JANS – Early Tuesday morning, Jan. 24, 2011, busses of domestic workers and their children began arriving at the huge grassy mall in front of California’s state capitol building.  Dozens of Mexican, Filipina and African American moms, kids in tow, poured out onto the steps leading into the legislature’s chamber.  When the crowd grew to several hundred, they took up their placards, pushed their strollers out in front, and began marching around the building.

Some of the kids had clearly done things like this before.  One five-year-old raised her fist in the air as the crowd chanted, calling on members of the state Assembly and Senate to pass the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.  Another girl, who looked about three, knew the chant by heart: “We are the children, mighty mighty children, fighting for justice and our future.”  She didn’t miss a beat, and as one of the organizers held the bullhorn up to her mouth she did a little militant dance to accompany it.

With balloons and even a couple of clowns, it all seemed very festive.  But the happy atmosphere didn’t hide a more unpleasant truth.  Many of the moms there probably see less of their own children than the youngsters they care for.  And in the case of those caring for the aged, sick or disabled, the conditions of that work can seem like something a century ago.

Domestic workers often don’t get a break to eat, even working many more than the eight-hour workday considered normal for most workers.  Others cook for the families they work for, but can’t use the same implements to cook for themselves.  If they have to sleep in the homes of clients, they often have to get up during the night several times to perform basic services for them, like taking them to the bathroom, or giving them medicine.  And the night is considered a rest period, for which they sometimes don’t get paid.

One Filipina caregiver from the East Bay explained that she sleeps in the same bed as her client.  ”What I’d like would be a bed where I could sleep by myself,” she said.

Last year the state Assembly passed AB 889, authored by Assembly members Tom Ammiano and V. Manuel Perez, that would give domestic workers some state-recognized rights in their efforts to curb abusive conditions.  It would provide meal and rest breaks, overtime and reporting pay as enjoyed by other workers, and expand domestic workers’ access to workers compensation.  In addition, it would guarantee eight hours of sleep for those who work around the clock, and allow them to use kitchen facilities.

The bill would affect the 200,000 people who work in California domestic service, who are almost entirely women, and immigrants or people of color.  While domestic workers face the same excuses for substandard conditions faced by other women, namely that they’re only working to supplement the income of men, most of them are either the sole source of income for their families, or are bringing home pay that their families can’t live without.  One woman explained that she was still working many more than 40 hours a week, and was in her 70s.

The Domestic Workers Bill of Rights is modeled on one that was enacted in New York State in 2010.  It is supported by dozens of statewide worker and community advocates, including the California Labor Federation and many other unions, Filipino Advocates for Justice, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, Mujeres Unidas y Activas, the Women’s Collective of the San Francisco Day Labor Program, a number of churches and synagogues, and Hand in Hand, the Domestic Workers Employers Association.  Its main opponent is the business association for agencies that provide domestic workers to clients.

At the end of the last session of the legislature, the bill was in the appropriations committee of the state Senate.  The marchers hoped to pry the bill loose, get it passed through the Senate, and convince Governor Jerry Brown to sign it.  One of several legislators who spoke to the crowd, Watsonville Assembly member Bill Monning explained in Spanish, “This bill is just, and we’re going to make sure it becomes law and that domestic workers finally get the same basic rights as other workers.”

JANS –  In a ceremony in Monrovia, Liberia, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity gave Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf its Alpha Award of Honor. The award is the highest accolade presented to a nonmember of the fraternity. Ms. Johnson Sirleaf also was given the first ever Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Medal by the fraternity.

The awards were bestowed Jan. 19, at Paynesville Town Hall, during a rechartering ceremony of the Eta Epsilon Lambda Chapter. Johnson Sirleaf is the third Liberian president to receive the Alpha Award of Honor.

“This is a very special evening. I am proud to see the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha return to Liberia,” said Johnson Sirleaf. “We believe that this is just another example of the Alpha culture, the Alpha spirit.”

