social media companies bent their own rules in favor of former President Donald Trump and his supporters in the volatile weeks preceding the 2021 attack on the US Capitol, according to an unpublished staff report from the Houses Jan. 6 committee. Copyright 2022 Bennie Thompson for Congress. Equality doesnt mean spending the same amount of money on blacks as whites. Membership in these organizations provide students with valuable networking and mentoring opportunities. Careful consideration was given to ensure the organization established a firm foundation the first year before efforts to expand were attempted. Although two Republicans sit on the panel, they have largely been excommunicated from their own party, and Thompson has the unenviable task of ensuring the work of the committee is not seen as politically motivated. hide caption. Let me tell you, stepping is not easy, especially when you have to learn to twirl canes, Cordero says. In Congress, Thompson focused much of his work on racial equity. To help address these challenges Democrats introduced the Affordable Care Act of 2010. The question of who gets to tell the Emmett Till story is a charged question says Dave Tell, a professor at the University of Kansas and author of Remembering Emmett Till. the highest possible standards of scholarship; Who safeguard the reputation of their chapter Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Monday, May 1, 8:20AM. Related Articles It was 1969, one year after the death of Martin Luther King Jr., and in Bolton, Mississippi, white Southerners ugly backlash to the gains of the civil rights movement was a powerful force. Bennie Thompson has never won a Super Bowl. 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. But the local chapter president has reached out to Memorial Commission Executive Director Patrick Weems, who welcomes a dialogue. It's also available for basketball, baseball and hockey. In 1980, Thompson was elected to the Hinds County board of supervisors, where he served 13 years. He is well-known among his colleagues, but not necessarily a nationally recognized figure. If nobody would stir that damn pile of stuff up, it wouldn't stink.". Even now, when hell face relentless demands on his time as House Minority Leader by lawmakers, lobbyists and donors, Jeffries stays in touch with many of his frat brothersboth his classmates and others from the wider network of Black fraternities. "So it's not just history," he says. Major cities like Detroit and New York donated firetrucks and garbage trucks. The panels investigators interviewed technology industry executives and law enforcement and intelligence officials, along with Trump aides and Republican election officials. This button displays the currently selected search type. So, at the start of the 20th Century, a handful of enterprising Black students began to form their own fraternities and sororities on college campuses across the nation. (WLBT) - Two Congressional committees are looking into what they say is a, On Thursday, Chairman Bennie Thompson and Vice Chairwoman Liz Cheney of the House select committee, U.S. Capitol Police said Tuesday they were investigating a letter with "concerning language" that was. Bennie was sent to Hins County public school by his parents. Realizing that they had no part in the social life of the university and drawn together by common interests, they decided that a Greek-letter fraternity would do much to fill the missing link in their college existence. "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. Reliance would be placed upon high Christian ideals and the purpose of ACHIEVEMENT. inNew Orleans,LA, Weighted Career AV (100-95-): 15 (6677th overall since 1960), PFR HOF Monitor: 8.20 (981st among DB, average HOF DB is 98.02). 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. Who are bound together in a common loyalty, Who realize that membership means personal responsibility, Who bring credit to the fraternity by striving to attain, Who safeguard the reputation of their chapter, Who prepare themselves diligently to shoulder their. * Selected to Pro Bowl, + First-Team AP All-Pro, Bold indicates league leader. That it has to be addressed head-on, or it can quickly take us back to where we were in Mississippi in the 1950s and 1960s., Representative Jamie Raskin, a member of the January 6 committee, also drew a line from Thompsons experiences confronting racist institutions in the Deep South to his leadership of the committee. Thompson, who grew up in a small Mississippi community in 1971, sympathized with the group known as the Republic of New Africa, participating in a news conference blaming law enforcement for instigating clashes with the group which led to a dead police officer and a wounded FBI agent. Congress is a venue in which attention-seekers thrive, instinctively turning to camera lights like plants tilt toward the sun. Bennie Thompson was born on February 10, 1963. David Cingranelli, a political science professor who became one of Jeffries favorite teachers, remembers that the future Congressman never hid his opinions, despite being one of the few Black students in his course. 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. Alpha and Omega, the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet correlate to Christ and the Founders relationship and connection to the church. hide caption. Magazines, Digital Congressman Bennie G. Thompson is a firm believer of giving back to those whom afforded him an opportunity to serve. Happy Black History Month! JACKSON, Miss. She says the family is also awaiting word from the U.S. Justice Department, which has reopened the Till murder case. In tiny Glendora, an old cotton gin has been converted to the Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center Museum. You didnt have to stand on the corner and holler loud, you just understood you can have your day in this country in court. "Because it matters morally who gets to tell it, and it matters financially who gets to tell it.". 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. