Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 7 October 1995 — Page 1

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INDIANA’S GREATEST WEEKLY NEWSPAPER

100th YEAR

NUMBER 40

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7,1995

PHONE 317/924-5143

African-American men: finding our own solutions

Indianapolis to host conference on AfricanAmerican men By STEPHEN B. JOHNSON Staff Writer With more emphasis being placed on the status of young African-American males and their futures, the National Council of African American Men has committed to come together for their collective benefit. A conference is scheduled to be

held Thursday, Oct. 12 through Oct. 14 at the Radisson Plaza at Keystone At The Crossing. Under the theme “Forging a 21st Century Agenda for African-American Men; Finding Our Own Solutions,” organizers are committed to finding workable solutions. “The theme of the conference pretty much speaks for itself,” said Harry McFarland, president of HTM Services, a private consulting company. “There has been a negative impact on AfricanAmerican males, particularly young males, when you look at

issues pertaining to government, economic, social and political pojicies.” The conference will center on four principal areas: personal empowerment; fathering and family life; crime and punishment, and policy formation and governance. Confirmed speakers for the conference include Dr. Joycelyn Elders, former U.S. surgeon general; Tony Brown of television’s “Tony Brown’s Journal;” Raymond Pierce, assistant U.S. secretary of

By ANNETTE L. ANDERSON Staff Writer She was on her way to see her parents, but she never made her destination. As fate would have it, Avaneta Hessaraki’s life was ended in a tragic hit-and-run automobile accident, Sept. 23.

Mlhbara of the Greater Indianapolle Branch of the NAACP are under newly-elected leadership: Joseph Simpson, treasurer (left); Roderick Bohannan, president (center), and George VanSickles, first vice presidenL They and other officers were elected Sept 30.

education; U.S. Rep. Major Owens; investigator and former Los Angeles police officer Don Jackson, who publicly unveiled the results of firsthand investigations into police practices toward African Americans; columnist Julianne Malveaux, and attorney and CNN commentator Milton Grimes, who provided media commentary on the O.J. Simpson trial. “We have asked each one of the speakers to deal with a particular issue and to address them accordingly,” said Rodney

Jackson, chairman of the board of directors for the National Council of African American Men. “I believe people are really coming to grips with the need to address (the problems) of young males. Our conference and other events are dealing with the needs and problems in our communities.” Also, a Youth of the Year Award will be given at the conference. The selection will be based several criteria. The Youth of the Year must be 18 years old or older; an See MEN Page A4

Simpson not guilty, wants his children

LOS ANGELES (AP) — They just didn’t buy it. All the prosecution evidence — this mountain, this ocean, this wealth of evidence that took months to present — amounted to a molehill, a puddle, a pittance from the instant jurors began their deliberations. Jurors didn’t need to talk about autorads and daughter ions, DNA and EDTA, blood and gloves and hairs and fibers and a Ford Bronco. They didn’t need time to ponder prosecutor Christopher Darden’s plea to rescue baby justice from the fire of defense deception. “Not guilty,” they voted, twice, in astoundingly short order. How much of it was defense attorney Johnnie Cochran Jr.’s impassioned plea for jurors to send a message against racism and police abuse, how much was Barry Scheck’s meticulous exposure of flaws in the way investigators gathered their circumstantial evidence won’t be known until the jurors tell their tale. The panel declined to talk to attorneys or reporters immediately after court

adjourned, Tuesday. But one thing is certain — the Dream Team legal defense that cost Simpson much of his wealth also won him his freedom by planting enough seeds of doubt to undermine everything the prosecution had in its arsenal. Ironically, the one clue to the jurors’ thinking came when they asked to rehear testimony about the time line on the night of the murders — testimony that seemed to play right into the prosecution’s hand. But instead, whatever doubts jurors had about their reasonable doubts were apparently answered in the reading back of the first part of limousine driver Allan Park’s testimony. It was all jurors wanted to hear before rendering a verdict, after less than three hours of discussion. Park said he didn’t see the Bronco when he arrived at Simpson’s house at 10:22 p.m., about the time prosecutors said Simpson was off murdering his See CHILDREN PageA4

Here she is... Fascia Weeden (right) is the new Miss Circle City Classic Coronation winner. The purpose of Miss Circle City Classic Coronation is to recognize, to honor and to encourage female high school seniors for their academic achievements and community involvement. First runner-up honors went to Samantha Lane and second runner-up was LaTosha DeShields. (Recorder Photo by Curtis Guynn) Family tries to heal after tragedy

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When Hessaraki—the wife of Alireza, the mother of Alireza Jr. (who was injured in the accident) and Amir, and a daughter of Bishop Gilbert and Lucille Clark — was suddenly called away, there were no answers as to why. There was no sense as to why it happened that way. See FAMILY Page AS

NAACP: out with old president, in with new leader By CONNIE GAINES HAYES Senior Staff Writer The 1995 Greater Indianapolis Branch of the NAACP election is over! The results are final. And there are new NAACP officers. The once award-winning, responsive Indianapolis chapter is now on the road to rebuilding its organizational structure to reclaim its rightful position in the Indianapolis civil rights community. Elected in an overwhelming vicSee NAACP Page AS

Unforgettable

Mary Artist (left) and Susan Shively are two of many attending the King/Kennedy Memorial dedication at Martin Luther King Memorial Park at 17th Street and Broadway. The dedication was held Sept

30.

Charles Smith Forman, Smith in Wordstruck Civil rights activist Dr. James Forman will present “The History and Meaning of the Civil Rights Movement: 1956-1995,” from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, Oct. 13 and from 2:10 p.m. to 3 p.m., Oct. 14 as part of the Wordstruck series, during Martin University’s second annual Festival of the Arts. For mote information, call 543-3680. Playwright Charles Smith also will speak during the WordstmckFestival of Books. Smith, playwright in residence at Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago, will be presented by Indiana Repertory Theatre at 5:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 13 in the IRTCabaret. His most recent works include “Black Star Line,” a story about Marcus Garvey scheduled for production at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago in January. For more information, call6355277, Ext. 322. Wordstruck, produced by the Indiana Humanities Council, is a free, citywide event which encourages and celebrates literacy. H««eero’s Johnnie Famed attorney Johnnie J. Cochran Jr. will make his first public appearance in Indianapolis, 7:30 p.m., Oct. 14 at the Madame Walker Urban Life Center. Cochran will keynote a special community benefit fundraiser sponsored by the National Association of African American Entrepreneurs and Living Legends in Black. With the theme, “Putting U.N.I.T.Y. Back into The CommU.N.I.T.Y.,” the blacktie event will benefit the Indiana Chapter of the Leukemia Society of America, Dayspring Center, and Boys and Girls Clubs of Indianapolis. Cochran, who gained international prominence as the lead defense attorney for O.J. Simpson, is also an avid supporter of many organizations which assist in community enhancement and improvement. For ticket information, call 466-9556. Black man gat act together As evidenced by the growing attention being paid to the Oct 16 Million Man March in Washington, D.C., there has been a resurgence of interest in the positive activities of Afri-can-American men.