National

2 Brothers Pardoned, Clearing Way for Them to Receive $750K

Published

10 years ago

June 5, 2015

In an Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2014 file photo, Leon Brown speaks with a reporter at the Maury Correctional Institution in Maury, N.C., about his incarceration. Brown and his half-brother Henry McCollum were pardoned Thursday, June 4, 2015, by Gov. Pat McCrory in the 1983 rape and killing of a girl, clearing the way for them to each receive $750,000 in compensation from the state. McCrory’s pardons for McCollum and his Brown came months after a judge vacated their convictions and ordered their release, citing new DNA evidence that points to another man killing and raping 11-year-old Sabrina Buie. (Chuck Liddy/The News & Observer via AP, File)

JONATHAN DREW, Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Two brothers wrongfully imprisoned for three decades in the killing of an 11-year-old girl say pardons will help them move on “with not just a clear conscience, but a clear name.”

It will also help them adjust to life on the outside with hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation. The governor’s action Thursday qualified the brothers for $750,000 from the state.

Family and friends of Henry McCollum and Leon Brown were jubilant in early September after a judge vacated their convictions and ordered their release, citing new DNA evidence that points to another man killing and raping 11-year-old Sabrina Buie in 1983.

But their freedom has been difficult. Both men spent much of their adult life in prison. When McCollum walked out of death row, he needed help putting on the seatbelt in his father’s car. At the time, he had never owned a cellphone and was unaccustomed to the Internet. Each man was given $45 by prison officials when they left.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory said he decided to issue the pardons after a comprehensive process that included meetings with Brown, who’s 47; and McCollum, who’s 51.

“I’m not going to rush into making an important decision. I’m going to do the right thing,” he said.

McCollum had been the longest-serving inmate on North Carolina’s death row. His half brother Brown had been serving life in prison.

“Today we put the past behind us with not just a clear conscience, but a clear name, committed to living a good life and doing God’s work,” the men said in a statement released by their lawyer, Patrick Megaro.

They also thanked the governor, their family and all the lawyers who have worked on their cases.

The brothers didn’t attend the governor’s announcement. They said earlier this year that they have had a hard time since their release.

“I can’t do nothing to help my family,” McCollum told the Raleigh News & Observer in January. “They’re not able to pay their bills.”

The newspaper reported that lawyers at the Center for Death Penalty Litigation in Durham held a fundraiser for them, and others donated money after reading about the case.

The pardon qualifies the brothers for $50,000 from the state for each year they were imprisoned, with a limit of $750,000. The compensation still needs to be approved by a state agency, but it is considered a formality. It’s not clear exactly when they could get the money.

In September 1983, Buie was found in a soybean field in rural Robeson County, naked except for a bra pushed up against her neck. A short distance away, police found two bloody sticks and cigarette butts.

Defense attorneys have said the brothers were scared teenagers who had low IQs when they were questioned by police and coerced into confessing. McCollum was then 19, and Brown was 15.

The DNA from the cigarette butts doesn’t match Brown or McCollum, and fingerprints taken from a beer can at the scene weren’t theirs either. No physical evidence connects them to the crime, a judge and prosecutor acknowledged last fall.

Based largely on their confessions, both were initially given death sentences, which were overturned. Upon retrial, McCollum was again sent to death row, while Brown was convicted of rape and sentenced to life.

Current Robeson County District Attorney Johnson Britt, who didn’t prosecute the men, has said he’s considering whether to reopen the case and charge the other man, whose DNA was found on a cigarette butt from the crime scene. The cigarette butt was tested as part of the recent investigation by the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission, a one-of-its-kind investigative panel.

The inmate whose DNA was on the cigarette is already serving a life sentence for a similar rape and murder that happened less than a month after Sabrina’s killing.

Ken Rose, a lawyer who represented McCollum for 20 years, said he’s thrilled by the pardon but frustrated it took so many years to prove their innocence.

“We’re very happy that the governor reached this decision, but not at all surprised,” Rose said. “None of us have any doubt that they are innocent. And finally the state has acknowledged actual innocence.”

