hide caption. That 814-page report, which was issued in December, concluded Trump was the central cause of the 2021 mob invasion of the Capitol. The Kappa step shows soon became a draw for students of color across campus. When the Mississippi State Highway Patrol set up roadblocks to harass Black citizens during voter registration drives while he was in office, Thompson recalled to me, he took them to court. Bennie Thompson was born in a very loving family in Bolton, Mississippi. He recalled meeting such icons as King and John Lewis, who later served in Congress along with Thompson and remained a lifelong friend. Thompsons unpretentious persona may have allowed him to largely escape the wrath of the committees critics. 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. 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. For $5, you can watch a short film in which local residents describe what they remember from 1955, and walk through a hallway of exhibits, including a replica of Bryant's Grocery. Triangle. A spokeswoman for Representative Bennie Thompson, the Democratic chairman of the panel, didnt respond to a request for comment or confirm the authenticity of the document. Blacks were not allowed to reside in on-campus dormitories, were not afforded off-campus accommodations, and they were also denied the use of all other university facilities, and were barred from participating in contact sports. And the chairman of the January 6 committee, Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, warned on CNN that no one is off limits in terms of being compelled to Congressman Thompson has been a long supporter of Agriculture. Leaders of the new Republican majority in the House have vowed to investigate allegations of ideological discrimination, using congressional hearings and, if necessary, subpoenas to probe content moderation decisions. Pi Kappa Phi is the only Greek organization which owns its own philanthropy. Trump lawyer cross-examines rape accuser Carroll The number of places where they might assemble was limited. Do you have a blog? Jeffries office did not make the congressman available for an interview for this story. It was kind of an icebreaker, Thompson, now a member of the U.S. House, told me more than five decades later. 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.. "Fella who came down here and got in trouble overstepped his bounds to a degree some folks thought," says Whitten. Bennie combines the wisdom, judgment, patience, and good humor necessary to guide our committee at this historic moment, she said. As we celebrate Black History Month, its important to acknowledge the remarkable legacy of the Divine Nine. Committee members including Liz Cheney and Adam Schiff pushed back and said such a decision had not been made yet. 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. Kappa Alpha Psi was the first to Black Greek Lettered Organization to issue a monthly publication. 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. 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. Debbie Elliott/NPR 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. Congressman Bennie G. Thompson is a firm believer of giving back to those whom afforded him an opportunity to serve. Bennie Thompson has not been elected into the Hall of Fame. A replica of Bryant's Grocery is part of the Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center Museum in Glendora, Miss. These men of vision decided Kappa Alpha Nu would be more than another social organization. Thats one of the guys Im really going to miss working with when I leave here. (Katko, who was one of just 10 Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump after the events of January 6, was sure to clarify that his praise of Thompson pertained only to the Homeland Security Committee. On January 5, 1911, the Fraternity then became known as Kappa Alpha Nu, possibly as a tribute to the Black students of 1903 (the Alpha Kappa Nu Greek Society) who preceded them at Indiana University. She says the family is also awaiting word from the U.S. Justice Department, which has reopened the Till murder case. Diggs presided as president, while Irvin was assigned as temporary secretary of Alpha Omega. It was Carter's vision to leverage to size and breadth of the fraternity to mobilize legislators, regulators, and activists, and, at the same time, bolster the influence of the Congressional Black Caucus. The Founders were God-fearing, and serious minded young men who possessed the imagination, ambition, courage and determination to defy custom in pursuit of a college education and careers. You know, I cast votes based on what the issues are at that time, Thompson told CNN last July, explaining his vote against certifying Bushs election. Jeffries was only a college sophomore at Binghamton University when he was elected president of the schools fledgling chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi. The property will be dedicated in October with a bulletproof marker and new security measures. The idealist, John Milton Lee also contributed significantly to the fledgling organization. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Sometimes, the greatest gifts arrive in the most innocuous packaging. As far as replacing the sign, Weems is getting help from a fifth-generation local farmer, Walker Sturdivant, who owns the property and plans to donate a long-term lease to better protect the site. He served in that capacity for six years. The committee may also have to wade into controversial waters and call Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomass wife, Virginia, to testify, based on reports that she lobbied the White House chief of staff to pursue efforts to overturn the election. These students saw the need to foster communal bonds while on campus, and to increase professional opportunities after their collegiate experience. He didn't die in vain, and he triggered, I believe, the civil rights movement.". Bolton, Mississippi benniethompson.house.gov Born January 28 Joined October 2009 562 97.2K Followers Replies Media Pinned Tweet How We Can Learn to Live with COVID-19 After Vaccinations. 