Dr. Helen Barnes

Dr. Barnes is a native of Jackson, MS.  She earned her MD degree in 1958 at Howard University in Washington, DC, and completed her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Kings County Hospital, in Brooklyn, NY.She was in private practice in Greenwood, MS, and later in Brooklyn, NY.  Dr. Barnes worked as a clinical assistant in the Department of ObGyn at Brooklyn-        Cumberland Medical Center, in Brooklyn, NY, and then joined the faculty as an assistant professor at Tufts Medical School in Boston, MA.  Committed to improving health care for the economically disadvantaged, especially in the Mississippi Delta, Dr. Barnes worked at the Mound Bayou Community Hospital from 1968-1969, and later served as family planning consultant for the Tufts Delta Health Center from 1969-1970.Dr. Barnes joined the University Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of medicine in 1969 and continued to devote herself to improving the health and lives of women in Mississippi until her retirement in 2003.  Her vision and passion to provide comprehensive care for women led to the forming of the Primary Care Clinic for women at the Jackson Medical Mall.  This clinic then became the primary clinic site for the National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health at UMMC.Her commitment to women’s health is also evident in her leadership roles throughout the state medical community, including serving as chairwoman for the Statewide Health Coordinating Council as appointed by two governors (William Winter and Bill Allain), and serving on the Mississippi State Board of Licensure as appointed by Gov. Kirk Fordice.

Dr. Nell Ryan

Dr. Ryan was the first woman to graduate from Mississippi’s new four-year School of Medicine.  She was part of the first class enrolled at the new medical school at UMMC in 1955, and graduated in 1957.  A 1950 graduate of Millsaps College, Dr. Ryan took her internship in pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Hospital in 1958.  She also trained at the University of Oklahoma Medical Center, and completed a pediatrics residency at UMMC in 1960.  She took a postdoctoral fellowship in pediatric cardiology at Oklahoma in 1961, and also completed a residency in pediatric neurology at the Medical Center in 1977.In 1961 Dr. Ryan joined the Medical Center faculty as an instructor in pediatrics. By 1969, she was promoted to associate professor of pediatrics. She also served as assistant professor of neurology from 1980-1983.  While at UMMC, Dr. Ryan served as medical director of the Birth Defects Clinic in the Department of Pediatrics from 1961-1983; director of the Pediatric Outpatient Department from 1964-1975; and medical director of the infant care area from 1980-1983.  The Jackson native left UMMC in 1983 to join the faculty at Louisiana State University Medical Center in Shreveport, LA, where she served as associate professor of neurology and associate professor of pediatrics. In 1994 she was named professor emeritus of pediatrics at the LSU Shreveport campus.  Governor Haley Barbour declared March 12, 2008, as Mississippi Women Physician’s Day.

Dr. Helen Turner

Dr. Helen Turner was born in Walnut Grove, MS. She was raised in Kosciusko, MS, by her parents, Barney and Lena Pearl Reeves, where she graduated from Kosciusko High School.  She is the associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and senior associate dean for academic affairs in the School of Medicine. She served as assistant dean for education at the VAMC from 1987-1992. Turner was the second UMMC faculty member to be named president of the Mississippi State Medical Association.  A 1965 graduate of the Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, Dr. Turner earned her PhD in microbiology at the Medical Center in 1975, and her MD in 1979.  She took her internship and residency in internal medicine, and a fellowship in infectious disease at UMMC.  She joined the Medical Center faculty as an assistant professor of medicine in 1984.  A fellow of the American College of Physicians, Dr. Turner has been an alternate delegate from the MSMA to the American Medical Association (AMA) since 1998.  Dr. Turner has served as teacher and mentor to many who have trained at UMMC, and/or served on the faculty.

