Abilene Cooper Claims Kathryn Stockett Stole Her Life as a Maid & Made it into Blockbuster Disney Movie "The Help"

Abilene Cooper says Kathryn Stockett is a racist who stole her life as a maid for her family and made it into a bestselling book and blockbuster Disney movie "The Help."

The drama continues with the blockbuster movie, "The Help," as Abilene Cooper, a former maid for the family of bestselling author Kathryn Stockett, claims in a lawsuit, that the book was all about her experiences as a maid. Well, as a writer, I do draw on real-life experiences, as most do. That doesn't mean Ms. Stockett owes Abilene Cooper anything. The movie, which has held the No. 1 spot at the box office for two weeks and counting, is based on the lives of black maids in the Deep South in the 1960s, during the racially charged, segregationist period in America's history. Ms. Cooper says, 'I think she is just a racist. She claims she respects black people but she just ran all over me.’ Abilene Cooper also lived in Jackson, Mississippi and spent much of her life working in white households, including the households of Kathryn Stockett's brother and sister-in-law, where she was a maid and nanny for 12 years. She said she is angry and devastated at Ms. Stockett using her life experience as the backdrop for her book and blockbuster movie.

‘Kathryn spelt my name wrong, but they pronounce it exactly the same way in the book and the film. I introduced myself to Kathryn when I first met her at her brother’s house that way: ‘‘Aib-e-leen”. Kathryn has Aibileen teaching the white folks’ baby girl to call her ‘‘Aib-ee”. That’s what I taught Kathryn’s niece and nephew to call me because they couldn’t manage Abilene. ‘I just cried and cried after I read the first few pages. 

In the book, Aibileen has taken her job five months after her son is killed in an accident. My son, Willie, had leukaemia and died when he was 18, in July 1998, three months before I went to work for the Stocketts. ‘I felt the emotions in my heart all over again. Kathryn copied parts of my life and used them without even asking me.’ In the book, Aibileen is a deeply religious woman who sports a gold tooth and a gold cross, as does the real-life Abilene. 

The real Abilene started work just a few years later, for an employer with the same obsession with ‘coloured germs’ that led the fictional Aibileen’s boss to build a lavatory in her carport for the help. Source

Ms. Cooper said she never told Kathryn Stockett about herself, but she may have learned about her through her brother Rob and her sister-in-law Carroll. If Ms. Stockett relied on Ms. Cooper's experiences heavily in her book, then she may be on the hook for some money. It's a little ironic that she came up with the lavatory incident, unless it was common knowledge then. Wow, there is a slight resemblance between Abilene Cooper and Viola Davis. I loved the movie and would watch it again. I hope they can work this out without too much collateral damage to both parties.

Mississippi Paper, Meridian Star, Offers Apology for Its 'Gross Neglect' During Civil Rights Struggle

Funny, it seems that since Barack Obama will be inaugurated as our our first African American president, everyone is suddenly getting a conscience and apologizing for past racist behavior. Well, in a remarkable turn of events, one day before the birthday holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. is celebrated, -- Mississippi-based Meridian Star has, in an editorial, offered an apology for its past coverage of civil rights issues. Really, why did it take them so long to get a conscience and admit to their racist behavior? It took them to do so after 43 presidents have been inaugurated. Well, at least they have admitted the error of their ways and have set the record straight.

The full editorial written by Editor Fredie Carmichael

Tomorrow, as the nation celebrates the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we also pause to remember those in East Mississippi who were integral in the American civil rights movement. We pause to honor them through vowing to never forget their struggle, their passion, their persistence, their courage -- and what these human qualities have meant to our community.

We pause to remember James Chaney, Obie Clark, Polly Heidelberg and others so important to the struggle for equality who are no longer with us. And to honor those who are still with us like Rev. Charles Johnson and State Rep. Charles Young.