An economist, Ms. Johnson Sirleaf, 73, is a graduate of the University of Colorado and Harvard University. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, she is credited with breaking down many gender barriers in her country and has been lauded all over the world as a powerful and stabilizing force for Liberia.

In 2005, Johnson Sirleaf made history when she became Africa’s first elected woman head of state. In 2011, she shared the Nobel Peace Prize with two other women “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.”

Last year, voters returned her to office. Her second inauguration was held Jan. 16, making her the first Liberian president to have a second term in the first successive, peaceful democratic transition in 20 years.

“What an honor to be in Liberia to witness President Johnson Sirleaf’s second inauguration,” said Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr., Alpha general president. “And, to present her with an honor named for our most iconic member and an international humanitarian for peace worldwide, Brother Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”

“Her work, ensuring the rebuilding of Liberia, supporting the Liberian Educational Trust and her leadership in stopping violence against women, are very much in line with the tenets of Alpha Phi Alpha. We salute President Johnson Sirleaf and are honored to present her with these well earned awards and recognition,” Mason said.

The first Alpha chapter in Africa was established in Monrovia on Oct 6, 1958. David N. Howell, former CEO of the Liberia YMCA and 17 Alpha brothers were designated by the international leadership to establish Eta Epsilon Lambda Chapter there. A second chapter, Kappa Phi Chapter, was established at the University of Liberia and Cuttington University in 1976.

Charter members of the Eta Epsilon Lambda Chapter include: John T. Woods, Alexander Brewer, Sebastian Muah, T. Nelson Williams II, Olu Menjay, W. Emmett Walker, Henrique Tokpa, Gerald Sherman, Tony Hubbard, Henry Benson, and Emmanuel Bowier.

Among those attending the ceremony were Liberian Vice President Joseph N. Boakai Sr.; President Pro-Tempore of the Senate Gbehzongar Findley; government officials; members of Alpha Phi Alpha; and members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s Eta Beta Omega Chapter.

By Earnest McBride

Jackson Advocate Contributing Editor

President Barack Obama praised Dr. Martin Luther King , Oct. 16, 2011, as “a black preacher with no official rank or title who somehow gave voice to our deepest dreams and our most lasting ideals.” His efforts at obtaining equal rights for the largely disfranchised black segment of the nation’s population while passively resisting a constant barrage of police billyclubs and blasts from fire hoses, “helped make our union more perfect,” Obama said.

Speaking at the ceremony originally scheduled for August 28, the 48th anniversary of King’s famous “I have a Dream Speech,” Obama was one of many world renown speakers paying tribute to the civil rights leader who fell to an assassin’s bullet in Memphis less than five years after the1963 March on Washington. “Dr. King would be the first to remind us that this memorial is not for him alone,” said the President. “The movement of which he was a part depended on an entire generation of leaders.

Many are here today, and for their service and their sacrifice, we owe them our everlasting gratitude. This is a monument to your collective achievement.” King’s closest surviving relatives and his top lieutenants in the struggle— including Andrew Young, Joseph Lowery, and Jesse Jackson–likewise paid tribute to the much-celebrated martyr of the history-shattering movement that is still a living memory to half the nation’s population. “Yes, my father had a dream,” said Martin Luther King III, the successor to his father as National Chairman of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference President in the 1980′s.

The problem is the American dream of 50 years ago … has turned into a nightmare for millions who have lost their jobs and homes.” King’s son said the nation has “lost its soul” under the present conditions of glaring economic disparities, bullying in schools nationwide, and the freewheeling imprisonment of the same people who only recently emerged from social and civil oppression under MLK’s leadership. King’s daughter, the Rev. Berniece King, echoed her brother’s sentiments in reminding the nation that MLK had developed a plan to “occupy” Washington, D. C., similar to the current occupation taking place on Wall Street, until the lower economic brackets received a fairer share of the nation’s economy.

