Volume
1 Issue 3- May 2001
Dr. Levi Watkins
"Education, independence and the skillful use of intellectual resources in the political arena will enable Voter News Network to have its greatest impact."
When Dr. Levi Watkins joined Voter News Network last January, he probably didn't expect to be in the spotlight of national political and media attention. But that is exactly what happened. Dr. Watkins became the subject of a front page Sunday Edition story published by The Birmingham News on April 8, 2001. The story was later circulated around the nation on the Associated Press wire and by links to various internet sites.
An announcement in the April edition of Voter News Network that its organizers will spend $1 million in Alabama's 2002 state and federal elections generated tremendous media attention. In addition to Dr. Watkins, the donors include his brother Donald Watkins, a Birmingham banker and publisher of Voter News Network; Donald Watkins, Jr., a Montgomery businessman; Milton C. Davis, a Tuskegee lawyer; Kenneth Thomas, a Montgomery lawyer who serves as General Counsel for Voter News Network; Alfred Seawright, owner of a Montgomery medical supply company; Edmond Watters of Birmingham, a part owner in Alamerica Bank, Buford Crutcher, owner of an engineering consulting firm in Huntsville; Dr. Clifton Youngblood, an Atlanta physician, and Christopher Bazuaye, chief executive officer of Jesse Lewis and Associates advertising firm in Birmingham.
Dr. Watkins, a heart surgeon and medical pioneer, spent several hours over two days with The Birmingham News Washington Bureau Chief Mary Orndorff, sharing his reasons for supporting Voter News Network. Having learned of Dr. Watkins' long involvement in the civil rights struggle, Orndorff wrote, "perhaps it's fitting then, that the associate dean of the school of medicine at Johns Hopkins University is sinking personal funds and professional expertise into a Birmingham-based movement to challenge the traditional black allegiance to the Democratic Party".
"Education, independence and the skillful use of intellectual resources in the political arena will enable Voter News Network to have its greatest impact," according to Dr. Watkins. He believes the organization is a needed vehicle for educating voters and affecting political change. In addition to providing financial resources, Dr. Watkins will head the organization's task force on national healthcare policies.
Related Links:
Birmingham News' - Alabama physician a study in success.
Click here for complete reprint of the Birmingham News story above
back to the top
SENATOR SESSIONS' COLLEGE BILL MAKES TUITION 100 PERCENT TAX-FREE
By: Jeff Sessions
WATKINS SEEKS OWNERSHIP OF MLB FRANCHISE, DEVIL RAYS
SENATOR SESSIONS' COLLEGE SAVINGS BILL ON TARGET
ALABAMA NEEDS NEW CRIME LAWS FOR SAFE SCHOOLS, IDENTITY THEFT, AND METH DRUG LABS
By: Bill Pryor
FINANCIER AND HEALTHCARE POLICY ADVISOR FEATURED IN NATIONAL STORY
LAWMAKER'S BID TO CAP ATM TRANSACTION FEES PRODUCES GOOD NEWS FOR CONSUMERS
SENATE APPROVES IMPORTANT LEGISLATION
By: Lowell Barron
THE BIRMINGHAM BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: HELPING BUSINESS TO START AND GROW
By: Del Bloomer
DR. JOE L. REED SET TO LEAD STATE DEMOS IN 2002 ELECTIONS