What's Going On?
By Ubunifu Mwandishi
This week’s seven-day recap emphasizes that there are some people with resilient spirits willing to work hard to achieve greatness and others that would rather take the easy way out. We continue to be inundated with violence and a lack of compassion for those that need it most. Visit our Facebook page for more on the information that follows.
• It may be hard to believe, but until Sunday, January 12th, Serena Williams hadn’t won a singles title since she won the Australian Open at 8 weeks pregnant in 2017. Her daughter Olympia, was in attendance as she ended her 3-year drought by defeating Jessica Pegula in the ASB Classic. Serena has won 23 major titles. She is one major title away from tying Margaret Court’s record for the most Grand Slams. Being the fierce competitor that she is, Serena will most likely play until she has surpassed Court’s record.
For More: WSOCTV
• Violence continues to plague Concord Mills Mall. Just a week after 13-year-old Aveanna Propst was killed in the parking lot of Dave & Busters, three men have been accused of punching and robbing people in the parking lot of Burlington Coat Factory. The suspects are still at-large.
For More: WBTV
• America showed just how much it loves its veterans after Colin Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem in 2016. Veteran lovers across the US were in an uproar as they claimed he was being disrespectful to the servicemen and women that fought for the liberties enjoyed by US citizens. So, it’s shocking that a veteran who served our county for forty years had his prosthetic legs repossessed just before the holidays. Yes, you read that right, Jerry Holliman, who served in Vietnam and Iraq, had his prosthetic legs repossessed on December 23, 2019. Mr. Holliman is staying at the Veterans Home in Collins, Mississippi. He is working toward recovery in hopes of going home. Hanger, the company that made the prosthetic legs, had been working with Mr. Holliman to get him acclimated to his new legs. It was at one of these sessions with Hanger, which was supposed to include an adjustment to the legs, that his legs were taken. Mr. Holliman learned that the VA would not cover his prosthetics, instead, they directed him to Medicare. Medicare required a copay. Mr. Holliman feels the VA is responsible for his legs saying, “Medicare did not send me to Vietnam.”
Now, back to the veteran lovers. Unlike George Zimmerman and Darren Wilson, who America established GoFundMe pages for, pages that raised HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, two GoFundMe pages for Jerry Holliman have only raised a FEW HUNDRED DOLLARS, combined. While we don’t know how much Hanger was charging Mr. Holliman, we know his prosthetic legs couldn’t cost more than the $16 million dollar drone and missile that the U.S. used to kill Iranian general, Qasem Soleimani! America, actions speak louder than words!
For More: Newsweek
• A bank robber in the Charlotte-Metro area has been dubbed the ‘Bad Wig Bandit.’ So far, he’s managed to rob three banks— disguising himself by wearing a different bad wig each time. The FBI is still searching for him.
• Another one bites the dust: on Monday, January 13th, Senator Cory Booker suspended his campaign for president. Booker said, “it was a difficult decision to make, but I got in this race to win, and I’ve always said I wouldn’t continue if there was no longer a path to victory.”
For More: Medium
• Just Mercy is a must see. It was released on January 10th and made $9.7 million over the weekend. Just Mercy is a movie based on lawyer Bryan Stevenson’s memoir Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption. Stevenson has overturned about 140 death row convictions. The movie stars Michael B. Jordan, who plays Stevenson, and Jamie Foxx who plays Walter McMillian. The legal powers that be in Monroeville, Alabama in 1988 conspired to accuse and convict McMillian in the 1988 killing of an 18-year-old white woman, Ronda Morrison.
For More: The Atlanta Voice
