Why ethics and diversity matter: The case of Trayvon Martin coverage | Poynter.

This is a good article on the problems faced by mostly white media -- it is dying through lack of diversity, as it should. No organization can remain un-diversified and survive. Business knows this, and the U.S. Supreme Court hears its message (something I find particularly interesting, coming from this conservative group). Any way...

Take a look, and then please share your comments.

Thanks,
Susan

Why ethics and diversity matter: The case of Trayvon Martin coverage | Poynter.

Two Harlan County, Kentucky, Men Indicted for Federal Hate Crime Against Individual Because of Sexual Orientation; Update on DOJ and Trayvon Martin -- Zimmerman

Released by the

U.S. Dept. of Justice

Civil Rights Division

Thurs., April 12, 2012

Indictment Marks the First Case Charged Under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act Involving Sexual Orientation

Two Harlan County, Ky., men were indicted today for their roles in kidnapping and assaulting a gay man because of his sexual orientation, the Justice Department announced today.

A federal grand jury in London, Ky., returned a three-count indictment charging David Jason Jenkins, 37, and Anthony Ray Jenkins, 20, for kidnapping and assaulting Kevin Pennington, and for conspiring with each other and with other unnamed individuals to commit the kidnapping.

Matthew Shepard, left 

The indictment charges the men with committing a hate crime in violation of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expanded federal jurisdiction to include certain assaults motivated by someone’s sexual orientation.  This case marks the first federal hate crime charging a violation of the sexual orientation provision of the statute.

The indictment alleges that on April 4, 2011, the two defendants kidnapped and assaulted Kevin Pennington because of Pennington’s sexual orientation. According to the indictment, the defendants enlisted two women to trick Pennington into getting into a truck with the defendants, so that the defendants could drive Pennington to a state park and assault him. According to the indictment, the defendants then drove Pennington a secluded area of the Kingdom Come State Park in Kentucky and assaulted him. To read more,click here.

Meanwhile...

Holder: Justice Dept. will act on Trayvon Martin case if evidence of civil rights crime

Attorney General tells Rev. Al Sharpton group fighting youth violence is a top priority 

Reported by the New York Daily News:

Attorney General Eric Holder said Wednesday that the Justice Department will take appropriate action in the killing of Trayvon Martin if it finds evidence that a federal criminal civil rights crime has been committed.

The attorney general made the comment in an appearance before a civil rights organization founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Holder says the department will conduct a thorough and independent review of the evidence in the Martin matter.

The attorney general says one of the department's top priorities is preventing and combating youth violence and victimization.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/holder-justice-dept-act-trayvon-martin-case-evidence-civil-rights-crime-article-1.1059685#ixzz1rrBMbro9

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/holder-justice-dept-act-trayvon-martin-case-evidence-civil-rights-crime-article-1.1059685#ixzz1rrBFfp2v

Free online link to Mississippi civil rights history book (with chapter on Emmett Till) given out by author of Where Rebels Roost; Mississippi Civil Rights Revisited

The author of three books on Mississippi Civil Rights, today posted a free link to her largest work, Where Rebels Roost; Mississippi Civil Rights Revisited.


"I've received numerous calls since the Trayvon Martin incident, from civil rights reporters and others asking me questions that relate to the Emmett Till murder in 1955. Till's death was critical to the advancement of the civil rights movement back then, and it is a history that every person in this country should know--not just African Americans," Susan Klopfer said.


Klopfer said she is encouraged by the sudden interest in this historical topic, particularly in relationship to the Trayvon Martin murder. 


"I was angered by the movie, The Help, because it white washed what really took place back in the 1950s and 60s. The times were far more brutal and Greenwood, Mississippi was the home of beatings and murder of numerous black Mississippians. The movie also asserts that black people were 'taken by the hand' by white people to initiate change. That is just not true; history is filled with countless stories of brave African Americans who risked their lives to overcome racism and discrimination, and to make change happen.


"It is unfortunate when real history is not told; people who saw The Help left the movie houses with an inaccurate portrayal of what racism was like and how it affected the entire community."


Klopfer said she hopes readers of history find her free link to Where Rebels Roost an opportunity to understand the context of Emmett Till's lynching. "There are many similarities and many differences between these two murders. Once a reader takes a look at this book, I am sure they will better understand what is going on now in Florida and with the Martin case."


Here is the online link to Klopfer's free book:

http://themiddleoftheinternet.com/OnlineBooks/Rebels/index.html


On her website, www.themiddleoftheinternet listing Klopfer's various books, a description of Where Rebels Roost states the following:


After 23 months of research and writing, while living in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, Where Rebels Roost features:


--A Nine-page Selected Bibliography/Citations: 73 Books; 3 Dissertations; 47 Articles; 32 Collections, Interviews, Oral Histories


--Twenty-pages/Lists of Dead/References 900+ names and information of African Americans lynched and murdered in Mississippi from 1870 to 1970 (references Southern Law & Poverty Center, NAACP, Tuskegee Institute, individual family and friends, personal research)


--Sixteen-page/160+ Names of Emmett Till Principles/Names and biographies of people close to this case, from lawyers, witnesses, judges and jurors to police, politicians, friends and families.