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Oakland Post: Week of April 9 – 15, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 9 – 15, 2025

Published

3 days ago

April 12, 2025

Oakland Post

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Harriet Tubman Scrubbed; DEI Dismantled

A photograph of Harriet Tubman has been removed from a National Park Service webpage about the Underground Railroad.

Published

1 week ago

April 7, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Senior National Correspondent

A photograph of Harriet Tubman has been removed from a National Park Service webpage about the Underground Railroad. Previously, the page opened with a photo of Tubman and a description that acknowledged slavery and the efforts of enslaved African Americans to escape bondage. That language is now gone. In its place are images of postage stamps and a reworded introduction that refers to the Underground Railroad as “one of the most significant expressions of the American civil rights movement” that “bridged the divides of race.” The updated version does not mention slavery. The change follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump last month directing the Smithsonian Institution to eliminate “divisive narratives.” A review by The Washington Post found that since Trump’s return to office, dozens of webpages across the National Park Service have been edited to soften or eliminate references to slavery, racial injustice, and the historical struggles of African Americans.

On the website for the Stone National Historic Site in Maryland, mentions of Declaration of Independence signer Thomas Stone owning enslaved people were removed. Elsewhere, references to “enslaved African Americans” were changed to “enslaved workers.” A page exploring Benjamin Franklin’s views on slavery and his slave ownership was taken offline. The Defense Department also removed several webpages related to diversity and minority contributions to the U.S. military, including a tribute to Jackie Robinson’s Army service and content honoring the Tuskegee Airmen, the Navajo Code Talkers, and the Marines at Iwo Jima. Officials later said some content would be republished after public outcry. Nearly 400 books were removed from the library at the U.S. Naval Academy. The list includes Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Memorializing the Holocaust, Half American, and Pursuing Trayvon Martin. Officials cited Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s directive to eliminate books that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Private companies contracting with the federal government have begun rolling back language diversity and initiatives in response to federal pressure. UnitedHealth Group removed DEI language from its website. Goldman Sachs dropped its diversity requirement for companies it takes public and revised annual filings to reflect “developments in the law.” Bank of America replaced the term “diversity” with “talent” and “opportunity.” Deloitte instructed U.S.-based employees working with federal clients to remove pronouns from email signatures. Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Disney, Paramount, JPMorgan Chase, Victoria’s Secret, and others have renamed or eliminated DEI programs. Some, like Paramount, cited the need to comply with Trump’s executive orders.

Target has faced financial and reputational fallout following its reversal of DEI commitments. The company has lost over $12.4 billion in revenue and faces multiple lawsuits related to its shifting policies. Rev. Jamal Bryant launched a national “Target Fast,” urging community mobilization. Separately, the NAACP and the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) initiated public education and selective buying campaigns to increase pressure on the retail giant.

“Black consumers helped build Target into a retail giant, and now they are making their voices heard,” said Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., president and CEO of the NNPA. “If corporations believe they can roll back diversity commitments without consequence, they are mistaken.”

Stacy M. Brown

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What Parents Think about Childcare Right Now

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Children’s earliest years are a critical period when the foundation is built for lifelong physical health and emotional well-being

Published

1 week ago

April 7, 2025

Oakland Post

By: RAPID, Stanford Center on Early Childhood

The RAPID Survey Project, based in the Stanford Center on Early Childhood, is a program of ongoing national and place-based surveys designed to gather essential information on the needs, health-promoting behaviors, and well-being of young children and their caregivers. Our objective is to make timely and actionable data on the experiences of parents, caregivers, and young children available in an ongoing manner to support parent- and data-informed decision-making. Children’s earliest years are a critical period when the foundation is built for lifelong physical health and emotional well-being. Research shows that consistent, responsive caregiving is conducive to healthy development during these early years. We asked parents of infants and toddlers (birth to age 3) to tell us about their childcare experiences and preferences. Using responses from parents of infants or toddlers who participated in national RAPID household surveys in January 2024 and November 2024, we aim to understand the types of childcare that families with infants and toddlers use and what is most important to parents when selecting child care.

