Simon Burris is a brilliant historian sharing his vast knowledge of Black History by developing clever brainteasers, more commonly known as crossword puzzles. His creative and challenging games, which appear in the L.A. Sentinel Family section, are educating readers from ages eight to 80+ about the innumerable contributions of Black people.
“Although I have no personal knowledge of when Dr. King died, I fully support the research of Dr. William Pepper, who has established that King’s life was terminated at the hospital. His research came through a credible witness, Johnton Shelby, whose mother personally witnessed the event. According to these sources, King did not die immediately, but shortly after being shot and transported to the hospital, when he was smothered to death with a pillow by the head surgeon, Dr. Breen Bland.” — Phillip F. Nelson, author of “Who REALLY Killed Martin Luther King,” in an interview with Our Weekly.
During the intimate video-taped interview inside the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the two visionaries also tackled topics that ranged from the Transatlantic Slave Trade, their shared North Carolina families’ histories, the writing legacy of author James Baldwin, and the contemporary vitality of the Black Press of America.
“The chairman has a direct responsibility for their membership and to be speaking for them in every way to make sure that their rights, their names, and all, are brought to the forefront of other publishers that comprise the board, and to develop policies,” Leavell said.