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Spring, 2009. The historic marker was taken down after three white fraternity brothers from the University of Mississippi were pictured holding guns next to the sign. He is a longtime member of the Asbury United Methodist Church in Bolton and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity (Gamma Rho Tougaloo College). Nationally, Kappa Alpha Psi has provided summer enrichment camps and provided funds for St. Jude Medical Research Center to assist in the fight against childhood catastrophic diseases by raising more than $1 Million. The House panel that investigated the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection focused in televised hearings and in its final report on the role Trump and his efforts to overturn the presidential election. ), Thompson is also widely praised by members of the select committee, who say that he has fostered a collaborative environment. He is the son of Will Thompson and Annie Thompson. The Founders sought one anothers company between classes and dropped by one anothers places of lodging to further discuss the means of formulating the fledgling fraternity in an effort to relieve the depressing isolation. The founders of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. are: Elder Watson Diggs, more affectionately known as 'The Dreamer', Dr. Ezra D. Alexander, Dr. Byron Kenneth Armstrong, Atty. Born: You can barely make out a "private property" sign posted out front. Civil rights tour guide Jessie Jaynes-Diming says it was painful to see. Its a real joy working with him, said Katko, who is retiring at the end of the year. 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. "Kappa Alpha Psi", "KA", and the Coat of Arms of Kappa Alpha Psi are registered trademarks of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. John Milton Lee. Thompson defeated the Republican candidate for the seat in a runoff election, mobilizing the districts Black voters. Thompson was born in Bolton in 1948, the son of a mechanic and a schoolteacher. 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. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Kappa Alpha Psi, a college Fraternity, was born in an environment saturated in racism. (In the 1985 Esquire interview, Thompson said he didnt think that he was the right piece of equipment for the job of congressman. Kappa Alpha Nu began uniting college men of culture, patriotism and honor in a Bond of fraternity. @BennieGThompson Husband. All rights reserved. Most of them were working their way through school. I dont do a lot of talking, Thompson told me, because I like encouraging others to be engaged with whatever the process is. That focus on collaboration has served him well for the select committee, which includes two other committee chairs among its high-profile members: Lofgren, the leader of the House Administration Committee, and Representative Adam Schiff, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee. Born out of the vestiges of racism, Kappa Alpha Nu encountered another metamorphosis, partially related to action of bigotry. 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. He recalled meeting such icons as King and John Lewis, who later served in Congress along with Thompson and remained a lifelong friend. But he has one of the strongest spines of anybody in Washington, and he understands that this kind of stuff cannot be given air. The Fraternity would seek to raise the sights of Black youths and stimulate them to accomplishments higher than might otherwise be realized or even imagined. But it also gave me the way forward of how you work toward institutional change in a community, Thompson said. The report covers the shortfalls of other platforms, including mainstream companies such as Googles YouTube and Reddit Inc. as well as those with a smaller user base such as Parler Inc. and Gab. Top 10 Most Famous Sororities And WebRate This Fraternity. The Kappa Alpha Psi Legislative Conference, as it was originally named, was established by Congressman John Conyers (Gamma Eta, 1951) in 2002. Debbie Elliott/NPR Bennie Thompson played 159 games over his career. AP Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Denied an abortion, woman tells senators she nearly died on their watch Since the beginning, every endeavor was directed toward establishing the Fraternity upon a strong foundation before embarking on plans of expansion. 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. And so in this moment, as he chairs the January 6 [committee], the importance of holding people accountable for the insurrectionist acts on our nations Capitolif we dont hold people accountable, he clearly understands it only opens the door for more acts of domestic terrorism.. The organization was given the temporary name of Alpha Omega, while they further developed the formation of the organization. Whitten sees no reason to commemorate Till's slaying. Bennie Thompson was born in a very loving family in Bolton, Mississippi. 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. That included accounts of the impact of Trumps Dec. 19 tweet, but the panel mostly focused on the conduct of Trump and his associates. Five chapters were chartered from 1913-1915, centered in the Midwest; with the first chapter being established in the East in 1915. Congressman Thompson has diligently fought to reverse discrimination in the higher education system of Mississippi as an original plaintiff in the Ayers Desegregation Case. For many of them, joining Kappa Alpha Psi represented a lifetime commitment to leadership and social change. The following is a transcript of an interview with Representative Bennie Thompson that aired Sunday, January 23, 2022, on "Face the Nation." These men of vision decided the Fraternity would be more than another social organization. During this secret ceremony, we learn, in the words of our founders, the principles and ideals upon which our fraternity was built more than a century ago. John Whitten was 7 at the time and still sticks with the version of the story he learned