We pause to remember so that we never go back; so that we always move forward for social justice and human rights. We vow to be their voice. We vow to embody their passion. It is also important, and historically significant, that today marks the start of official inauguration events for Barack Obama, the country’s 44th president and the first black person elected to that highest of political offices. His swearing in Tuesday will, in a special way, fulfill the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., James Chaney, Obie Clark, Polly Heidelberg and the countless other front-line soldiers in the fight for civil rights across America.

The same as Americans put aside political ideology in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on our soil on Sept. 11, 2001, to support President George W. Bush, we should now respect and rally to the historical significance and symmetry of the civil rights movement and Barack Obama’s inauguration as president.

The civil rights pioneers of East Mississippi helped build the foundation of human values that made this milestone inauguration possible. So it is especially important that our communities come together at this moment. It is also important that we not forget our past failings to live up to those values. There was a time when this newspaper – and many others across the south -- acted with gross neglect by largely ignoring the unfairness of segregated schools, buses, restaurants, washrooms, theaters and other public places. We did it through omission, by not recording for our readers many of the most important civil rights activities that happened in our midst, including protests and sit-ins. That was wrong. We should have loudly protested segregation and the efforts to block voter registration of black East Mississippians.

Current management understands while we can't go back and undo some past wrongs, we can offer our sincere apology -- and promise never again to neglect our responsibility to inform you, our readers, about the human rights and dignity every individual is entitled to in America -- no matter their religion, their ethnic background or the color of their skin.

It seems to me that they should not have waited until we have our first African American president to apologize for their racism. If anything, Barack Obama has shown that the American people can transcend race and vote for a candidate on the basis of their platform. Not on the color of their skin. The Meridian Star and all those newspapers that promoted racism should be ashamed of themselves. The news media should see no color, but sadly, that pattern of racism still continues today, albeit subtly.

Mississippi Paper, Meridian Star, Offers Apology for Its 'Gross Neglect' During Civil Rights Struggle

Funny, it seems that since Barack Obama will be inaugurated as our our first African American president, everyone is suddenly getting a conscience and apologizing for past racist behavior. Well, in a remarkable turn of events, one day before the birthday holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. is celebrated, -- Mississippi-based Meridian Star has, in an editorial, offered an apology for its past coverage of civil rights issues. Really, why did it take them so long to get a conscience and admit to their racist behavior? It took them to do so after 43 presidents have been inaugurated. Well, at least they have admitted the error of their ways and have set the record straight.

The full editorial written by Editor Fredie Carmichael

Tomorrow, as the nation celebrates the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we also pause to remember those in East Mississippi who were integral in the American civil rights movement. We pause to honor them through vowing to never forget their struggle, their passion, their persistence, their courage -- and what these human qualities have meant to our community.

We pause to remember James Chaney, Obie Clark, Polly Heidelberg and others so important to the struggle for equality who are no longer with us. And to honor those who are still with us like Rev. Charles Johnson and State Rep. Charles Young.

We pause to remember so that we never go back; so that we always move forward for social justice and human rights. We vow to be their voice. We vow to embody their passion. It is also important, and historically significant, that today marks the start of official inauguration events for Barack Obama, the country’s 44th president and the first black person elected to that highest of political offices. His swearing in Tuesday will, in a special way, fulfill the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., James Chaney, Obie Clark, Polly Heidelberg and the countless other front-line soldiers in the fight for civil rights across America.

The same as Americans put aside political ideology in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on our soil on Sept. 11, 2001, to support President George W. Bush, we should now respect and rally to the historical significance and symmetry of the civil rights movement and Barack Obama’s inauguration as president.

The civil rights pioneers of East Mississippi helped build the foundation of human values that made this milestone inauguration possible. So it is especially important that our communities come together at this moment. It is also important that we not forget our past failings to live up to those values. There was a time when this newspaper – and many others across the south -- acted with gross neglect by largely ignoring the unfairness of segregated schools, buses, restaurants, washrooms, theaters and other public places. We did it through omission, by not recording for our readers many of the most important civil rights activities that happened in our midst, including protests and sit-ins. That was wrong. We should have loudly protested segregation and the efforts to block voter registration of black East Mississippians.

