Enroll Alabama group to hold “Obamacare” assistance events Saturday
A group dedicated to making sure Alabamian residents get the most of the federal Affordable Care Act, called Enroll Alabama, is holding events in Birmingham and around the state to help create an “enroll tide” of new Obamacare sign-ups. The group is holding not one but two Bham events on Saturday, in the western and eastern parts of the city respectively, as well as one in Selma. “Starting October 1st, over 300,000 Alabamians will be eligible to enroll in the health insurance marketplace,” reads the group’s Facebook page, founded and run by so-called ACA “navigators” who are authorized under the 2010 federal health care law to contract with governments in order to help boost enrollment among the uninsured by explaining the law and assisting with paperwork. “People will need help to understand what it all means. That’s why we are here.” The Birmingham West event is set to run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Princeton Baptist Medical Center, while the Birmingham East event is slated for the same time frame at the city’s Don Hawkins Recreation Center, at 8920 Roebuck Blvd. The Selma enrollment-a-thon will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Selma-Dallas County Public Library‘s main library, at 1103 Selma Ave. Enroll Alabama will also host events throughout the week for those with kids in school or who work on the weekends. You can catch them in Huntsville on Monday, Muscle Shoals Tuesday, Athens on Thursday, or again in Huntsville on Nov. 14. Find out more about Enroll Alabama on their on social media via Twitter or Facebook.
Alabama reacts to passing of civil rights legend Amelia Boynton Robinson
Civil rights legend Amelia Boynton Robinson passed away Wednesday. She celebrated her 104 birthday on August 18, though those closest to her insist she was actually 110. Boynton Robinson suffered a stroke in July and had been hospitalized in Montgomery, Alabama. Relatives say, she died early Wednesday. 2015 was a year of celebration for Boynton Robinson, as her incredible story was retold to America through the blockbuster “Selma” which portrayed the 1965 demonstrations that led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Below are some of the reactions from politicians across the state: Gov. Robert Bentley: I am saddened to hear about the death of Amelia Boynton Robinson. She was a pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement who began working to secure voting rights for African Americans in Selma in the 1930s. Her passion for equality and her spirit to preserve human rights were immense and unwavering. Amelia was a great Alabamian. She was a true pioneer and her life should serve as an example to future generations of leaders. U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne (AL-01): Rebecca and I were saddened to learn that Amelia Boynton Robinson had passed away, but there is little doubt her contributions to our state and the nation will live on for generations. She will forever be remembered for her role in organizing the Selma to Montgomery march in 1965 and her steadfast courage in defense of equal rights for all Americans. Please join me in saying a prayer for Amelia Boynton Robinson’s family and friends during this difficult time. U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07): Today while we mourn the passing of Amelia Boynton Robinson, we must also celebrate the life and legacy of a real American treasure. Mrs. Boynton Robinson personified the essence of an American hero through her courageous and passionate fight for the fundamental right to vote for every citizen in this nation. I will always cherish the time we spent together when she honored me as my special guest for the State of the Union on January 20, 2015. I am grateful for the memories of her greeting President Obama that night and I am so blessed to call her a beloved mentor and friend. Mrs. Amelia Boynton Robinson will not only be remembered for her invaluable contributions as a matriarch of the voting rights movement but she was also the first black woman from the State of Alabama to run for Congress. Without her courageous campaign for the 7th Congressional District, I know that my election to this seat in 2010 would not have been possible. Her sacrifices paved the way for me to walk the halls of Congress and I will carry my love and admiration for her in my heart each and every day. As she reminded us in life, there is still much work to be done for this nation to live up to its ideals of equality and justice for all. Let us be inspired by the extraordinary life of Mrs. Amelia Boynton Robinson to keep striving and working towards a more perfect union. May we honor her by continuing her life’s work.
