Or write about sports? Bennie G. Thompson, (born January 28, 1948) is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993, and the ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security since 2011. Find out more. Even so, the site draws attention and visitors, like one couple from Brooklyn on a civil rights road trip through the South. Pi Kappa Phis esoteric values are taught to each member through our Ritual of Initiation. Developments affecting the committees work continue at a fast pace. WebSince 1980, 13 members of the fraternity have served in the United States House of Representatives, the most by any member organization of the National Pan Hellenic Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Spring, 2009. Rep. Bennie Thompson speaks during the January 6 committee's first public hearing. Troy Carter of Louisiana got to Congress in 2021, he and Jeffries joked about how they would work on growing their ranks in Congress. full responsibility as citizens; I believe that my chapter can become an ideal chapter, "And it's not just about replacing the sign, but it's what do they teach there? 'Why Don't Y'all Let That Die?' Telling The Emmett Till Story In Mississippi continues to face tremendous challenges as we confront our health care needs. What is their social impact to their community?" This button displays the currently selected search type. The panels investigators interviewed technology industry executives and law enforcement and intelligence officials, along with Trump aides and Republican election officials. The fraternity declined to comment to NPR. "Basically African Americans didn't have an opportunity to tell any of the story back in 1955 when it did happen," he says, because of fear of reprisals in Jim Crow-era Mississippi. "The basic idea is that you can't shoot an app," Tell says. The town reevaluated its real estate, revealing that many white residents had been undervaluing their property. Bennie was always like a grown-up, said Oleta Fitzgerald, now the Southern regional director of Childrens Defense Fund, but once a classmate of Thompsons at Tougaloo College. Realizing that they had no part in the social life of the university and drawn together by common interests, they decided that a Greek-letter fraternity would do much to fill the missing link in their college existence. That is not who we want to be.". Bennie Thompson played 159 games over his career. Social media companies bent their own rules in favor of former President Donald Trump and his supporters in the volatile weeks preceding the 2021 attack on the US Capitol, according to an unpublished staff report from the Houses Jan. 6 committee. In Congress, Thompson focused much of his work on racial equity. Somebody saying we have racial disparity here. 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. You didnt have to stand on the corner and holler loud, you just understood you can have your day in this country in court. 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That pattern is set to repeat this year, with Nancy Pelosi stepping down as House Speaker to make room at the top for Jeffries, while sticking around to help guide the 52-year-old as he manages the caucus. As we celebrate Black History Month, its important to acknowledge the remarkable legacy of the Divine Nine. Plans for violence were telegraphed on both far-right forums and mainstream platforms, which pushed Jan. 6 as a critical day in the Stop the Steal movement, the report said. Web6-0 , 210lb (183cm, 95kg) Born: February 10 in New Orleans, LA (Age: 60-069d) More bio, uniform, draft, salary info. 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. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. In tiny Glendora, an old cotton gin has been converted to the Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center Museum. Throughout my public service career in Congress, I have always put service above self and principles above politics. It's also available for basketball, baseball and hockey. Through their combined labors, the fraternitys ritual and ceremonial forms, constitution, hymn and motto were created, and insignia and emblems were fashioned. "The Emmett Till Memorial Commission put up that sign to say the story of Emmett Till is important to us as a community and to us as Americans," Glisson says. Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., testifies before the House Rules Committee on Dec. 14, 2021. The obligation to become engaged in the college or university community. History Bennie Thompson Except for the years of World War I and II, when some Grand Chapter Meetings were suspended, Kappa Alpha Psi has grown and prevailed with unabating impetus. Major cities like Detroit and New York donated firetrucks and garbage trucks. Reddit, in a statement, said it found no evidence of coordinated calls for violence on it platform related to Jan. 6. Its a real joy working with him, said Katko, who is retiring at the end of the year. "People only in closed circles whispered about the atrocities of the death," he says. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Bennie combines the wisdom, judgment, patience, and good humor necessary to guide our committee at this historic moment, she said. Trump hasnt tweeted since his initial suspension after his supporters attacked the US Capitol two years ago. The committee is also expected to hold more public hearings this year, after just one high-profile hearing with Capitol and Metropolitan Police officers last summer. Charter Line Spring 1979 Rutgers University! Congress is a venue in which attention-seekers thrive, instinctively turning to camera lights like plants tilt toward the sun. On Monday, a federal judge ruled that Trumps former lawyer must turn over a trove of documents, also concluding in his decision that the former president more likely than not attempted to illegally obstruct the counting of electoral votes. The 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 property will be dedicated in October with a bulletproof marker and new security measures. Other Kappa Alpha Psi alumni include famed NBA center Wilt Chamberlain, civil rights activist and quarterback Colin Kaepernick, lawyer Johnnie Cochran, and New York Times columnist Charles Blow, as well as Mandela Barnes, the former Wisconsin lieutenant governor who nearly flipped a U.S. Senate seat last year. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Guy Levis Grant, Edward Giles Irvin, and Sgt. Mississippi social justice consultant Susan Glisson, who has also been working with the Memorial Commission, says the persistent vandalism sends a clear message. You would be hard-pressed to find somebody whos a member of a Black Greek letter organization who talks about it in the past tense.. There was an additional misunderstanding being attributed to the acronym of the Fraternitys Greek letters, KAN. Some confused the abbreviation of the letters to refer to the state of Kansas. Though those who knew him back then dont remember him speaking about national political ambitions, Jeffries was involved in campus politics and especially focused on uplifting students of color. Our public core values were created to help guide the decisions we make. The percentage of Blacks on campus was less than 1%. That 814-page report, which was issued in December, concluded Trump was the central cause of the 2021 mob invasion of the Capitol. He lives in Sumner, Miss., where the two men who killed Till were tried and acquitted by an all-white jury, only to confess to the killing when they sold their story to Look Magazine months later. and activities of their college; Who prepare themselves diligently to shoulder their | Follow my Instagram: @benniegthompson . Andrew Harnik/AP. "We have struggled with getting the whole story out; we don't want the sanitized version.". Pi Kappa Phi is the only Greek organization which owns its own philanthropy. It was 1969, one year after the death of Martin Luther King Jr., and in Bolton, Mississippi, white Southerners ugly backlash to the gains of the civil rights movement was a powerful force. 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. Recent reporting by The Washington Post and CBS News revealed a gap in Trumps phone logs on January 6, 2021, of seven hours and 37 minutes. It remains the only Greek letter organization with its Alpha Chapter on Indiana Universitys campus. Hes very careful and inclusive as chairman. The inaugural edition of the Kappa Alpha Nu Journal debuted April 1914 and has printed uninterrupted since with the exception to 1918 and 1919, due to WWI. 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. The obligation to remain involved in Pi Kappa Phi after graduation and to work perpetually to build the ideal fraternity. The district includes most of Jackson and is the only majority-black district in the state. The two men attacked the teen after Carolyn Bryant claimed he made an aggressive pass at her. Jaynes-Diming is part of the Emmett Till Memorial Commission, which is trying to preserve sites like this. The establishment in the community saw this as a threat to their way of life. The city clerk had told him in the first meeting of the new council that he would not do anything the Black aldermen said. "Whites and blacks came to our meetings and [said] 'Why are you all bringing this up? Civil rights tour guide Jessie Jaynes-Diming says it was painful to see. In fact, all twenty-three counties in the Second District are medically under-served and many citizens are unable to afford health coverage. The Kappa Alpha Psi Legislative Conference, as it was originally named, was established by Congressman John Conyers (Gamma Eta, 1951) in 2002. Bennie G. Thompson @BennieGThompson. All Rights Reserved. It's part of our culture. The event was originally conceived by James T. Carter Jr. (Xi, 1948), a retired teacher from the DC public school system, who became an aide to Congressman Conyers. For Thompson, one of the honors of his committee chairmanship is in showing that the son of man who never votedwho couldnt vote in the apartheid state of Jim Crow Mississippican lead the investigation uncovering the truths of a dark day in U.S. history. For their works to establish the fraternity, Diggs was named permanent chairman, Lee was designated as secretary and Armstrong as sergeant-at-arms. This environment made day-to-day life for Blacks an arduous task and attempts to successfully achieve in school, nearly impossible. Vigilante lynchings of Blacks were commonplace. The college provided him with the framework to understand the structural racism that underpinned life in Mississippiwhy his side of town had no sidewalks or spaces for recreation, why his schools textbooks were secondhand and out of date. The question of who gets to tell the Emmett Till story is a charged question says Dave Tell, a professor at the University of Kansas and author of Remembering Emmett Till. And the one person who can manage it, who is uniquely equipped to manage it, is Bennie Thompson.. It details how the companies failed to adequately address the calls to violence and election-related conspiracy theories circulating online after the 2020 presidential election. Let us see you in your colorful paraphernalia. Trump ups competition with DeSantis in planning trip to Iowa The name of Fraternity and the image it portrayed was of paramount importance. hide caption. A commitment to Pi Kappa Phi that transcends any personal selfishness. Happy Founders Day to the men of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. Denied an abortion, woman tells senators she nearly died on their watch Jeffries has since credited his time in the historically Black fraternity as a defining era of his life. We will continue to monitor and enforce our policies across the platform.. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. He wrote the legislation creating the National Center for Minority Health and Health Care Disparities in 2000 and advocated for federal funds to be properly allocated after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, as well as calling for greater oversight and reform of federal agencies that managed the aftermath of the crisis. Jeffries was only a college sophomore at Binghamton University when he was elected president of the schools fledgling chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi. Troy Carter of Louisiana got to Congress in 2021, he and Jeffries joked about how they would work on growing their ranks in Congress. Nor would the new Fraternity seek its members in the manner of other Greek organizations from among the sons of wealthy families or families of social prestige. The story begins in Money, Miss., at Bryant's Grocery, where Till allegedly flirted with a white woman. Notable Members: Attorney, Johnnie Cochran, US Congressman, Rep. Bennie Thompson, and Athletes, Arthur Ashe and Colin Kaepernick Omega Psi Phi He participated in step shows, a Black Greek Life tradition, stomping and clapping in unison with other brothers. That it has to be addressed head-on, or it can quickly take us back to where we were in Mississippi in the 1950s and 1960s., Representative Jamie Raskin, a member of the January 6 committee, also drew a line from Thompsons experiences confronting racist institutions in the Deep South to his leadership of the committee. The expectation that you live both your personal values, as well as those espoused in the Fraternitys Ritual of Initiation. "So it's not just history," he says. After graduating Binghamton with a Bachelors degree in political science, Jeffries got a law degree at New York University. Their intolerance toward Blacks fueled the negative mindset of other Whites residing there. In 2018, newly-elected Congressman A. DonaldMcEachin (Beta Kappa, 1980) developed and hosted the first ever Kappa League on Capitol Hill program. Why don't y'all let that die?' The center is supporting efforts by Thompson and the Till Memorial Commission to have Bryant's Grocery and other sites associated with Till's lynching protected as part of the National Park Service. "The issue of race is still the undercurrent about the discussion of Emmett Till," according to Rep. Bennie Thompson, an African American Democrat who has represented the Mississippi Delta region in the U.S. House since 1993. 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. His district encompasses His net worth is estimated to be around $1.6 million US dollars. hide caption. This work is in preparation for compiling a comprehensive report offering the definitive account of what occurred and providing recommendations for what the Justice Department and Congress can do to prevent such an insurrection from happening again. 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. Bennie Thompson is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Mississippis 2nd congressional district since 1993. This was a convergence of a mob riot with a white nationalist violent insurrection, and an inside political coup. The expectation that you find your passion and excel. Born: Senior Director of Business Development at Favorite Healthcare Staffing, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Spring 93. Achievement in Every Field of Human Endeavor. Bennie Thompson had 40 receiving yards over his career. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Three college students posed in front of the Emmett Till memorial sign in Tallahatchie County, Miss. Hakeem Jeffries at a Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Binghamton Alumni Chapter and Mu Kappa Undergraduate Chapter meeting in 1991. Over time, white students came to watch, too. Milam (left) and Roy Bryant sit with their wives, Juanita Milam (second from left) and Carolyn Bryant, in September 1955. Despite the growing hostility of Whites toward Blacks in Indiana, some Black students sought a college education at Indiana University, as it was a tuition-free university of the highest quality. Grace Segers is a staff writer at The New Republic. Debbie Elliott/NPR Jeffries college days were marked by a playful streakhis pledge class was called Demolition because its four members were always breaking thingsbut even back then, his ambition foreshadowed a distinguished career. Many people think of fraternities as just, you know, beer bongs and parties and all that, and I guess theres a time that that is a part of it, says Carter. What do they teach their fraternity members? Politics | Reliance would be placed upon high Christian ideals and the purpose of ACHIEVEMENT. The mission that helped launch the fraternity nearly eight decades before Jeffries joined carried over to each new chapter across the country, including Binghamtons Mu Kappa chapter. But we always operated within the system, Thompson said. That context was particularly pronounced at predominantly white institutions, including the Indiana university where Kappa Alpha Psi was founded in 1911. Frequently Asked Questions about the NFL and Football, Pro-Football-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREE. Thompsons supporters delineate a clear path from Thompsons upbringing, education, and career as a Black man in Mississippi, a state riven by the domestic terrorism of white supremacists in the decades between Reconstruction and the civil rights movement. 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. "Much like in the 1960s, racial politics were worked out at lunch counters, sidewalks, swimming pools; in the 21st century, we work out our racial politics for example in battles over the flag or statues or the names of dormitories," says Tell. These incidents caused the Founders to change the name of the Fraternity. A bullet-riddled sign that once marked where Emmett Till's body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River is now housed at the Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, Miss. 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. Two of these men, Elder Watson Diggs and Byron Kenneth Armstrong, had previously attended Howard University and had come into contact with men belonging to the only national Black Greek-Letter Fraternity currently in existence. 