Dr. Melessa Phillips

Dr. Phillips served as teacher and mentor for many of those who have trained and worked at the University Medical Center.She received her M.D. from Tulane University School of Medicine in 1973, and completed an internal medicine internship and family medicine residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in 1976.  She joined the faculty at UMC in 1976 as an instructor in the Department of Family Medicine, and by 1986 was appointed vice chair. From 1987-2006, Dr. Phillips led the Family Medicine Department as the chairman. She holds the distinction of being the first female chairman of a department in the School of Medicine. Dr. Phillips’ achievements in academia are numerous.  Her former students, residents, and faculty members can all attest to her passion for the practice of medicine, and to her devotion to the personal and professional development of all who have worked with her. She remains active in preventive health and community health projects around the world, and is frequently sought after as consultant and collaborator.

By Alice Thomas-Tisdale

Jackson Advocate Publisher

JANS — Women have always been a part of the NAACP, despite the fact they had to fight their way in. It was 1905 and the Niagara Movement had just begun to lay its plan for women suffrage, civil liberty, equal economic opportunities, decent housing and neighborhoods, equal access to education and equal justice in the American court system. Although the movement was fighting on behalf of women, it took the third meeting in Boston in 1907 for women to be allowed entrance to help determine their fate. The first two meetings were held in Niagara Falls on the Canadian border and Harpers Ferry, WV.  At the Niagara Movement meeting in Boston, it is reported that half of the 800 delegates were women.When the NAACP was founded in 1909, Mississippi newspaper publisher Ida B. Wells-Barnett was at the table, so was socialist Mary White Ovington. Other women who were instrumental in the early years of the NAACP included Josephine Ruffin, Mary Talbert, Mary Church Terrell, Inez Milholland, Jane Addams, Florence Kelley, Sophonisba Breckinridge, Mary McLeod Bethune, Lillian Wald, and Fanny Garrison Villard.Another crusader making it possible for women to participate in the early civil rights movement is Carrie Williams Clifford.  At the request of W.E.B. Dubois in 1906, Clifford began encouraging women to join the Niagara Movement. At the time, Clifford was living in Washington, D.C. with her husband J.R. Clifford, who was also at the Boston meeting. Over time she would be instrumental in moving the Washington, D.C. branch membership from 400 to 1500. In 1911, she and Mary Church Terrell helped raise funds to support anti-lynching legislation.In 1912, Clifford and Addie D. Waites Hunton created an NAACP women’s fund and speakers committee. Clifford also headed the NAACP juvenile department and wrote periodically for the Crisis magazine,. Her articles and poetry were well received by Crisis readers and lauded by her civil rights colleagues. She also wrote about the Harlem Renaissance. Born in 1862, Clifford died in 1934.The Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill, named after its author, Congressman Leonidas Dyer, was sponsored by the NAACP.  It was the first anti-lynching bill to be voted upon by the Senate. The Anti-Lynching Crusaders, founded in 1922 under the aegis of the NAACP, was a women’s organization that aimed to raise money to promote the passage of the Dyer Bill and the prevention of lynching in general. Mary Talbert served as director of this magnificent organization. At the time, Talbert was president of the National Association of Colored Women. Mary E. Jackson was the Crusaders national organizer.Throughout the 102 year history of the NAACP, women have played a major role. Although the highlights point more to Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat in 1955, or  40 years later when Myrlie Evers-Williams took the helm at a critical time in the organization, women have been the saving grace of the largest civil rights organization in the history of America. The year 1980 should always be remembered as the year Women in the NAACP (WIN) became an official arm of the NAACP. It was founded by Frances Hooks and Earleen Bolden. Hooks is the wife of former NAACP executive director Benjamin Hooks. Mrs. Hooks also co-founded The People Power Project, which promotes black and white dialog, and the Memphis Volunteer Placement Program. The Hooks returned to Memphis after he retired from the NAACP in 1993.In honor of its founders, WIN units have stepped up their activities. Their work is akin to a stitch machine that has woven an impenetrable scarf around the organization. WIN units are making measurable contributions across America and abroad. In 2005, WIN built two schools in the Republic of Benin, Africa. The villages of Yawa and Hetin have been enriched due to their outreach efforts. WIN not only raised the funds to build the schools, but send school supplies on a regular basis. Previously, these children were writing on clay, drawing in the mud with sticks, which makes WIN’s theme – “Outstretched Hands and Open Hearts to Women and Children” – even more plausible. The purposes of WIN are: to enhance the leadership role of women; to serve as an advocacy vehicle for issues affecting women and children; to advocate for the positive development of children; and to support the on-going work of the NAACP and its units, especially civil and cultural activities to enhance membership. The past successes of the NAACP throughout its 102 year history are largely due to the enormous contributions of thousands of women, and their commitment to do even more will ensure its future.