He was killed before being able to implement the plan, she said. Taking note of the delay in staging the ceremonies due to a hurricane and earthquake along the northeastern seashore, Ms. King said it was probably a benevolent warning from the heavenly firmament quite in keeping with MLK’s history of disruptive activities. “Perhaps the postponement was a divine interruption to remind us of a King that moved us beyond the dream of racial justice to the action and work of economic justice,” she said. “Perhaps God wanted us to move beyond the ‘dream’ into action.” District of Columbia Representative Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children’s Defense Fund and a dedicated civil rights attorney working in the Mississippi Delta during the King era, took note of the worsening crisis in the country since King’s death.

She cited the title of King’s planned sermon for Sunday, April 7, 1968—”America May Go to Hell!” King was shot on Thursday, April 4. “Today there are 46.2 million poor people including 16.4 million poor children,” Edelman said in a news bulletin posted for the occasion. “I’ve no doubt he’d be leading another campaign to end poverty and to create jobs and income for everyone in America. He would be dismayed that 20.5 million of our neighbors are living in extreme poverty including 7.4 million children who are the poorest age group in America. And the younger they are the poorer they are.” Special performances by creative artists with a close relationship to King before he was killed were also on Sunday’s bill.

These included singers Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder and poet Nikki Giovanni. Franklin sang King’s favorite hymn, “Precious, Lord, Take My Hand,” without the aid of electronic amplification, because of a system failure. Wonder sang his own “Happy Birthday,” a composition specially written for Dr. King. Giovanni read her 2010 poem “In the Spirit of Martin: Celebrating the Prince of Peace,” in which she spoke of “black men of courage…black men of vision…black men of hope…bent over cotton…or sweet potatoes…or pool tables and baseball diamonds…playing for a chance to live free and breathe easy and have enough money to take care of the folks they love.”

The massive 30-foot tall monument towered above the 10,000 seated participants and the thousands of others standing along the National Mall between the Lincoln and Jefferson Monuments. an estimated 1.5 million have already visited the King Monument, on view only since August 28. Chinese sculptor Lei Yixin inscribed 14 quotes from King’s speeches on the stone work, including the thematic line from MLK’s “I have a Dream” speech that says “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” The statue consists of 159 pieces of granite imported from China solely for this project. “Martin Luther King is not only a hero of Americans,” Lei said. “He also is a hero of the world, and he pursued the universal dream of the people of the world”.

President Barack Obama

By Dr. Juanita Doty

JA Guest Writer

Attending the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has become an annual event I always look forward to attending. I was delighted to spend some time with Congressman Bennie Thompson as he spoke at several of the CBC sessions I attended and gave us an update on issues related to Homeland Security. Participating in CBC provides an opportunity for me to interact with many members of the CBC and to network with other community, business and corporate leaders across the world. One of the highlights of the CBC Legislative Conference held in Washington, DC, September 21-24, 2011, was having the opportunity to attend the closing banquet where President Obama spoke and having the opportunity to shake the hands of President and First Lady Obama. They are, indeed, a fabulous team!

Roland Martin (center) served as the moderator for a forum hosted by the National Pan-Hellenic Council. The presidents and representatives of the nine African-American Sororities and Fraternities entered into a legislative discussion with Martin. Martin took photos with members from the different organizations, including members from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (pictured above).

As the President spoke, I felt he was really encouraging us to work with him in helping to move the country forward. Yes, he said to “stop whining, stop complaining” and to get to work! As he spoke, I took an inward look at myself to see if I was part of the “problem” or if I was a part of the “solution.” If I am not helping to promote jobs or promote the general well-being of the community and country, then I need to get up and get busy. I think that was his message – become a part of the solution. The energy in the room was amazing. The President received so many standing ovations. To be honest, I felt like I was in church, receiving a message by which I needed to live. I am now more motivated and inspired to continue to work to assist in solving some of our community’s problem.

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-CA), right, welcomed Jackson’s own Dr. Juanita Doty of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., to the Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Weekend held Sept. 21-24 in the nation’s capital.