back then. Politics | hide caption. He plans to donate a long-term lease to better protect the site. "And they cured him of his problems.". By Jeff Welch, Director of Diversity and Inclusion. Bennie G. Thompson @BennieGThompson. WebCongressman Bennie G. Thompson is a firm believer of giving back to those whom afforded him an opportunity to serve. Frequently Asked Questions about the NFL and Football, Pro-Football-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREE. Committee members including Liz Cheney and Adam Schiff pushed back and said such a decision had not been made yet. Pi Kappa Phis esoteric values are taught to each member through our Ritual of Initiation. All Rights Reserved. This one day event brings together teenage members of the fraternity's Kappa League from various chapters to learn about careers in government, meet current members of the Congressional Black Caucus, and tour the Capitol. His 43 years of public service is a testament to his Thompson thrived in this atmosphere, joining the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and volunteering for civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamers ultimately unsuccessful congressional campaign. The committees findings contradict complaints from conservative politicians that social media companies are biased against right-wing users. The primary source of federal aid to K-12 education is the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, particularly its Title I, Part A program of Education for the Disadvantaged. The ideals of the church were an important foundation of the Fraternity. Although Thompson can be seen giving interviews on cable news, he is not a fixture. Notable Members: Attorney, Johnnie Cochran, US Congressman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, and Athletes, Arthur Ashe and Colin Kaepernick Omega Psi Phi The James "Biff" Carter Legislative Conference (aka "Kappas on Capitol Hill") brings together members of Kappa Alpha Psi to effect meaningful change. When Thompson and Flowers faced off in 2020, Thompson ended up winning by more than 30%. 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. Though those who knew him back then dont remember him speaking about national political ambitions, Jeffries was involved in campus politics and especially focused on uplifting students of color. Rep. Sanford 2023 TIME USA, LLC. These three Founders are credited with guiding the infant Fraternity through the most perilous years of its life. As members of the Favorite Healthcare Staffing family, if you are also a member of a Divine Nine fraternity or sorority, please post a picture of yourself representing your organization. Milam (left) and Roy Bryant sit with their wives, Juanita Milam (second from left) and Carolyn Bryant, in September 1955. Binghamton was over 80% white at the start of Jeffries freshman year, according to figures provided by the school. Based on the evidence we have in our possession, I feel very confident with inviting her to the committee, and if she refuses, issuing a subpoena, Thompson told reporters on Monday, after the committee voted to recommend that the full House hold former Trump aides Dan Scavino and Peter Navarro in contempt of Congress for refusing to respond to subpoenas. Instagram/Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting 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.. Learn more on the philanthropy page. Jeffries college days were marked by a playful streakhis pledge class was called Demolition because its four members were always breaking thingsbut even back then, his ambition foreshadowed a distinguished career. hide caption. Bennie Thompson weighed 210 lbs (95 kg) when playing. 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. Let us see you in your colorful paraphernalia. "I think all these folks are stirring crap up," he says. It remains the only Greek letter organization with its Alpha Chapter on Indiana Universitys campus. Local chapters of Kappa Alpha Psi participate in community outreach activities to feed the homeless, provide scholarships to young people matriculating to college, serve as mentors to young men, participate in blood drives and serve as hosts of seminars for public health awareness to name a few. Today, the men of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. celebrate 110 years of Achievement in Every Field of Human It means giving blacks the same quality of service as whites., After his election to the Hinds County Board of Supervisors in 1979, his statewide influence quickly grew. "Fella who came down here and got in trouble overstepped his bounds to a degree some folks thought," says Whitten. Just a few years before Thompson and Fitzgerald attended Tougaloo, nine students held a sit-in at a public library in Jackson in an effort to integrate the facility, a protest that catalyzed a wave of civil rights demonstrations in the state. 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 Other Kappa Alpha Psi alumni include famed NBA center Wilt Chamberlain, civil rights activist and quarterback Colin Kaepernick, lawyer Johnnie Cochran, and New York Times columnist Charles Blow, as well as Mandela Barnes, the former Wisconsin lieutenant governor who nearly flipped a U.S. Senate seat last year. A replica of Bryant's Grocery is part of the Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center Museum in Glendora, Miss. He lives in Sumner, Miss., where the two men who killed Till were tried and acquitted by an all-white jury, only to confess to the killing when they sold their story to Look Magazine months later. On Congressman Thompsons voting record, he has never voted against a Farm Bill during his nine terms in Congress. The establishment in the community saw this as a threat to their way of life. The city clerk had told him in the first meeting of the new council that he would not do anything the Black aldermen said. Mississippi continues to face tremendous challenges as we confront our health care needs. On Monday, a federal judge ruled that Trumps former lawyer must turn over a trove of documents, also concluding in his decision that the former president more likely than not attempted to illegally obstruct the counting of electoral votes. The center is supporting efforts by Thompson and the Till Memorial Commission to have Bryant's Grocery and other sites associated with Till's lynching protected as part of the National Park Service. Kappa Alpha Nu became the first incorporated Black Fraternity in the United States once granted a charter by the Indiana Secretary of State on May 15, 1911. 