By Artaymis Ma’at

• I WAS BORN: Gladys Scott was born March 8, 1975 to Evelyn Jeannette and James Roscoe in Chicago, Illinois. “I just had a birthday! I had a great birthday! Jamie and I went out and took some pictures. We went to a studio and took some pictures. We had some balloons on the table and we went to a soul-food buffet. It was all you could eat. I love that.”
• MY CHILDHOOD: We lived in the projects in Chicago. We come from a hardworking and loving family. My father was a determined man who did whatever it took to make things right. He let nothing stop him. I watched my father put chains on his car in the snow to get from point A to point B. My mom is the cement. She is very down-to-earth and loves to cook and help other people.  I love her cooking. My favorite meal was her macaroni and cheese. On the holidays, mom would cook so much food that we used to fix plates and pass them out on the corners for the homeless. Many times we’d go to the homeless shelters and serve food. We’re fighting warriors for God. What I mean by fighting warriors is the fact that we are God-fearing fighters for justice. I admire my mom for her fearlessness. She really lives up to telling the truth. In the bible it says the truth will set you free. She vowed as they were putting my father in his grave that justice would be served and she did it. She hasn’t stopped.  She doesn’t have a lot of education, but she reached out to the internet. She called people. She wrote. She passed out flyers and she still keeps going. Any tips on getting her to stop smoking?”
• MY CHILDREN: Their names are Olivia Flake (22) and Courtney Scott (15). Courtney will be 16 years old next month. I had her while I was in prison. They are shy and don’t like being in the spotlight  I’m trying to motivate them to open up and get out into the world and make things happen in a positive way. It’s a challenge because they really don’t know me and I really don’t know them. We are trying to get to know each other but we’re kind of bumping heads right now. It’s going to be alright.”
• MY FAVORITE COLOR: “Blue, pink, purple”

• ENTERTAINMENT: “I love Mary J. Blige. I can relate to her because she has survived many bad relationships like me. She is a strong black woman who has come a long way. Plies sings with realism. He talks about the system and how he got caught up in the system, which is designed to do just that. It’s a black widow spider web. I love going to the movies. I would love to go out more and see the world. But with these stipulations, it makes it really difficult. That is an experience in itself.”
• LITTLE THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT ME: “I stand on my porch and watch nature, being one with nature. I watch the squirrels and the birds. I watch the bees and the trees. I Love going to the parks where there are trees because we didn’t have many trees when I was growing up. I love going to the beach with my children, looking at the water and feeling the sand. I want to enjoy life, laugh and have fun. I’m really silly. I love telling jokes. I crack jokes all the time. Whatever comes to mind, I crack jokes about. Gladys answers the question about jokes, “Naw, I don’t have any jokes right now. She chuckles, “ I’m tired.”
• ABOUT PRISON: I had my good days and bad days. You got good officers and bad officers. The job isn’t paying too much. Some of them have children and are living from paycheck to paycheck and they can relate to many of us. They are compassion and treat us the way they like to be treated. Then you have some that come in there with the attitude problem and treat you any kind of way. They have no real power and abuse their so-called authority.  What they don’t realize is it’s their illus ional reality. Authority went to their head because they are still searching for themselves. They really treat you bad when they feel that you don’t have a support tie. Sometimes it was really bad and sometimes it was OK. Sometimes it was what we made it to be.”
• WHAT MAKES GLADYS COME ALIVE: “I come alive when I put a smile on someone’s face. I am fortunate. If I can help someone less fortunate than me I feel good. I feel good when I know I can help a youth offender that’s going down the wrong path. I know I did my job. I don’t need recognition. I don’t need a reward because that is my reward—it’s what I feel in my heart.”
• WHAT I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW ABOUT ME AND JAMIE: “We are ordinary people. We may be down, but we don’t let people see that because we are helping other people overcome their obstacles. Accomplishing that makes us stronger and keeps us going, moving on and beyond. We are concentrating on doing things that we believe that are about justice and doing good. Sure I’ve done many things that I am not proud of, but I knew we weren’t going to be in jail forever. I knew one day we were going to get out of that concentration camp. Knowing that, we started focusing and putting our emphasis on helping other people. That’s our trademark. Always has been throughout our entire life—even as children. Sometime we did things the wrong way but that doesn’t define who we are then or now. When I was in prison, I went to bed many nights crying, asking God, “Why? Why me? But I felt his presence. He’d hold me in his arms and tell me it was going to be alright. Then I would just go to sleep. I knew that he was going to protect me, I’m all prayed up in the armor of God. That’s the team I’m on. My strength comes from within.”

