Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 19 May 2000 — Page 7

FRIDAY, MAY 19,2000

National News

ahurpton calls for Washington march on death penalty moratorium, police brutality vc NEW YORK (NNPA) — Announced during his weekly radio Udk show on New York’s WLIBAM, Rev. A1 Sharpton and former attorney Alton Maddox vowed to organize and lead a national march to Congress in early June to protest police brutality and violence and to demand a national moratorium on the death penalty. 1 The move comes in the wake of activism over Death Row inmates Gary Graham, who is set to be executed in Texas June 22, and Pennsylvania journalist Mumia Abu-Jamal, whose supporters packed Madison Square Garden to call for a new trial. In both cases, there is evidence questioning the guilt of the condemned men. Graham’s case is at a ’particular zenith because the execution date is set and only Texas Gov. George W. Bush, now a presidential candidate, can stay the appointment. ‘i Sharpton wants thousands of concerned citizens to draw national attention to the nationwide police brutality crisis and what he calls '*?laws within the criminal justice 'system.” Sharpton also sees the march as an opportunity for visitors to lobby their congressional Representatives. -p “We know good and well that 'they don’t want us walking through ■the halls of Congress talking to •cbngressmembers about the criminal justice system,” Sharpton said On-air to an audience of more than 40,000 listeners. “But in the case of African Americans (on issues such as police brutality), no news (is not good news—instead it means ^something bad is coming.” V NAACP: Operation Last Chance for Census 2000 " WASHINGTON (NNPA) — ‘The NAACP has turned to Black 'religious leaders and pastors in the ■final push to be counted in the U.S. Census. t.i . •./!..nii tt• ‘)<i i .-.In,)-'-, *

THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

Hie program, called Operation explained. “Yet, of the more than Last Chance, asks that all people 8,000 U.N. peacekeeping troops in cooperate with the approximately Sierra Leone, none of them are 500,000 census takers who began from the U.S. or any other NATO going door-to-door last month. country.”

Only 65 percent of American

households have returned their cen- South African President sus form, according to census offi- Thabo to visit U.S. cials. Rough counts correspond WASHINGTON (NNPA) closely to the 1990 Census, which — President Clinton has invited drastically undercounted people of President Thabo Mbeki of South color, rural and urban dwellers and Africa for a state visit to Washingchildren. ton on May 22. President Mbeki July 7 is the last day to respond has accepted the president’s invi-

to the census.

tation. Their meeting will reaffirm the growing partnership between the United States and South Africa and the warm friendship between

the two leaders.

Jackson urges release of U.N. peacekeepers

in Sierra Leone

WASHINGTON (NNPA) — Rev. Jesse Jackson has called for Doctors say lactose-free the leaders of the Revolutionary dairy needed for calcium United Front (RUF) to immedi- WASHINGTON (NNPA) — ately secure the release of the sev- The National Medical Association eral hundred United Nations peace- (NM A), the largest and oldest nakeepers that have been missing in tional organization of AfricanSierra Leone since last week. American physicians, suggests the The RUF has been accused of inclusion oflactose-free dairy prodtaking hostage peacekeeping troops ucts in the diet of African Ameriwho are in Sierra Leone to oversee cans rather than cutting out calthe rebel’s disarmament. News re- cium altogether, ports indicate the RUF fired upon a NM A officials said lactose incrowd of civil demonstrators that tolerance, which affects many Afwere protesting against the rebel rican Americans, have pushed group outside the home of RUF Blacks away from all dairy prodleader, Foday Sankoh. Four civil- ucts, creating diets lacking in ians were killed and as many as 60 needed calcium, were wounded during the incident. Dairy is necessary, say doctors, As both the U.S. and U.K. ad- The New England Journal of Medivised their nationals to leave the cine in 1997 reported that a low fat, country and as Sierra Leoneans in dairy rich diet, along with fruits the capital city, Freetown, prepare and vegetables, helped in lowering for a similar exodus, Jackson called blood pressure significantly in Affor calm and a peaceful conclusion rican Americans, to the recent .conflict. And studies from the National Jackson said the signing of the Osteoporosis Foundation studies Lome Accords was only a first step indicate that African-American in the path toward peace. He sug- women consume only about half gests that now the difficult task of the calcium they need on a daily implementing the peace plan and basis. An Estimated 300,000 Afrigetting past the unavoidable ob- can-American women currently stacles comes. suffer from osteoporosis. “While we had eveiy moral ob- The NMA supports the current ligation to defend the people in USDA guidelines suggesting two Kosovo, who have been driven out to three servings of dairy foods per oftheir homeland by ethnic cleans- day. ing and genocide, it is morally repugnant for us to ignore the devastation in Sierra Leone,” Jackson „

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