Our President can’t do it alone. We must help him and in doing so we help our country. God bless our President and God bless the United States of America!

The masterminds behind the Martin Luther King Dedication – Herman “SKIP” Mason, General President of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, and Harry Johnson, President of the MLK Memorial Foundation. The MLK Foundation has raised $136 million of the $140 million needed for the Memorial.

Atlanta City Council President Ceasar Mitchell; former Atlanta mayor/president, Buckhead Coalition Sam Massell; Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle; honoree Ms. Xernona Clayton; Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed; retired Judge Paul Brady, husband of Ms. Clayton; former mayor/U.N. Ambassador Andrew Young; Councilman C.T. Martin and Xernona Clayton Commission Chairman Joe Hindsley. (Photo: John B. Smith, 

JANS – Mayor Kasim Reed joined members of the Atlanta City Council, Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, and hundreds of other community and civic leaders on Tuesday, September 20, in recognizing the contributions of civil rights activist and broadcasting pioneer Xernona Clayton. Clayton was recognized for a lifetime of contributions to community and humanity with the dedication of an honorary street and park plaza. Baker Street, N.W. between Piedmont Avenue, N.W. and Centennial Olympic Park Drive, N.W., was named Xernona Clayton Way; and the plaza at Hardy Ivy Park was named Xernona Clayton Plaza.

Members of the City Council, upon the recommendation of a city commission and countless residents and community leaders, approved the designation of these landmarks to honor Clayton’s invaluable service to the community. “I am extremely honored by this gesture from the mayor and the City Council. To have a street and a park dedicated in my name gives me joy beyond expression. This is a significant moment for me and I am delighted with this honor,” said Clayton. The honorary street sign unveiling at the intersection of Baker and Peachtree Streets was followed by the dedication of the Xernona Clayton Plaza, where officials unveiled a plaque commemorating Clayton’s lasting legacy in civil rights and broadcast journalism. Clayton is only the second woman and the first African American woman to have a downtown street named after her, following legendary author Margaret Mitchell.

“The Atlanta City Council is pleased to honor a woman who has been instrumental and prolific in shaping our wonderful city and race relations internationally. It’s time to recognize the contributions of Ms. Xernona Clayton,” said District 10 Councilmember C. T. Martin. A native of Muskogee, OK, Clayton began her career in Chicago working for the Urban League as an undercover agent investigating employment discrimination against African Americans. By the 1960s, Clayton was an active fundraiser for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Through her work with the SCLC, Clayton developed a relationship with Dr. and Mrs. Martin Luther King, Jr., in Atlanta. Among her many efforts, Clayton was instrumental in the desegregation of all Atlanta’s hospital facilities by coordinating the activities of the city’s African American doctors in a project called the Doctors’ Committee for Implementation. This effort served as a model for cities and states across the country and received recognition from the National Medical Association for its impact. In 1968, the Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan credited her efforts specifically in influencing him to denounce the organization. Clayton is the founder, president and CEO of the Trumpet Awards Foundation, Inc., and creator and executive producer of the foundation’s Trumpet Awards. Initiated in 1993 by Turner Broadcasting, the Trumpet Awards is a prestigious event highlighting African American accomplishments and contributions. She has been widely honored for her contributions to humanity and has received numerous media awards. Through her foundation, the Xernona Clayton Foundation, Clayton in 2010 opened a school in Kumasi, Ghana, West Africa, which today educates hundreds of students in Atwima-Heman Village, an area where there is a scarcity of educational opportunities. Tireless and passionate, Clayton continues her commitment to various civic causes and to fostering global exchange with students in Georgia and across the nation.

By Earnest McBride

Jackson Advocate Contributing Editor

Leila Lopes, Miss Universe 2011

Miss Angola Leila Lopes, 25, ascended to the highest throne in the beauty world Monday as she was crowned Miss Universe 2011 Monday evening in the closing moments of the pageant staged in Sao Paulo, Brazil..