• STILL WE PREVAIL: ”It starts with me. No matter what I am going through, I remain positive. I’m aware of the not so good, but I look for the good. I know I have the protection of God. This is in God’s hands. I can’t be angry. The system failed us, but one has to forgive. Yes! There are many people who come out of jail and are bitter, but you have to take your life into your own hands. There are no limitations. The system doesn’t owe you anything. The prison is designed to put you in and keep you coming back. It’s enslavement on another level. You’re on a plantation of a different kind. It’s about finding and claiming what’s for you to have. What are YOU going to do to elevate yourself? You have to say, “It’s up to me. I don’t want to keep coming through these doors. I am going to learn from this or I will keep repeating the lesson.’ When you are in prison, it hurts the family and your loved ones more. You have to forgive yourself. You have to forgive others. That’s how you move on. Don’t expect others to do something for you. You gotta do something.”
• PET PEEVE: How these youth are dressing and what they are listening to. Engaging in sex. It’s outrageous! These are nice beautiful girls. They sell themselves short. We don’t have to go out on the streets with disrespectful attire on or with hardly anything on. The females should not allow these BOYS to wear their pants down to the ground. Many times the women are standing right beside them and say nothing. You don’t have to show your body off. Males like something left for the imagination and they don’t like to be chased. Let them remain the hunters with teeth—not toothless. You make it harder for the rest of the respectful women when you compromise your principles. They now expect the women to take care of things, take care of them and get things done. There is nothing wrong with expressing who you are, but you don’t have to show all your bare body. Let that be a mystery to the ones that deserve to see it. Let them earn it. It’s your chemistry and your essence that will attract your mate anyway. The males have to also be role models and do what is righteous. We listen to this dirty low energy music and think it’s cool? Does it promote pro-active energy? Does it make you a better person? Who are you?”
• THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO SAY TO ALL WOMEN: God didn’t make a mistake when he made a black queen. All men came from a woman. We are strong black people and we come from generations and generations of survivors, warriors, soldiers, and genius people. During enslavement we had to work from sun-up to sun-down in all kinds of weather in little or no clothes or food and we survived. We made something out of nothing and still we prevail. We are to be respected. But we first must respect ourselves. Men will do what you tolerate and what you let them. Teach them to respect you and help you rise and vice versa. We gotta work together to do this. Love doesn’t hurt and you shouldn’t have to apologize for how you feel. If it doesn’t feel right, it isn’t right. Know who you are and keep your head up and keep moving forward. When you are at the lowest point of your life and you think that you are not going to make it, God is at the other end ready to open the door for you. So don’t give up. God will bring you through it. It’s your mind that should be strong first. We must not allow them to talk to us or treat us any kind of way. We must be clean in all realms of our lives because are a light set on a hill.