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. The property will be dedicated in October with a bulletproof marker and new security measures. The report said that Trumps Dec. 19 tweet encouraging supporters to come to Washington on Jan. 6 Be there, will be wild! was a transformative moment across social media, changing the tenor of the conversation online to explicit planning for the event. A commitment to Pi Kappa Phi that transcends any personal selfishness. It details how the companies failed to adequately address the calls to violence and election-related conspiracy theories circulating online after the 2020 presidential election. The state of Indiana became a stronghold for the Ku Klux Klan. Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Pro Football Reference Database. The killing propelled the civil rights movement, and his name is still invoked when innocent blood is shed in racial violence. How We Can Learn to Live with COVID-19 After Vaccinations. 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. Twitter reactivated Trumps account in November after Elon Musk, the companys new owner and chief executive, polled his followers on whether Trump should be reinstated. Bennie was always like a grown-up, said Oleta Fitzgerald, now the Southern regional director of Childrens Defense Fund, but once a classmate of Thompsons at Tougaloo College. The sign was removed last month after an image surfaced of three white University of Mississippi fraternity brothers posing next to it with guns. "It would be the same thing if I had a Bible up there, or if I had the flag up there and you shot it up," she says. Rep. Sanford Bishop of Georgia is a Kappa too, as is Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, who served as chairman of the groundbreaking Jan. 6 committee. Trump hasnt tweeted since his initial suspension after his supporters attacked the US Capitol two years ago. Weband Thompson served as a town alderman from 1969 to 1973, when he won election as the towns mayor. One day as one of the Fraternity members, Frank Summers, was running the hurdles, Founder Diggs overheard a White student state, He is a member of Kappa Alpha Nig. Why don't y'all let that die?' The hearings and report included testimony on the importance social media played in spurring supporters to come to Washington and inciting the mob after it penetrated the Capitol to further anger against former Vice President Mike Pence. Twitter, Parler and Gab didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. Mississippi continues to face tremendous challenges as we confront our health care needs. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. 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. What occurred on January 6, and the vitriol and the racism of the modern era, were reminiscent to Fitzgerald of what she and Thompson experienced during the civil rights movement. 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. She says the repeated vandalism just adds more pain. These incidents caused the Founders to change the name of the Fraternity. Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Favorite Healthcare Staffing. It is the beautiful realization of a vision shared commonly by the late Revered Founders that enabled them to sow the seed of a fraternal tree whose fruit is available to, and now enjoyed by college men everywhere, regardless of their color, religion or national origin. The idealist, John Milton Lee also contributed significantly to the fledgling organization. "And for people to come along and shoot it up is to say that's not the story we want to tell. Weems says. The obligation to become engaged in the college or university community. 37 46 37 37. Join our linker program. The campus of Indiana University at that time did not encourage the assimilation of Blacks. Consequently, eight other men met with Diggs and Armstrong for the purpose of organizing such a fraternity. The towns white population revolted, and an unsuccessful lawsuit to prevent the three from taking office ultimately died in a federal court of appeals. That is not who we want to be.". "People only in closed circles whispered about the atrocities of the death," he says. Bennie Thompson was born in New Orleans, LA. (It was also where he met his wife of more than 50 years, London.). His father died while Thompson was in high school, and friends stepped up to help raise him, instilling in the young Thompson a strong sense of community and sense of connection to the small hamlet of just a few hundred residents. Many people think of fraternities as just, you know, beer bongs and parties and all that, and I guess theres a time that that is a part of it, says Carter. READ MORE: Rep. Bennie Thompson, leading the public Jan. 6 hearings, has long worked to protect democracy. Most folks that I talk to who were members of white fraternities and sororities will talk about it in past tense once they leave college, says Tamara L. Brown, one of the editors of African American Fraternities and Sororities: The Legacy and the Vision. Hes very careful and inclusive as chairman. hide caption. His net worth is estimated to be around $1.6 million US dollars. In the late 1960s, Tougaloo, a private Black college on the outskirts of Jackson, Mississippi, had a population of particularly civic-minded students. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. In fact, all twenty-three counties in the Second District are medically under-served and many citizens are unable to afford health coverage.

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