Lopes, a business management student in England and a fashion model of some note in Southern Africa, bested 88 other women from around the world to walk away with the most prestigious of the international beauty crowns.

The victory of the somewhat modest beauty queen (she doesn’t like parading around in skimpy swimwear) is a native of Angolan region of Benguela, known as “the land of beautiful women.”

Contestants were judge in three categories: swimsuit, evening gown, and interview. Her response to her interview question about what she would change about herself if given the chance, Lopes said she would not change a thing. She gave credit to her parents for having instilled good moral principles in her.  But she would work hard to change the world around her, to relieve some of the abject poverty and violence she has seen, she said.

Lopes is the fourth African to win the Miss Universe title, the first since Mpule Kwelagobe of Botswana won in 1999. The Miss Universe Pageant franchise is wholly owned by New York Business tycoon Donald Trump and the NBC Television Network.

Tribute By Artaymis Ma’at

NUBIA, is that you that shines so brightly in the night? Guiding the way to a NU passage? Or do you flow as the fertile River Nile endlessly? Notice the flowers that grow, the birds that sing and nature doing its thing. Nubia lives. Perhaps she’s the gentle wind that blows a kiss or two or a leaf with morning dew. Or maybe she is deeply rooted in the massive rich earth that grounds you, echoing. ‘Peace be Still.’ You are allowed. You can touch her, she’s everywhere. Yes you can touch her once again, again and again, so that you too will understand. She is free. She is no longer encased in what we see. Her spirit flows through the veins of memory. Nubia lives. For ‘innergy’ never dies and love lives forever.

Rosa Temple

By Earnest McBride

Jackson Advocate Contributing Editor

A general class reunion of Vicksburg’s Rosa A. Temple High School alumni is scheduled for September 2-4 at The Holiday Inn and at the former Temple High School, with worship services set for Sunday at Spring Hill Baptist Church in Vicksburg. A meet and greet event will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, at Vicksburg’s Holiday Inn at 115 Cypress Center Boulevard on North Frontage Road. Saturday’s program begins at 6 p.m. in the auditorium of Vicksburg Junior High School, the site and modified structure of the former Rosa A. Temple High School, at 1533 Baldwin Ferry Road. The entertainment begins at 8 p.m. in the school gymnasium.

Sunday, September 4, ecumenical worship services will begin at 10 a.m. at Spring Hill Baptist Church, 815 Mission 66. Temple High School opened its doors during the last years of segregated school operations in Vicksburg, beginning in January 1959 until June 1973. Temple was named for the highly respected educator Rosa A. Temple (1869-1972) and was the successor to Bowman High and Magnolia Street School, the first accredited black high school in Mississippi. Temple was a powerhouse in sports beginning in 1966 and won a series of state championships in basketball and football before the final year of 1973.

Besides its widely known sports prowess, Temple was also a well-known center of academic achievement, producing some of the most gifted and highest performing college students in Mississippi. Albert Lassiter, a member of the Tougaloo Nine civil rights team, was a product of Temple High’s Class of 1960. W. C. Gorden, the celebrated former coach of Jackson State University, taught at Temple High and was the athletic director and football coach there in the championship year of 1966. “Temple was the elite black school of Mississippi in both sports and academics,” the now-retired Gorden said from his home in Jackson in 2010. “It was the highlight of my teaching career.

The academic program brought distinction to the school and gave the state some of its best students. The academic excellence carried over onto the sports fields. This sense of pride translated into the spirit of champions. “We had several outstanding players and coaches,” Gorden said. “Among the best known was Bill Triplett, the Temple High quarterback who went on to star as quarterback at Michigan State University from 1968 to 1970. After I left Temple for a coaching job at Jackson State, I left behind a team of coaches who were committed to turning out more championship teams than I had ever dreamed was possible I’m very happy to see some of that stellar Temple High faculty getting the honors they deserve.” A donation of $35.00 is requested to cover the costs of food and entertainment for the reunion. For more information call 601-631-5870 or 601-638-2898. Or email dorwinshields@ bellsouth.net.