Family, friends, and neighbor (FFN) care is the most common childcare choice for families with infants and toddlers.

We asked parents of infants and toddlers questions about how much childcare they use, as well as their experiences using center-based care, home-based care, and both paid and unpaid family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) care. More than two in three (68%) parents of infants and toddlers use childcare for five hours or more per week. Among these families, and consistent with other national data, FFN care makes up the largest share of providers of infants and toddlers.

Responses from the survey show that, on a weekly basis:

—32% of parents use center-based care

—26% of parents use unpaid FFN care

—13% of parents use paid FFN care

—12% of parents use home-based care in the childcare provider’s residence

“Sometimes it is difficult to find relatives/friends who I trust and are available as sometimes their plans change.” Parent in Wisconsin

“I’m relying on family and things arise that make them unable to help. I have looked into center-based care and considered going back to work, but it will cost me more for childcare than I can make in income to pay for it.” Parent in Ohio

“I use babysitters, mostly teenagers, so their schedules are sometimes unreliable. They do their best, but they have other commitments, too. They also can’t always work during the day, which is when I need them.” Parent in Texas

Reliable access to childcare is a particular concern for many parents of infants and toddlers.

The predictable schedules and routines that are associated with stable access to childcare support the positive well-being and development of children, families, and caregivers. In their responses to open-ended questions, parents of infants and toddlers spoke about the different challenges they experience securing childcare, including issues with affordability, hours, location, and trust in their provider. As indicated by the quotes in this fact sheet, parents mentioned concerns about providers meeting the specific and intensive caregiving needs of infants and toddlers, while at the same time families navigate high costs, low availability, and inconsistent schedules. Additionally, many parents, particularly those living in rural areas, noted the limited childcare options near their home or work. This points to the barriers to reliable childcare access that families with infants and toddlers face, and these data can inform policies and programs that support families in meeting this critical need.

“In a rural area, childcare is very hard to find, and rates are not competitive because they don’t have to be.” Parent in Montana

“I had challenges finding other part-time care closer to where we live so I drive one hour twice a week for part-time care.” Parent in Louisiana

“We had to contact this provider very early on. I was maybe five or six weeks pregnant. And she happened to have a spot. If we had waited much longer, we wouldn’t have gotten in.” Parent in South Carolina

“I am currently using backup care days offered by my employer as our primary form of childcare for our younger child. In March, I will run out of days to use, and we are struggling to find an affordable option nearby that has availability when we need it.” Parent in Virginia

Trust in their childcare provider is the most important thing to families with infants and toddlers.

To understand families’ childcare needs, we asked parents what factor matters the most when selecting childcare for their infants and toddlers. We provided a list of factors to choose from for each type of childcare used. Across all types of childcare, parents of infants and toddlers are most likely to say that trust and/or comfortability with their provider is the top factor when they select child care for their family. Parents are significantly more likely to endorse trust and/or comfortability with their provider than any other factor, including affordability, availability, location, or the hours the provider is available.

Factors for selecting childcare, in order of frequency endorsed by parents of infants and toddlers:

Trust and/or comfortability
Affordability
Availability
Location
Hours

“Finding a trustworthy and experienced caregiver who could handle our infant’s specific needs was a major concern.” Parent in New York

“Ensuring the caregiver has the necessary experience and qualifications to care for an infant adds another layer of difficulty.” Parent in Iowa

Predictable and nurturing caregiving contributes to positive early childhood development, and more work is needed to support families with infants and toddlers looking for childcare. RAPID data show that there is an unmet need among families with infants and toddlers for reliable, affordable, and trusted sources of childcare and that families are using a patchwork of childcare arrangements to find trusted sources of care for their infants and toddlers that they can afford and rely on. Parents themselves are experts in selecting the sources and settings of childcare that will best support their family and foster their child’s development, and they are placing an emphasis on selecting providers that their family trusts and feels comfortable with. These findings can inform policies and programs that address parents’ childcare concerns and experiences, so they are better supported in providing the healthy, responsive caregiving that is essential to their young children’s development.