State Senate seeks to rename Edmund Pettus Bridge
Alabama senators are seeking to rename Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge, a historic site in the voting rights movement that bears the name of a Ku Klux Klan officer. Senators on Wednesday approved a resolution to rename it the Journey to Freedom Bridge. The bridge became a symbol of the fight for voting rights after marchers were beaten by state troopers on the bridge on March 7, 1965. The bridge that spans the Alabama River is Selma’s most notable landmark. It is named for Pettus, a two-term U.S senator, a Confederate general and a KKK grand dragon. The KKK connection had faded from local memory until this year, when approaching the 50th anniversary of the “Bloody Sunday” beatings, a Selma student group launched an online petition to rename the landmark bridge. “There was a thought that every time you lift the name, you also lift the name of the KKK grand dragon,” said Selma Sen. Hank Sanders, who sponsored the resolution. “That bridge became a symbol of the struggle for freedom,” Sanders said. Sanders said several new potential names were kicked around, including “the Bloody Sunday Bridge.” He said “Journey to Freedom” is appropriate because “it says we are still on the journey.” However, Lee Sentell, director of the Alabama Tourism Department, said he worried changing the bridge’s name could threaten its status as a national historic landmark. “I believe its status would be in jeopardy because it would be altering the appearance of the structure from its historical period,” he said. The Alabama House of Representatives has not voted on the idea with just two more meeting days in the legislative session. Sanders said lawmakers named the bridge for Pettus in the 1940s. He said he thinks they can legally change the name by resolution. An Alabama Department of Transportation spokesman said it’s reviewing the resolution. Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Conservatives enraged by NYT Selma photo “cropping” George W. Bush
Once again, the New York Times “liberal bias” has raised the ire of conservatives. For the 50th anniversary of the march on Selma, Alabama, the front page of the Times ran a photo of President Barack Obama, his family, and a group of civil rights leaders at the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Cropped from the photo, but only slightly on the right, are former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura. Much of the accompanying story was on the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, even as local and federal investigators found the incident was not racially motivated and would not bring charges. Conservatives noted that the picture – curiously enough – failed to show the full front line of marchers, leaving the Bushes noticeably absent. While mentioning Ferguson and Brown 8 and 3 times respectively, the March 7 Times piece by Peter Baker and Richard Fausset only mentions the 43rd President in passing: “Joining Mr. Obama on Saturday was former President George W. Bush, who signed the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act in 2006, as well as more than 100 members of Congress … While sitting onstage, Mr. Bush made no remarks but rose to his feet to applaud Mr. Obama, and the two men hugged afterward.” Among those criticizing the photo were Republican National Committee Communications Director Sean Spicer, who wrote on Twitter: “Suprise, suprise: @nytimes Crops Out George W. Bush From Their #Selma50 Front Page Picture” Fox News also pointed out that the official White House photograph cropped Bush while prominently featuring Obama and his family. However, they noted the caption did mention the Bushes were there. Michele McNally, Times photo editor, told the newspaper’s public editor, Margaret Sullivan, there was “no cropping.” “This was the photo as we received it,” McNally said. Photographer Doug Mills, who took the shot, explained in an email to the Times that Bush was in “bright” sunlight. “I did not even send this frame because it’s very wide and super busy and Bush is super-overexposed because he was in the sun and Obama and the others are in the shade,” reported the Hill . Suprise, suprise: @nytimes Crops Out George W. Bush From Their #Selma50 Front Page Picture via @trscoop http://t.co/WDE3FW08SX — Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) March 8, 2015
KKK distributed “recruitment flyers” in advance of Selma march 50th anniversary
Civil rights supporters were not the only people observing the 50th anniversary of the march on Selma. The KKK also left about 4,000 flyers throughout Montgomery and Selma to mark “Bloody Sunday.” Robert Jones, grand dragon of the Loyal White Knights of the KKK, told reporters that the group had been distributing flyers for about two weeks before the event held Sunday, March 8. “We pretty much put out fliers, some against King and some against immigration,” Jones told Emily Hill of AL.com. “It’s time for the American people to wake up to these falsehoods that they preach about MLK.” KKK members drove by random homes, tossing bags with a flier and a rock onto doorsteps. Jones said the rocks were like “paperweights.” The KKK was not “upset” about the Selma gathering, Jones said. “Everybody has a right to gather in this country, freedom of speech,” he added, although he did admit “frustration” over support for Martin Luther King, Jr. People are “supporting a man they don’t know about,” he said. The purpose of the flyers was to way attract new members by reminding the community that the Klan is still out there,” Jones told AL.com. “The Klan is still out there and we are watching,” CBS 8 Montgomery reported that Selma Avenue residents notified the news station about the KKK fliers after calling police. Several municipalities nationwide have recently reported finding Klan recruitment flyers, including Hamilton, Ohio; Alexandria, Louisiana; and Spokane Valley, Washington. Many of flyers encouraged residents to report neighborhood troubles to a 24-hour “Klanline.” Louisiana’s The Town Talk website says that one flyer gives a number with a recording saying the KKK is “unapologetically committed to the interests and values of the white race.” Callers can also leave messages; ask for information, media inquiries or check on Klan applications. Thousands gathered on March 8 to walk across the Edmund Pettus Bridge as Selma celebrated the 50th anniversary of the conflict between police and civil rights activists. The protests led directly to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 signed by President Lyndon Johnson.