By Denise Rolark Barnes

Special to NNPA from The Washington Informer

The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial officially opened this week on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The 28-foot tall granite statue, which stands between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, and the nearby F.D. Roosevelt memorial, is the first monument on the National Mall erected in honor of an African American and a non-president.

Hundreds of Washington area residents began visiting the memorial on Monday with a preview of the site before the official dedication that will be held on Sun., Aug. 28. The keynote address will be delivered by President Barack Obama who will join civil rights icons at the dedication where more than 250,000 visitors from around the world are expected to attend. “I am ecstatic,” said Harry Johnson, Sr., president and CEO of the MLK Memorial Foundation and a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, about this week’s opening.

“This is a gathering place on the Mall for everyone to see what Dr. King meant to our country and to the world.” The week-long celebration includes the Dream Gala celebration, a tribute to the civil rights pioneers including the women who were involved in the civil rights movement, along with a concert of civil rights era music and a youth symposium. A host committee of District of Columbia residents, led by D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, has also planned more than 20 free events across the city for the thousands of visitors to the Nation’s Capitol.

The memorial is located on a four-acre site on West Potomac Park along the Tidal Basin where thousands of visitors come each spring to witness the splendor of the Cherry Blossoms. Situated among the trees is the plaza where a 28-foot boulder stands called the Mountain of Despair through which every visitor will enter. In front is a solitary 30-foot stone called the Stone of Hope, from which Dr. King’s image emerges, gazing over the Tidal Basin towards the Jefferson Memorial.

A 450-foot inscription wall surrounding the stone features 14 quotes from Dr. King engraved into granite that convey four fundamental and recurring themes reflected throughout his life – democracy, justice, hope, and love. Natural elements including water, stone, and trees enhance the beauty of the site. The address of the memorial is 1964 Independence Avenue, N.W., which is symbolic of the year when Dr. King stood over President Lyndon B. Johnson’s shoulder as he signed the Civil Rights Bill, Johnson said. “We didn’t plan it that way,” Johnson said, “it just happened. I guess you can call it divine intervention that this dedication would be held on August 28th, 48 years after Dr. King delivered his “I Have a Dream Speech” and three years after Barack Obama received the democratic nomination to become our president. It was ordained.”

In an interview with The Washington Informer, Congressman John Lewis (D-Ga.), who marched with Dr. King, said “If anyone had told me 48 years ago when Dr. King delivered his I Have A Dream Speech that I would live to see the day that there would be a monument on the front porch of America, on the American mall to a man of peace, a man of love, a man of nonviolence, I would have said ‘you’re crazy.’” “I was invited to go up on the scaffolding and rub his head,” Lewis said. “I cried. It is unreal. It is unbelievable and it is the best likeness of him that I’ve see.” Martin Luther King, III, the son of the slain civil rights leaders, said he is pleased with the memorial’s design.

“I like the design, particularly the imagery associated with my father’s challenge to ‘hew a stone of hope out of the mountain of despair,’” King said. “I think the other quotations in the memorial are excellent and very relevant to our times. Love, peace and justice are cornerstones of my father’s teachings and they never go out of style.” Numerous notables are scheduled to participate in the memorial events, including politicians, entertainers and faith leaders. Reverend Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network (NAN), announced he is leading a major jobs march on Sat., Aug. 27 in Washington, D.C. to “reaffirm our collective journey from the emancipator (Abraham Lincoln) to the liberator (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.),” according to the NAN website. The mile-long march is scheduled to convene at noon at 17th and Constitution Avenue near the Lincoln Memorial and end at the King Memorial.

Host committee organizers also plan to focus the national spotlight on the District’s Statehood movement with a march downtown that will merge with Sharpton’s. Since April 11, 75 District residents have been arrested in the cause for protesting the District’s lack of full voting representation in Congress. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), the District’s sole representative in Congress, cannot vote on any federal legislation. Residents have been reminded that Dr. King also marched for D.C. voting rights.