• HELPING OTHERS: “That’s what it’s all about. It’s not just about me. It’s about unity. Jamie tutored with the ABE. I tutored with fabric and textiles. I went to school for that. There were people who were worse off than us. They didn’t have family. They didn’t have the support that we had. Sometimes we would put something special on someone’s bed and say it was from God. Little things like that. What was in our hearts would never change from who we are and where we come from. We were brought up to help those who are less fortunate. I would love to be a motivational speaker, but it’s slow process. We can’t go anywhere right now until we are granted a full pardon. We ask for your help and support in this process. If people want us to talk at their schools, function et cetera. Feel free to let us know. Contact Chokwe Lumumba’s office as well.”
• BEING PRO-ACTIVE: If you have negativity, bitterness, jealousy and hatred in your heart, you aren’t going to make it. That’s a red light. You get the same results that you put out there. It expands. Believe me, it will come back to you when you least expect it. What you give comes back to you twice as much—ten-fold. Think positive thoughts. That’s a green light. Without your trust and faith in God, you’ve got nothing.”
• PEOPLE I ADMIRE MOST: That would be Malcolm X. He said whatever is necessary, then do that. He didn’t care if it was non-violent or violent. He promoted self-respect and truth. Now Dr. King was just as great. His didn’t stop no matter what they did to him. That’s self-determination even if the odds are stacked against you. He didn’t stop. He didn’t stop helping people. He didn’t stop preaching. He didn’t stop fighting for things that he knew were right. Minister Louis Farrakhan reminds me of Malcolm X. He ain’t scared of saying what needs to be said. If you wanna bring it, then bring it. He’ll get you straight. He’ll make you think. He will help you if you listen or seek the truth. He is another that does what is necessary and does what needs to be done even if it means going against the opposition. Minister Farrakhan loves his people. He is also a promoter of education.”
• OTHER INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE I RESPECT: In particular, I thank Gloria’s Kitchen for their genuine dedication and hospitality. Gloria and my mother are very good friends. I hope Gloria brings me a plate when I come down there.  I love her cooking. They have supported us through thick and thin. They are very good supporters. I don’t know if I can make it to the rally but I am definitely looking forward to that plate of food. It ain’t nothing like coming to Jackson and getting a plate of Gloria’s Kitchen!  My mouth is watering for some of her macaroni and cheese. She makes it like my mother does. And I love those Bar-B-Q ribs! I love her potato salad and I love her cakes—OH! I love those cakes! “I” Gladys sighs, “.I can’t wait.” Gladys pauses for a moment. “ I thank Chowke Lumumba. He’s a big influence in my life—not only on legal matters, but other matters as well. We are close. I consider him as a good friend. You can learn and grow from his gift. He inspires me to fight harder. That’s a good example of a good leader.  You are elevated being in his presence and want to be better in all that you do. He’s a real warrior. He does what he needs to do to get the job done. He believes in fighting for what is right.”

• ABOUT MY FATHER: My father was hard-working. He was quiet. Papa didn’t take no mess, but he was definitely loving. He retired from University Hospital in Chicago as a janitor. He was one of the best janitors. He always believed in going above and beyond and being the greatest in whatever it is that you do—no matter how small, because it always leads to something greater. Before he died he said, ‘No matter what happens, be the best that you can be. Don’t quit fighting because I know one day you are going to come home.’ That put the fire back in us. I needed to hear that. Due to all of the stress of trying to free us, he had a heart attack. I believed he died of a broken heart.” (Earlier, Mother, Evelyn Scott tells the story about her husband James last ditch effort to free his girls: ‘In 2003, an attorney, Edwin Thompson that my husband had hired said that he knew Marcus Gordon well and could talk to him about reducing their time. I knew that it was a ploy to try to get money out of my husband. My husband paid Thompson a large sum of money in order for Marcus Gordon to have Jamie and Gladys time reduced. Marcus Gordon looked in some sort of rule book and stated that a rule in there prevented him from reducing the sentence. This is something they knew from the beginning. They exploited my husband. Marcus Gordon pulled some undercover stuff that judges don’t usually do. A lot of people don’t really know about that. He also brought Jamie and Gladys back from the prison to so-call reduce their time. Don’t that sound stupid or strange? A lot of years went by before he brought them back. Out of the kindness of his heart, he brought them back? He did it for the money that he could get out of my husband. How much money did Thompson get? How much did Judge Gordon get? I don’t know! But I do know that my husband died a broke man. And a sad man! Because after they tricked him out of his money, it wasn’t long before my husband died. He got so upset because he thought by him paying a lot of money Jamie and Gladys could get out. It didn’t turn out like that and it wasn’t planed to turn out like that.”)