Current management understands while we can't go back and undo some past wrongs, we can offer our sincere apology -- and promise never again to neglect our responsibility to inform you, our readers, about the human rights and dignity every individual is entitled to in America -- no matter their religion, their ethnic background or the color of their skin.

It seems to me that they should not have waited until we have our first African American president to apologize for their racism. If anything, Barack Obama has shown that the American people can transcend race and vote for a candidate on the basis of their platform. Not on the color of their skin. The Meridian Star and all those newspapers that promoted racism should be ashamed of themselves. The news media should see no color, but sadly, that pattern of racism still continues today, albeit subtly.

Billey Joe Johnson, African American High School Football Star, Dies From Gunshot Wound Sheriff's Deputy Says Self-Inflicted

Developing.......

Less than one week after the tragic death of George County, Mississippi football star, Billey Joe Johnson, the family has hired Jerome Carter of The Cochran Firm Mobile to represent them.Attorney Carter said he saw photographs of Johnson’s body taken by the family after the state autopsy. “There was clear trauma to the side of his head behind his left ear,” Carter said. “From what I’ve been told in the community, that’s not consistent with a blast from a shotgun in close quarters.” The state has not released the results of its autopsy, but the NAACP and the Johnson family attorney said that the 17-year-old’s body will be sent to an independent pathologist for a second opinion on how he died.

To read the SunHerald article, CLICK HERE.....

It always breaks my heart when I hear that one of our young people has been killed. There seems to be some confusion surrounding the death of Billey Joe Johnson, who was considered one of the top high school football recruits in Mississippi, as well as the country. He was shot to death early Monday morning. Johnson, according to media reports, rushed for more than 1,500 yards his last season, totaling over 4,000 for his career. He received scholarship offers from a number of major schools including Alabama, LSU and Mississippi as a top-rated recruit by scouts and rivals. Media reports have surfaced saying that he died of possibly a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being pulled over by a sheriff's deputy.

It's not clear why 17-year-old Billey Joe Johnson was stopped in Lucedale, but authorities say the junior tailback shot himself with a shotgun after the deputy walked back to the patrol car to run a license check. "The deputy was sitting in his patrol vehicle ... when he heard a gunshot and saw the victim laying on the ground by the driver's side door of the vehicle that Johnson was driving. A shotgun was lying on the victim," according to a statement from the George County Sheriff's Department. Authorities would not immediately say whether they believed the shooting was a suicide or an accident.

The last portion of that quote is particularly perplexing, because it is hard to believe that Johnson would have attempted to pull a shotgun on police officers ...although equally confounding is the notion that Johnson would kill himself at what, according to all current reports, appears to be a basic traffic stop. Nothing is ever certain, but this story appears to be so odd, at least in the manner of death, that it would be even more shocking if further details didn't at least emerge as to why the young man apparently panicked and pulled a gun that resulted in the tragic and early end to his life. Source: Yahoo News

Enter the NAACP, who has said that it has determined through an independent investigation that George County High School football star Billey Joe John son Jr. did not commit suicide last week during a traffic stop in Lucedale, the vice president of the organization's Mississippi chapter said Sunday.

The organization based its findings on interviews with people who knew Johnson and on physical evidence, Clark said, although Clark declined to detail the physical evidence, citing legal concerns. Clark said nothing supports the notion that the junior running back was in the state of mind to kill himself.

The NAACP met with the family and other community members Saturday, Clark said. He said the family is scheduled to meet with District Attorney Tony Lawrence today at his office in Pascagoula. Because a George County deputy was at the scene when Johnson was shot, Sheriff Garry Welford turned the investigation over to Lawrence, who said Friday in his only comment about the investigation that he would not comment again until after meeting with the family. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigations is assisting in the investigation. Source: Gulf Live

Are we really going to take the word of one police officer in the Deep South that a black kid shot himself? No, I couldn't possibly accept that as fact, given what this young man had going for himself and the fact that racism is alive and well in America. Of course, the deputy's identity has not been revealed. Hmmm. I wonder why? Funny, I can't seem to get the images of Emmett Till and others being killed in the Deep South because of the color of their skin and the ghosts of Mississippi out of my mind.

