Thursday, September 20, 2007
Statement of
Darryl R. Matthews, Sr.
General President
WE DEMAND JUSTICE FOR THE JENA 6!
( BALTIMORE , MD ) – It is sobering to know that in 2007 Martin Luther King’s dream of equal treatment, respect, fairness and opportunity is still not realized. For any court in the United States of America to deny African Americans their constitutional right to due process, equal application of the law, to a fair hearing, and the administration of justice with prejudice is inhumane and downright wrong.
It was wrong in the Dred Scott case before the Missouri Supreme Court in 1850 and before the United States Supreme Court in 1857. Justice Taney's outrageous notion that a black man has no rights that a white man is bound to respect was wrong in 1857; it was wrong in 1957; and, it is wrong today in 2007. It is unfortunate, even tragic that 150 years later, there are apparently still some who believe Taney's ill conceived logic.
The judicial railroading suffered by Adolph Plessey here in Louisiana was wrong in 1892 and 1896. And, the judicial railroading of the Jena 6 in Louisiana in 2006 and 2007 is wrong today. The racially motivated rush to prosecute, convict and execute the young black men known as the Scottsboro nine was wrong three-quarters of a century ago. And, the racially motivated rush to prosecute, convict and imprison the young black men known as the Jena 6 is wrong today.
The decision to overturn the original charges is a good first step, but it is not a closed case. These young men still stand the chance of going to jail unjustly. So like Amos who spoke out against injustice in his day, and Martin who spoke out against injustice in his day, I stand here today and commit the men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity to stand up and speak up on behalf of the Jena 6 “until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream!"
The plight of the Jena 6 should serve as a wake up call to black, white and brown America ; we can no longer continue to live in denial with the belief that racism and hatred no longer exists. We must embrace the thought, and demonstrate through our actions, the realization that we are responsible for more than our own front walk…as long as one person is experiencing injustice, we all are experiencing injustice. I ask people of good will everywhere to let your voices be heard. We are not satisfied and will not be satisfied until justice is served.
The members of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated have historically engaged in the struggle to uplift the downtrodden in their efforts to achieve the promise of social and economic parity described and prescribed in the pledge of allegiance to this great republic that declares liberty and justice for all.
For over 100 years brothers of Alpha have given of their time, talent and treasury to combat the sinister forces of injustice and unfairness, so prevalent during the years of Jim Crow, as well as the denial of civil rights to some.
And, by my presence here today, we declare that as conscientious African American men dedicated to making a positive difference, not just a statement or symbolic gesture, but to make real for these young men of Jena, Louisiana and others who experience this tragedy each and every day, the promises of democracy guaranteed by the founding fathers of this nation.
I close with the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr,
“Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of god's children”
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To make a financial contribution to the “Jena 6 Legal Defense Fund”, make your checks payable to the
" Jena 6 Legal Defense Fund" and mail them to:
Attention: Jena 6 Legal Defense Fund
NAACP National Headquarters
Development Department
c/o: Frank A. Humphrey, Assistant Treasurer
4805 Mount Hope Drive
Baltimore , MD 21215
ABOUT ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC.
Founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca , New York , Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has continued to supply voice and vision to the struggle of African Americans and people of color around the world. The Fraternity has long stood at the forefront of the African-American community's fight for civil rights, through Alpha men such as W.E.B. DuBois, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Paul Robeson, Andrew Young, William Gray, and Cornel West. Within the 110th United States Congress are eight Alpha men including Emanuel Cleaver, II (MO), Danny K. Davis (IL), Chaka Fattah (PA), Al Green (TX), Gregory Meeks (NY), Charles B. Rangel (NY), David Scott (GA), and Robert C. Scott (VA). The fraternity through its college and alumni chapters serves the community through nearly a thousand chapters in the United States , Europe and the Caribbean For more information, visit
www.apa1906.net.
Media Contact:
MWPR, Inc. ¦Monica Wood Public Relations
704-430-6300
mwood@mwprinc.com
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