• ABOUT MY MOTHER: I love my mother with all my heart. She is my black queen. I’m thankful for a mother like that. I’m thankful for a mother who will fight for us. I love her strength. I love her determination. She has made me the woman I am today. My mother said that she would fight to the end, even if it took every breath of her body. She was determined to fight for our freedom. Gladys answers the question ‘Who is Evelyn?’ Gladys states, “Evelyn is someone who will fight to end if it is something she strongly believes in. She will go through hell and high water. SHE AIN’T SCARED OF NOTHING! But she got a big, big, big, BIG heart! There’s a saying that there are those who do not help you climb, will want to see you crawl. My mother believes in empowering others along her path. She will feed anybody. She will help anyone. But don’t mess with her family! Cause she gon give you a fight, baby! She is a living example of truth in the face of opposition. She believes in empowering her family and she will fight for what’s right—to the end.”

• WORDS FROM EVELYN JEANNETTE ROSCOE (MOTHER): see the original governor’s order. And the restrictions (what they can do and what they cannot do). I’d like to know if these are the restrictions that other people received. They have a curfew. They have to be drug screened. They have to pay $52.00 a month. Gladys already said she would give a kidney, so why is that a stipulation to be freed. This is about human rights too. Why would he make that a demand for their release. It’s like the governor was telling them that they would not be freed if Gladys changed her mind. It was like it was ordered. To my knowledge it’s against federal law for Governor Haley Barbour to do that. And he’s running for President? He is in fear that his children would receive the inheritance of this land that he did. What inheritance? The Governor overstepped his boundaries. Marcus Gordon states that the Governor is not supposed to give a suspended sentence. He must give a complete pardon. The order that he wrote can be changed at any time. Evelyn Roscoe states, “Everyone and the whole internet are disappointed with the pardon not being granted. If they violate one thing, then it’s back to prison. It’s not wonder you don’t have mental depression when you have to live like this. I didn’t like that part of it at all. This is not right that they are on parole for life. They are not hard-core criminals. So why should they be on parole for life?
• PRESENT INSPIRATIONAL GOAL: Friday, April 1, 2011 is the rally for our full pardon. I’m excited! Reason being I’m excited because I was not able to be there for the last rally in September. I saw all these people on TV. I just couldn’t believe how many people were out there supporting us, praying for us and working as hard as they could for our release. This time I am going to try to see everyone that I can and thank them personally for their support. I thank everyone for being there for us. THANK YOU! Thank everyone for your love and support. Keep us in your prayers, because the fight is not over. God Bless you!”
• FUTURE INSPIRATIONAL GOAL: I’d love to be a motivational speaker, but it’s hard to go anywhere right now. I’m sure our story can help so many more. I’d love to continue going to school. I’d love for people to write and keep in touch with us. Please send me information on how to become a motivational speaker.
• MY WISH: “I wish that I could take those I love on a trip to Disney World. I really want to go there.”
• IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS: ”If I had a million dollars, I’d tell you what I’d do. I’d take everyone to Disney World. I’d buy hundreds of dollars worth of hygienic items and donate it to the prisons or donate it to the chapels so they can pass it out. I’d set up a company where I could travel and be that motivational speaker that I will become. I’d set up a place where the youth could come and play, do their homework or just have fun.”
• CONTACT ME: Gladys Scott, P.O. 2164 Pensacola, Fl  32515. E-mail: gladysscott2500@yahoo.com. Mrs. Evelyn Rasco- rqueenbee2222@yahoo.com. Nancy Lockhart: thewrongfulconvictions@gmail.com or call 843-217- 4649. Visit http://www.freethescottsisters.blogspot.com