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 The historic marker was taken down after three white fraternity brothers from the University of Mississippi were pictured holding guns next to the sign. The name was officially changed to Kappa Alpha Psi on a resolution adopted at the Grand Chapter Meeting in December 1914. "And the story never got told from an African American perspective.". Alpha and Omega, the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet correlate to Christ and the Founders relationship and connection to the church. If the history of Emmett Till was swept under the rug before, one driving force in commemorating it now is tourism and the potential to bring new money to the Mississippi Delta a largely agricultural landscape in the northwest part of the state that struggles to attract new industry. He makes sure that we have an opportunity to reach consensus, said Representative Zoe Lofgren. We have a saying down here America, welcome to Mississippi. So a lot of what Bennie is dealing with, Im sure like all of us, we were hopeful that we wouldnt see again, Fitzgerald said. Notable Members: US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Founded in 1914 on the campus of Howard University, Motto: Culture For Service and Service For Humanity, Service Programs: Education/Scholarship, Health/Wellness, and Business Development, Founded in 1920 on the campus of Howard University, Motto: A community-conscious, action-oriented organization, Service Programs: Education, Health/Wellness, and Elder Care, Founded in 1922 on the campus of Butler University, Slogan: Greater Service, Greater Progress, Service Programs: Youth Education/Mentoring, Womens Health/Wellness, and Water Safety/Swim Programs, Founded in 1963 on the campus of Morgan State University, Motto: Building A Tradition, Not Resting Upon One, Service Programs: Mens Health/Wellness, Voter Registration, and Abuse/Bullying Awareness. The Tallahatchie County courthouse where the trial was held has undergone a multi-million-dollar renovation, and now there's an Interpretive Center on the courthouse square. U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson called on the hundreds who marched during the annual King Day at the Dome to continue to fight against injustice. 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. The Kappa step shows soon became a draw for students of color across campus. After Carter died in 1999, the event was renamed in his honor. The duty to uphold and abide by the Fraternitys standards of conduct and to use Ultimate Respect when confronting brothers who fail in their obligations to Pi Kappa Phi. 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. Hell also have some fraternity brothers to lean on for support. These men of vision decided Kappa Alpha Nu would be more than another social organization. Politics | The Founders sought one anothers company between classes and dropped by one anothers places of lodging to further discuss the means of formulating the fledgling fraternity in an effort to relieve the depressing isolation. "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. hide caption. Who are the Jan. 6 select committee members : NPR Hes all about getting the job done, said Representative Ritchie Torres, the vice chair of the Homeland Security Committee. 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. Jeffries grew up in Brooklyn, the son of a social worker and a state substance abuse counselor. We strive to live each day by our founding principles and consistently work towards the betterment of Pi Kappa Phi, ourselves and the world. Bennie Thompson John Whitten was 7 at the time and still sticks with the version of the story he learned back then. He graduated from Hinds County (In the 1985 Esquire interview, Thompson said he didnt think that he was the right piece of equipment for the job of congressman. I dont do a lot of talking, Thompson told me, because I like encouraging others to be engaged with whatever the process is. That focus on collaboration has served him well for the select committee, which includes two other committee chairs among its high-profile members: Lofgren, the leader of the House Administration Committee, and Representative Adam Schiff, the chair of the House Intelligence Committee. Representative John Katko, the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee, said he and Thompson have a terrific partnership, stemming from an understanding of the bipartisan importance of the committees purview. We present them here for purely educational purposes. In fact, all twenty-three counties in the Second District are medically under-served and many citizens are unable to afford health coverage. Related Articles 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. Rep. Bennie Thompson: You know, now, this is somebody who voted against a committee made up of 50 percent appointed by Pelosi and 50 percent appointed by Republican Leader McCarthy. In 2012, Jeffries won his seat in Congress. Whitten sees no reason to commemorate Till's slaying. That network may be part of what set him on his path to Congress in the first place. She added that she wanted to particularly credit him for his decision to elevate GOP Representative Liz Cheney to the role of committee vice chair. Serving his 13th "It's something that a lot of people are still living.". Trump lawyer cross-examines rape accuser Carroll When Rep. Tougaloo was probably that point in my life that convinced me to stay in Mississippi, to choose public service as a lifelong occupation, and just to try to make, in my own way, a difference in the lives of my state and my community, Thompson said. Bennie Thompson weighed 210 lbs (95 kg) when playing. 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. The committee has also been entangled in multiple lawsuits attempting to block it from obtaining information. The number of places where they might assemble was limited. Weband Thompson served as a town alderman from 1969 to 1973, when he won election as the towns mayor. I believe that my chapter can become an ideal chapter. Sometimes, the greatest gifts arrive in the most innocuous packaging. Bolton, Mississippi benniethompson.house.gov Born January 28 Joined October 2009 562 97.2K Followers Replies Media Pinned Tweet Born out of the vestiges of racism, Kappa Alpha Nu encountered another metamorphosis, partially related to action of bigotry. With assistance from Sarah Frier, Alex Barinka and Emily Birnbaum. Javascript is required for the selection of a player. Since 1980, 13 members of the fraternity have served in the United States House of Representatives, the most by any member organization of the National Pan Hellenic Council.