Billey Joe Johnson, African American High School Football Star, Dies From Gunshot Wound Sheriff's Deputy Says Self-Inflicted

Developing.......

Less than one week after the tragic death of George County, Mississippi football star, Billey Joe Johnson, the family has hired Jerome Carter of The Cochran Firm Mobile to represent them.Attorney Carter said he saw photographs of Johnson’s body taken by the family after the state autopsy. “There was clear trauma to the side of his head behind his left ear,” Carter said. “From what I’ve been told in the community, that’s not consistent with a blast from a shotgun in close quarters.” The state has not released the results of its autopsy, but the NAACP and the Johnson family attorney said that the 17-year-old’s body will be sent to an independent pathologist for a second opinion on how he died.

To read the SunHerald article, CLICK HERE.....

It always breaks my heart when I hear that one of our young people has been killed. There seems to be some confusion surrounding the death of Billey Joe Johnson, who was considered one of the top high school football recruits in Mississippi, as well as the country. He was shot to death early Monday morning. Johnson, according to media reports, rushed for more than 1,500 yards his last season, totaling over 4,000 for his career. He received scholarship offers from a number of major schools including Alabama, LSU and Mississippi as a top-rated recruit by scouts and rivals. Media reports have surfaced saying that he died of possibly a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being pulled over by a sheriff's deputy.

It's not clear why 17-year-old Billey Joe Johnson was stopped in Lucedale, but authorities say the junior tailback shot himself with a shotgun after the deputy walked back to the patrol car to run a license check. "The deputy was sitting in his patrol vehicle ... when he heard a gunshot and saw the victim laying on the ground by the driver's side door of the vehicle that Johnson was driving. A shotgun was lying on the victim," according to a statement from the George County Sheriff's Department. Authorities would not immediately say whether they believed the shooting was a suicide or an accident.

The last portion of that quote is particularly perplexing, because it is hard to believe that Johnson would have attempted to pull a shotgun on police officers ...although equally confounding is the notion that Johnson would kill himself at what, according to all current reports, appears to be a basic traffic stop. Nothing is ever certain, but this story appears to be so odd, at least in the manner of death, that it would be even more shocking if further details didn't at least emerge as to why the young man apparently panicked and pulled a gun that resulted in the tragic and early end to his life. Source: Yahoo News

Enter the NAACP, who has said that it has determined through an independent investigation that George County High School football star Billey Joe John son Jr. did not commit suicide last week during a traffic stop in Lucedale, the vice president of the organization's Mississippi chapter said Sunday.

The organization based its findings on interviews with people who knew Johnson and on physical evidence, Clark said, although Clark declined to detail the physical evidence, citing legal concerns. Clark said nothing supports the notion that the junior running back was in the state of mind to kill himself.

The NAACP met with the family and other community members Saturday, Clark said. He said the family is scheduled to meet with District Attorney Tony Lawrence today at his office in Pascagoula. Because a George County deputy was at the scene when Johnson was shot, Sheriff Garry Welford turned the investigation over to Lawrence, who said Friday in his only comment about the investigation that he would not comment again until after meeting with the family. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigations is assisting in the investigation. Source: Gulf Live

Are we really going to take the word of one police officer in the Deep South that a black kid shot himself? No, I couldn't possibly accept that as fact, given what this young man had going for himself and the fact that racism is alive and well in America. Of course, the deputy's identity has not been revealed. Hmmm. I wonder why? Funny, I can't seem to get the images of Emmett Till and others being killed in the Deep South because of the color of their skin and the ghosts of Mississippi out of my mind.