• CHOKWE LUMUMBA ON GOV HALEY BARBOUR: One thing I love most about Brother Chokwe is his preciseness with that added touch of humor. He makes a correction: ”I said he didn’t give them a pardon, I didn’t say he couldn’t give them a pardon. The pardon would mean that the whole conviction would be wiped off the book. Governor Haley Barbour didn’t give them that. That’s what we asked for, but he didn’t give us that. What the Governor did do was give them a suspended sentence. That was like putting them on parole. That’s what he did… put them on parole, really. Parole for the rest of their life—unless he decides to give them a pardon. Governor Haley Barbour did say, that’s the only way that he has ever done it.”

“He’s never gave a pardon straight out. He’s always gave them a suspended sentence, then later on a pardon. That’s the only explanation that he gave. I heard someone say that he didn’t feel they should get a pardon because they were guilty. It’s actually not required that you not be guilty. In fact one of the most famous pardons of all time was the pardon of Richard Nixon. He violated a number of people’s rights dealing with the break-in of the Watergate Scandal. He never did admit he was guilty. He admitted that he lied to people. He lied to the press. He admitted that. He lied about taping conversations in his office. He never admitted that he actually violated the law. None-the-less, he was pardoned.

“To make a long story short, the Governors representatives have stated that he does not give a full pardon to those who don’t admit they are guilty. Now, that’s what they said. What our position is that we have to continue to fight for the pardon to be freed completely from state supervisor and oppression. One of the ways we are going to do that is to build for the demonstration on April 1, 2011. That will be major demonstration to demand they be pardoned completely.

Gladys is to donate a kidney to Jamie. That was part of her stipulation for release. It is a violation of human rights to require that. In other words, if she doesn’t give the kidney, I don’t believe they can violate her. Gladys wanted to give her sister a kidney long before this pardon process started. With all this being true, the release was political. Being that the Governor is trying to run for President and having two black women in prison for the crime that he states they committed would not have been seen well outside of Mississippi. It would be difficult for him to get a vote—especially when they know that people he has given pardons to have mostly been murderers. One of those murderers killed a 91 year old person. So to deny Jamie and Gladys would have been too much political baggage for him to take with him into a presidential campaign. He would have never have been successful.  It was all about avoiding political disaster. In my opinion, this is what that was all about.”

Now to not alienate his tea party friends in the system he had to explain his actions to them. And the way he explained his actions was to say that it was going to save the state money. And by explaining his case about the other sister, he said that Jamie had to get a kidney. In other words he was trying to satisfy two political groups. The outside group would make him a worthwhile presidential candidate. Inside of Mississippi, trying to satisfy the right-wing he could just tell them that he was doing this for human rights. He had to tell them there was some kind of benefit for the state of Mississippi. He claims that by letting them go, he would be saving around $200,000 a year in dialysis treatment and also by creating a donor (Gladys) for Jamie. The final thing that people should understand is when you ask for a pardon, you are asking the Governor to release you from prison. We had no options. We had to take whatever he gave us. We did not really have a legal hook. Please attend the rally for a full pardon, April 1, 2011”

I want to thank everyone for their help. It was a great effort to put forth toward their freedom. Nancy Lockhart has done some good work over the years. She has been instrumental in building an internet network from all over the country. That was a very impressive situation. I’d like to thank the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, NAACP, ACLU, N’Cobra, PG-RNA, the Jackson Advocate and other Black press and major outlets and media, the City Council of Jackson and other state legislative groups, plus the hundreds and thousands of individual group and individual that helped mobilize and push for their freedom. I thank all those who participated in the effort—period.

Please support the Scott Sisters Support Fund. The fund helps with housing, food, clothing, stuff like that. You can write a check or money order –or bring it to: The Scott Sisters Support Fund, 440 N. Mill Street, Jackson, MS  39202 601-353-4455.

