GREATER HOUSTON EDITION African-American News&Issues
June 21, 2024
“Addressing Current & Historical Realities Affecting Our Community”
Vol. 29, Issue 23
FREE
African American News & Issues: Your Trusted Source: 85,000 Weekly Circulations, 212,500+ Readers, and 147,000+ Facebook Community and still growing
We the People We need to start holding each other accountable. - Roy Douglas Malonson
THE GREAT SWITCH THE DIXIECRATS IDEOLOGY
By: Afram News
The Democratic and Republican Parties have not always had the same ideals that they have today. In fact, America’s two dominant political parties have essentially flipped ideologies in the time since they were founded. The Democratic Party was founded in 1828 while the Republican Party dates back to 1854. In its early years, the Republican Party was considered quite liberal, while the Democrats were known for staunch conservatism. This is the exact opposite of how each party would be described today. This change did not happen overnight, however. Instead, it was a slow set of changes and policies that caused the great switch. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Republicans controlled the majority of northern states. The party sought to expand the United States, encouraged settlement of the west, and helped to fund the transcontinental railroad and state universities. Ad-
ditionally, because of growing tension over slavery, many Republicans became abolitionists who argued against slavery. Democrats represented a range of views but shared a commitment to Thomas Jefferson’s concept of an agrarian (farming) society. They viewed the central government as the enemy of individual liberty. Because most Democrats were in southern states, they fought to keep slavery legal. As the war came to a close, the Republican Party controlled the government and used its power to protect formerly enslaved people and guarantee them civil rights. This included the three Reconstruction Amendments, which won Republicans the loyalty (and vote) of America’s Black population. Unsurprisingly, most Democrats disapproved of these measures. However, a change had Dixiecrats on pg. 3 begun in the Republican
WILLIE MAYS PASSES AT 93 By: John Shea
Willie Mays, the iconic and endearing “Say Hey Kid” who charmed countless fans with his brilliant athleticism and graceful style and was widely considered baseball’s greatest and most entertaining player, died Tuesday of heart failure. He was 93. “My father has passed away peacefully and among loved ones,” said Mays’ son, Michael Mays. “I want to thank you all from the bottom of my broken heart for the unwavering love you have shown him over the years. You have been his life’s blood.” The legendary slugger and center fielder was synonymous with the game of baseball, the Giants and San Francisco, where his 9-foot-tall bronze statue has greeted fans for more than two decades in front of Oracle Park at 24 Willie Mays Plaza. Mays was looking forward to Major League Baseball’s tribute to the Negro Leagues on Thurs-
Mays on pg. 7