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. The company found its own response to the incitement of violence troubling, according to the report, but no substantive work was done to improve the situation in 2021, including in other high-profile elections such as in Brazil last year. The Fraternity has over 125,000 members with 700 undergraduate and alumni chapters in nearly every state of the United States, and international chapters in Nigeria, South Africa, the West Indies, the United Kingdom, Germany, Korea and Japan. Bennie Thompson is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Mississippis 2nd congressional district since 1993. "We have struggled with getting the whole story out; we don't want the sanitized version.". He understands in a deeper way the dynamics of both normal and abnormal politics.. Kappa Alpha Psi, now comprised of functioning Undergraduate and Alumni Chapters on major campuses and in cities throughout the country, is the crystallization of a dream. At the end of FY2010, the Veterans population in the United States was approximately 22.6 million. We will continue to monitor and enforce our policies across the platform.. * Selected to Pro Bowl, + First-Team AP All-Pro, Bold indicates league leader. Since their inception, each organization has contributed countless hours of community service, donated millions of dollars toward educational scholarships, and have provided leadership to communities around the country. Happy Black History Month! Being a member of what we call the Divine Nine, that is, the traditional African American sororities and fraternitiescreates a relationship with probably over a million people who have that connection in common, says Georgia Rep. Bishop. This environment made day-to-day life for Blacks an arduous task and attempts to successfully achieve in school, nearly impossible. Thompson has been the lone Democrat in Mississippis congressional delegation since 2011. hide caption. Vigilante lynchings of Blacks were commonplace. As fraternity president, Jeffries coordinated and emceed the Mu Kappa chapters fashion show fundraiser. 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. Debbie Elliott/NPR Their intolerance toward Blacks fueled the negative mindset of other Whites residing there. Fox ratings plunge for Tucker Carlsons old time slot "I think all these folks are stirring crap up," he says. Our public core values were created to help guide the decisions we make. 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. She says the repeated vandalism just adds more pain. "Emmett was murdered because of racial hatred," says Gordon-Taylor. Twitter, Parler and Gab didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. Jaynes-Diming is part of the Emmett Till Memorial Commission, which is trying to preserve sites like this. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. But again, I didnt tear up the place because I cast a vote.. "What happened to Emmett Till, it's awful, it's sickening, turns my stomach every time I think about it, but it's a part of our history. The obligation to become engaged in the college or university community. Politics | Magazines, Or create a free account to access more articles, How Hakeem Jeffries' Leadership of His Historically Black Fraternity Shaped His Career. Both Facebook and Twitter faced significant headwinds in taking aggressive action against problematic content by President Trump and his supporters, partly out of fear that they would be classified as overly partisan, according to the report. Bennie Thompson has never won a Super Bowl. Decades after overcoming challenges to his own elections, Thompson sits atop a panel dedicated to uncovering a conspiracy to overturn President Joe Bidens electoral victory. Can rise within the system that initially and aggressively sought to exclude him. Instagram/Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting "Every day, somebody's dragging up the race card. Civil rights tour guide Jessie Jaynes-Diming says it was painful to see. Emmett Till's killers J.W. Kappa Alpha Psi, a college Fraternity, was born in an environment saturated in racism. The Jan. 6 committee chair said it was not the group's job to refer Trump or anyone else to the DOJ for charges. The report provides examples of Twitter managers failing to act on employee warnings about heated rhetoric on the platform, including the phrase locked and loaded. Employees were told they could escalate any troubling content to superiors, but no experienced supervisor was on duty the morning of the certification of the Presidential election, the report said. After graduating Binghamton with a Bachelors degree in political science, Jeffries got a law degree at New York University. On Congressman Thompsons voting record, he has never voted against a Farm Bill during his nine terms in Congress. Let us see you in your colorful paraphernalia. in bearing their share of the financial burden Former members of Congress who were Kappas include Alcee Hastings of Florida, Don McEachin of Virginia, and Louis Stokes of Ohio, who helped lay the foundation of the Congressional Black Caucus. 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). The name of Fraternity and the image it portrayed was of paramount importance. 