THE RALLY: FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 AT 10:00. The march will start on Farish Street. For further questions call 601-353-4455

By Stephanie Parker-Weaver

Jackson Advocate Contributing Writer

This lady of distinction’s voice is known throughout the City of Jackson as the person who reads council resolutions and orders with nearly perfect pronunciation.Charity A. Wright, born and reared in Jackson, Mississippi, is very actively working at Jackson City Hall as Deputy City Clerk to Ward 4 councilman Frank Bluntson, President of the Jackson City Council.Wright is very well known around the City of Jackson with both the employees and citizens as lending a helping hand and always giving of her time. She works closely with organizing neighborhood associations, attending functions on behalf of Councilman Bluntson, in his absence, as well as being involved in numerous activities around the City.She is a woman with many talents and struggles that you may not know. Her first love, of course, is her love for God and to her children, Johnny C. Wright, Jr., and daughter Cyley L. Wright, and yes, a grandson Ke’Jzawn C. Wright, one godson Cory Clay.  A proud product of the Jackson Public School system as a Jim Hill graduate, Charity received her B.A. degree from Alcorn State University.She was also crowned “Miss Congeniality” in the 1971 Miss Black Mississippi Pageant.  While at Alcorn, Charity served on the Student Government Association board, was a member of the Marching Band, a Girl Scout Leader and was elected by her peers as Ms. Sophomore 1976. She is the third child of six born to Mrs. Mary Helen (Boler) Anderson and the late G.L. Anderson, Jr.Charity has endured many struggles, trials and illnesses throughout her childhood and adult life. But she is determined not to give up. “Being a single parent, times were very hard for me,” Wright said. “With the help of God and a loving God-fearing mother who instilled in me to read and lean on Psalms 37:1-9 daily, I believed and trusted God for his healing; and today, I represent so many single moms, no matter the race, to get up and push on.”Wright reflected on the day when she did not know how to type, but could read, and read well.“I never realized just how well I could read. I give God the glory for that and my dad because he used to make me read the Bible to him out loud and would always critique me on pronunciation,” Wright said.“As a child, I hated that because all I wanted to do was go outside to shoot my marbles or climb the tree in my grandma’s yard, because that one limb up in that tree was my horse. I liked to play cowboys and Indians up in that tree. I was truly a tomboy!” However, once she became a mother and responsible for two children later on as a single parent, and despite having a college degree, it became hard to find a job. She enrolled in a night class at the Career Development Center and took a typing class and then on to computer classes. “I couldn’t afford a babysitter so my children went to school with me each night. That is where I learned to type and learned Word Perfect. I had excellent phone and voice skills couldn’t type a lick,” Wright laughingly said.“After completion of night school, my mom told her friend Dr. James Anderson about me needing a job, and Dr. Anderson referred me to then-City Clerk Eddie Jean Carr, who was looking for someone to be her secretary at the City Clerk’s Office. “Mrs. Carr took my phone number, called my house and heard my voice over the phone, and left a message for me to call her.“Well, I did call her back and made an appointment for an interview. After she and I met, she told me when she heard my voice she knew that I was the one she wanted to be her secretary, and I was.” Charity says that working for the City Clerk’s office has been a new venture in her life and has taught her a wealth of knowledge about government. “This job is about assisting people in a professional manner and making sure that they get quality service. I go that extra mile at times, but to me, it is all worth it when you have good people to work with like Councilman Bluntson who respects and appreciate you,” she said. “Even today I look back at how God was preparing me for an opportunity in my life. I hated to read out loud to my daddy, and I cried a lot and hated him for making me come inside to read to him. Today, I think back over my life and I thought Dad was being mean, but I thank God for him, too, because he was molding me all the time and I never knew it until now. “I wish Dad could have stayed around to hear me read, so he could see how his hard work surely paid off. I have been blessed to work in radio and television using my voice in many voice over commercials on FOX 40, WAPT and WJMI/WOAD. “My advice to children is to listen to your parents because in the long run it will pay off and you, too, will be glad you did!”