--And over one hundred specific Sovereignty Commission Documents, cited with references given (plus over 1,000 footnotes!)


But more important are the stories of some very unique, persevering and brave people – stories that deserve to be told. I hope you enjoy this read as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Who should read this book? Genealogists, historians, history buffs, teachers, students, civil rights activists and followers, anyone who loves a fascinating story.

" ... an absorbing and substantial work that speaks in many provocative ways ..."  Lois Brown, director of the Weissman Center for Leadership and Liberal Arts, Mount Holyoke College 

"Susan Klopfer is determined to tell the truth about Mississippi and about America ... Klopfer follows the money, showing how the lines of culpability lead into the offices of New York industrialist Wycliffe Draper, whose Pioneer Fund fueled Mississippi’s fight against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and provided millions of dollars for the private academies, established to keep white children out of integrated schools after Brown v. Board of Ed. (More recently, the Pioneer Fund financed the research for the controversial book, The Bell Curve, a best selling, racist tract published in 1994.)"  Ben Greenberg, poet, essayist and activist and author of the blog Hungry Blues

More Calls For Justice in Trayvon Martin Case; NOW Takes a Stand

Contact: Latoya Veal, 202-628-8669, ext. 116

NOW Calls for Justice in Trayvon Martin Case: Fire the Chief,
Arrest the Shooter, and Repeal 'Stand Your Ground' Laws
Statement of NOW President Terry O'Neill

March 23, 2012

The National Organization for Women is shocked and saddened by the tragic death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, the African-American teenager shot and killed while walking home from a convenience store in Sanford, Florida. Unarmed, Trayvon was carrying a bag of candy and an iced tea when he was gunned down near his father's home by a self-appointed neighborhood watchman in a gated community.

We are appalled by how poorly this case has been handled by local authorities in Sanford. It has now been almost four weeks since Martin's death, and the shooter, George Zimmerman, is still walking free. Police Chief Bill Lee's self-imposed temporary leave of absence is not enough. The authorities in Sanford need to fire the chief and arrest and prosecute the shooter.
NOW stands with Trayvon's mother, Sybrina Fulton, his father, Tracy Martin, and other family and supporters in calling for justice in this senseless crime. We also join our Florida NOW chapter and the organization's National Combating Racism Committee in urging every law enforcement agency involved, including the Justice Department, to conduct a complete and fair investigation of an incident that bears all the hallmarks of a hate crime.

NOW also calls for repeal of the controversial 'Stand Your Ground Laws' before another life is taken in the name of vigilantism. Enacted in 2005, the Florida law allows individuals to use deadly force anywhere against anyone they believe is a 'threat' to their life. Some 20 other states in the U.S. have similarly broad laws that are, essentially, a license to kill.

No mother should have to lose a child, especially to such horrible violence. NOW will continue to work with allied organizations to change police practices, politically-motivated laws and social attitudes that put too many African-American teens at risk for the "crime" of walking while young and black.

###

Sanford, Florida Black Teen Gunned Down by Neighbor; Police Look Other Way

News Release
For Information, Contact
ColorOfChange.org
March 19, 2012

Civil Rights Group Launches Campaign Urging the U.S. Department of Justice to Arrest Trayvon Martin's killer and Investigate the Sanford Police Department

March 19, 2012

New York, NY – Civil rights group ColorOfChange.org today launched a campaign calling on the US Department of Justice to take over the case of Trayvon Martin, arrest Martin's killer, and launch an independent investigation into the Sanford Police Department's unwillingness to protect Martin's civil rights.

In an email to members, the organization makes the case that Sanford police botched their questioning of Zimmerman, the self-appointed neighborhood watch captain who killed Martin. ColorOfChange members are now signing a petition calling on federal intervention on the grounds that Sanford police refused to take the full statements of witnesses and pressured neighbors to side with the shooter's claim of self-defense.

"The tragic killing of Trayvon Martin and subsequent mishandling of this case by Sanford police is yet another reminder that to some, simply being Black in America is a crime." said ColorOfChange Executive Director Rashad Robinson. "While the campaign for justice in this case will not bring back Trayvon, this is an opportunity for people of all races to stand with his family and families across the country who have seen the impact of a justice system that places so little values on the lives and dignity of Black people."

Sanford's police department has a history of failing to hold perpetrators accountable for violent acts against Black victims. In 2010, the son of a police officer went free after beating a Black homeless man unprovoked. Five years earlier, two security guards went unpunished after killing a Black teenager who was dropping friends off at their homes.

The State Attorney's office has rubber-stamped the Sanford police's questionable investigation, claiming that there is not enough evidence to support even a manslaughter conviction.

"The ColorOfChange community sends its deepest condolences to Trayvon's family," Robinson said. "It shouldn't be a privilege for anyone to safely buy candy and soda at their neighborhood store. It is time for the Justice Department to step in and ensure that the rule of law is applied."

###

With more than 800,000 members, ColorOfChange.org is the nation’s largest African-American online civil rights organization.