Like most cities, Washington, D.C., has its street named for Dr. King in Southeast. In celebration of the memorial, an extension of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue will cross the 11th Street bridge complex, down the freeway to the Maine Avenue exit, and then down Independence Avenue past the new memorial to its western terminus near the Potomac River. Johnson led a 25-year long effort to build the memorial that began with a meeting of five members of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity who proposed building a national memorial to Dr. King in 1984. The proposal required was approved by Congress and signed by President Clinton in 1996.

The late Coretta Scott King served as the honorary chairperson of the memorial committee, which viewed the project as “an opportunity to break the trend of memorials to war and erect a monument which delivers a message of lifelong peace in our land,” committee member John Carter told a Senate subcommittee that oversees memorials in 1998. Despite this week’s opening, the Foundation continues to reach for its goal to raise $120 million to cover the costs of the memorial. With $6 million yet to be raised, Johnson is hopeful that contributions will continue to come in. “We’ve had a very good fundraising plan for corporations, foundations, individuals, churches, and children including the efforts of the Kids for King campaign,” Johnson said. “Anyone who has been touched by Dr. King’s life should help pay for this memorial.” For more information about the MLK Memorial visit: www.mlkmemorial.org.

By The Associated Press

Jackson, MI (August 2, 2011) — Former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick walked free from a state prison early Tuesday after serving just over a year for violating probation in a 2008 criminal case.

A relative escorted Kilpatrick from a Southern Michigan Prison facility in Jackson to a sport utility vehicle waiting outside. Kilpatrick smiled but did not address reporters as he climbed into the SUV, which headed toward the Detroit area under police escort.
In a statement issued ahead of his release, Kilpatrick thanked all those who prayed for him and said he would speak openly about his time behind bars after he has reunited with his family. He planned to rejoin his wife and three sons near Dallas, where his parole will be overseen by Texas authorities.

“Detroit, I will return to speak frankly with you about this experience because it has affected all of us,” he said in the statement.

Before leaving the prison, Kilpatrick changed into his own clothing: jeans and a peach-colored shirt, state Corrections Department spokesman John Cordell said. Kilpatrick’s brother-in-law, Daniel Ferguson, and a lawyer greeted the former mayor and walked him outside, Cordell said.

Cordell said Kilpatrick told them: “It’s good to be out. I’m on my way.”

The 41-year-old Kilpatrick was released on parole but still faces a federal corruption trial that could send him back to prison.

Kilpatrick pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and resigned from office as part of a plea deal in 2008. A judge found he had lied at a civil trial to cover up an extramarital affair with his chief of staff – in a lawsuit that cost Detroit $8.4 million.

The former mayor was imprisoned in May 2010 for failing to disclose assets and surrender sufficient funds that could have reduced his $1 million restitution to the city. Kilpatrick still owes Detroit more than $800,000 and a judge recently ordered that all profits from his upcoming book be placed in escrow to help pay off the debt.

The Wayne County prosecutor’s office opposed Kilpatrick’s release.

His federal trial on fraud, tax crimes and a racketeering conspiracy is scheduled to start in September 2012. In an 89-page indictment filed in December, the government described a pay-to-play scheme in which Kilpatrick and his father, Bernard, took kickbacks and bribes to steer city business to certain contractors.

Both men have pleaded not guilty. Bernard Kilpatrick is not in custody.

People charged with felonies typically aren’t granted parole but the U.S. attorney’s office did not object to Kilpatrick’s release.

The Democrat served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 1996 to 2001 and was minority floor leader from 1998 to 2000. He was elected mayor of his hometown in 2001 and served from 2002 through his September 2008 resignation.

Kilpatrick spent 99 days in the Wayne County Jail and in early 2009 joined his family in a Dallas suburb where he worked as a salesman for Covisint, a subsidiary of Detroit-based software company Compuware Corp.