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Congress is a venue in which attention-seekers thrive, instinctively turning to camera lights like plants tilt toward the sun. The body of Emmett Louis Till, a 14-year-old Chicago boy who was visiting relatives, was found in the Tallahatchie River near Money, Miss., on Aug. 31, 1955. Related Articles Jeffries was only a college sophomore at Binghamton University when he was elected president of the schools fledgling chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi. He had joined the fraternity just a year earlier in search of community in his new home, nearly 200 miles and a world away from his Brooklyn upbringing. He is well-known among his colleagues, but not necessarily a nationally recognized figure. For many of them, joining Kappa Alpha Psi represented a lifetime commitment to leadership and social change. There, he partnered with current New York City Mayor Eric Adams, then a state senator, to author a law preventing police from keeping the names and addresses of New Yorkers they stopped, frisked, and releasedmany of them Black and Latino. WebThe obligation to remain involved in Pi Kappa Phi after graduation and to work perpetually to build the ideal fraternity. The Mississippi congressmans long struggle for civil rights is culminating with his role atop the January 6 committee. "Kappa Alpha Psi", "KA", and the Coat of Arms of Kappa Alpha Psi are registered trademarks of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. 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. He was involved with Binghamtons Black Student Union, and in attempting to elevate his fraternitys status on campus, he helped make communities of color more visible to the university as a whole. The two men attacked the teen after Carolyn Bryant claimed he made an aggressive pass at her. These men of vision decided the Fraternity would be more than another social organization. Mississippi continues to face tremendous challenges as we confront our health care needs. All rights reserved. He attended a public school in the heart of the borough, and he later recalled the culture shock of arriving at Binghamtons campus in 1988. In 1980, Thompson was elected to the Hinds County board of supervisors, where he served 13 years. 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. He has been married his college sweetheart, London Johnson of Mound Bayou, Mississippi, since 1968. Thompson and wife have a daughter, BendaLonne Thompson. Bennie Thompson and his wife London Johnson have a daughter, BendaLonne; granddaughter, Jeanna; and grandson, Thomas Gordon. Bennie Thompson is the son of Will and Annie Lauris Thompson. Please see our Contributors and Sources page for data source details. 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. Martin Luther King Jr. was among the luminaries in the civil rights movement who spoke at the colleges Woodworth Chapel. That included accounts of the impact of Trumps Dec. 19 tweet, but the panel mostly focused on the conduct of Trump and his associates. Thompson had three children: BendaLonne, Jeanna, and Thomas. That is not who we want to be.". The committee was approved almost entirely along party lines, and its members were chosen by Pelosi. Membership in these organizations provide students with valuable networking and mentoring opportunities. In what capacity would you like to participate? Born: The expectation that you find your passion and excel. You can barely make out a "private property" sign posted out front. Its a real joy working with him, said Katko, who is retiring at the end of the year. All five members of Mississippis U.S. congressional delegation other than Thompson are Republicans. Farmer Walker Sturdivant owns the land where Till's body was removed from the river. Hell also have some fraternity brothers to lean on for support. The body of Emmett Louis Till, a 14-year-old Chicago boy who was visiting relatives, was found in the Tallahatchie River near Money, Miss., on Aug. 31, 1955. The percentage of Blacks on campus was less than 1%. The ideals of the church were an important foundation of the Fraternity. A "private property" sign posted out front is barely visible. 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. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. 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. Jeffries grew up in Brooklyn, the son of a social worker and a state substance abuse counselor. In a video posted last year to his Kappa Alpha Psi chapters Instagram, Jeffries said he was grateful to Cordero for appointing him president of his pledge classwhich preceded his eventual election to lead the whole chapter. Why don't y'all let that die?' 37 46 37 37. Jeffries has since credited his time in the historically Black fraternity as a defining era of his life. "This is justice for our family," says Till's cousin Airickca Gordon-Taylor who runs the Mamie Till Mobley Memorial Foundation in Chicago. What is their social impact to their community?" 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. Politics | That was a very different and liberating feeling as compared to the neighborhoods of central Brooklyn in the 1980s in the midst of the crack-cocaine epidemic.. "By letting the trees and so forth grew up around it, and letting the walls fall down, it's a way to let history fade into invisibility," says Reilly Morse, president of the Mississippi Center for Justice. 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. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. H cuRRenT membeRs H Bennie Thompson 1948 united states representative democrat from mississippi 1993 Some of these members include: Ralph Abernathy, Wilt Chamberlin, Montell Jordan, Benjamin Jealous, Oscar Robertson, Cedric the Entertainer, Arthur Ashe, Mike Tomlin, Gayle Sayers, Adrian Fenty, Robert S. Abbott, Bennie Thompson, Donald Byrd, Johnnie Cochran, Ed Gardner, Smokie Norful, John Singleton, Tom Bradley, Bob Johnson, John Conyers, Alcee Hastings, Lerone Bennett, Jr., Kwame Jackson, Bill Russell, Tavis Smiley, Marvin Sapp, and Colin Kaepernick to name a few.